Kinshasha, Congo and Brazzaville, DR Congo

Dear Family and Friends,

We thought we'd drop another note after our 6 day trip to Kinshasha, Congo and Brazzaville, DR Congo. It was a wonderful trip and every single moment seemed to be a journal entry. We arrived at the airport which was a beehive of confusion. Luckily President and Sister Waldram met us to help us through all the red tape and there was also a beautiful member of the church (Josepha) who works there who helped us and believe me, we would still be there if it weren't for them. It was crazy with jillions of people trying to carry your bag and stopping you at check points, etc. They made what could have been impossible so very easy. Our ride into the city was quite a visual. There was and always was a sea of people everywhere....walking and walking and walking. There are cars also, and there are crazy, crazy drivers. I wish I could describe well what we saw but it is hard to put in words. ...I'll try. The women were in beautiful colored dresses....African prints that took your breath away. With their beautiful black skin these colors were magnificent.......very bright and lovely. Many had the fabric tied on their heads in the same matching fabric. Some had other colors on and of course some were in western dress, but not the majority. A lot of the men were in western dress, but there were many who had the same wonderful fabrics in their clothes. They were often designed like a hospital scrub outfit....some wear long dresses of beautiful fabric. The clothes tend to be loose because it is so hot and humid there. Many babies ride on their mother's backs again held there with these beautiful fabrics. We only saw a handful of white people the entire time we were there.

It is tropical, so there was much rain which turned the black dirt roads into mud. There are some paved roads, but many many areas were dirt and it was good we have a four wheel drive to go around in. The markets except for 5 or 6 were stalls with tin roofs or people just sitting or walking at the side of the road selling things. We loved the onion and garlic stalls. All products were stacked in a beautiful way as the people sat on the ground waiting for people to buy.....wall to wall stalls of all kinds of merchandise.

We had to cross the Congo River to get to get to Brazzaville Stake Conference and that was an experience of a lifetime. There are not bridges only boats. There are 2 kinds of boat. One was a motorboat which wasn't as nice as the African Queen and the VIP boat was a little nicer than the African Queen. We traveled on each boat..... the small one going and the VIP coming back. It was so crowded on that little boat. There were supposed to be maximum of 9 passengers and there were 11. It only took about 10 minutes but we were packed in with these life jackets and the fun part was getting in and out from about a 4 foot drop. Honestly, we weren't very gracious in our church clothes. The men had on suits and I know we were a sight, but climbing in and out was hard.....no ladder....only from boat to shore with people pulling and pushing. It was quite a deal. Lots of red tape on the other side. Again, there were people to help us get through.....no computers....everything done in triplicate and many check points. We were going into a different country. The church officials met us and were very glad to see us...dressed in their suits and ready to leave for meetings. I did auxiliary training while Bill trained priesthood. Actually, I did it with Sister Waldram, the mission president's wife. She doesn't speak french either, but she read hers in french and I had a interpreter. It is hard to do it that way, but I am learning and the women were wonderful. They were dressed beautifully in their dresses and head pieces and they took notes, but I don't know what they wrote, cause I don't know if the one translating got it all. We had to start and stop, but the spirit was there and many came up and kissed me on both cheeks and were so wonderful. There were 3,000 at stake conference.....85%. The singing was so fun.....loud and vigorous. The choir was the same....all young adults with big gold bow ties and matching skirts (bright blue satin) and white blouses. There was a new member meeting before conference with about 50 new members who bore testimony and who had lights shining through their hearts and eyes. There were tears of joy as they bore testimony. That was a very moving meeting to be part of. It was Bill and I and the mission president and his wife and the new members and the missionaries who had converted them. Those missionaries were also "shining". We were given huge bouquets of flowers, which of course we couldn't carry back on the boat, cause it was about all we could do to get ourselves and our suitcase on board, so we gave them to our drivers to give to their wives. Our drivers were CES people and our vehicles were trucks. The cars take quite a beating because of the roads......We hit many potholes very hard as we traveled about for the 6 days. We loved being with the Waldrams. They were so gracious and fun and helpful. We are so impressed with their upbeat attitudes with hard living conditions. They are a great blessing to the people there and are doing a wonderful job in everything they do. They took us everywhere to see the churches there and the sight which they hope will be for a temple one day. Mostly the saints meet in houses, but we saw one lovely building and the ground had just been broken for the next one so they are making great progress. Those saints know there scriptures very very well and are very educated in the Gospel, and are learning much about the church organization. We have only had the Gospel 13 years in Congo, so these people are the pioneers. They are very teachable and humble. It was wonderful to be with them. Language was a barrier, but we felt the Spirit together and learned together and worshiped together. It was a blessing to be there and we loved it. We get tired sometimes with all that is going on but it is a good tired. The missionary couples continue to inspire us. Those in the Congo have a very hard life, because of the living conditions, but they are doing it and are sooooo needed. They are something else. We miss all of you and love your e-mails....it is an experience of a lifeline. We love what we are doing and are getting ready for our next adventure. We go to Durban in 2 days, so must do the laundry and get ready. We want you to know that we feel very blessed to be here and we know this is the Lord's work and it is a privilege to be part of it. The Gospel is true.

Love S
Please keep in touch.....