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.