DR Congo

Going to the DR Congo is hard. We were in a small town for a District Conference. That town is Kolwezi and it is not a direct flight. It took all day to get home today and we are tired, but happy. The hotel or what was called a hotel was the only room in town. We took our own sheets and pillow cases. There was one towel and we flushed the toilet with buckets of water. The roads in the town are all of red dirt and since it was the rainy season, there were craters in the streets full of water. We had to walk a block to the hotel cause the car couldn't get through the craters of water. We ate dehydrated food which the mission president and his wife brought because restaurants were out of the question. It was from REI so it wasn't too bad and when you are hungry, it is good. We took the tube of peanut butter that Todd and John picked out at Pic N' Pay when they were here. They gave it to Dad as a joke, but we threw it in at the last minute with crackers and were thrilled to have it. There were very few cars in the city. The gas stations were far and few between and they were not buildings, but were yellow cans full of gas and when we wanted gas, we pulled up to the corner and somebody would come with a funnel and the yellow can to give us gas. The flights in and out were crazy....barely making connections, being bribed, accosted and trying very hard to understand French or Swahili. Inspite of the hard living for a few days, it was a glorious experience. The members there were so anxious to have us come. There are 435 members there and 3 55 came to the conference. My auxiliary training went very well because they wanted to learn. They asked wonderful questions. They flew in an interpreter from Lumambashi (sp) and he was fabulous. It makes such a difference to have someone good. He was soooo great. He did all the translating for me and for Dad during the conference sessions. The clothes of the Congolese are soooo beautiful....their smiles were incredible and the singing is out of this world. I think this is the country where the singing is the very best....it is always loud, but the harmony and the voices are so beautiful. I loved the children. They are beautiful and sit so quietly. We were one hour early for the Sunday morning meeting and it was already half full and the children sat for 3 hours without a toy or a bit of food or anything. I did notice that some played with their fingers and some crossed their eyes at each other, but it was sooo quiet I couldn't believe it. This was a hall that echoed and their wasn't any PA system. When you have interpreters, only he has to speak loudly!!! It was a hard trip and we are exhausted but it was worth it. We got home at 5 and had 30 people for dinner at 6:00. I had set all the tables and done all the flowers on Thursday and all the food was brought by the couples> It was a going away party for the Jex's and the Smiths. Can't believe it is time for them to go.....especially John and Marlene. We will miss them sooooo much.