Week Two...Building, Speaking, Bonobos, and a Birthday

It's been a busy start to our second week here in Kinshasa. It's hard to believe we left home ten days ago, arriving here exactly one week ago tonight.  We've recovered from jet lag and are sleeping and waking at fairly normal hours.

Monday, Mike awoke around 5:00 AM, to once again head to the MAF hangar with David Francis.  He completed the project he started...a stand on which to place the pilots' flight simulator.  He even added a place for them to put their papers, while they're using the simulator.  The pilots were very pleased with his job.  The only problem is he finished quicker than they expected.  

They had other projects they would have like him to do but didn't have the right supplies for him to do them.  He has done some odd jobs for David and Sandy Francis (where we are staying) and has helped us today, with carrying things.

Debbie went shopping at The Market, on Monday, with Sandy Francis and another friend.  It was quite the experience!!! When you get there, you find somebody to help you...this is very important. Men and women have their booths of goods and are desperate to sell their items. After all, this is how they survive.  As you walk down the isles, looking at their wares, they get right in your face, yelling "Mama, mama (what they call women) please buy, PLEASE!"  It is hard to not stop and let them convince you to buy. They just sound so desperate...much like a toddler who is begging for that pack of gum.  I'm glad I learned to tell my children "no."  

Once you find an item you want to buy, the real excitement begins. Your helper then goes to work bartering for you. You never pay the price they ask for an item. You keep at it until you get the price you want.  If you don't get that price, you walk away.  Usually, they will come after you, agreeing to that price.  However, we did have one time where they wanted way too much for an item and the guy would not budge...even after we walked away.  We found some great birthday presents for Mike that day.

Monday evening, Debbie shared at a women's Bible study.  Some of the women in this study did the Joy in the Furnace study when Debbie first wrote it, back in 2009.  Only three of those women are still in the group and now there are several new women.  They have decided to do the study again.  Debbie was able to present the ladies with their books--autographed--and share her testimony and a little about the study.

Tuesday was Mike's birthday so he got the day off. Debbie went to the Tabitha Center that morning and shared her testimony with the women there. The Tabitha Center reaches out to young women struggling to make a livelihood in  the DRC by providing them an option to selling themselves or engaging in illegal activities for their livelihood.   Teen-aged girls gather under the direction of women from the church to discuss life's realities and to give the Bible's answers to questions about life that are often left unanswered by parents.  In this safe context, girls are taught skills like sewing, cooking, hair dressing, cosmetics and others that offer them an alternative to the assumption that selling themselves is a viable employment alternative.

It has probably been the most rewarding experience for Debbie, so far in our trip. None of the girls spoke English, so she spoke through the use of an interpreter, Valerie, one of the MAF wives, who spoke to them in their African language, Lingala. Together, Debbie and Valerie share with these girls how they can find joy through Jesus, even in the midst of the hardest of times.

After we returned from the Tabitha Center, we ate lunch, gave Mike his birthday presents and then went for  Mike's birthday outing...a trip to the countryside to see the bonobos.  It was an enjoyable ride, in which we got to see a wide array of Kinshasa living...from the city to the country-side, hundreds upon hundreds of Congolese walking (and walking and walking), market place after market place, a man fixing a broken axle in the middle of the road (causing a traffic jam), hillside farms, children bathing in the river, and more.  When we got to the bonobos reserve, we enjoyed a nice hike and had fun watching the bonobos run, play and climb.  It was a great day and a birthday, Mike will never forget.

Tuesday evening we went to a couple's Bible study that Sandy and David Francis attend.  Debbie had yet another opportunity to share her testimony and the message of finding joy in the furnace. It was a small crowd but the discussion following Debbie's sharing made it apparent that Debbie was meant to be there and deliver the message God has given her.

Today, Wednesday, has been a day of preparation for the MAF Family Conference.  We spent some time at the location of the conference, getting things ready. 

Then, we met with the team from Idaho, who arrived in Kinshasa late last night. It was our first time to meet with them face to face.

The conference kicked off this evening with dinner and a time of devotions with all the MAF families.  Debbie and Sandy made soups all afternoon to take to the dinner.  It was fun meeting all the families tonight...the ones we hadn't yet met.  Debbie was excited because all the children arrived into town and she finally got to meet all the smiling faces she will be teaching during the conference.

Please pray for us as we begin the Family Conference tomorrow morning.  Most of you will be sleeping when we are in conference since we are 6-7 hours ahead of you. We have spent a lot of time with David, Sandy and other missionaries this week and are learning so much about life here in the DRC.  We are understanding more about just how discouraging and depressing it can be, the stress these missionaries face, and the frustrations they encounter daily.(Just driving to work, school, or to the store is enough to make you want to never leave your house. The worst streets, worst drivers, and worst traffic in the US are far better than anything they have here. It is crazy!!!)

Pray this conference will really be a time of ministering to these families...each member of every family...from the tiniest baby to the oldest adult.  Pray for peace for the mommies who are leaving their children with ladies they don't know. Pray for the children to feel safe and secure with the new faces who are caring for them. Pray for the hearts of the adults, teens and children to hear the message God has planned.  The theme for the conference is Joy in the Furnace and each group with be studying the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (from Daniel Chapter 3), with Debbie's Bible study as a backdrop.

We love and miss you all and thank you SO much for your prayers and support.