tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47799868028752270492024-03-13T15:13:55.916-07:00Congo Missionrkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-21703232816804519112012-07-29T11:35:00.000-07:002012-07-29T11:35:02.373-07:00Orphanage Bed and Clothing ProjectThis Saturday, we had a bed and clothing party at the orphanage. The little orphanage needs so much, and has so little. The owner of the orphanage has a heart the size of the continent of Africa. Earlier this year when we first visited the orphanage, we assessed the great need. One of the adoption agencies from the US was with us on that trip. We knew that we wanted to do something. As missionaries we are limited in the scope of what we can do. The adoption agency representative, a truly wonderful women, took it upon herself to raise money to repair the building so a school could be maintained in an acceptable room. She is continuing with that project. She was at the orphanage on Saturday, and we met the engineer who is competing her project who was also there.
During our first visit determined at that time to do something. Since the children were sleeping on the ground, we thought we could make beds for them. Elder Billings, the construction program missionary said under his direction, we could make beds for them. The sisters decided to make clothing for the kids.
Saturday, the beds and clothing were finished and we took them out.
Five bunk beds and a new outfit for each child. The following is a pictorial glimpse of the project.
Under a separate correspondence, we have thanked those who generously gave of their money to help finance the project. We thank them again.
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preparing the assemble bunk beds. Mission President Jameson and Elder Billings.
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Elder Smith working on beds as children watch
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Suzane and adoption agency person
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Orphanage owner and vision impaired young man that has been their since birth. He liked his new shirt and shorts.
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Children loved the beds. Sorry this is so dark. I ran out of battery on my flash camera and took this with the iPod. (Note to Apple, put flash on iPods.)
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The stake president, who came by to see how it was going, with the mission president.
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We feel truly blessed by the generosity and goodwill of our friends and the will always remember he love of these beautiful children.
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As usual, the children bid us a fond farewell. They call, au revoir, (French), Byo, (Lingala), Bye Bye...
rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-24664920428889972822012-07-07T12:46:00.004-07:002012-07-07T12:46:43.905-07:00TransportationMany basic infrastructure necessities are missing here. We are constantly amazed at the resilience and creativity of the Congolese. Mass transportation is one of the elements of the infrastructure that is lacking. In a city of 10 - 15 million people, the vast majority of whom do not have automobiles, getting from the outlying neighborhoods into the city to work or sell their wares must depend on some sort of transportation.
The free-enterprise entrepreneurial spirit has somewhat solved this problem. In Kinshasa there exists an informal or parallel economy. That is to say, with 85% unemployment, people must find ways to feed themselves and their families outside of the normal job market. Transportation is one of them. Since the government has not provided mass-transportation, the entrepreneurs have. There is one very very old train that runs from Masina, the highly populated suburb, into down town Kinshasa. It comes in about 8 am with several thousand people jammed into it, and then goes back in the evening.
Most transportation is provided by old beat-up vans. The owners remove the seats and replace them with 2x4 slats. That way they can get 20+ people in a 9 passenger van.
It costs about 500 Congolese Francs to ride across town. (that is about $1).
There are no set times or routes, they follow the crowds and come and go as they please.
For these "transport" drivers, traffic rules are more suggestions than rules. They will come down the wrong way on a street, run red lights (well, anyway, the four traffic lights in the city.) A good rule of thumb for driving among the transports is to ask yourself, "what is the absolute dumbest, most dangerous thing that transport driver will do next?" Then, he will surpass your expectations. Sidewalks are fair game for the transport drivers.
Anyone who owns an automobile is automatically a taxi. People line the streets and cars will stop and pick them up to take them on their way for 500FC.
Goods are often moved around the city on "Pus-Pus" carts, they too can be a challenge to ones driving.
Big trucks (Poire Lourd) are interesting. Some I think were left behind when the Belgians left 50 years ago, some I think, are world war two left overs.
All in all, driving here is somewhat like bumper cars on steroids. Suzanne says that I must go to driving detox before I can drive to Safeway when we get home.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Typical group of taxis. Most are blue and yellow. The one in the center of the picture is a very nice one. People look for rides on anything they can find.
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Pus-pus in a neighborhood
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Loaded pus pus
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Sometimes you can catch a ride on a pus-pus
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Sometimes you ride, sometimes you push
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Some times you put 20 pounds in a 5 pound bag
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At some point you should just give up and carry it on your head.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-35761867082969975292012-07-04T14:10:00.002-07:002012-07-04T14:10:37.895-07:00This week we took a Senior Couple field trip to TIFIE farms. This is Robert Workman's humanitarian project here in the DRC. (Google Robert Workman, TIFIE) TIFIE stands for Teaching Individuals and Families Independence Through Enterprise. This facility is about two and a half hours outside of Kinshasa.
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It is definitely out in the bush. We passed rolling African hills and rivers.
This facility is a farm. The goal of this farm seems to be two-fold. 1) to develop a better strain of Kasava plants and 2) teaching individuals, families, and villages how to become self-reliant and self-supporting.
Kasava is the main stay of the Congolese diet.
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The Kasava plant is a hearty leafy plant with tuberous roots. People pick the leaves, crush them in a mortar and pestle type affair. They then boil the leaves into a spinach-like dish. They put spices, onions, tomatoes, etc. into it and cook it.
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The root of the Kasava plant is peeled, diced, soaked for a couple of days to leach out the arsenic resident in the plant, dried for several days in the sun, and then ground into a flour similar to corn meal. A dish called Foo-Foo is made of the flour and is eaten with the spinach type stuff. If you made play dough out of a coarse white flour and ate it - it would be foo-foo. (most African countries have a dish similar to foo-foo made from flour or corn meal that goes by different names.)
Kasava grows without much water, and seems to be very hearty. Once a plant is pulled out of the ground, to harvest the roots, a branch may be cut into several 6 inch lengths, then laid in the ground and will produce a new plant.
At TIFIE, in cooperation with USAID, they have developed a more hearty, quicker producing, and more nourishing plant - called Obama Kasava.
The Kasava is harvested at TIFIE by several nearby villages. The villages rotate turns harvesting the product. A daily quota is set and each member of the work team is paid for his/her days work. There is a daily quota of harvest that must be met before they are paid. Also, as a bonus, the smaller Kasava roots are given to the workers.
So the daily operation of harvest is 1) pull the plant from the ground, 2) cut off the tuber/roots, 3) haul the tubers to the collection point, 4) sort the tubers into sizes, 5) peel the outside tough skin off of the tuber, 6) load them in containers for processing. The teams are working at full speed to make the daily production goal.
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The Kasava is then dried in the open, the bagged and sent to be ground into flour.
Then, after the villages are taught how to care for and harvest the crop, they are given plant cuttings, then TIFIE brings in their tractors, creates a "farm" area in the village, helps them get started and then the village can grow, harvest, and sell the Kasava in the market place. Thus gaining self-reliance and independence from multi-generational poverty.
They also raise rabbits for food. They are implementing a project now that teaches villages how to raise, slaughterer, and market the rabbits. They will provide each family with a pair of rabbits and let nature do the rest.
This one more effort by good people to break the chain of poverty in Africa.
rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-75377599526152239872012-06-25T23:13:00.000-07:002012-06-25T23:13:18.178-07:00Harmon Grant and MusicSuzanne has coordinated the Harmon Music Grant in the DR Congo since we arrived. The Harmon Grant provides keyboards/pianos to those who will learn basic music conducting skills and how to play the piano. Basically, if a person will agree to learn music, and then be willing to share their musical talents with others by playing for Church meetings or teaching others to play/conduct,the Harmon Grant provides a keyboard for them.
The Congolese love music. They love to sing the hymns of the Church. They have a natural ability to sing on key. Example: recently, one of our volunteers in the office had a birthday, Suzanne made a birthday cake (perhaps his first cake ever) and there were several PEF applicants and other students in the office. They sang "happy birthday" to him in perfect harmony. They did it once in French, then regrouped to determine who would sing what parts, the sang it again in French, then English, then Lingala. We have never heard such a great version of Happy Birthday.
Wherever we go, people seek out Suzanne and ask for music lessons. Many wards do not have pianist. In fact, many wards do not have pianos. From young children to even the Area 70 are numbered among Suzanne's students <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAC4xPIGby0XlXf9OQAICbU9meU71E33_QoIwpqtdPDHTHtvZKxQxYtATJt9teO5HMh95Yalb4_iujuQUbqmz_y6FUgBynQc74CntuOgn_9KWjAScKXVU9pdD9bpNwAeZ6oQPj0grF8pA/s1600/IMG_1010%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAC4xPIGby0XlXf9OQAICbU9meU71E33_QoIwpqtdPDHTHtvZKxQxYtATJt9teO5HMh95Yalb4_iujuQUbqmz_y6FUgBynQc74CntuOgn_9KWjAScKXVU9pdD9bpNwAeZ6oQPj0grF8pA/s320/IMG_1010%255B1%255D.JPG" /></a>
Here is a Member of the Quorum of Seventy learning simple hymns with Suzanne.
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One of Suzanne's early students. This young sister was asked to lead the music in Sacrament Meeting. She had never led music and did not know how to lead music correctly. Here she has just finished the conducting course and is very proud of herself.
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The Seminary and Institute Secretary taking lessons.
At Suzanne's discretion, students may receive a keyboard - on loan - with which to practice. Then, when they have completed the music courses and demonstrated their willingness to serve others or play for meetings - and when their bishop and stake president have signed off, they may receive the key board to keep.
One of Suzanne's students had never played piano before starting lessons. He was given a keyboard on which to practice. He took it home and practiced tirelessly. We attended a stake conference, and there he was, playing prelude music. This is a great program.
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Joseph is a very musical young man. He and Suzanne have worked together with choirs and the like. He has been teaching several people in his stake to play the piano. It is important that good efforts continue after we are gone
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Suzanne and her legion of fans..rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-92220398883320146822012-05-07T04:42:00.000-07:002012-05-07T04:42:26.256-07:00Greetings from Africa. It has been a while. The Perpetual Education Fund is progressing. These kids are awesome. We love working with them. We are seeing young adults who are progressing in school, finding jobs, and changing their lives.
In our spare time, we have been to a couple of orphanages to play and visit.
Our French friends, Eric and Chantal invited us to go to an orphanage of older children to play one Saturday. A young French man is here teaching at the French School. (his wife lives in Geneva and is friends with Eric and Chatal - who live in France, but just accros the border from Geneva - are friends with his wife. His wife's ward in Geneva had sent some money to buy food and stuff for them. We went out, organized soccer and frisby games and visited.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The man who runs the home has a large house he has built and takes in older kids off the street. He uses his own money from his job to support them.
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They played the drums and sang to us. They love to sing and dance.
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Suzanne with one of the younger kids
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They have a home made large checker board that uses bottle caps for checkers. They are really good. They don't have a lot of things to do. The kids beat all of us soundly.
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The Geneva ward had sent coloring and craft books for the kids. They loved it.
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The other orphanage we visit has many many needs. We decided to build some beds and tables for the kids. The kids are sleeping on the bare ground and getting bug bites etc. There table broke apart, so they have no place to eat. Hense, the bed and table project.
Elder Billings and I built the prototype. One of our young friends came by to help.
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Sister Billings is heading the sewing project to make clothing for the kids.
There is so much to do and so little time and resources to do it all. But we enjoy helping when and where we can.rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-41110171354207176212012-04-09T10:28:00.001-07:002012-04-09T10:28:00.383-07:00CBS 60 Minute view of DR CongoThis was sent to us. We do not have TV here, so we did not see it first hand look at the street scenes. That is how it is here. The walk those boys take to rehearsal look just like the trails we go on with the Humanitarian couple when they show us well sites. The boys house is pretty nice and far above the standard place to live. The conductor has a really nice place! Way, Way above standard.
We wanted to share this as it is very true to life Congo.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7404678n&tag=contentMain;contentAux
Or
60minutesovertime.com
rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-8277727454428386752012-04-03T13:31:00.000-07:002012-04-03T13:31:19.691-07:00Building Chapels, Building Self-RelianceIn the DR Congo, the two missions realize approximately 500 convert baptisms per month. That amounts to almost a ward a month. The retention and activity rate remain high. The Congolese people are very spiritual, open, and love the Lord. They have very few books to read, however most have a Bible. They read the Bible, are conversant with the scriptures, and easily accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
They live in great poverty and difficulties. Unemployment, disease, and poverty. However, one of the favorite hymns that they sing whenever hymns are sung is, "Count Your Many Blessings." A joy comes into their lives with the Gospel.
Temporally, it remains difficult, but the hope, faith, and promise of eternity fills their hearts.
A dual problem arises with high growth rates and unemployment. 1. What do we use for meeting houses if we convert a ward a month? I recently saw retention figures showing 95% retention over the past 13 month period. Many wards have 110% attendance at sacrament meetings - high activity rates and many non-member visitors. 2. How to we help provide opportunity for members to gain the requisite skills to find work. This question has pre-occupied the thinking of the Church, as the member population grows rapidly in developing countries.
BUILDING CONCEPT
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Last year, the Church announced the intention to create a pilot program in the DR Congo. If the Church could facilitate training of members in the building skills, members could find employment or create jobs for themselves. The First Presidency approved a plan to build more modest chapels using the membership to do so.
As a young missionary in France, I briefly participated in the volunteer or missionary building efforts then in place. As I finished my mission, my mission president asked if I and a few others would extend our missions for a month or two to help with the construction of a chapel in Nice, France. There, French, Swiss, and Belgian young men were called as labor missionaries to construct the new chapel. It was a wonderful program, these young men learned skills and trades as well as providing a great service. This program was discontinued in the mid 1960's.
Revisiting the concept, the Presiding Bishopric, under the direction of the First Presidency, put a new plan in place. A program to train worthy individuals (focusing mostly on return missionaries) in the building trades, then hiring some of them to construct chapels.
Suzanne and I were fortunate enough to be in a small meeting with Bishop Burton, the Presiding Bishop of the Church, as details were set in place. Because the Perpetual Education Fund should play a role in the education process, we were invited. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There, Bishop Burton made it very clear that "this is a training program, not an employment, or building program." And, that "Return missionaries are the prime target for this effort."
A native French Brother was assigned to direct the effort. He is from Salt Lake and has been involved in building and has spent much time in Africa directing temporal affairs of the Church. Also, an extremely talented and spiritual brother from France was assigned to lead the projects here in Africa.
In 6 months time, the plans were completed, working with LDS Business College in Salt Lake City, instruction manuals, "how to" videos, and curriculum were developed. And the program initiated.
About this time a brother retired from a Salt Lake City college where he had taught construction techniques for 30 years. He and his wife decided to serve a mission. He mentioned to his sister that he would love to serve a mission teaching building principle in an emerging nation to help return missionaries become equipped with skills that would help them become employed and self-reliant. His sister happened to work at Church headquarters and mentioned to Bishop Burton about her brother's desire.
To which Bishop Burton replied, "you just answered my prayers, where is he?"
Elder and Sister Billings arrived in the DR Congo - Kinshasa Mission three weeks ago. They are truly an answer to prayer.
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Here is a typical class at work with Elder and Sister Billings.
preparing the site, laying a foundation, and basic masonry. The young man in the green shirt in front is one of our PEF students and former volunteer at the PEF Service Center. Elder and Sister do not speak French, and this young man was hired as their interpreter. We hated to lose him, but are pleased that he found employment and can be of great service while the Billings learn to speak French. (For the Huntsman family, he served with Johnny in South Africa.)
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Yesterday, Elder Billings was teaching them to make a "saw horse" in order to learn basic measuring and planning skills. The interpreter had no idea what a saw horse was. It took quite a bit of explaining to get that point across. It was perhaps the first saw horse in the DR Congo. By the way, the name for a saw horse is "trétaux."
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There are very few power tools in the DR Congo. Most of the work is done by hand saws, hammer and nails, etc.
These pictures were taken at the training site behind the Kinshasa Stake Center. The Seminary and Institute Building which houses the Seminary and Institute facility, the Center for Young Adults, and the PEF Service Center are adjacent. They hold classroom theory in the class-room next our our office in the morning, then practical application on the practice area outside.
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Elder Billings on the training site doing the two things he loves best - teaching young people how to build properly - and serving the Lord as a missionary.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQe7AFLn7Le4z5VLqbNqvdc2qTNNTs0vk-R89NsFaATrkdUKt4wh6eep_hDszD0PCBbl3FbyKSYxKsSrFSf5cbJKJ6RgUF9YebfhwfEHumswJRwyWwli2E-bkNXLLzkCjxzmv8QHx7AF_/s1600/building+prgram+061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQe7AFLn7Le4z5VLqbNqvdc2qTNNTs0vk-R89NsFaATrkdUKt4wh6eep_hDszD0PCBbl3FbyKSYxKsSrFSf5cbJKJ6RgUF9YebfhwfEHumswJRwyWwli2E-bkNXLLzkCjxzmv8QHx7AF_/s320/building+prgram+061.JPG" /></a></div>
Sister Billings using a desk in our office to keep up with the administrative and keeping a journal of the progress.
There are currently two chapels being built by previously trained teams of return missionaries in the Kinshasa area. 20 more chapels are in the planning stage to meet the growing needs in throughout the DR Congo.
One does not have to look very far to see the hand of the Lord in the work in Africa.
rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-25894447959255094162012-03-04T06:23:00.000-08:002012-03-04T06:23:40.607-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DJTQ0cpFg3fsJXwfSyqE4aFf5tdb_xZIfxx5sMTgcOmaj4Q3kcXGDl6qUhoNlyfoVpbsboKpOKaazaGLHxGzJtatwKz0G5V2BexAdr9pkbcm9otMAW-Fb5HIdqAMGXADZIfny_P_0Uaz/s1600/auonomie+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DJTQ0cpFg3fsJXwfSyqE4aFf5tdb_xZIfxx5sMTgcOmaj4Q3kcXGDl6qUhoNlyfoVpbsboKpOKaazaGLHxGzJtatwKz0G5V2BexAdr9pkbcm9otMAW-Fb5HIdqAMGXADZIfny_P_0Uaz/s320/auonomie+049.JPG" /></a></div> Eustache Ilunga, is the Director of the Employment Resource Center for the Church in DR Congo. He is one of our very good friends, and also our Stake President. He is very forward thinking and always looking for ways to help people become employed and self-reliant.
A year and a half ago, in working with one of the local stakes, he and that stake president approached a local micro-bank about how they might make micro-loans to members who had small businesses. Now, a small business in the DR Congo consists of selling goods or services along the roadside.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These are typical street scenes with people selling from baskets on their heads and small "boutiques" of people sitting on the side of the road selling things. The buildings in the background are real stores.
Now, over a year and a half ago, these twenty people have received loans and paid them back with interest and most of their businesses are doing well.
A few month ago, due largely to the success of the this micro-loan experiment, the Church sent people over from Salt Lake to expand a pilot program that is being used in South America. The two originators of the concept, were two guys who had done well in business and retired early. They were bored and collaborated on a program for the Church to teach business principles centered on self-reliance. We were invited to attend the initial training program. It was really well done and generated a good deal of enthusiasm among the pilot group.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Photo of the initial training of priesthood leaders for the project. Priesthood leaders and mentors were selected to teach and mentor each of the groups. Each team had a mentor who taught them, using the prepared materials.
The program model is to find success in three basic areas. Their business, their home, and their community. By enlarging the model to include the family and the community, the effort does more than business, it improves their families and the community becomes better because the business people look outward. Creating cleaner, safer, and more friendly neighborhoods. The materials are really well done and allow mentors and leaders to quickly become good teachers.
Two stakes were chosen to pilot the program - Ngalema and Kimbanseke. The model used was that which has been successful with the global micro loan experience. Groups/teams of five were established. Each member of the team had a different business, but they learned and worked in concert. They formed, in effect, support groups. Each group meeting weekly to encourage and hold accountable the other members of the group. At the same time, the employment resource center (ERC) continued to teach and mentor.
Saturday, we were invited to the graduation ceremony for the Ngalema stake. About 30 people received certificates of graduation. Two sisters bore testimony of how the training, the program, and their team members had increased their success in the three areas of emphasis - their business, their home, and their community.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1m5ZcR5u0osrc1QQgSq92qJ90UzbdtQHnz5H3PsHwF_qgTaUfgjxWAdbIQ9foAoS2Seeg4TOg06mT0RwQMlO3C68kDOZoCVZ8rHvjl3uJWX8QySE2AoJJBc_D4bWzAeOBGI1Qu4Cvmvl/s1600/auonomie+094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1m5ZcR5u0osrc1QQgSq92qJ90UzbdtQHnz5H3PsHwF_qgTaUfgjxWAdbIQ9foAoS2Seeg4TOg06mT0RwQMlO3C68kDOZoCVZ8rHvjl3uJWX8QySE2AoJJBc_D4bWzAeOBGI1Qu4Cvmvl/s320/auonomie+094.JPG" /></a></div> A group of sisters who graduated from the program.
The Ngalema stake president spoke and reminded the participants that the diploma was only the start, that they should continue in their efforts.
Also, three mciro-banks were invited. The one that made the initial loans to the 25 people from masina reported that these twenty five were the model of excellence. They had faithfully repaid the loans and had were continuing to improve their businesses. He stated that his bank would encourage other members of the the Church to visit his bank. The two other banks that were invited seemed very eager to have this new group as customers.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81oh2uFuCeQSAc2oH86tN-1AXijsUKVPJK7hVg8Fz_0wJ9rJ0TXFkLsCtP9bj6smbjbAPYyAU4lPaY_K0sCdt1tURMv6hhmuoB-3_60v0lsiIEI-cRTRPUBq3zXztRd3V-5c-C5ZYNaS6/s1600/auonomie+068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81oh2uFuCeQSAc2oH86tN-1AXijsUKVPJK7hVg8Fz_0wJ9rJ0TXFkLsCtP9bj6smbjbAPYyAU4lPaY_K0sCdt1tURMv6hhmuoB-3_60v0lsiIEI-cRTRPUBq3zXztRd3V-5c-C5ZYNaS6/s320/auonomie+068.JPG" /></a></div>most of the participants were women. This seems consistent with what I have read concerning micro banking and third world entrepreneurs. Leslie Tunks turned us onto a great book <i>Banker to the Poor</i> by Mohammad Yunus. The woman pictured above has started smoking fish and selling them along side the road, another took advantage of the Church's Relief Society sewing classes, and makes clothing. As you will note all of the women had on beautiful Congolese dresses. One couple has a "play station location where they rent computer and play station to kids. Another sold bread, one made small cakes and sold them.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These kinds of programs are sorely needed in the DR Congo. The graduates were singing and dancing and very proud of themselves. They had accomplished a good thing. They were fighting poverty at its very core, unemployment. We are glad to belong to a Church that does so much for its people.rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-63684567932425101092012-02-12T10:57:00.000-08:002012-02-12T10:57:56.333-08:00An Incredible WomanNote: actual location and names are not used in this blog due to caution against child trafficking. STOP CHILD TRAFFICKING
There are many people who do tremendously heroic things here in the DR Congo. On of them is a woman who runs an orphanage. She has no funding, no support, and no real means to support herself and the 20 or so orphans she cares for. She is a member of the Church who saw the need and responded to it. She lives in a remote village from the center of town. She has been caring for orphans for 15 years. We came to know of her through one of our friends.
At Christmas-time, we received a package from our kids containing many wonderful items that we could not get in the DRC. Emily sent over 24 pair of children's underwear (slips, in French). We finally had an opportunity to deliver them to her this weekend. We went with the Hatches and a Congolese friend to visit her.
Between us, We made peanut butter sandwiches and cookies, bought bananas,a 50lb bag of rice, a ream of paper, pencils, a ball, and some other little things.
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Getting there was not an easy car ride.
When we arrived we met a wonderful courageous women. She had very little. The physical facilities were very meager. In the yard was a large hole - surrounded by bamboo poles warning you to stay away. It was their cesspool and garbage pit. When it got full, they dug another one.
Also in the yard were three sewing machines (treadle type as she has no electricity). She told us that the tarp/tent covering the sewing area had recently been torn off during a strong rain/wind storm. We learned that she taught sewing lessons to the women of her neighborhood. If a person can sew, they can earn a living. She teaches the classes for free, then for ten dollars per month a person can use the sewing machine to make clothing, etc. and earn a living. There are 30 women in the neighborhood who are in her program. She uses the money from the use of the machines to defray costs of the orphanage.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Suzanne gave her the ream of paper, and the woman almost wept. She said that she had not had paper for her little school for some time. Oh yea, she also runs a school for the orphanage children, and any other neighborhood children willing to come. There is a man who is crippled, and has some education, who comes and teaches the children. He teaches the basics of math, reading, and French. In the villages most people speak Lingala. Many poor village children do not speak French, which becomes a disadvantage when they leave the village to work or study in the city. Here all of the children speak French because the great man has taught them French. The school room is a 10X10 room with about 20 children of varying ages.
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The woman named the orphanage after her father. She said that in her time as a young woman, girls did not go to school. Her father determined that his girls would receive education. I asked her if others in the village gave her father a bad time about this. She said that he had been criticized by the other men in the village. Women were to marry, not become educated. He told them that his girls would be educated. Now, she is educating more girls and boys a generation later.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhjP3gmXIxOMqxh_y3FTptQ8jP-E9Vm8n3IMmPnoeJPugQKMM_KEL72LzrxJPbXefibHwtKBrVx9OrCG-fqU9hlaxM1crBoP86rreToeyzQFvHuLr_j0QtOv_4-zviZ9TRBKlNcte4PD8/s1600/orphanage+ka+ka+102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhjP3gmXIxOMqxh_y3FTptQ8jP-E9Vm8n3IMmPnoeJPugQKMM_KEL72LzrxJPbXefibHwtKBrVx9OrCG-fqU9hlaxM1crBoP86rreToeyzQFvHuLr_j0QtOv_4-zviZ9TRBKlNcte4PD8/s320/orphanage+ka+ka+102.JPG" /></a></div>
The children sleep on mats on the concrete floor. One little room for the boys, and another for the girls. Food is cooked outside on a charcoal stove. A woman was washing children's clothing in a bucket, the water for which she had brought out of the steam that runs near by and heated over the charcoal stove. The water was, of course, polluted in the stream - fortunately she boiled it first. The kids have the clothes on their backs and maybe a few other pieces of clothing they all share. But, no one look unhappy, underfed, or unloved.
The kids loved the ball and started a soccer game right away. Of course, the old white guy kicked it into the cesspool hole on the first kick. But, undaunted one of the kids jumped into the pit, retrieved the ball and the game went on.
She was very grateful for the sandwiches, bananas, and cookies. Especially, she was happy to get the rice. She told the Hatches that when they had sent out a bag of rice and beans a couple of months ago, that they were running out of food and she was praying for help - and here came 100 lbs of rice and beans. Tender mercies.
We met a remarkable young boy there, a 13 year old Teacher's Quorum President in his ward, who has been in the orphanage since he was 1 year old. He assists now with others and is a role model for the children. He told us he is preparing to go on a mission when is turns 19. He had attended the youth conference we showed in an earlier blog, and had received a copy of the Book of Mormon. We will give him a Bible next time we see him. And, a white shirt and tie. Elder Hatch, will leave pants, belts, and ties for him - as they are done and going home next week. This boy will raise children who will become a great generation of responsible citizens. We would like to be here when he returns from his mission and assist him to obtain a PEF loan and attend college.
By the way, the underwear was a great hit. Most of the orphans were in class along with many of the neighborhood kids. We only had enough underwear for the orphans, so the woman will give them to them later. But a couple of the young ones were happy as they could be with real underwear.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGaUDCTRq2EkhHw2l5EB9eIllt920_JiUEWis2XQd2EfKwh5ffiNJZEhW0lx3e2ah-qsd0ceH-ww6v2enygGnLAxZSikO-YQeqlaVSBTvrz01V70dwrWzEh5NCLCPvYIMjr7KvVKzLhyj/s1600/orphanage+ka+ka+111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGaUDCTRq2EkhHw2l5EB9eIllt920_JiUEWis2XQd2EfKwh5ffiNJZEhW0lx3e2ah-qsd0ceH-ww6v2enygGnLAxZSikO-YQeqlaVSBTvrz01V70dwrWzEh5NCLCPvYIMjr7KvVKzLhyj/s320/orphanage+ka+ka+111.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_ggVpIwpGMn2M7S0Q5LspNBy00hh8O97sUspDaBD7KJ_NrUPTUufNCp7pYIfHJx4QEl5HyfLR65WU6toP1F_J8a066ilPHKlF73u9DBfniJmd1_ZqSBz09NYZJzqte10g9lfqwJMDJJh/s1600/orphanage+ka+ka+099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_ggVpIwpGMn2M7S0Q5LspNBy00hh8O97sUspDaBD7KJ_NrUPTUufNCp7pYIfHJx4QEl5HyfLR65WU6toP1F_J8a066ilPHKlF73u9DBfniJmd1_ZqSBz09NYZJzqte10g9lfqwJMDJJh/s320/orphanage+ka+ka+099.JPG" /></a></div>
Among the poverty, filth, and tough conditions we found an incredible women who had decided to help others and make people around her better. Women sewing as an alternative to prostitution or worse. Children leaning basic education skills. A small community and perhaps a nation becoming better because of her.
We realize that we have so much, and she so little. Yet, she does more that we do to improve the lot of others. We think that others with more could contribute to this woman's effort to serve.
If we do, it will make her life and effort easier. If we don't, we don't, and she will continue to do what she does with grace and love and gratitude to her Heavenly Father for her blessings.
We have been privileged to meet a great woman.rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-65727473943600175382012-01-16T09:38:00.000-08:002012-01-16T09:38:30.384-08:00Yes, this is the third blog today... It is a holiday here - Martyr Day - and we are home, so I am catching up.
Saturday, we were invited to attend a grand opening for a Humanitarian Project.
This one was one we had visited earlier in its formation stages. The project consisted of 7 clean water wells, a bathroom and wash area at a school, and a rain water capture project to provide water for the bathrooms and washing area at the school.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVBkl_iTQmHHj55kqKDCdLKnpz1SVJFDNEVJAhzo2nauwhsADV6DTCB_lhH4Bq4Z9PwJyq93TwljzBaCgSplxOqTGn_TrHBw8SDve42w-guqQE2p9U3K0q0YDKRxO2vpu-X5881Sug5fV/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVBkl_iTQmHHj55kqKDCdLKnpz1SVJFDNEVJAhzo2nauwhsADV6DTCB_lhH4Bq4Z9PwJyq93TwljzBaCgSplxOqTGn_TrHBw8SDve42w-guqQE2p9U3K0q0YDKRxO2vpu-X5881Sug5fV/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+023.JPG" /></a></div> I snapped some pictures out of the side window of the moving car. They are scenes along the way to the project.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9K3FYNwgU341raIZ-yR7BvhoLVZRZEtIoD4MOduq84kOdXX963-ozvMQ50vlOs-dM2noF4hCtn0X-tMqDVAIYud0Vn968cCuPKxMlIW2Pl2MQf9pR-XxECBnDpvqHFjUuT_3Vmkz2GRgh/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9K3FYNwgU341raIZ-yR7BvhoLVZRZEtIoD4MOduq84kOdXX963-ozvMQ50vlOs-dM2noF4hCtn0X-tMqDVAIYud0Vn968cCuPKxMlIW2Pl2MQf9pR-XxECBnDpvqHFjUuT_3Vmkz2GRgh/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+026.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gjgY-oWzbV9obAYDEAiLU6qmyYLSXFeQBL-CdJEWfG2I1K4Fc_wHAOgJdM0hnAe0JIBfUSgG_NJsjF2XI7W0p39dzhcwrdmBIhqlc33svg7ZshFnjUlyAmHqeAXScsiKanfkQuTkbxj0/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gjgY-oWzbV9obAYDEAiLU6qmyYLSXFeQBL-CdJEWfG2I1K4Fc_wHAOgJdM0hnAe0JIBfUSgG_NJsjF2XI7W0p39dzhcwrdmBIhqlc33svg7ZshFnjUlyAmHqeAXScsiKanfkQuTkbxj0/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+028.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlHolHFnRmZ1dv23FM102DFMDEQnpxDdtpQS0LJ23nDLJXGPPYezqLnUaQB_vBqLuzm4FDopNZ-KUoNMl5rMifdO9h_kn8EL85F6T-UaRcstAHluP1a1Z3VxO1-QLl7L6bRR0iSGEKm-S/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlHolHFnRmZ1dv23FM102DFMDEQnpxDdtpQS0LJ23nDLJXGPPYezqLnUaQB_vBqLuzm4FDopNZ-KUoNMl5rMifdO9h_kn8EL85F6T-UaRcstAHluP1a1Z3VxO1-QLl7L6bRR0iSGEKm-S/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+031.JPG" /></a></div>SORRY, SOME ARE BLURRY BECAUSE THE ROAD WAS ALMOST NON-EXISTENT AND WE BUMPED ALONG A LOT.
This project is located outside of Kinshasa in a village area. To get there we went with the mission president in his four-wheel drive rig. We all drive four-wheel drive pick-ups or wagons. The road to this site is made for a four-wheel adventure. Many of you would like to spend your week-ends four-wheeling in this area. The trails we followed were narrow, sand-filled paths and trails mostly. At one spot, you must slide the tires along an old pipe that may have once been used for water, then drop down a steep run into a big hole. That when it rains is a small lake. Eventually, you end up at the site. We of course were the only car there. The Stake President arrived after us, he may have hitched a ride on one of the many motor cycles used as taxis. They typically load the driver and up to three passengers onto the cycle.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtPDr9-i8DxjhmHv407Z_wGUWN_ZIxM9a11kc8yHXeqcA8UOCB6SEAgtXsGg0g8JLqo8o14ymKbL_mkXO_rExBrMbRAyz3_eToIjLD1PI3N4JIQCvWzCvvx-1L0Zkgr9sdpsbEr0NiLGB/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtPDr9-i8DxjhmHv407Z_wGUWN_ZIxM9a11kc8yHXeqcA8UOCB6SEAgtXsGg0g8JLqo8o14ymKbL_mkXO_rExBrMbRAyz3_eToIjLD1PI3N4JIQCvWzCvvx-1L0Zkgr9sdpsbEr0NiLGB/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+035.JPG" /></a></div>THE BLUE CHAIRS AWAIT. The man in the suit is the director of the NGO (non-governmental organization) who managed the project. His organization was contracted by the Church to do the construction work. The name of his organization is Congo-Kazi.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7s4S8HRmbE7Pug90BDKb_D6Degy_c42BO91eh6pOx2Mewok3XvUULeQj9RXXRcXA_qV0DHsUHZwTA2sk-Q0XOpkRP-KL44OP7-z6MrEO4Pk3WRKXe8M-FaPIfMdqojuG5ApAjvKEvvfB8/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7s4S8HRmbE7Pug90BDKb_D6Degy_c42BO91eh6pOx2Mewok3XvUULeQj9RXXRcXA_qV0DHsUHZwTA2sk-Q0XOpkRP-KL44OP7-z6MrEO4Pk3WRKXe8M-FaPIfMdqojuG5ApAjvKEvvfB8/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+039.JPG" /></a></div>
We arrived and were greeted by hundreds of children. They were dressed in their school best - white shirts and blue skirts/pants/shorts. They had been waiting along the road for us. They sang on our way in and were excited when we got out of the car and would shake their hands. I am sure that it is the first time many of them had seen a "mondele" (white person) up close and personal.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwjgZGCqyvkOaDSt80CuPcBaBuW6FvS86j8e4v_9HgO6oeJ9kGqumosUTVEecfHvcGvtiPnIwPOUl6ZQjcLpwaZzVatWsDoZfLvma-7UopZiq6C_gIFO92ZBZ4j15a_ANe_ReD6bhfUl/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqwjgZGCqyvkOaDSt80CuPcBaBuW6FvS86j8e4v_9HgO6oeJ9kGqumosUTVEecfHvcGvtiPnIwPOUl6ZQjcLpwaZzVatWsDoZfLvma-7UopZiq6C_gIFO92ZBZ4j15a_ANe_ReD6bhfUl/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+037.JPG" /></a></div>This is the first part of the project. Two tanks to catch rain water and run the water into the latrine and hand washing station. There is also a run-off pipe that when the tanks are full, the village can get water here from the flow.
The children sang a song about how they can now wash their hands before eating, and after using the bathroom and therefore prevent disease. We don't think about disease much at home, but here typhoid, cholera, and any number of amoeba are a constant threat. Bad water also attracts mosquitoes which bring malaria, yellow fever, dinge fever, etc. This year in the DRC thousands of children died in the worst cholera epidemic in 50 years. The two most deadly animals in Africa are Rhinos and mosquitoes.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6lVAxPDVhnE3QRBgE4_Tu3a7ts1GuegTqSQz2s_5vzBI4TB0ZRK3YG4AKOcwRp0TujC52LpcFKbMCka0LZxb32mV12-q6Tm-KUKCiYDqyKkqqFVQdl_xKiFZZQmBMsygH56Ze5bjO-6r/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6lVAxPDVhnE3QRBgE4_Tu3a7ts1GuegTqSQz2s_5vzBI4TB0ZRK3YG4AKOcwRp0TujC52LpcFKbMCka0LZxb32mV12-q6Tm-KUKCiYDqyKkqqFVQdl_xKiFZZQmBMsygH56Ze5bjO-6r/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+041.JPG" /></a></div>The rain is captured in these "gutters" and runs into the tanks. School is generally in session during the rainy season, so there will be sufficient water for the school year.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBVvEyx1rpynBqKVeKJ_XSrIUGxC7ZE5u6vP4J4aCG-BGOQEe3XtF9bt2p2WQXx3QxUL9-VpXkJ6AIyveiriZYBeNR0bT16bSh-hcL8hxAPFDUShd-SZK1Pqw7ae_7x8t7Voz7i53O7OGF/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBVvEyx1rpynBqKVeKJ_XSrIUGxC7ZE5u6vP4J4aCG-BGOQEe3XtF9bt2p2WQXx3QxUL9-VpXkJ6AIyveiriZYBeNR0bT16bSh-hcL8hxAPFDUShd-SZK1Pqw7ae_7x8t7Voz7i53O7OGF/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+044.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kyKkpiACYHvDYspG53P5zVVHxwZ_o1vR8Ax1mPlt22Iy1eYON3B304vKQsrZAeUHXOqUn3HladJBaI17MjtILEKubQhEFIjY7Hd4HoCwP-vISFUOE4G7gc4P2xEkThi5yRZZAN3kZDvu/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kyKkpiACYHvDYspG53P5zVVHxwZ_o1vR8Ax1mPlt22Iy1eYON3B304vKQsrZAeUHXOqUn3HladJBaI17MjtILEKubQhEFIjY7Hd4HoCwP-vISFUOE4G7gc4P2xEkThi5yRZZAN3kZDvu/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+045.JPG" /></a></div>The second piece of the project is this bathroom. Written over the door it says "A gift from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." The Village Chief did the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon. I was concerned that I might be asked to take the ceremonial first "leak" in the new toilet, but fortunately, they skipped that part.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3u040ZaYh0Sn-sSRQjnJyTxYbT7Y_HLVlac-uDhf_ST3u95JE1u7znHWatbcwcKgUuxrgdpFmLLEjH3BUbXPMa6-8GIpLKe0CxaGd0LoOPSjPDqwdWIc1rGEcnwQycGdtHzylZLLXlJP/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3u040ZaYh0Sn-sSRQjnJyTxYbT7Y_HLVlac-uDhf_ST3u95JE1u7znHWatbcwcKgUuxrgdpFmLLEjH3BUbXPMa6-8GIpLKe0CxaGd0LoOPSjPDqwdWIc1rGEcnwQycGdtHzylZLLXlJP/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+067.JPG" /></a></div> The village chief is a very important person. He is elected by the village to be their leader. He was very happy about the project. The village area chief of police and the senior military officer were also there.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUW22K6ZB7cJadpFOKPKf5NQsS5rfK-5OgAuchOWEWY6iVX5319w1d2PNYWSY-8YvTvX2pliz5BzH4PCaYqrAvu7xZja8GYkAKZ9bhyhvrCc-0uxVieceY0Ag16xtfwTXJsHtWqAYOMi6E/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUW22K6ZB7cJadpFOKPKf5NQsS5rfK-5OgAuchOWEWY6iVX5319w1d2PNYWSY-8YvTvX2pliz5BzH4PCaYqrAvu7xZja8GYkAKZ9bhyhvrCc-0uxVieceY0Ag16xtfwTXJsHtWqAYOMi6E/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+054.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The entire school turned out for the ceremony. The children sang and danced and thanked us.
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.coToOnDAnxtM0/TxRYO6DrcEI/AAAAAAAAAnU/TWCeIVpjFDU/s1600/well%2Bclosing%252C%2Bwedding%252C%2Bmore%2B055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rmjrclZic68oXm7koaVJ73mrYLa87W_KcMQfamYHViExHQVlvyhOAe_pmnPXMNOtVKXkY2JV7YDCbbzD0KKTPiIDoUWmZ1SpnsjLtW1daJ4DNJ_3-RXomA8GUa8TBXpMlDIegmG9UCjV/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+055.JPG" /></a></div>
As usual, all the Mondeles and dignitaries had front row blue plastic chairs.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ksn471r3znqMxaRp6A0BTFBxpCYpr2Rz0ujz7g357xNMHyb0wJGdViInuIIu-NB_uA_vU3_2JYgdPDKQoTDSGUcCWw-dkYrfa5noeZaKsO-Mdmcc14OO4zhs-PmG_50sON6fWPuptl32/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ksn471r3znqMxaRp6A0BTFBxpCYpr2Rz0ujz7g357xNMHyb0wJGdViInuIIu-NB_uA_vU3_2JYgdPDKQoTDSGUcCWw-dkYrfa5noeZaKsO-Mdmcc14OO4zhs-PmG_50sON6fWPuptl32/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+058.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8VSzqfGvStc_Oy-AbmiIjj-LuFKcgfy3Yq9BZcdcY-DanyPt0WeavQQUpueIpMd0qhrF0vXiW8Ht0FYB__app8M3wp4NCkEfCxy4KSqzzjOXoKo78RSeXYI22QcDiFUZaFbg78JPylmq/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8VSzqfGvStc_Oy-AbmiIjj-LuFKcgfy3Yq9BZcdcY-DanyPt0WeavQQUpueIpMd0qhrF0vXiW8Ht0FYB__app8M3wp4NCkEfCxy4KSqzzjOXoKo78RSeXYI22QcDiFUZaFbg78JPylmq/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+072.JPG" /></a></div>We then went to one of the well sites and had the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon and drinking the ceremonial first glass of clean water.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNOHFuebbp-a0U2MeXhOI9tCbBsXGr-krULoWGgtVxkFXgWsrvyuOIJwjLoyRZPcv8b1aJXXlhe8DWENb3izN1TnvnLRKUUGcAjEtKqyk7NegfR9SCGgygRh1-JnUgICoajpKT9CCBYbS/s1600/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNOHFuebbp-a0U2MeXhOI9tCbBsXGr-krULoWGgtVxkFXgWsrvyuOIJwjLoyRZPcv8b1aJXXlhe8DWENb3izN1TnvnLRKUUGcAjEtKqyk7NegfR9SCGgygRh1-JnUgICoajpKT9CCBYbS/s320/well+closing%252C+wedding%252C+more+081.JPG" /></a></div>
Sister Bingham drinking the clean water. The Binghams are the Humanitarian Service Couple who have accomplished all of this amazing work.
If one visits the simple grave sight of Robert F. Kennedy, in Arlington Nation Cemetery, these words are on the wall next to his grave site. Spoken in South Africa in 1966
"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope. And, crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance."
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A village women climbs the hill with containers for clean water on her head.rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-67678696498602323002012-01-16T07:14:00.000-08:002012-01-16T07:14:26.656-08:00Here comes the bride, here comes the judgeFriday, we were invited to attend the civil marriage of two of our PEF students. We have mentioned Pepithio before. He is a great young man. He is the "model" for the PEF applicants and students. He is going to school to become a software engineer. He also works at the American Embassy on their "help desk." His fiancee is a beautiful young women who is also a PEF student. We felt fortunate to be invited as it was pretty much family only. This is one of three ceremonies they will have. The law requires that they be married by a judge civilly before they can go to the Temple to be married. So the sequence for them is 1) the civil marriage by a judge, 2) The traditional marriage which will include a ceremony by their bishop and an all night party, and 3) in February the will go to Johannesburg to be sealed in the Temple. They explained that we are invited to the traditional ceremony, but since it starts at 8 pm and goes till sunup, and is in a rougher part of town, we would not be safe in attending. So, we settled for the civil marriage.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW12hCyBoqkYKsaSr2UG2hlLMdDMKKLZ2Vh4QzlHTGu_NsKu-U4nNVeqe5OrnnybvM6B5frXBwSENZO429Shm70ZxV2ykUqGADZaQMJkVoeTC9ww7KFYMjkyBSphaQZaFbR9scczkm6RJ7/s1600/wedding+pepithio+171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW12hCyBoqkYKsaSr2UG2hlLMdDMKKLZ2Vh4QzlHTGu_NsKu-U4nNVeqe5OrnnybvM6B5frXBwSENZO429Shm70ZxV2ykUqGADZaQMJkVoeTC9ww7KFYMjkyBSphaQZaFbR9scczkm6RJ7/s320/wedding+pepithio+171.JPG" /></a></div>THE HAPPY COUPLE IN FRONT OF THE CONGOLESE FLAG
As we arrived, the families recognized us (the only white people within 20 miles) and, as they always do, made us feel very much at home.
Now, there are a couple of things to discuss before continuing the story.
1. Wherever we go as invited guests in the Congo, we are treated like royalty. We are always given places of honor and watched after. It is a very special gift of the Congolese people. Sometimes we are a little embarrassed by their kindness, but it would be impolite to refuse. So, the father of the bride took us under his wing for the ceremony.
2. To find you a place to sit and something to sit on is very important to them. The common seat is the "blue plastic chair." See the next blog for an array of blue plastic chairs.
3. The room in which the marriage took place would have a sign on it in the U.S. that said "maximum occupancy 50 persons." But no such sign exists here. So the room for 50 was occupied by about 200 with people outside looking in through the barred windows.
4. The city hall (an overstatement) is also the local jail. So it can become interesting.
5. Nothing in the Congo is ever on time. One can expect up to a two hour wait for people to arrive and the occasion to start.
This was no exception
So, on with the story. The father of the bride, rounded up a couple of blue chairs for us, went to the person guarding the door into the marriage room and had a word with him, then returned, took the two blue chairs and set us in the very front of the room next to the judges table. It was a very sunny hot day. Inside the room it was like 2000 degrees.
As we sat there, couple dressed in their marrying best started to arrive. About a dozen of them. We learned from our host that our wedding couple was en-route in a public transport, and did not know how soon they would arrive. (Had we thought about it, we would have asked if we could pick the bride and groom up and bring them in an air conditioned car and not in the non-air conditioned really awful transport). But, they finally arrived - before the judge who was to conduct the ceremony arrived.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiqPGvekH95-ojG-z-neYzObkokofb3H88xPE75el_DCad2BhyphenhyphenzXzakB5nxlwDsZNS__wTHHAKqoyy28X_zowjMtrt4DQJQ8xZveGxzlnQavrjWzDncIMJS4FN6FFyw7UL-5hjdxyyGlR/s1600/wedding+pepithio+166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiqPGvekH95-ojG-z-neYzObkokofb3H88xPE75el_DCad2BhyphenhyphenzXzakB5nxlwDsZNS__wTHHAKqoyy28X_zowjMtrt4DQJQ8xZveGxzlnQavrjWzDncIMJS4FN6FFyw7UL-5hjdxyyGlR/s320/wedding+pepithio+166.JPG" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately, the window light and the bright sunlight does not bode well for taking these pictures. But, the judge was a little man wearing a white uniform with the blue, red, and yellow sash of the Congolese government.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvuS_fiS7YHVVQCRgYszUVY7TIFsp1ZppYPmZ18jmoFYcKXOUaK9RCr7sV957b2Yf9wpJM3ZlDSpyvmrh7NYoPYU9GuKmfFZDmMXfxuYoGkzUdn18E9dZpcAhSnCqNlaU7IRs81doUmWN/s1600/wedding+pepithio+142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvuS_fiS7YHVVQCRgYszUVY7TIFsp1ZppYPmZ18jmoFYcKXOUaK9RCr7sV957b2Yf9wpJM3ZlDSpyvmrh7NYoPYU9GuKmfFZDmMXfxuYoGkzUdn18E9dZpcAhSnCqNlaU7IRs81doUmWN/s320/wedding+pepithio+142.JPG" /></a></div>
The judge was very friendly, and liked having his picture taken. Before he performed the ceremony, he pontificated on marriage for about 1/2 hour.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dDOXOC5lHZ6f3wk-tJvaLQO59dEPw6sisc4qNaWJv_EU08lwLaOJwZUKdOsss6TaU3fQ3uJ446rzXky0F1jrs9OpDu12ccFamkYx4T2xwbxbUIViHUmoIJM4Iko4e0ukblvZ4bKToDR2/s1600/wedding+pepithio+163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dDOXOC5lHZ6f3wk-tJvaLQO59dEPw6sisc4qNaWJv_EU08lwLaOJwZUKdOsss6TaU3fQ3uJ446rzXky0F1jrs9OpDu12ccFamkYx4T2xwbxbUIViHUmoIJM4Iko4e0ukblvZ4bKToDR2/s320/wedding+pepithio+163.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2vJXwfQOOSqZgcYgr-NBcigWYU8V9v09_4rWAJnwnitGHFZWK4VA9td5hh3kHCfQlLncRcNmiUtSGrrDFmrVWDGUtJEe1f9R3qqoij5gSqrlHqVg9AZWgs8eYEK11DLYeffIF7UI9SFU/s1600/wedding+pepithio+110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2vJXwfQOOSqZgcYgr-NBcigWYU8V9v09_4rWAJnwnitGHFZWK4VA9td5hh3kHCfQlLncRcNmiUtSGrrDFmrVWDGUtJEe1f9R3qqoij5gSqrlHqVg9AZWgs8eYEK11DLYeffIF7UI9SFU/s320/wedding+pepithio+110.JPG" /></a></div>Other brides and grooms.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2KtUedHAVF0kgCFVTgWl0hD5w9Pj-ljv_FJ3sraBN1gz1OlFaPI_D5Jn8epQa8UG0NkqFNZApiz3evHhkjzDjqgpbaFabbxhRco9JQeQ1vNdy1IbCZ1tL98yKVrDF0p2EjEjLAopavgr/s1600/wedding+pepithio+132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2KtUedHAVF0kgCFVTgWl0hD5w9Pj-ljv_FJ3sraBN1gz1OlFaPI_D5Jn8epQa8UG0NkqFNZApiz3evHhkjzDjqgpbaFabbxhRco9JQeQ1vNdy1IbCZ1tL98yKVrDF0p2EjEjLAopavgr/s320/wedding+pepithio+132.JPG" /></a></div>Crowds and chaos marked the day.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpb7pteP0gNcww8uBH_iEexSZIjYFR8VruWXuye9AWih9sWA9PDCFAcHFkj2q64gpDHu4iIdunQwfHmwSVADSfvm_M55jI-cZx4LMidC-4TlMzwGSPC1wyvztbJ7xnGX0qOh-NKigeg7K/s1600/wedding+pepithio+182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpb7pteP0gNcww8uBH_iEexSZIjYFR8VruWXuye9AWih9sWA9PDCFAcHFkj2q64gpDHu4iIdunQwfHmwSVADSfvm_M55jI-cZx4LMidC-4TlMzwGSPC1wyvztbJ7xnGX0qOh-NKigeg7K/s320/wedding+pepithio+182.JPG" /></a></div> City hall from the outside. People waiting for their loved ones to come out. Even though the room could have crowded more people into it, if you had a crowbar, many remained outside, the "bouncer" closed the doors and would not let anyone else inside. The judge's armed guard (a soldier with an automatic weapon - nothing says wedding like camos and an AK47) closed the windows for some reason, and the temperature rose some more. In the end, we were sweat soaked and exhausted. I wore a new tie I had purchased in South Africa - it now has sweat stains half way down the tie - very attractive.
Everyone had a plastic whistle and blew them a lot.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLpiAFLGkkGILoAmukluK_2NoMX3y9gQ1KQpp4lDQmsIyYsVD3LvvShJRJmXlAgvkaXEzXAatfFt-GEBYbUQ62vr0ke2YhVZkbw32qJ7I01fMYnlH8pyDkF5ORV4BfQjrMjqP6XG-mlCy/s1600/wedding+pepithio+181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLpiAFLGkkGILoAmukluK_2NoMX3y9gQ1KQpp4lDQmsIyYsVD3LvvShJRJmXlAgvkaXEzXAatfFt-GEBYbUQ62vr0ke2YhVZkbw32qJ7I01fMYnlH8pyDkF5ORV4BfQjrMjqP6XG-mlCy/s320/wedding+pepithio+181.JPG" /></a></div>The happy family celebrates. In the end, it was an honor to be there. And, a really fun afternoon. Post Script: After the ceremony, we offered to take the newlyweds wherever they were going, but Thierry Mutomba, one of the great men of the Congo, our friend, the 1st counselor in their stake presidency, and an assistant to the mission president, had his van there and waiting to take them. So, no awful transport for the happy couple.
rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-65977942937787682142012-01-16T06:05:00.000-08:002012-01-16T06:05:58.816-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX878RYkwXpLdAMAUvw76xbnHWFWTW6pd1mESWC2Sfc52V-Wp3Zq4jI-uALcAFr8dhFfVnEYbZiYECpuzHuUZofUxbH4-AXD4bJOYSzoIsPXTyBx2u-PhCuqR2-Mv-RLL9aX-7xNKeAyZh/s1600/2011-06-27_20-01-11_218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX878RYkwXpLdAMAUvw76xbnHWFWTW6pd1mESWC2Sfc52V-Wp3Zq4jI-uALcAFr8dhFfVnEYbZiYECpuzHuUZofUxbH4-AXD4bJOYSzoIsPXTyBx2u-PhCuqR2-Mv-RLL9aX-7xNKeAyZh/s320/2011-06-27_20-01-11_218.jpg" /></a></div>
This is a catch-up blog (not a ketchup blob) from South Africa. We visited a couple of animal locations. This is Suzanne petting a rare white lion cub.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJjYJGkUeXihTudSlbKNDO1o8x1VsjN1r9Uy4S5Tbm-216KBwrUeWE3kjqDa9fBkl3IploVsjtbfAu4cmQakTR5fBmA4KDqiDxcC60pu9H5LV7YEGwNto8iRZ_cn3aiSnlwvq2K3b-vnG/s1600/PC080070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJjYJGkUeXihTudSlbKNDO1o8x1VsjN1r9Uy4S5Tbm-216KBwrUeWE3kjqDa9fBkl3IploVsjtbfAu4cmQakTR5fBmA4KDqiDxcC60pu9H5LV7YEGwNto8iRZ_cn3aiSnlwvq2K3b-vnG/s320/PC080070.JPG" /></a></div> This is the cub's big brother. Suzanne wanted to pet it also, but decided not too.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8W4-koC06L9SAeannzD9-83GTyJSw7c_E5q0SiowwDrcUaVG5Pp1uVllPXE4_BHBGoIfv4mdAHqZlBoCz-YGgwVlpT3uEA8JedRfckKyGJ1AfaZ3rowtXGSjbOg_cL8QOlT1E0p8T-oq/s1600/PC080081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8W4-koC06L9SAeannzD9-83GTyJSw7c_E5q0SiowwDrcUaVG5Pp1uVllPXE4_BHBGoIfv4mdAHqZlBoCz-YGgwVlpT3uEA8JedRfckKyGJ1AfaZ3rowtXGSjbOg_cL8QOlT1E0p8T-oq/s320/PC080081.JPG" /></a></div> This guy was a little hungry, so we left him alone.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyoJ2SM-LNAo12clrZ4bHm1QRzIkmbvaFfsKvM6o2VTW4oWtHfJpJXFLdFVws8Lg5wW7gFgOxzyfRvE9th3fVmileKPJqXxHhO-ZElJ3JlYGA7hIp1qU1HnUO-e1PFSPtRwzEOIxIxV5R/s1600/PC080113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyoJ2SM-LNAo12clrZ4bHm1QRzIkmbvaFfsKvM6o2VTW4oWtHfJpJXFLdFVws8Lg5wW7gFgOxzyfRvE9th3fVmileKPJqXxHhO-ZElJ3JlYGA7hIp1qU1HnUO-e1PFSPtRwzEOIxIxV5R/s320/PC080113.JPG" /></a></div> The giraffe like us however.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUY4BvHLyKztU-pIAi0EDNCYyL99o9gr41nl0me_WBwH-BrZ3NlJw_CV6zRpK3sf-8oWJcrj5ysKumLM68cSwMTRKwIz25UJ12i9cRL1wRflgEeB7JBD7Id4AEmCj-Bu1UBwJfeEtX0Il/s1600/PC070009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUY4BvHLyKztU-pIAi0EDNCYyL99o9gr41nl0me_WBwH-BrZ3NlJw_CV6zRpK3sf-8oWJcrj5ysKumLM68cSwMTRKwIz25UJ12i9cRL1wRflgEeB7JBD7Id4AEmCj-Bu1UBwJfeEtX0Il/s320/PC070009.JPG" /></a></div> The brave safari group - the Kinshasa Missionary Couples. We had left DRC during the elections and headed for Johannesburg South Africa. Elder and Sister Bingham, President and Sister Jameson, us, Elder and Sister Hatch.rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-43629924822749555712011-12-25T01:59:00.000-08:002011-12-25T01:59:57.253-08:00MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM AFRICA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6Srx6caWwvhXn9Z9chh9NXx1018-ltKkzzLpRWNNgdin1eXgDcQmOH2b2ssJfiTmXkNYuJTz51q50S1p17Uu4nC4X3lK4jVUH30Tb3-sY7l8udT6OCr4cXspqJIqYmx9LGPLPX8EfVdR/s1600/south+africa+village%252C+aminal+park%252C+etc+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6Srx6caWwvhXn9Z9chh9NXx1018-ltKkzzLpRWNNgdin1eXgDcQmOH2b2ssJfiTmXkNYuJTz51q50S1p17Uu4nC4X3lK4jVUH30Tb3-sY7l8udT6OCr4cXspqJIqYmx9LGPLPX8EfVdR/s320/south+africa+village%252C+aminal+park%252C+etc+040.JPG" /></a></div>AT THE JOHANNESBURG TEMPLE WITH ELDER JOHN HUNTSMAN - PHILLIP AND JENNIFER'S YOUNGER BROTHER WHO IS SERVING HIS MISSION HERE
Merry Christmas From Africa. We celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ today. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Years.
We are grateful for the love and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are thrilled to be serving our mission at this time. We know that this is where we should be.
We miss family and friends this year, but know that we are doing the Lord's work.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrF-Vb9N7tImrUscrvpMXHEB53QAa7youhp6GpsC7x3Y3SVScTEw2VwB6zs54c4pAlIYHiWhJPguh3FcUTY-_PGvpIEWkYB3khTQA6tpCJGFC1cp4RDnHXGCUmxORZSpS1A1tSHY-d7fF/s1600/south+africa+village%252C+aminal+park%252C+etc+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrF-Vb9N7tImrUscrvpMXHEB53QAa7youhp6GpsC7x3Y3SVScTEw2VwB6zs54c4pAlIYHiWhJPguh3FcUTY-_PGvpIEWkYB3khTQA6tpCJGFC1cp4RDnHXGCUmxORZSpS1A1tSHY-d7fF/s320/south+africa+village%252C+aminal+park%252C+etc+003.JPG" /></a></div>ELDER AND SISTER WEBB, FROM LAKE OSWEGO, OREGON - OUR HOSTS IN SOUTH AFRICA
We are still refugees in South Africa. Our refugee camp is not all that bad. We are being housed and hosted by the Africa Southeast Area. We are staying in a very nice flat across the street from a nice mall with many nice restaurants and grocery stores - and a movie theater. All things we do not have in the DR Congo. The new Mission Impossible is playing at the theater. I really wanted to see it, but questioned if it would be appropriate as a missionary. Then, our mission president told us that they had just seen it at the recommendation of the area president (a member of the 1st Quorum of Seventy), so we saw it also.
We miss the DR Congo and the people. We hope to return on Wednesday.
If you are following the news, you know that the presidential elections did not go smoothly. The incumbent was announced the winner, ratified by the supreme court, and sworn in. The opposition has dis-avoid the legitimacy of the election, and sworn himself in as president. So, now the country has two presidents, both claiming victory. It is a little tense in the DR Congo right now. We stay in close touch with the Embassy, the news, and with our associates and church leaders there to know what to do. At present, we will try to fly back on Wed., but will have to monitor what is going on on Monday, after the Christmas holiday.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgM7az0RmLcc4Qi6rkG47_YgcGabJZRvYQH-x1qEUH9X_QtmJCp6VGH2YvtGq4DdOK5_RGKeLNaA4Qqn80iBR9w74Mxq_-Z_uT-mqvAWnKQ-0JsD8H5ldeaX8NSrdXyfptiv1TOu0EMFz/s1600/bird+park+and+lion+park+088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgM7az0RmLcc4Qi6rkG47_YgcGabJZRvYQH-x1qEUH9X_QtmJCp6VGH2YvtGq4DdOK5_RGKeLNaA4Qqn80iBR9w74Mxq_-Z_uT-mqvAWnKQ-0JsD8H5ldeaX8NSrdXyfptiv1TOu0EMFz/s320/bird+park+and+lion+park+088.JPG" /></a></div>
While, here in Johannesburg, we have had the occasion to visit the Temple.
Also, we have seen some South African sites. Our friends, Norris and Carol Webb, from Lake Oswego, Oregon, have been our hosts. They are also Perpetual Education Missionaries, so we have been going into the office with them and working.
We have visited a game reserve, an African Cultural Center, African War Museum, and other sites of interest.
We call South Africa, Africa-lite, as it is more European than African. (the locals don't like that we say that). It is a very modern city with many points of interest. It seems funny to drive on a road that actually has pavement on it. We live not far from the Zoo, and walk mornings around the outsides of the Zoo. (It also seems strange to be able to actually walk around the city with out fear).
Oh, by the way, it is 80 degrees here. Christmas has been a little different this year. Being refugees, we have not decorated or anything. Saturday, the senior missionaries who work in the area offices (about 40 couples) held a pot-luck brunch. It was good. Then in the evening the four couples from DR Congo got together for pizza and Christmas eve time. This morning we went to Church and then this afternoon, the mission president and his wife will host us to a turkey and ham dinner (not a lot of turkey and ham int he DRC), so that will be nice.
Suzanne is in the kitchen making her famous and delicious rolls for the dinner.
We wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a most HAPPY NEW YEARrkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-76206506003606264452011-12-07T04:02:00.001-08:002011-12-07T05:13:53.827-08:00A TALE OF TWO CITIESIt has been a while since our last blog.
We are currently in Johannesburg, South Africa. If you are following the news, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the midst of its second only democratic election for president. The winner will be announced on Wed.Dec. 8, sometime.
FOR MORE ON The events running up to the election and the post election issues. Google DR Congo Current Events to learn more detail.
The situation was becoming very tense. Both candidates for president announced that they had won the election and were therefore the president.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The incumbent claims victory and assures the world that he will remain in power. The opposition claims he won the election and will take over the country.
There are 4 missionary couples - counting the mission president - and we have watched the situation closely. When it was getting very dangerous (it is always dangerous in the DRC, this was really dangerous), the mission president in consultation with area authorities and Salt Lake City, decided we should leave the country temporarily. The attached photo is of the plaza in front of our apartment the day before we left. We decided to fly out to South Africa. We think we probably got on the last plane to leave the country before they closed the airport. The blue vehicle in the plaza is an armored personnel carrier with riot police PICTURE OF US GETTING OUT OF DODGE.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8BXQ0m7AZPVcRK5_dUQgkRO9iYeR87jIyPEFyVuf3GV3crudn8_xzclYNdL4_KpU1tBavMvVQnpMEs5g_UzHSrUWJQuWuuUEEX3RHN-W7rnNzCzjDkGPS1c6xbmtNga3mYmO06eaSy3y/s1600/latest+photos+airport+129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8BXQ0m7AZPVcRK5_dUQgkRO9iYeR87jIyPEFyVuf3GV3crudn8_xzclYNdL4_KpU1tBavMvVQnpMEs5g_UzHSrUWJQuWuuUEEX3RHN-W7rnNzCzjDkGPS1c6xbmtNga3mYmO06eaSy3y/s320/latest+photos+airport+129.JPG" /></a></div>
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We left our apartment around 6:30 AM,while it was still somewhat dark outside to get to the airport while everyone was still asleep. Our flight was at 1:30pm, but it takes like two hours to get through all the red tape at the airport, and the road to the airport is one of the most dangerous hot spots in the city with the election issues, so we sort of sneaked out of town.
We are sad to leave our great friends and associates, but it is best. As of yesterday, the government shut down all text messaging in the county, army and police roadblocks are everywhere. All embassies except the US have pulled their people. US embassy personnel are confined to quarters, and the city is a powder keg waiting to off.
Whichever candidate is elected, the other will be pretty unhappy, and will cause trouble. The opposition party does not have an army or weaponry, so it will be street rioting etc.
So, we are safe and sound in South Africa. The Church's South East Africa Regional Offices are here. We are being hosted by the missionary couples and the Area Presidency. We are referred to as the "refugees." We are staying in apartments that are owned by the Church and happen to be available.
Yesterday we went to the Temple. We fasted for the people of the DRC and ended at the Temple. It was a great day.
We keep in touch with people in DRC and they say it is calm but very tense.
Our apartment in Kinshasa is a US Embassy building housing the offices of USAID, and housing for US Citizens. We understand that it is cordoned off and heavily guarded right now.
HERE ARE PICTURES OF BEAUTIFUL JOHANNESBURG.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WFJ5cninp3-l_QAr8TqkE-dC8t9xsPYnUYykSff9EvGImMrmmM3As0eVzbBnG2pLuIjWaAJGCVO5gDnjAJy3fx-g5NF-SnKkPBuMs9jDg9Ko7P5CQRkABKo0QAJnq7YVz4hB-6KvxUEB/s1600/latest+photos+airport+143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WFJ5cninp3-l_QAr8TqkE-dC8t9xsPYnUYykSff9EvGImMrmmM3As0eVzbBnG2pLuIjWaAJGCVO5gDnjAJy3fx-g5NF-SnKkPBuMs9jDg9Ko7P5CQRkABKo0QAJnq7YVz4hB-6KvxUEB/s320/latest+photos+airport+143.JPG" /></a></div>
Tomorrow we are going to a game preserve. (I think it is the big cat preserve of which Johnny Huntsman sent picture) Then to a bird reserve. That will be cool, and we will do a game reserve blog.
We are also doing some shopping - and eating. I actually had a Red Robin type hamburger and fries for lunch. We even had strawberries last night for dinner. We can even drink the water. We have been able to go to stores. We don't have to by bread and bananas from the people with baskets on their head in the street. However, we look forward to quickly returning to the DR
Congo. We love the people, the country, and we have a lot of work left to do.
Please pray for the DRC and the great people of that country.rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-68815575106394565842011-10-26T04:09:00.000-07:002011-10-26T04:09:32.100-07:00HISTORY AND PRESENT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5akjeb2coiGpdz-Atw_sUQuHSOU5UWGoE7UpwWJJ00EU_GGB-5dW0vvk9e0kVshlzd_huFAObJUXAGEEqfPQaCnUrFVSbAzQN8AGLejKVKQAsftlMfPsKdRfQD7CNxdL4JsNqJ2eh5v5s/s1600/Tommy+and+teachers+quorum.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="224" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5akjeb2coiGpdz-Atw_sUQuHSOU5UWGoE7UpwWJJ00EU_GGB-5dW0vvk9e0kVshlzd_huFAObJUXAGEEqfPQaCnUrFVSbAzQN8AGLejKVKQAsftlMfPsKdRfQD7CNxdL4JsNqJ2eh5v5s/s320/Tommy+and+teachers+quorum.png" /></a></div>
One of our friends recently gave us these pictures of the very early days of the Church in the DR Congo. Tommy Muhendy joined the Church when he was 14 years old. His was one of the first families baptized into the Church in the DR Congo. He is the young man third from the left. Like others of his time, he was active in the Young Men's program, served a mission, and worked hard to put himself through college (a very rare occurance). He graduated with a degree in accounting, and became CFO of a large non-profit organization here. Then, the Church approached him to become Finance Manager for the Church (Temporal Affairs) in the DR Congo and other countries that comprise our mission. He is a great young man, he serves as first counsellor in the Stake Presidency of the Kinshasa Stake.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tommy today.He is just one of a great generation who, individually or together with their families, joined the Church in the mid 1980's. Standing with Tommy are two individuals who joined about the same time. They are faithful fathers, husbands, and Church leaders.
I will insert the rest of the pictures at the end of this blog article. In these pictures you will see early members. The whites are either missionary couples, mission presidents, and the family was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa. Also, you will see David M. Kennedy, then Ambassador at Large for the Church. We had previously been Chairman of the World Bank, and I think Sec. of Treasury. Also, is Marvin J. Ashton.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32GkEqEKp-XqW_BcBJV8pYi2eQbguBAI3dqZ-OK0xWJMqtPQPZxvpE78K5sKXKhFk5UgdcBeTKTuOJmPKI5YeoG5G-QLAa7F0kPBq3L7Y5fexzkcsWhFx4w0VVBhTz7AUuuWo-9sBq9bT/s1600/tommy+-+bishop+edgley+etc+046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32GkEqEKp-XqW_BcBJV8pYi2eQbguBAI3dqZ-OK0xWJMqtPQPZxvpE78K5sKXKhFk5UgdcBeTKTuOJmPKI5YeoG5G-QLAa7F0kPBq3L7Y5fexzkcsWhFx4w0VVBhTz7AUuuWo-9sBq9bT/s320/tommy+-+bishop+edgley+etc+046.JPG" /></a></div>Bishop Edgely, of the Presiding Bishopric, Visited the DR Congo and the Republic of Congo this week. Today, we had a meeting with all of the Church employees and the missionary couples. The Church employees include Institute and Seminary, Temporal Affairs - finance, building construction, building maintainance, distribution, transportation, legal, real estate, etc. In his address to us, he told the group that if they lived to see their great grandchildren, they would see a miracle of growth as great as it would be if the six original members of the Church in 1830, could see today's growth.
Of course, much of the focus of his visit was the new Kinshasa Temple. No site has been announced yet. But, much work is going on to find a site and start the approval process.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikB6WsJ6GHQDpAWlhY1-5h9pdWRAnruYUH66zwd3fDeE0nO1N0lj7hvICkGJb7aLOii2U-BLmbNIUsXnV5LbZYU8g9YQCtqqGOitKamcBIBm2lN0vuz_7u1MI-uQes8afXp1IueJoRrtk-/s1600/early+drc+primary.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikB6WsJ6GHQDpAWlhY1-5h9pdWRAnruYUH66zwd3fDeE0nO1N0lj7hvICkGJb7aLOii2U-BLmbNIUsXnV5LbZYU8g9YQCtqqGOitKamcBIBm2lN0vuz_7u1MI-uQes8afXp1IueJoRrtk-/s320/early+drc+primary.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Early Primary
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7wt6ZL2mAhz4uDCJwlzQbr-m-sVIcxEgW8Oy54df5igfrSNjsoOE24ZDuvGRvvFHvrHKW1Mvnoq2glKgJte7lOfP4d8t5q-jm7jvNe1M-LEbs1GL3grx-m_X4BVlIKlmFoSDgsYjSo5S/s1600/early+drc+youth.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7wt6ZL2mAhz4uDCJwlzQbr-m-sVIcxEgW8Oy54df5igfrSNjsoOE24ZDuvGRvvFHvrHKW1Mvnoq2glKgJte7lOfP4d8t5q-jm7jvNe1M-LEbs1GL3grx-m_X4BVlIKlmFoSDgsYjSo5S/s320/early+drc+youth.png" /></a></div> Youth Organization
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fvh7K6q8BkUrCymtTf4e07jsOv0ESX2WHXH-C6ItV68qA6vm6GFNBtBudg2-GI2eWzf7PdYH-ocJyGQIAGr4lRmtyhCi2TV7dGLipRHmSaPTPcuMtpqnJEoFtzsi_N2_DcENYU8WwzBw/s1600/out+doors+with+members.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="220" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fvh7K6q8BkUrCymtTf4e07jsOv0ESX2WHXH-C6ItV68qA6vm6GFNBtBudg2-GI2eWzf7PdYH-ocJyGQIAGr4lRmtyhCi2TV7dGLipRHmSaPTPcuMtpqnJEoFtzsi_N2_DcENYU8WwzBw/s320/out+doors+with+members.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjv6990bsGSdj-Vm-JoqJZn5YR_YrIvuzNWAkJHjHS4x265j2eA2ixgHmgK_xt_lduWtrjm0a1mWT0fX5voZlp2dHTiAVuFgF8v7v3qx9QcHDMc_bBKWghNC-MINkGP2tt1CduJ-38wM7/s1600/with+david+kennedy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="216" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjv6990bsGSdj-Vm-JoqJZn5YR_YrIvuzNWAkJHjHS4x265j2eA2ixgHmgK_xt_lduWtrjm0a1mWT0fX5voZlp2dHTiAVuFgF8v7v3qx9QcHDMc_bBKWghNC-MINkGP2tt1CduJ-38wM7/s320/with+david+kennedy.png" /></a></div> Group with David M. Kennedyrkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-52845080008506306022011-10-23T08:57:00.000-07:002011-10-23T08:57:33.237-07:00GREAT BREAD/subtitled you know you have been in Africa a long timeThe Humanitarian Couple now have about 20 clean water wells and latrine projects going on around Kinshasa. The latrines are either associated with schools or hospitals. Each project has an engineer and at least 2 site monitors. It is these people's job to keep the work moving forward and being done correctly. The Binghams, the Humanitarian couple, must tour each site frequently to assure the above. Whenever we have free time, we love going with them.
This Saturday, we went to a site that has a wonderful spring coming out of a rock cropping. Their project is to build a covered collection point with water gathering stations that will keep the water cleaner and provide a better method for capturing the water.
We took an interesting walk down into the village. We drove as far as possible, the made our way down the canyon of uck, to reach the bottom where the village and spring is located.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguy7dA-q-2wgeQNdFxo3pQpyOnpQ_EX6BC0i-X-x565wxNrMal5RbcUqox4HQC9QOndEUxWlODdTsqfVzKFWPxXPkq5tBlEpm2tkzY79-VtuOn0F8VoPyUoLZgYHSvBAWtjG1w9RntsqQW/s1600/bread+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguy7dA-q-2wgeQNdFxo3pQpyOnpQ_EX6BC0i-X-x565wxNrMal5RbcUqox4HQC9QOndEUxWlODdTsqfVzKFWPxXPkq5tBlEpm2tkzY79-VtuOn0F8VoPyUoLZgYHSvBAWtjG1w9RntsqQW/s320/bread+011.JPG" /></a></div>
The first picture is of Mom and Sister Bingham climbing their way back up the canyon of uck. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6gx_JRWHucNEJk3uUX5kUGSNC6Z4hOF-fOXaohw2JuVtZCrwQREWAHAsqmCdnoXvTqq5GMdJ2bt0HMmpvrZMAiNb7V5KYzNUrc59mJZW5lGtSWjni9jFeX2HSQ5arH12nccPvLEL2bzQ/s1600/bread+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6gx_JRWHucNEJk3uUX5kUGSNC6Z4hOF-fOXaohw2JuVtZCrwQREWAHAsqmCdnoXvTqq5GMdJ2bt0HMmpvrZMAiNb7V5KYzNUrc59mJZW5lGtSWjni9jFeX2HSQ5arH12nccPvLEL2bzQ/s320/bread+008.JPG" /></a></div> There are always children along the way to greet us. These are the reason the clean water, latrines, and basic health training, are so important, and so dear to our hearts.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikADtkjeAxTCC0rP5ybqUa5dSDhyphenhyphenGSHMkE7hDAZp_Q6T21IrjlX1VOb7GiuTWRgwis0prcW7RBuEaaguvxj9yuI7uvs4zMg6KbkIwkHv6jbb066gDRnEuuXZ-6728r-qjiS4tsxelx2LYQ/s1600/PA220028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikADtkjeAxTCC0rP5ybqUa5dSDhyphenhyphenGSHMkE7hDAZp_Q6T21IrjlX1VOb7GiuTWRgwis0prcW7RBuEaaguvxj9yuI7uvs4zMg6KbkIwkHv6jbb066gDRnEuuXZ-6728r-qjiS4tsxelx2LYQ/s320/PA220028.JPG" /></a></div> Villagers currently use the run off pipe to collect water, do their wash, and even bathe. It will be a nice project when it is finished.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ujFKp06ytpaEgqw5egYCI2RIgcguIjgTR8bYUSIqmtC9n7oxX7vPcrKc-S8h4ruVPRZ7XgFsn3boY11vA-x40ckh8ztoK6qajfd8fhmBmkkS38CPwst9-N0hZ1iEHNxaRzTRpsEzMA5j/s1600/PA220032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ujFKp06ytpaEgqw5egYCI2RIgcguIjgTR8bYUSIqmtC9n7oxX7vPcrKc-S8h4ruVPRZ7XgFsn3boY11vA-x40ckh8ztoK6qajfd8fhmBmkkS38CPwst9-N0hZ1iEHNxaRzTRpsEzMA5j/s320/PA220032.JPG" /></a></div> Everywhere we turn, there are more children following up.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB48exXmg7x2L_CGrFnjAOieA7qtxVdqjytWI6aRW4YzkQQLK5gt7RcELBmwM4un2FRbNI0de1n7-7hKvFSOv48zwbjcS8b9TvrPryvZ7QqRApzis97J_7CMNPk4OvWH8q7YJ-RHWQqOcq/s1600/PA220036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB48exXmg7x2L_CGrFnjAOieA7qtxVdqjytWI6aRW4YzkQQLK5gt7RcELBmwM4un2FRbNI0de1n7-7hKvFSOv48zwbjcS8b9TvrPryvZ7QqRApzis97J_7CMNPk4OvWH8q7YJ-RHWQqOcq/s320/PA220036.JPG" /></a></div> If you look closely at the tree in the picture, you will see a boy about half way up the tree. As we were leaving, Elder Bingham told us that we could get one of the beautiful papayas in the tree if we gave a boy 500 francs (50 cents) to climb the tree and get the papaya, and 500 francs to the lady who owns the tree. So we did. And, up he went shimmying up the tree as fast as he could go. He picked the fruit and tossed it down to Elder Bingham. We had it for dinner today, it was great.
On the way home, the Binghams said that they had found this great Boulangerie (bread bakery) on their way home from this village - which was really out in the sticks. They said the man made the bread in a wood fired brick oven and that he bread was wonderful.. Well, as the title indicates - you know when you have been in Africa for a long time. We went to the bakery. The following pictures are of the bakery and finally the end product. And, it is the best bread we have had here. Remember, the Belgians left a legacy of awesome bread, but this was the best so far.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_y_t-YK-gU6PcuD_GaJSw9PmGRpBtGgx5Exi_rPIoFkEcbKmxkjE6x1F6-9YZ7hWEBTpeNV8NS2foeCdLL8oX1_CVDBC_d_-h3qXEcLLa60mq8ME4BHTX_EETcQUbR6ht-9OZB9tYaJ8/s1600/bread+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_y_t-YK-gU6PcuD_GaJSw9PmGRpBtGgx5Exi_rPIoFkEcbKmxkjE6x1F6-9YZ7hWEBTpeNV8NS2foeCdLL8oX1_CVDBC_d_-h3qXEcLLa60mq8ME4BHTX_EETcQUbR6ht-9OZB9tYaJ8/s320/bread+014.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPT-e63n7-8P6WnLUefTzC5LPbKXE4vRHeXxcfFwVk3Ezzmf_LNDBCf1wK9ndDzPCYZks3y2ymJeIbBHwyetyqodn7Tqo52i88-dR9cU3PzQWIdp8lw7KpKmFHLjBisrmYOI7b0y4wJTVn/s1600/bread+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPT-e63n7-8P6WnLUefTzC5LPbKXE4vRHeXxcfFwVk3Ezzmf_LNDBCf1wK9ndDzPCYZks3y2ymJeIbBHwyetyqodn7Tqo52i88-dR9cU3PzQWIdp8lw7KpKmFHLjBisrmYOI7b0y4wJTVn/s320/bread+016.JPG" /></a></div> Prep area inside the bakery - note the metal making racks stacked up against the outside wall.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVM4YODJmnvXgMBRbjplvJOA3fCDtzZcZ49f0ZryKZZj4DoDqYLjprOezA0-_eMIRPlDBXrARBTYOVK2lnGZqirLDhF1L-k78fvVhJYN7r2lHkhGgAZ71H1378paKGuEKA9DxJUm1nfmQf/s1600/bread+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVM4YODJmnvXgMBRbjplvJOA3fCDtzZcZ49f0ZryKZZj4DoDqYLjprOezA0-_eMIRPlDBXrARBTYOVK2lnGZqirLDhF1L-k78fvVhJYN7r2lHkhGgAZ71H1378paKGuEKA9DxJUm1nfmQf/s320/bread+018.JPG" /></a></div> The multi-drawer oven.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-ZV0XpqJwDmByciOxgtCG_TgYpTxbM9T5mtOq_iKlxE07xupsQwFDF5PNbGNefxdjUrDyiYlTM7PnHaMiEUwpiT4ordlUigENviEHvuslmpiXTesYsnJJb_1vFL6B3MPxhrcSnX-F_Rz/s1600/bread+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-ZV0XpqJwDmByciOxgtCG_TgYpTxbM9T5mtOq_iKlxE07xupsQwFDF5PNbGNefxdjUrDyiYlTM7PnHaMiEUwpiT4ordlUigENviEHvuslmpiXTesYsnJJb_1vFL6B3MPxhrcSnX-F_Rz/s320/bread+019.JPG" /></a></div> Branches from a near by hard wood tree to create the fire and smoke.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdqcFr_lIf6LVUvjendT8RQV_n66-NlcDJUoZ1pfKJp4f0Df2voaMuQ99KbX_LtnZIZKSnhz5JlnU_OaNt4mqAh1ZG2602n6CjUU1GArVRPKlMx5_UPpY7C6v0TMcVItJ1DRGgUA22TF6/s1600/bread+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdqcFr_lIf6LVUvjendT8RQV_n66-NlcDJUoZ1pfKJp4f0Df2voaMuQ99KbX_LtnZIZKSnhz5JlnU_OaNt4mqAh1ZG2602n6CjUU1GArVRPKlMx5_UPpY7C6v0TMcVItJ1DRGgUA22TF6/s320/bread+017.JPG" /></a></div> Mom standing in line - there actually is no line, Mom is just standing there wondering what happened to our sense of caution we had 8 months ago.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC7ppdYUzCv7bjXred8YWPvRFKTlYVQ3tZtS0YfbZtSaCqFn7r0DzfIurHCj-XblCZCLsVnEy57Ygsx07ULwOuLlFdnCROUGuDyvS-THp_3o2cnixYBPS5yEUBMPhcJH-OspmFTQbqCoF/s1600/bread+033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC7ppdYUzCv7bjXred8YWPvRFKTlYVQ3tZtS0YfbZtSaCqFn7r0DzfIurHCj-XblCZCLsVnEy57Ygsx07ULwOuLlFdnCROUGuDyvS-THp_3o2cnixYBPS5yEUBMPhcJH-OspmFTQbqCoF/s320/bread+033.JPG" /></a></div> MAN WAS IT GOOD BREAD. And, you can never be in Africa too long.rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-89507667941973092732011-10-16T09:16:00.000-07:002011-10-16T09:16:32.815-07:00Here are some great pictures of African sunset across the Congo River. The sun sets regularly at 6pm. This sunset followed a heavy rain storm. The picture was taken out of our kitchen window, looking across the Congo River into Brazzaville, in the Republic of Congo.
We have a 6pm curfew. I know we are too old for curfew, but the sun sets at 6pm and it gets absolutely dark. 1) the mosquitoes come out mean and hungry. 2) it is not really safe to be on the streets after dark.
So, we get home by 6 and watch beautiful sunsets.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTYexMgPjd3CHc22Y22DzTz1DAxPePio38WQCuhn5iKrExyt0y7T3QqOzWLA_HkvgqH6JEym1tU68i4mZLk0JRtAIgtAZnrPXfup2OthBpeddWEpk_MSdLNcx_GTDuoQVKaG9B5WL86og/s1600/misc+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTYexMgPjd3CHc22Y22DzTz1DAxPePio38WQCuhn5iKrExyt0y7T3QqOzWLA_HkvgqH6JEym1tU68i4mZLk0JRtAIgtAZnrPXfup2OthBpeddWEpk_MSdLNcx_GTDuoQVKaG9B5WL86og/s320/misc+006.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWzVhOPpqo2KhpiJV6ClqNSCmxKQSa5czPpUcFlodv36o9baly1waRljVIzox9_uZf9Q0u4s9abcoYanpyO9y3VMYaXwI2BGej8Q6Kx6Obd4URaoFOsZ9xidh8Qew-Wj3ea5M0VL4EVAk/s1600/misc+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWzVhOPpqo2KhpiJV6ClqNSCmxKQSa5czPpUcFlodv36o9baly1waRljVIzox9_uZf9Q0u4s9abcoYanpyO9y3VMYaXwI2BGej8Q6Kx6Obd4URaoFOsZ9xidh8Qew-Wj3ea5M0VL4EVAk/s320/misc+011.JPG" /></a></div>rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-69104444015641509852011-10-08T13:04:00.000-07:002011-10-16T09:16:32.822-07:00Water and SanitationWe always have a good day when we team up with the Binghams - the humanitarian couple. Since they arrived in Kinshasa, about a month before we did, they have started several really good projects. The Hospital well that we showed earlier, was their project, start to finish. They found and have started several well project and sanitary projects in the small villages in and around Kinshasa.
Today, Saturday, we took off with them into the bush. We saw incredible scenery, met interesting people, and learned some new things. The village to which we were traveling was at the end a very narrow, very windy road.
On the way down the road, we came upon children carrying water on their heads from the little stream back to their homes - about 1/2 mile. The water is not clean. This is why the clean water projects are so awesome. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13l9CBR9Gzu39ABWqLxUY8NrDZnAn8REkDMG0Omi2jZwfOPPZ5HEynU6Va11O-L5CbdC_wv17n8EqO6lg7gLc2-6oWtGMcJ5XmYdfYirUVHm6MHcous1ZUFZTKdvkXYazNOfHsIa6p-fv/s1600/wells+part+2+104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13l9CBR9Gzu39ABWqLxUY8NrDZnAn8REkDMG0Omi2jZwfOPPZ5HEynU6Va11O-L5CbdC_wv17n8EqO6lg7gLc2-6oWtGMcJ5XmYdfYirUVHm6MHcous1ZUFZTKdvkXYazNOfHsIa6p-fv/s320/wells+part+2+104.JPG" /></a></div> There was barely room for one car on the road. As we came around the corner, there was on the road a Volkswagen van (about a 1972 model). It was out of gas. It was loaded with plastic chairs on the way to the training. Many people buy gas along the side of the road in litter bottles. This guy was about a 1/2 liter short of getting to his destination and completely blocking the road. We tried to push him to the side just enough to get by, but, the drop off was to close, so we had to sit. Then, from somewhere, someone produced a 1/4 liter of gas, and off we went.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We started out be visiting a village where an NGO (non-government organization) generally non-profit organizations, was teaching members of the village the basics of sanitation. The Church funded the training which was conducted by the NGO. A professor of biology was teaching the class. It was in a little building with about 40 chairs set up in the room, as we arrived, the room was almost full. Most of the NGO people were members of the Church. Whenever the missionary couples arrive at an event they are treated almost like royalty. So, we arrived at this little building, and were ushered into the front of the room, introduced to the room, and invited to say something to the people. This village was being trained on hygiene as part of the project that will bring 4 wells and latrines to the area. Elder Bingham and Sister Bingham, whose project this is, do not speak French. Their interpreter was, as usual, late to meet us, so Elder Bingham asked me to be the translator for the day. However, there was one of the NGO guys who spoke French, and Lingala, who wanted to translate. Elder and Sister Bingham spoke to the group through the interpreter. They thanked them for attending the class to learn hygiene, spoke of the benefits of clean water, asked them to take care of their families, and avoid disease. By the time that they finished the room was completely full, and the adjacent room had filled up. The Church had printed a nice booklet that taught (in pictures) how to take care of bodies and food through good hygiene practices.
The training was excellent with good audience participation.
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Then we set out on foot to see the sites where the wells were going to be dug. Everywhere we went, the village children followed us. We were like the Pied Piper. They followed hollering, "Mandela, Mandela," which means white man in Lingala. Or they shout "Chinois.: There are many Chinese in the Congo, and they can't tell us apart. I am sure that for some of the children, we were the first whites that they had seen up close and personal. Last time the Binghams were in a village like this one, they had bottles of pop with them, and when a few children gathered, they gave them the soft drink bottles. Suddenly, out of no where appeared hundreds of children surrounding them and their truck wanting some. So, this time we knew better.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"By-o," is good bye in Lingala. As we left the village, all the children lined up waved and shouted "By-o."
The project engineer is a nice young man who has done a wonderful job of structuring the project, selecting sites, and supplying good data. He is very fond of Elder and Sister Bingham. He asked me (since I was the only Mandela who spoke French) if we would like to see his house and meet his family. He said that his house was real close and just over there. Well, in Africa, close could mean next door, or across town, so we said we would be honored to see his home and meet his wife. Well, his home turned out to be African close. So, up and down more dirt roads and ditches, we arrived at his house. It was a wonderful house by African village standards. He had built it himself, one bag of cement at a time. When he had money he would buy a bag of cement or a few concrete blocks. In the end it was a very nice home. He was so proud of it, and had a wonderful family. Wife, 3 children. The baby is about 1 and a half months.
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We came upon a group of children - sent by their parents - gathering water at a small dip well. The girl would drop the bucket down the shallow well, come up with water, then pour it into the adjacent containers, which the children would put on their heads and carry home.
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Then we went to another village to check on the progress of the bathroom (nice latrine) that the Church was building next to a school. This school had no bathroom facilities for its students.
After this we went to see two wells that were being dug. First we saw where they were making the rings of concrete that form the sides of the wells. In an earlier blog, I mentioned that they make these rings, then as the men are digging the wells, they dig down three meters and drop these rings into the hole, then dig the next three feet and drop the next ring into the hole, and so on until they are deep enough to find fresh water. They had completed the digging of one well, down about 35 meters. We could look down and could see the fresh water below. They would then build a cover, a water gathering area, a concrete area for washing area. Then a hand pump would be installed. The next well we visited, the men were still digging. They were down about 20 feet. As they dig out the hole, the concrete pipes are lowered down. One set of pictures show a well where one man is down in the hole digging and filling a bucket. The men at the top, haul the bucket up by a rope and dump it, then send it back down. When we pulled up to the work sites, the workers started signing work songs, and seemed to work harder.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was a very hot day, but it was well worth the ride.
We ran into several of our PEF students, and some of mom's piano students in the villages, or volunteering as helpers at the training.
By-o<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-15718740627031499632011-10-05T11:26:00.000-07:002011-10-05T11:26:43.415-07:00Temple in the CongoBonjour du Congo
We are very excited here in the DR Congo. As you probably know, President Monson announced that there would be two new temples in Africa and one in Paris. We Francophones are very excited about that. Our dear friends and fellow Greshamites who serve in Durban are also very excited about the temple in Durban.
We listen to General Conference via the internet. However, the internet is very slow here, and sometimes intermittent. So, we were hearing about every other paragraph. But, we had connection when President Monson announced the Temples. We were beside ourselves. Then, the emails and Skype started from our friends and family, who were also excited.
Most people here do not listen or watch conference. 1. it is in English, 2. few had electricity, 3. no one has internet at home. The Church sends a translated CD to the stakes, and they have conference weekend a few weeks after conference. So we started calling our friends. We called one of our friends, who started to cry and then shout for joy. We could hear noise in the background, he said that the church employees were having a meeting when everyone's cell phones started to ring. They were getting calls from those who had been listening or watching - mostly they were missionary couples calling. So, it was a great day (actually evening here) in Kinshasa.
Currently those wishing to go to the temple must travel to South Africa. This is very expensive, and complicated to obtain passports, visas, etc. The church has a "patrons assistance program," (President Monson mentioned it during the announcement) which provides financial assistance for one trip to the temple for a family. So, most people only get to the temple once in their lives. We have several friends who have made the trip to Johannesburg to the temple recently. It is really difficult on them financially. Our friend Mardo, the sec. to the Institutes and Seminaries will go with her husband and two children this month - they have saved for several years. Rusell, our friend and associate manager of Employment, will take his wife and two children to J'burg later this month also - they have been saving for two or three years to make the trip.
Now, they will be able to go frequently to the Kinshasa Temple. It will take two or three years to complete the Temple. We do not know the exact location for the temple yet, but will know soon. It will certainly be built in the center part of Kinshasa.
It will serve the DR Congo, Republic of Congo-Brazzaville, Cameroon, Burundi, Gabon, Central African Republic, and probably other Francophone countries. There are 5 stakes in Kinshasa, 1 in Congo-Brazzaville, 4 in the other mission area of Lubumbashi, soon to be one in Cameroon, and probably one or two more in Kinshasa by the time the Temple is built. Cameroon and Burundi have districts. Gabon and Central African Republic does not yet have a church presence. Gabon has many people waiting for government approval for the church to operate there - probably before the temple is complete.
This is my opinion only that with the Temple coming to DR Congo that the Church will then establish an Missionary Training Center here. Currently missionaries who will serve in on of the two Congo Missions, go to Ghana for the MTC because Ghana has a Temple. It is very expensive and difficult for missionaries who are from the DRC to get visa and passorts and to travel to Ghana. Of the 300 plus missionaries serving in the Congo, 95% are from the Congo. Most missionaries from Kinshasa area go to the Lubumbashi mission and the Lubumbashi missionaries come to Kinshasa mission. As I have said before, they do not send white missionaries to serve in the countries of DR Congo and Burundi. There a a few white missionaries in Point Noire in the Republic of Congo, but none in other Republic of Congo cities. (get out your map if you are completely confused.)
So, my take is that they will put a Missionary Training Center next to the new Temple along with patron housing, like they have in Ghana and South Africa.
All in all it is very exciting.
The temple is coming not only because of the number of members, but they are spiritually prepared for the Temple. Now, there is a renewed excitement to really prepare for going to the Temple. Family history work will take on a greater sense of urgency
We feel very blessed to be here at this time.
rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-86124476268218362332011-09-13T02:48:00.000-07:002011-09-13T05:59:22.043-07:00It takes a village<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOydGBwdqNH1IEhhhTYobEN7V33qXiQRf5CjuTGDWupUozaFkmi3Au0y0jrM2Z0ibNovIiOGL2qvpxQAl58EEpj6nCplojPihmOMLeHoKf4Dew8nC8xVIj_HjgTDxOpvO1mA6TY2aLZ3iw/s1600/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+038.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651820099735194258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOydGBwdqNH1IEhhhTYobEN7V33qXiQRf5CjuTGDWupUozaFkmi3Au0y0jrM2Z0ibNovIiOGL2qvpxQAl58EEpj6nCplojPihmOMLeHoKf4Dew8nC8xVIj_HjgTDxOpvO1mA6TY2aLZ3iw/s320/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+038.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAP6PR04yVcZtiMmMoIdAEveetjwvgOWCs6Rnw-jcRyPaU6UsSFf3gTCnjPYwKPaWpgHS1zx1-Ccg8bs7iDLkgZ1Tre6YQOjbIGOkR-O6luOGds5nouMps-JSnkJ1FfG8HzbffGnu0R9al/s1600/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+046.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; 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WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651804835803133714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIewnItlQJXseWX4-c-T2ZwCd6eqN8P9w5hTNAXtBvUvLeG906pkQhv0PRcl0yGc0DyWBdveoSUfHXHyt9JDATSkcwtBQpYjkzZ3gUGxK3zQSmVI3PrGhhnc-jR15_MV9ke5lyZTXIDJb/s320/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+020.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOw0DCfZnLH7MhVId3IlMPFZOEgy8v_cGEJ0V4vTkvNTvISAOcHGTvRqMCxxK4yobntp-jT9UJP2Z3bdfRjRRkd12DHbjBoMWIn_0nD1AhLjR8YUhIC1AVhvrUyi7t6d_OpB82Lt4Y5rW2/s1600/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+014.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651803940896414626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOw0DCfZnLH7MhVId3IlMPFZOEgy8v_cGEJ0V4vTkvNTvISAOcHGTvRqMCxxK4yobntp-jT9UJP2Z3bdfRjRRkd12DHbjBoMWIn_0nD1AhLjR8YUhIC1AVhvrUyi7t6d_OpB82Lt4Y5rW2/s320/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+014.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNcH-amMkb5wyce-TZRqm-ZVIojX69R7J7AYRnNovg0SIDsoPtWuatWR3FyCIHgKMpGBKJbyk8GOw1idYOCYitkBmzodWiHCWjwqwPdDJeM8kzPIN1jvCmbNqFQlKyBN6IXfump_94QWB/s1600/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+004.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651801497297062802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNcH-amMkb5wyce-TZRqm-ZVIojX69R7J7AYRnNovg0SIDsoPtWuatWR3FyCIHgKMpGBKJbyk8GOw1idYOCYitkBmzodWiHCWjwqwPdDJeM8kzPIN1jvCmbNqFQlKyBN6IXfump_94QWB/s320/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+004.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpLkg98kSssEZONHIVDmwlNGQ0b80VJDKX0fCpujn4kApXevAKGn3WtdZ8EjZKHChZeh7n8RnxrSuWYD_95ZwzstZw8za8DsgHJscH49-vTY2BuEOZGuWKBwNuN0hjuGzewbYhXm5ZTZe/s1600/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+011.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651799783666741282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpLkg98kSssEZONHIVDmwlNGQ0b80VJDKX0fCpujn4kApXevAKGn3WtdZ8EjZKHChZeh7n8RnxrSuWYD_95ZwzstZw8za8DsgHJscH49-vTY2BuEOZGuWKBwNuN0hjuGzewbYhXm5ZTZe/s320/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+011.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMNmahybi5t234Wgf98khhOfW7MxQ7bnqbfkgWVtJC218wGj_lZ-LLsBrSwpmmXmf6H3dpgFRW03_lijalheSsQQNUYlC2uGx70RQLfCU1QNiuAu-wV4IA_lltjuWhE0NrBCzr98g1U7w/s1600/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+001.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651797663610359106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMNmahybi5t234Wgf98khhOfW7MxQ7bnqbfkgWVtJC218wGj_lZ-LLsBrSwpmmXmf6H3dpgFRW03_lijalheSsQQNUYlC2uGx70RQLfCU1QNiuAu-wV4IA_lltjuWhE0NrBCzr98g1U7w/s320/Makou+Sept.+9+2011+001.JPG" /></a> Recently, a charitable organization was here in Kinshasa doing a great humanitarian service. There were doctors, nurses, and clinicians from many parts of the world. One recovery room nurse was a member and we got to know her. She related that one of the clinicians, upon finishing his work and heading for the plane said, "how could anyone live in the god-forsaken place." Well, this is not a God forsaken place. God loves the people of Africa and is blessing them daily.<br />We wanted to share an incredible story with everyone about God's bounteous love. There are many small villages in and around Kinshasa. Some are too remote for the missionaries to visit and teach. It is sometimes impossible for the villagers to get to a church to worship and to receive priesthood direction. There is one village, however, about 30 minutes drive (1 hour walk for many villagers) to the nearest stake center and ward building. This is a village without clean water or electricity. Like many such villages, women and children walk great distances to bring back water - if they are fortunate, it is clean - but, mostly it is not clean safe water<br />This is a little farming village. A return missionary's father has a farm there. On weekends, this great young return missionary goes there to help his father with the farm. While he has been there, he has told people what he did for two years as a missionary, and told them about the Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (The return missionary is the young man in the suit and red tie.)</div><br /><div>He came into the mission office one day and asked if he could take pamphlets and material out to the village to share with his friends. They, of course, gave him some materials. Then he returned and asked if the missionaries could come visit the village sometime. He came back and asked again.</div><br /><div>Well, last week he came in with a letter signed by 140 members of the village asking to be taught more about the Church. Last Friday, the mission office couple, the returned missionary, and the assistants to the president, loaded into the van, with copies of the Book of Mormon and other pamphlets and headed for the village.</div><br /><div>The return missionary had called ahead and told the village they were coming. When they reached the turn off to the village, a man in a bright orange shirt (you will see him in the pictures) was standing at the roadside waiting for them.</div><br /><div>As they approached the village, people were lined up along the roadside singing and clapping their hands. They were dressed in their Sunday best. In anticipation of the arrival, they had fashioned a covered area with palm branches and flowers. Also out of bamboo, they made a seating area with a bamboo pole held up by stakes. There were too many people there to sit. The group became about 250 - not counting the children. This would create a ward.</div><br /><div>Primary presidents and teachers, how would you like to organize this primary.</div><br /><div>One woman came up to the Elders and said, "my brother is a member of your Church, I would like my family to be like his." Her brother, it turns out, is our bishop.<br />They sang hymns, taught the group, answered questions, and promised to send missionaries to teach them further. Next week they plan on taking the stake president out to meet them.</div><br /><div>This is not a-typical. When the missionaries first went to Burundi, the country just west of DRC, and part of the mission, and famous for its wars and inhumanities, they found 1100 people waiting to be baptised. One man saw a wheel chair with an inscription, "Presented by the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints." He was so impressed, he looked up the church on the internet, studied it, gained a copy of the Book of Mormon, and Gospel Principals, and began teaching the principles of the Gospel as he understood them. Most of the people who initially joined the Church were taught by him.</div><br /><div>In Bandundu provence of DRC, there are 1400 people who have written stating they are waiting for the Church to come there. Unfortunately, at this time Bandundu provence is too far away and far too dangerous for missionaries to go there right now. (Remember, there are only 200 miles of paved roads in a country the size of the US-east of the Mississippi) But, the Lord will provide a way for these people to receive the gospel ordinances.</div><br /><div>In Gabon, a country in our mission - just below Cameroon (aslo in our mission) and west of Congo-Brazaville (another country in the mission) - there are several hundred people waiting for the government of Gabon to allow us in, several members also live there.<br />Truly, God has not forsaken this place.</div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-13483090144310251582011-09-05T05:55:00.000-07:002011-09-05T07:01:27.052-07:00Young Men Soccer Match<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q0tO4j7k9PdSYC_zxmmWP4R80qeKBRppzXCzQBs3uKnwUcsMtG6W7MlLy1WD5TgjwVTfBVMf_KOOwWTjOu6XQ0aIK4CdWZMObAFCQuOyi5qWuvz5wAR75mspnBMhpJbj-kDAcyP2skt8/s1600/soccer+match+043.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648872117235601810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q0tO4j7k9PdSYC_zxmmWP4R80qeKBRppzXCzQBs3uKnwUcsMtG6W7MlLy1WD5TgjwVTfBVMf_KOOwWTjOu6XQ0aIK4CdWZMObAFCQuOyi5qWuvz5wAR75mspnBMhpJbj-kDAcyP2skt8/s320/soccer+match+043.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2SYqzgnVFaqGS4-OlXIr_4ILcWvX4Ugczfvk5DLgbwDCebi_WpNPhG8HRN1RDubu33OEy6mxg-ltQuiTEK0Rl7YaJoCzrqs8I22HHyo4VyU3Pb36J-gNWdjwcxx-aA9UJtUKIOQgG-on/s1600/soccer+match+035.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648871369704411762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2SYqzgnVFaqGS4-OlXIr_4ILcWvX4Ugczfvk5DLgbwDCebi_WpNPhG8HRN1RDubu33OEy6mxg-ltQuiTEK0Rl7YaJoCzrqs8I22HHyo4VyU3Pb36J-gNWdjwcxx-aA9UJtUKIOQgG-on/s320/soccer+match+035.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErZVH7qpxXR2lGg9-P5Bduz2NB_3OoeMQrXRtd-T1gXNdrMOlcNnohuJ-koUZBCHte8QwmOZ6lThif8PtLOo4wYGKZhwbDd6qIXdTMaMfmaJrGalHsjX6NyygJ1QK2ugrW4-Gd_etLtsc/s1600/soccer+match+040.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648871103841805970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErZVH7qpxXR2lGg9-P5Bduz2NB_3OoeMQrXRtd-T1gXNdrMOlcNnohuJ-koUZBCHte8QwmOZ6lThif8PtLOo4wYGKZhwbDd6qIXdTMaMfmaJrGalHsjX6NyygJ1QK2ugrW4-Gd_etLtsc/s320/soccer+match+040.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93PeB01N6iNm2hr8GFp-4blRSYemPDDQ4DAFWjflD0Fg59zxbrMobaLcSyAd_yYBUZhJbkHpAhnZj9JtGPzp-t5nJ5jEHQ0M-8vKFBZDVMsl265klS4n1B1-bFTrMl6WPcCh44LmD3sce/s1600/soccer+match+045.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648866487189529042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93PeB01N6iNm2hr8GFp-4blRSYemPDDQ4DAFWjflD0Fg59zxbrMobaLcSyAd_yYBUZhJbkHpAhnZj9JtGPzp-t5nJ5jEHQ0M-8vKFBZDVMsl265klS4n1B1-bFTrMl6WPcCh44LmD3sce/s320/soccer+match+045.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixo8fOM1gbCY9nTWTyNwhIGfZKvEAqlXrJXFYVk-zziJ2TeYzavCOOAonj8ZcqsjScmL_mJ3CQUChfBuSpzWHxYZbCzFybCj0_OdWpJihBWhMa_I3ETYrKeTUh2SJRVQJ8eHuOfZoRgBh/s1600/soccer+match+034.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648865245135355634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixo8fOM1gbCY9nTWTyNwhIGfZKvEAqlXrJXFYVk-zziJ2TeYzavCOOAonj8ZcqsjScmL_mJ3CQUChfBuSpzWHxYZbCzFybCj0_OdWpJihBWhMa_I3ETYrKeTUh2SJRVQJ8eHuOfZoRgBh/s320/soccer+match+034.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDAJlDi1jaGavykJlOXkgDp1UQeKFiNCFAZyw477n9I9mMG8Gw7EtQlihlKlBFyITa2eRPFwt6zzo9HXP35M2Wb_zg4dNKuQl2uHD3NG5axab0BQsF1cX6GpGp4XDnW2MDLzMb8KpmIy5/s1600/soccer+match+043.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648864794134633346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDAJlDi1jaGavykJlOXkgDp1UQeKFiNCFAZyw477n9I9mMG8Gw7EtQlihlKlBFyITa2eRPFwt6zzo9HXP35M2Wb_zg4dNKuQl2uHD3NG5axab0BQsF1cX6GpGp4XDnW2MDLzMb8KpmIy5/s320/soccer+match+043.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipl1UbhZwMcCjN19oS6EbVAwTqlTXFUbi7PlPQY32GbiUYsWiR7mZpJg7jSXIGzNWmZQEGW-O5hTGdz3R0yARoRH-mmorz53kjqoUHJjcq3lZlkewDCUS7MQgUEKs_qm3rGIeQ3f2JgX-b/s1600/soccer+match+039.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648864506853078642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipl1UbhZwMcCjN19oS6EbVAwTqlTXFUbi7PlPQY32GbiUYsWiR7mZpJg7jSXIGzNWmZQEGW-O5hTGdz3R0yARoRH-mmorz53kjqoUHJjcq3lZlkewDCUS7MQgUEKs_qm3rGIeQ3f2JgX-b/s320/soccer+match+039.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzc7gGrzbkv67tqZvE3y2UOkbo086nkqXDxJRNbnWZHGjp4srZdTHrIWQAz_4jiTS6KlMcRrexwFLt01k9Tgmv_6suOhv1b6SGqVb4fKeMYyy1SH70XUxMddJMPWOvR9Cfp5IFq3S22J15/s1600/soccer+match+031.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648863343262753042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzc7gGrzbkv67tqZvE3y2UOkbo086nkqXDxJRNbnWZHGjp4srZdTHrIWQAz_4jiTS6KlMcRrexwFLt01k9Tgmv_6suOhv1b6SGqVb4fKeMYyy1SH70XUxMddJMPWOvR9Cfp5IFq3S22J15/s320/soccer+match+031.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><div>Saturday was one of those rare weekends when we did not have meetings, firesides, training sessions, etc. We had nothing on our agenda. So, we travelled out to Masina to watch the championship games of the Stake Young Men's Soccer program.</div><br /><div>You should note some things in the pictures:</div><br /><div>1. The boys are all bare footed. They do not wear shoes because they don't have shoes.</div><br /><div>2. The field is not grassy. It is sand and junk. The sand is the loose sand that is everywhere here. It is several inches of loose sand. Which, of course, makes it hard to run and maveuver, let alone know where or how the ball will bounce when it hits the ground, or, when you try to kick it, just how much sand you will kick along with it. When they had a goal kick or any other placed kid, the rules allowed them to make a small sand mound and tee up the ball.</div><br /><div>3. These guys play soccer very well. It was a full game of rough and tumble soccer.</div><br /><div>4. Pink Sock guy and green long sock guy were my favorite players. one had one pink sock the other had green soccer type socks, with no shoes. Who knows where they got them, but they were proud of them.<br />5. In the pictures with the blue striped shirts, all of them had white socks - no shoes, but white socks.</div><br /><div>6. We don't know where they got the uniforms - someone must have donated them.</div><br /><div>7. We were surprised to see the unauthorized use of the yellow - Helping Hands - vests, and suggested to the Stake President that this was not the authorized use of the vests. He agreed.</div><br /><div>8. We watched two games, the 3rd and 4th place teams, then the championship game.</div><br /><div>9. Afterwards, they all went back over to the stake center for award ceremonies.</div><br /><div>10. The field is about 3 blocks from the stake center. Africans are very big on protocol. The stake president and bishops were there, and of course the three missionary couples. So, young men were sent to the stake center to bring back enough chairs for the president, each bishop, and for the missionary couples. So, we sat in the shade and watched the game. After the game, the young men picked up the chairs and took them back to the stake center.</div><br /><div>11.<strong> </strong>It was a fun day with lots of good sportsmanship and true competitive spirit.</div><br /><div>12. There were no team moms, or half time refreshments, or after game treats.</div><br /><div><strong>In pictures:</strong> </div><br /><div>The man in the center with the white shirt and pen in his pocket is President Jean Claude Mbaya, president of the Masina Stake. He is an awesome man who loves the kids and really is a great friend to us.</div><br /><div>The ref came in a white shirt and jeans suit and shoes with his own whistle to ref the game.</div><br /><div>The refs wer very good at officiating. No one argued with them.</div><br /><div>Mom and others with one of the players.<br />Short video of soccer in the sand<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='262' height='231' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyGinNrKHfMIRF_cdWnP_dNeQZHzj7dJiNDA_1DqjhAG-7LEEXPVvOAR-bDDmr1Fmu_nv33WLMv0LGrE_9_Eg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-58744703194616968232011-08-30T06:24:00.000-07:002011-08-30T06:58:15.456-07:00Center for Young Adults contitued<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05nOW90DnJ0dG_kJ1gDGeaWSFvLaPuWBrP5Tre-dDZCucDZ1LIf-67mnkWAeJ1Ynzx3LZb0dO2o5XVWUHJC4-E3qXQUq6AnOkWEcOsqnwCIsUITNarQhsQUVlhnKXtfHbm3wCmvaFttrt/s1600/ysa+084.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646646058018347138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05nOW90DnJ0dG_kJ1gDGeaWSFvLaPuWBrP5Tre-dDZCucDZ1LIf-67mnkWAeJ1Ynzx3LZb0dO2o5XVWUHJC4-E3qXQUq6AnOkWEcOsqnwCIsUITNarQhsQUVlhnKXtfHbm3wCmvaFttrt/s320/ysa+084.JPG" /></a>
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<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeWHnN51xlaP1lSsWDLVFHiEeqnZo-SeY3fZOUajAIKsMbWR5BjhApntEzwKKCObJdYVtpeyaTYvuvUjA6srUc5OCEFM74ZgPb9Xi2zaYkHj7c6k4ANIxaxUSXH3S5p4oX9ROfVEdp6QX/s1600/ysa+094.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646643276946793922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeWHnN51xlaP1lSsWDLVFHiEeqnZo-SeY3fZOUajAIKsMbWR5BjhApntEzwKKCObJdYVtpeyaTYvuvUjA6srUc5OCEFM74ZgPb9Xi2zaYkHj7c6k4ANIxaxUSXH3S5p4oX9ROfVEdp6QX/s320/ysa+094.JPG" /></a>
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<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7zkf_1qVwaOM0Veo3CpRhW-Rx25dg1zyXYFwSG2ERm8m08sJU9hNZeTC7tByBRjxyNhLi4oWROPtJqoxedJD7iaQmS-Dt9LTvgpOqDE5z8Wzlcahj5vyfVI-cTUFBTK54BHW5HnV6AEv/s1600/ysa+103.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646642068874833666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7zkf_1qVwaOM0Veo3CpRhW-Rx25dg1zyXYFwSG2ERm8m08sJU9hNZeTC7tByBRjxyNhLi4oWROPtJqoxedJD7iaQmS-Dt9LTvgpOqDE5z8Wzlcahj5vyfVI-cTUFBTK54BHW5HnV6AEv/s320/ysa+103.JPG" /></a>
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<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBatSWcb5NXuhTPsW6W8rvcpaNlkwLxXbTOB0BL80Q3gXtxJX1n0nBaBK0XZUBpZGhzkY9CegVQHqwwKonsYJ6cePeC6LU3-OQvTYeIhLQfiacut_UeTeSIhYmm6COkFtinYxiZF-Te4Y/s1600/ysa+107.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646640847628522130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBatSWcb5NXuhTPsW6W8rvcpaNlkwLxXbTOB0BL80Q3gXtxJX1n0nBaBK0XZUBpZGhzkY9CegVQHqwwKonsYJ6cePeC6LU3-OQvTYeIhLQfiacut_UeTeSIhYmm6COkFtinYxiZF-Te4Y/s320/ysa+107.JPG" /></a> Sorry, I accidently pushed 'PUBLISH' before I was through.
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<br /><div>So, more random pictures of Center for Young Adults</div>
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<br /><div>Pictured:</div>
<br /><div>Students in the meeting</div>
<br /><div>Students outside of the building</div>
<br /><div>Our blue truck - 0211 Izusu - 4x4</div></div></div></div>
<br />rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-71778668735250984112011-08-30T05:54:00.000-07:002011-08-30T06:12:15.884-07:00CENTER FOR YOUNG ADULTS<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWRWteafJcGBvZwU2CT9j8aMsbxO4eSR4wpSQ23euYtuyT0vfqyofIxRH9j8iMe2Ocbj3_ZsSfMdeMv3lYDsfCo4xI1JOH14eTa-ndn_K9HQUfiGDTFaw6nspnWK2LAFLRNP2d6PSvFMw/s1600/ysa+105.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646636080127369682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWRWteafJcGBvZwU2CT9j8aMsbxO4eSR4wpSQ23euYtuyT0vfqyofIxRH9j8iMe2Ocbj3_ZsSfMdeMv3lYDsfCo4xI1JOH14eTa-ndn_K9HQUfiGDTFaw6nspnWK2LAFLRNP2d6PSvFMw/s320/ysa+105.JPG" /></a>
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<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFik31Tgg-Kl_E7Lzv_m1zglMgpbOw8_CHsKxOzaux6tORQ93g4UxzDdzh5-sbE1TBfgxitKFJ3eVvluPSYcAfLHgrudRFt4TjmPjxY0jraomACt49Tt1Md9ESNyJj4sPrw544X4gDPJxU/s1600/ysa+106.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646635235963744498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFik31Tgg-Kl_E7Lzv_m1zglMgpbOw8_CHsKxOzaux6tORQ93g4UxzDdzh5-sbE1TBfgxitKFJ3eVvluPSYcAfLHgrudRFt4TjmPjxY0jraomACt49Tt1Md9ESNyJj4sPrw544X4gDPJxU/s320/ysa+106.JPG" /></a>
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<br /><div>This Saturday, the five stakes in Kinshasa opened the Center For Young Adults. The center is in the building in which we are housed. This is a great building. We have a nice kitchen, a game room, class rooms, our office, and just added an "internet cafe," a room with 5 computers and a library where the young adults can come to study, social network, and just hang out.</div>
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<br /><div>We always have several young adults hanging around our office. They can use our three computers if PEF students are not using them for applications. Now, they have a place of their own.</div>
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<br /><div>The concept is to increase the number of institute classes here - there are three nice classromms - as well as adding English classes, music classes, and other cultural events.</div>
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<br /><div>There are few places in the DR Congo where youth can meet and socialize in a safe, clean environment. </div>
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<br /><div>A retired Congolese couple has been called as Center for Young Adult Coordinators. It will be their job to be here for the kids, keep things open, and of course under control.</div>
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<br /><div>The kick-off meeting was held Saturday. Suzanne played the piano and I made a presentation on Perpetual Education Fund, and other spoke, and then they took a tour.</div>
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<br /><div>Pictures include the building, the game room, and the Saturday activity.</div>
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<br /><div>Also pictured is our blue truck</div></div>
<br />rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-57133701870464914032011-08-13T02:53:00.000-07:002011-08-13T03:25:23.695-07:00Moving forward with PEF<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvznEN9gHQF2RdUCVA4XxxSN2livYdPFGWW8Vuo7ggz8y07-MsbH8C4dqaHBgNkpUSYt4WjPwIJp0YZ2n13ZdMWwj-bWUsexEDyJi8sdp4AGBk7fnYqw0Hy_yBUugGM8fKdpOCHj4RhbG/s1600/misc+with+pfs+class+076.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640279391179958530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvznEN9gHQF2RdUCVA4XxxSN2livYdPFGWW8Vuo7ggz8y07-MsbH8C4dqaHBgNkpUSYt4WjPwIJp0YZ2n13ZdMWwj-bWUsexEDyJi8sdp4AGBk7fnYqw0Hy_yBUugGM8fKdpOCHj4RhbG/s320/misc+with+pfs+class+076.JPG" /></a>
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<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjel9dXiXjxFpFHBT4ktaWRUbfdnbwLqA7Wi_jcSG5ZhxgduTsTIM5SUvk5ijLIqSKvsckSXr5ItAhgMvOoXY_EQgmAY-DVlcnoboybuVabRM8LgGuPidv8bNk4JolFpq7DKUi6wlP8yIkN/s1600/misc+with+pfs+class+075.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640278651506593330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjel9dXiXjxFpFHBT4ktaWRUbfdnbwLqA7Wi_jcSG5ZhxgduTsTIM5SUvk5ijLIqSKvsckSXr5ItAhgMvOoXY_EQgmAY-DVlcnoboybuVabRM8LgGuPidv8bNk4JolFpq7DKUi6wlP8yIkN/s320/misc+with+pfs+class+075.JPG" /></a> PEF is moving forward. This week, we have received 25 loan approvals. These are for students who have completed and submitted their applications in the past 6 weeks. There are another 80 loans in the pipeline. The process is that they complete the application on line, then submit it. It goes electronically to the Employment Resource Center where the application is reviewed for two critical points. 1. is the chosen employment going to provide a living, is it viable in the market place, 2. is the school you have chosen going to provide the training and education that you need for this job. If the answer is "yes" to both questions, then the Employment Resource center electronically transfers the application to the area office in South Africa. Then it comes back to us for review, then it goes to South Africa again and there it is approved and sent to the PEF council in Salt Lake for final approval.</div>
<br /><div>We are very excited that so many students are receiving approval to go to school.
<br />We have just received approval for another 125 students. We began this weekend Planning for Success for 100 of the students. This is the first step to submitting the application for a loan.</div>
<br /><div>We will have 700 students in school by the end of 2012. 1500 by the end of 2013.</div>
<br /><div>We will open the other Congo city in January. Lulumbashi, it is a city in south eastern Congo, and the home of the other mission in the country.</div>
<br /><div>We are working the government and church to gain approval to go into Brazaville in the Republic of Congo. This is our neighboring country. We look accross the Congo river and see into Brazaville. Because it is a different country, the goverment must approve it.</div>
<br /><div>Needless to say we are very busy. Our Service Center (fancy name for our office) is always full of young people. We have three computers set up just for the students to work on their applications. Often, we have those three working, Suzanne and my computers being used by students applicants, and our three lap tops are also in use.</div>
<br /><div>We have a Service Missionary who works three days a week. He is a great young return missionary who speaks very good English and is very bright. He is usually at work helping with applicants.</div>
<br /><div>This morning, Suzanne is teaching a train-the-trainer course for English. She has people from four stakes who will teach ENLISH AS A BUSINESS LANGUAGE. She is preparing them to go back to their stakes to teach classes within the wards. We have determined not to teach English classes, but to teach locals how to teach and manage the class. If we taught the classes, we would be gone in a year and the classes would die. We have great materials for them to use. Suzanne is teaching good teaching methods and providing them with manuals and ideas. If someone can speak English, their possibility for employment goes up. Embassies, Humanitrian Organizations, retail jobs, etc.</div>
<br /><div>We are well and happy. Every day is a new adventure and new excitement.</div>
<br /><div>I added a fun picture of chairs stacked at a stake center. This is the only church where we have seen folding chairs, but they are used to stacking them and the "folding" concept was pretty much lost on them.
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<br />rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779986802875227049.post-44982935957310438652011-07-26T07:30:00.000-07:002011-07-26T08:36:52.369-07:00Youth - Pioneers in the Congo<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMS4SIHkPhyphenhyphenI_U0J0Pv77eiJSVWpaYOpybB6hRsl-INKstjY4P-ZTXaCYvu8kqZ10zq3ZmcDPCL44iDQ8vd4n6sW7gBuQY2JA1zGJ0z-odyTMrDl4ZaMIwnHS3Ebd8ncFt8MDqYHwGTse3/s1600/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+097.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633683039096004546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMS4SIHkPhyphenhyphenI_U0J0Pv77eiJSVWpaYOpybB6hRsl-INKstjY4P-ZTXaCYvu8kqZ10zq3ZmcDPCL44iDQ8vd4n6sW7gBuQY2JA1zGJ0z-odyTMrDl4ZaMIwnHS3Ebd8ncFt8MDqYHwGTse3/s320/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+097.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2i3fFM-F8m4lAqeCyF1bs0Yt5NxG1K2KAcHhI47Z5TWxKAf-X2dyYBofFuHU9lkCtF3X9G62nd_CHYITfdkV5LnQ-SK7MZ4BOp87l9VhWh9-vuoHzLKOWxfhBMdxz5-Syq27LDhUZGCvs/s1600/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+107.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633682591200561522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2i3fFM-F8m4lAqeCyF1bs0Yt5NxG1K2KAcHhI47Z5TWxKAf-X2dyYBofFuHU9lkCtF3X9G62nd_CHYITfdkV5LnQ-SK7MZ4BOp87l9VhWh9-vuoHzLKOWxfhBMdxz5-Syq27LDhUZGCvs/s320/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+107.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8ofu-Y4IV516hZPlcQ0H-CGkD9uC70zBKJcRxEKeoKDKzPMvPpUha4J6IcqKgwJKCwFMi3R4k2gSFZ2mzVfbkRqChctdnis5rzRskcyy5AL92d_9lCp8iYE2EKUMfp2KI2Z6tIu37Kqw/s1600/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+120.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633682226320528306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8ofu-Y4IV516hZPlcQ0H-CGkD9uC70zBKJcRxEKeoKDKzPMvPpUha4J6IcqKgwJKCwFMi3R4k2gSFZ2mzVfbkRqChctdnis5rzRskcyy5AL92d_9lCp8iYE2EKUMfp2KI2Z6tIu37Kqw/s320/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+120.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPug1DSSiqTQHoXLBgWVMiqeA9Voevso_ONeTJAUW7tSLH_v5JxNfKlTuZlnAHTZeY9DBWz_2yv99M2XHBYsrYX4G2DTpoG73fwLN897VuyPVQVTzMDQOeGgmRje_eEN8lTKBcqBmka2rr/s1600/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+086.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633682004912889730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPug1DSSiqTQHoXLBgWVMiqeA9Voevso_ONeTJAUW7tSLH_v5JxNfKlTuZlnAHTZeY9DBWz_2yv99M2XHBYsrYX4G2DTpoG73fwLN897VuyPVQVTzMDQOeGgmRje_eEN8lTKBcqBmka2rr/s320/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+086.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OCvc1TaiXoiPMSEA7_rgWkc-1cbmf83738iWH60dlWb_clu4sQbg9bXZCCRD2k8D2I3jj_g6zg-T_QBI_En36JigQRP1zwAZ9BrdI-YbjgbY6EfHXaGXw5dxGzwTke6GkG7gvlDqt1Dq/s1600/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+113.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633681774540110818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OCvc1TaiXoiPMSEA7_rgWkc-1cbmf83738iWH60dlWb_clu4sQbg9bXZCCRD2k8D2I3jj_g6zg-T_QBI_En36JigQRP1zwAZ9BrdI-YbjgbY6EfHXaGXw5dxGzwTke6GkG7gvlDqt1Dq/s320/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+113.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkomToJOMcwveKKVaq1BzMDBLRtd4w66IbzZh7oZwa99TXBTctSBz1uE3iEAv9tWKeSdrYaVV1WutbKJH3-7jzxojGvuSWxDkoJp9lkhvhaP4Kld6I-W7t468Ci3CpeBYZw5M_jtZDi3R2/s1600/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+110.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633681409914686402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkomToJOMcwveKKVaq1BzMDBLRtd4w66IbzZh7oZwa99TXBTctSBz1uE3iEAv9tWKeSdrYaVV1WutbKJH3-7jzxojGvuSWxDkoJp9lkhvhaP4Kld6I-W7t468Ci3CpeBYZw5M_jtZDi3R2/s320/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+110.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKI4nXUJdeG2XKeYBMs9ahFUjGOfs-4tYszqLuY4ap8LucH9pwxCzbcdBgLpgCQqBq5icOWGrNT1wAYnSgw9Dw-2tuSOWUk2Sr_34EEp9Yyw122e7fksXduJCt3c60CgVKArfmWD0nBa6/s1600/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+071.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633680990003624530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKI4nXUJdeG2XKeYBMs9ahFUjGOfs-4tYszqLuY4ap8LucH9pwxCzbcdBgLpgCQqBq5icOWGrNT1wAYnSgw9Dw-2tuSOWUk2Sr_34EEp9Yyw122e7fksXduJCt3c60CgVKArfmWD0nBa6/s320/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+071.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jDuVyYeEUL97_vHOQB-7ZXgYDcrqlOO6XUBdr2Bs11MuY18QEQTPLfoU1f-9vrDr6QrfvXxVZ-uMOl3QCyAccNS-yeSNChH3esmzpny0d2_yPRh0ha-rhOAuEC2zg-o8PeDjaICz1T1W/s1600/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+091.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633680709299461314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jDuVyYeEUL97_vHOQB-7ZXgYDcrqlOO6XUBdr2Bs11MuY18QEQTPLfoU1f-9vrDr6QrfvXxVZ-uMOl3QCyAccNS-yeSNChH3esmzpny0d2_yPRh0ha-rhOAuEC2zg-o8PeDjaICz1T1W/s320/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+091.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdK6xm0ayWQQVggKGeYbCLNclwsnrS0JKhYN_ZoTpVsiLd_JBapaOOYaGngYAI3K0hqPMYs9yxovGpNPkQ69WPmWZX4Py2r9XQymzBmQ5VnY6zaSzbeWqclxls5gcejcEMdLm7ohXwd6e/s1600/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+101.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633680328428421538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdK6xm0ayWQQVggKGeYbCLNclwsnrS0JKhYN_ZoTpVsiLd_JBapaOOYaGngYAI3K0hqPMYs9yxovGpNPkQ69WPmWZX4Py2r9XQymzBmQ5VnY6zaSzbeWqclxls5gcejcEMdLm7ohXwd6e/s320/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+101.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsL48VPQ2O7-OMaYVZx6tfyp8szPmIRFmOw-nClgaj_HKo0HuloObwyldH8RJTQJwUShkJXv-FcgJKs-d2duH4nYXFuuQDU3Sgpoap2z6Im6_CucFojJbmuWFBmznqIsz1ndaDtkUIj58/s1600/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+084.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633679806596803730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsL48VPQ2O7-OMaYVZx6tfyp8szPmIRFmOw-nClgaj_HKo0HuloObwyldH8RJTQJwUShkJXv-FcgJKs-d2duH4nYXFuuQDU3Sgpoap2z6Im6_CucFojJbmuWFBmznqIsz1ndaDtkUIj58/s320/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+084.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdKWv1USpbD4APtm0Yxzrev_pAZxMSbiMGf41zpNBVG9heF6I_uY7JmhNKNk4T45J90dwBLycinV0fhte6JUP48CwTyLvn0Zgeu3TkYf9M7oHSnovXeNAazKZ9amvQYEnB8N7LSiaXr8_/s1600/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+076.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633677265732519602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdKWv1USpbD4APtm0Yxzrev_pAZxMSbiMGf41zpNBVG9heF6I_uY7JmhNKNk4T45J90dwBLycinV0fhte6JUP48CwTyLvn0Zgeu3TkYf9M7oHSnovXeNAazKZ9amvQYEnB8N7LSiaXr8_/s320/ngaba+and+yc+kinshasa+076.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Pioneer is a great word to describe the youth of the DR Congo. On 23rd, 800 young men and young women gathered at the Kinshasa Stake Center for the first ever youth conference. Three stakes, Kinshasa, Mont Ngafula, and Ngaliema, participated in phase-one of the combined stake youth conferences. Because of the distance and numbers of youth, the other two stakes in the area: Masina and Kimbanseke will meet on Saturday, July 30th.</div><br /><div>The Bishops were asked to provide the number of youth attending from their wards. The number came back that 900 youth would attend the July 23rd conference. When several bishops were asked if that was the number of youth on their ward rolls, they responded, "yes, those are all the youth on our membership records." When asked, how many they think would attend the said (in typical African style), "most of them."</div><br /><div>So, Saturday morning, we began registering youth. Now, you need to understand that African time in very unpredictable. We knew that the students would travel by transport from their wards. Example: there were only about 6 vehicles in the parking lot. Four of them belonged to the missionary couples. In other words, no one has cars. The kids boarded transports to get to the stake center - some taking up to two hours to travel to the conference. Many just walked.</div><br /><div>A Sister from D.C., who is here on temporary assignment at the U.S. Embassy on a temorary assignment, was conscripted into helping. She was a great help at the registration desk.</div><br /><div>At 9:00, start time we had about 100 youth signed in. That we thought was good. Then, they started ariving in groups (transport loads). By 10:00 am we had 300 hundred, by 10:30 it was up to 500, and they just kept coming.</div>The youth were divided into six groups. As the morning continued, the groups grew in size, chairs were added to classrooms, more snacks were prepared, and everyone was accomadated.<br /><br /><div>By the morning break there were over 700 young men and young women ready to eat a snack. Our final count was just about 800 youth. AMAZING.</div><br /><div>The conference included, classes (1/2 hour each), music (Suzanne played the piano all day long - note the picture of her and the young men at the piano - she is like the pied piper of the Congo, everyone wants her to teach them to play), games, and a dance. At the end the entire group sang the two songs they had learned. The host stake president and the Area Seventy closed the meeting with very stiring (and short) talks.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Two young men, who are summer interns at the US Embassy led the games - which were played on the basketball court behind the church. One is a returned missionary who speaks French and the other is a good Catholic boy from Virginia. The kids loved them and they had a great time doing it. I asked the Catholic kid, "did you ever dream that during your Congo experience you would be teaching a bunch of Mormon kids how to play "tag?" His response, "no way, but this is the highlight of my trip."</div><br /><div>A young couple taught the Temple mariage class. Other classes included missionary preparation, importance of being on time, Book of Mormon, etc.</div><br /><div>It was the first time the youth of these three stakes had ever met together. It was an awesome experience for them. And for their leaders. The office missionary couple, who are very vested in the youth, were the advisors to the stake and ward young men/young women leaders.</div><br /><div>All in all it was an awesome experience for everyone. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>These young people are literally the future of the Church in the Congo. They will break old tribal traditions such as the dowery, tribalism, and lead a generation of strong leadership in a country that Heavenly Father is blessing every day.</div><br /><div>In a country with poverty, illness, strife and a million other problems, these youth found an island of peace, safety, and the Spirit of our Heavenly Father.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>up</div></div></div></div>rkstagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04646614776551877202noreply@blogger.com1