These past couple of months I've had quite a few invitations to speak at various churches around the city, mainly during the Tuesday morning women's meetings. I love speaking at women's meetings. Anyone who has spent time in Africa knows that women are truly the backbone of this continent, despite their often diminished societal role. I am always amazed by African women - their strength (both physical and emotional), their hardiness, their perseverance, and their often amazing spiritual commitment.

I was just recently told of the results of a study (done by one of the larger aid organizations here); 80% of the "households" here in Kinshasa are dependent upon women and young girls - meaning that 80% of the homes here are run and financially supported by the activities of the women; be it adult women or even young girls.

As I have traveled around the city, going to various churches I can believe it! Everywhere you look there are little tables set up, selling random items: tomato paste, sardines, locally made soap, bread.........and almost always run by a small girl. The markets are alive with women buying and selling.

Going to these churches has opened my eyes to several things. First of all Kinshasa is HUGE!!! I knew it was big - the population numbers that you hear range from 8 - 16 million inhabitants......you can turn off a main road here and drive into the depths of the city forever. Vast areas of crowded, extremely substandard housing in filthy, sanitation lacking areas. But the women press on. They come to these meetings, they are joyful, they worship God, they look for answers.

When I'm asked to come I am always asked to speak on a health related topic. The women are so motivated. They crowd around the front of the church and take notes the entire time. There is always a question and answer period at the end that eventually has to be cut off, or I'd never get to leave. Seeing the motivation of the women and the living conditions that they struggle to improve has touched me tremendously. I have begun talking to some leaders in the churches here, suggesting a special women's task force. A group of influential church women who could get together and pray and discuss health related issues that they see their people facing. The idea being that as they talk and discuss, we'll prioritize what they think are the main issues and develop a strategy of education and response, lead by these women.

Pray for me as I work with these women leaders on public health issues. The Assemblies of God of Congo has several hundred churches in this city - mobilizing them in an education and response campaign has the capacity to touch tens of thousands of lives.

Who We Mourn

Michael Jackson........I realize that he was a "cultural icon" and that he did, at one time, have an impact on popular music. It's also always sad to lose a loved one, so I would never try to minimize that. But I just don't quite get the worldwide reaction to his death. We live in a part of the world where people die and experience intense suffering daily. Just this morning news has come out of the North that 45,000 people have been chased from their homes due to the continuing terrorist activities of the Lords Resistance Army (http://www.radiookapi.net/) - 45,000 people!!! No food, nowhere to sleep, young children, pregnant women, old men.........women and young girls raped on a daily basis........innocent people. But instead the world is focused on the death of one man, whose last decade of life was marked by freakish changes in physical appearance, incredibly bizarre behavior, drug addiction, and sexual allegations.......

I think it's sad that Michael Jackson died.......I always think it's sad when someone's life begins to decompensate, especially in front of the entire world. I think it's sad when someone's life spins out of control and they are unable to reign it back in.........loss is not easy, no matter how weird, dysfunctional, or self-destructive someone has been. But today, I choose to mourn for the 45,000 people in Northern Congo.......and the thousands and thousands of others who have not made the news, but who do not eat everyday, whose children can't go to school......for the thousands of women and young girls here who have been raped and mutilated, for the young boys who have been kidnapped and forced into rebel military activity. I'm glad that God's love and concern extend to all - the rich and the poor, the celebrities and the "invisibles".........but today I mourn the "invisibles".

MK Transisions....

Wow, time goes by fast........it doesn't seem that long ago that we were on our way to then "Zaire", via Kenya, to begin our first term as career missionaries. Ben was about to celebrate his 4th birthday, Abby was 16 months old, and I was 5 months pregnant with Emily. As Ben was a bit older than Abby, we had talked to him a lot about AFRICA. I remember when our plane landed at the Jomo Kenyatta airport in Nairobi. It was 4am and we were exhausted from international travel and significant delays......but suddenly Ben was wide eyed and excited. We stepped out of the plane and stood at the top of the stairs in a cool Kenya breeze and said "Ben, welcome to Africa!!" He embraced the MK life immediately. Ben was a child who loved the outdoors. He learned multiple languages and could sing various Christian songs in all of them. He was an expert at lizard hunting and became quite proficient with a slingshot. He played with neighborhood kids and learned how to build little trucks out of pieces of wood and woven straw. He fell in love with soccer and played it in dirty roads for hours.....barefoot of course. As he grew he learned about other religions; animism, Hindu, Islam......and he learned how to share Christ with people of those religions.

This Sunday Ben leaves Africa to start college at Evangel University in Springfield, MO. This morning, as we were packing up things in his room I asked him "how's it been.....being an MK? Are you going to write any books about it?" He said "I love it mom.......I wouldn't change a thing.....and if I write any books it would only be good stuff."

We're so proud of Ben......of all our kids. They've gone through multiple international moves, new schools (Ben had 7 school changes from kindergarten till now), evacuations, losing all possessions, more moves, civil unrest, meeting new friends, saying good-bye to good friends, and yet more moves. God is so very good and faithful that through all of this they still love their MK life.

We will miss Ben terribly and I have tears in my eyes as I write this.....but we are also so very proud of him and excited to see what God has in store for him.