Been There, Done That

Déjà Vu, basically the French version of "been there, done that,".....that's all I can think of when I read the reports coming out of Eastern Congo.  It seems like just yesterday that Pat and I were sitting out on our little wood deck in NE Zaire (now DR Congo) after putting 3 small kids to bed.  We were listening to the BBC's "Focus on Africa" on our static'y, shortwave radio.  It was the only means we had of getting outside news.  The rebel leader, after capturing the Eastern city of Goma declared that they would march all the way to Kinshasa and topple the government of then president/dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.  This was 1996.....and eerily enough, it was around Thanksgiving time.  It seemed inconceivable....that they would actually get all the way from Goma to Kinshasa (roughly 1,000 miles) in this country with few drivable roads and poor transport options.  But they did and thus the beginnings of the Great Lakes War which saw the deaths of millions.  

Today I read the same news - almost identical wording, it seems......sitting on my bed in Seattle, WA, looking up news stories on the internet with my laptop computer.  My how times have changed!  We are only in the U.S. until January, when we're scheduled to return to DR Congo.  But it feels weird experiencing it from this end...........

and just "re-experiencing" it altogether.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow - a rare treat for us to celebrate in the U.S. and we are looking forward to it.  But while running the Turkey Trot 5K race, while making my cornbread dressing, while eating turkey and enjoying time with good friends.......you can be sure that my mind will be flitting back to 1996, remembering what it was like all those years ago......and praying for Congo today as it faces an almost identical threat.  Please, enjoy your Thanksgiving - we have SO MUCH to be thankful for in this country and especially as Christians. But if you think of it, in the midst of your own celebrations, please pray for the people of DR Congo.  

Here is a link to the latest DR Congo news Story.....

Elections From a Different Perspective

A year ago now, in DR Congo, we were gearing up for presidential elections.  What a different scenario it was than what we saw here in the U.S.  As election day neared tensions grew and grew.  Suddenly there were riot police and tanks all over the city of Kinshasa.  

It has been a couple of DECADES since we've been in the U.S. for a presidential election.....and that has been kind of nice!  We've always voted absentee, but have been able to avoid all the rhetoric and political ads.

So observing the lead up to this recent election has been somewhat interesting.......annoying.......tiresome.......oh, there are so many adjectives!  But election day itself - Nov. 6th - was such a striking day for us in remarking on differences between elections in Congo (and in many parts of Africa) and in the U.S.  Our daughter, Abigail, said it so well, as only an MK or a Third Culture Kid can.  She called Tuesday afternoon to talk and said that the fact that it was election day and that people were out voting was very emotional for her - that she felt close to tears at times. When I asked her why she said that she just remembered how it was a year ago, in Congo.  On election day there we didn't DARE leave the house because of unrest and we spent a good part of the day thinking about and praying for those who were out voting, praying for peace, praying that all would be able to vote for who they really wanted.  People voted.....and people did die - that day and in the days before and after the vote.

So today, as elections have passed and Thanksgiving is coming - I'm just thankful for democracy, for the chance to vote for who I want without ramifications, for people that get upset at results - but don't kill.  I once heard someone say that to be self-governing you have to have self-control.  I think that's a very wise observation.

Life is Raw

Most days life in Kinshasa is challenging, at best. The hyper-urban setting creates such a tension in just about every single interaction and moment. My reactions to the challenge vary; some days I drive about and think "life here is such an adventure"......not that it's easy - but I can enjoy the adrenaline rush of the place. Other days the "adventure" is not quite so.......stimulating. Instead I can feel a bit "beat up" by life....tired, annoyed, just longing for one, little thing to be relatively "easy" to accomplish.

Today I was struck by how "raw" life can be here. I realize how much we have been able to sanitize basic life in the U.S. (or in about any "developed" country). We sanitize certain actions or interactions by having laws in effect that help us, for the most part, to have some self-control.....when these laws are followed (whether because of a sense of common decency or a sense of just not wanting to get into trouble) certain behavior can be somewhat expected. We sanitize our environment by having zoning laws, littering laws, even noise laws. We even sanitize sanitation......with our consistent running water and indoor toilets, drainage ditches that actually....DRAIN (imagine that!!).

And we sanitize death - for the most part, death happens in hospitals, hospices, of if in the home, usually under the direction of home healthcare professionals. When death happens spontaneously we have immediate responders who arrive. They cover up a body, they clean up the scene of a crime or accident......barriers are put up until the area is cleaned so that people don't have to, or can't, see the signs of death. And believe me - I am for all these types of sanitation - they make life more pleasant, they even make the unpleasant parts of life more bearable, not so "in your face."

Today I was struck by how unsanitized or "raw" life is. While driving through the crowded city to our bible school, we suddenly found ourselves in a traffic jam where normally there wasn't one - at that time of day. We crept along and eventually arrived at an intersection where there had been an accident. The major "signs" of the accident were gone - there was no vehicle, no bodies......but on the ground, right in the crosswalk at the side of the road, there was a lot of broken glass........blood.......and what appeared to be part of a brain. Please excuse the grossness of that last sentence, but that's the truth. There were several of us in the car and honestly - I think there was brain matter in the crosswalk. And then, very poignantly, next to it, was a baseball hat......and around this scene were pedestrians, trying to cross the boulevard. Stepping around the "organic matter", just trying to get to where they needed to go.

Life is raw, death is raw, this blog post is raw......Welcome to Kinshasa. I think of biblical times.....When Jesus was on the earth it seems like life was pretty unsanitized as well. He was confronted with lepers who were cast out of society, he went to funerals that were held in homes, he saw hunger, death, and suffering up close and personal. And He continued His journey of spreading hope, loving despite the difficulties, and making a difference. He is my inspiration!

Holistic Witness

Churches are so important in community life - this is something that is particularly true in many African cultures. They touch a huge part of the population every week with their activities and services. Public health experts have, for years, known that if you really want to make a change - get the religious community involved!

I've been working with a church that has a vision of being a "holistic witness." They wanted to address the very real and present danger of malaria - which has killed many within their community - as a way to show people the love of God.

Because of a financial donation I was able to buy 500 mosquito nets and train church volunteers on malaria prevention and proper use of the nets. The pastor gave the volunteers a short devotional to use while distributing the nets; tying the action of malaria prevention with God's love and His desire for us to be healthy.

The only requirement for a home to receive a net was that there needed to be a child under the age of 5 in the home and/or a pregnant woman (these are the two populations the most at risk for death by malaria). People were not required to accept Christ, come to the church, or even hear the devotional if they didn't want to. But the goal was to let people know that they were loved by God.

Last week I returned to the church community to see how the project went. The energy and excitement of the volunteers was obvious as they talked about going door to door, teaching on malaria, handing out nets, and telling people about God's love.

As we walked around the community, visiting a few homes that had received nets, it was obvious that the project on been a success - for both the church and the community. Everywhere we went the volunteers were known, greeted people by name and could tell a story about that particular family. They were obviously well received and appreciated as people came up to greet them. Many individuals talked about how much they appreciated the church being involved in their daily, regular lives.

The pastor reported that, despite the church having no "church'y" criteria to receive a net, that every Sunday approximately 40 new people have been coming to church, because of the program. He also said that there were several families that had been very antagonistic with towards the church. But those families happened to have small children in them, so the church gave them nets and told them God loved them. It transformed their relationships and the disputes have stopped. The families still don't go to church - but they suddenly see it as a positive presence in their lives.

Change......Transformation.......one person at a time......one relationship at a time. Inward change can and should produces outward results......and sometimes outward change produces inward results. A holistic witnesss - it's what we're all about!!

Before I start - please notice the new family photo, along with our updated profile. I received quite a few comments the month of December - while blogging about the elections - about the outdated photo and ages of the kids. Thanks for the feedback - Emily, particularly, is happy to note that she is now 16 on this site, instead of 13!!

Now for an election update......I apologize for the sudden silence after such a busy blogging season during the month of December. We have had a Central, South, and Southern Africa retreat on the calendar for two years now. So over New Years we went to South Africa to participate in that, and the timing was perfect!! I have to tell you - I am SO thankful that the Assemblies of God recognizes the need for missionaries to receive ministry and that often that ministry not only involves preaching, worship, and prayer......but allowing us to get out of our countries of service, fellowship, rest, and relaxation. I have to say that I was about as fried and in need of a break as I have ever been. Two weeks in South Africa of spiritual ministry, wonderful fellowship, a beautiful climate, malls, and safaris was just what the doctor ordered! We came back to DRC refreshed, renewed, and ready to attack life here.

As for elections - the country is pretty much at a stalemate. The incumbent president, Joseph Kabila, won very internationally disputed elections. Despite the concerns and evidence of "irregularities" the supreme court confirmed the election results and Kabila was sworn in shortly before Christmas. Since then, the main opposition figurehead, Etienne Tshisekedi, has declared himself "president of the people", which has promptly landed him on house arrest, surrounded by military. Which is where he remains to this day. He has tried to have press conferences, which are for the most part squelched by the media and not allowed to be aired, he even tried to "go to work" at the presidential office - of course he did not even get as far as the road before being stopped by tanks, his supporters clubbed and tear gassed (this was just this past Thurs., Jan. 26th).

Many people say that this is "not over yet" and "we are sitting on a time bomb".....which could very well be true. Many people are unhappy, but the reality is - in much of Africa these time bombs could go off at any minute, or they could tick lazily away.....for years. You never know. So for now, we continue as normal. We are encouraged to "be vigilant" and to always have our cell phones on hand, but other than that, circulation is pretty much as normal as it can be here. We are happy to be getting out, interacting with our Congolese friends, and continuing with ministry.

Please continue to pray. Aside from the huge, publicized problem of the elections, there are many things that the Congolese face such as malaria at epidemic proportions, one of the highest malnutrition rates (for children under 5) in the world, a lack of services and medications for those with HIV, and gender based violence (such as rape) on an unprecedented scale. The church has such an opportunity to be light in a dark world.