The dearly departed

Tribute to the dearly departed, Elder and Sister Moon

When we arrived in Kinshasa six months ago we met all of the couples one at a time as they hosted us for dinner while we acquired the necessary stuff to make a meal. Our situation was also complicated because the truck assigned to us was "totaled" earlier the same day we arrived. We were chauffeured around by missionary couples until a "suitable" replacement vehicle was found, which took about a week. As Elder Moon was taking us to church he also tutored us on how to "drive" here. I remember the counsel he gave to "stay in the middle lane". It has proved to be the best advice (the police seem to "work" the left lane and the far right on the big boulevard. All the couples were generous and provided enough food that we could "survive" (we actually thrived).

Our apartment is "5A" and the Moons' apartment was "5B". They have been constant in their friendship, sharing and service to us. We shared many a meal at their table as well as great conversations and testimonies.

The Moons left on Thursday the 16th of January at 5 PM (the departure time was 11 PM but it is always good to be "early" because traffic jams and tedious procedures at the airport can fill that "extra" time.) The Moons' were a little late returning to "the compound" and we were all waiting to say goodbye. They had been to their office to complete last-minute items and to help the new couple, the Johnsons, with details of the humanitarian program which had been their work for eighteen months. We sent them on their way with a rousing rendition of "Called to Serve" part in English and part in French.

Our memories of the Moons include chocolate cake. Sister Moon shared some of her chocolate cake, to die for. Elder Moon is a great bread maker and their lasting legacy is showing us where to buy freshly ground wheat flour.

 

Their Congo experiences spanned the emotional continuum from joy to fear, being towed by the police with them inside their vehicle, seeing how water projects bless the lives of people in remote areas, how more newborn babies survive because the hospital personnel have been trained to perform resuscitation to clear air passages, how wheelchairs can bless many, vegetable gardens and many more projects.

The last day was their signature. They served faithfully until Thierry's  truck was headed out the gate to the airport. (Thierry is the Fleet Manager for the Church in Kinshasa).

Bless them, they will be missed.

Part 2 - What a way to end the year

Two days after Christmas we went out to do some shopping. We had a few stores we wanted to go to for specific items that we needed. American Eagle is a Lowe's type store with only a hundredth of the inventory but nice Muslim brothers raised in Detroit with ties to New Jersey. They have been very helpful to their "fellow Americans" with special discounts and other things. When you drive up in front of their store there is usually a greeter to open your car door and another one to open the door to the store. That didn't happen this time and when we asked one of the "family" he gave a terse answer then turned around and busied himself without the usual help. We didn't find what we wanted so we left the store and again no one to help you get back into the flow of traffic. (The traffic is often two or three lanes and no movement, these workers usually stop the traffic and help create a space.) 

We needed to stop at a shop that deals in wireless modems but the traffic was too heavy and nowhere to park, so we decided to stop at City Market for a few items on our way back. The traffic was heavy and chaotic, nothing new. The cars and motorbikes were coming from every direction. We tried to park in front of the store, but the space was too narrow. Mark tried to back up to get a better angle and the "police" waved him to back up. He did but the policeman didn't stop us before we bumped a car. All Hell broke loose. A crowd gathered yelling that we had "killed the sacred cow". The "police" motioned us to pull up to a different space and get out of the truck. There was no way Mark was going to get out of the truck. He made a sharp left and went down a road. What a sight, the gang came running after us. Mark's language skills made it possible for him to explain that we knew the "fix was in" between the "police" and the car driver. They demanded money and when the other groupies gathered he took $20 out of his wallet, truly the only bill he had in his wallet. No, they wanted more. Mark said to take or it leave it but that was all there was. They accepted the money and left a big enough space that Mark was able to slip between two cars and escape. The "police" are scammers that help create a situation where they can demand money from the "white" guys. We may have been targeted because we were missionaries. We shop there often and they know us. We decided then that the holidays are scam time so keep a low profile.

We were treated to Family Home Evening with the Collins family. Sister Collins went to Provo High and lived in Grandview. Her husband works for USAID. She and her children, two girls and one boy, spent days preparing treats for the senior missionaries and for other couples that are in the Congo on work assignments. She had her dining table covered with every wonderful treat you can imagine. The next day the Grana family invited the senior missionaries to dinner. He is a Church employee in the finance office. She is Portuguese, he is Spanish and they met in England. Eduardo was working for the Church in the area office and Filzy his wife was working on a masters degree. They married and lived in England until this assignment. They have two girls and they sound like real Brits. They speak Spanish, Portuguese, English and French. 

 Christmas caroling at the Collins just two nights before Christmas.

Collins table loaded with homemade treats gave us a taste of Christmases past.

  

Elder and Sister Gates serve as Construction Missionaries. They are being transferred to Kananga where two chapels are waiting to be built with all of the permits in place. They will be going in a week to their new assignment. There are fewer couples coming so we have spent the last three days clearing out one apartment and redistributing items to the other apartments. We will miss the Gates. We now have two small refrigerators which together approximate one full-size fridge.

We attend the Gombé Ward in Kinshasa. The chapel is on the same property as the S&I building where we work. Saturday December 28th the Christmas Party was held. They had the nativity play, the youth performed an interesting story of three trees and how each tree was part of the life of Christ, one in his cradle, one in the cross and one in the boat Christ was in on the Sea of Galilee when the tempest tossed. It was followed with a "catered African Meal". It was African - rice, foufou, beans, chicken and fish. Glad there wasn't goat. After the meal they cleared the floor (just one observation, much of the food ended up on the floor. One ten or eleven year old took an open bottle of pop and did his African hip rotation move and shook the pop all over the tile floor. Being a former schoolteacher I went to correct the young man, told him to pick up the bottle he had thrown to the floor which he did, then threw it farther along the floor and dumped the garbage can I was suggesting he use and then left. The only words I could think of were English cuss words so I went back to my seat.) The music started and the "moves" began from youngest to oldest, so we decided it was time to "retire". 

Nativity

Collins' children sing in the ward Primary choir.

Monday we were going to do some of those items we had to abandon because of the "police" encounter but got advisories that there had been gun battles going on in three areas of Kinshasa, the airport, a military base near the chapel and the communications center where the state TV programs originate. We were told to stay in. President Cook and Sister Cook evacuated their apartment to come to ours because our compound is more secure. Elder Gates had gone to a construction site and was told to come back, no stay where you are, no come back depending on who was calling him. President Cook said he should stay for now. Elder Gates told his students if we stay we work. You decide. Most of them left. When more information was available he was told to return. He brought some of his students with him and they directed him to go a different route than the usual Blvd. Trente Juin, the major street in Kinshasa. He saw police assault vehicles riding in formation on the way home.

We learned latter it was some radical group unhappy about something so they tried to take over the airport, attack a military base and take over the TV station and broadcast their own grievances. it was reported that forty of the rebels had been killed. We had some of the pizzas in a community freezer chest so we made dinner for all the couples. The moving of furniture from the one apartment that was being closed continued during the afternoon. President and Sister Cook returned to their compound that evening. 

The pizzas were gifted to us, which is good, because they were marked $12 apiece.

The next morning at six, it looked like the town was still on "lockdown". There wasn't the usual honking of horns, the clacking of vendor's attention getters and the plaza music. The train that makes a run once a day didn't come again that morning. Later the traffic picked up with the usual packed transports, the honking and the music blaring outside our building. The the denizens were standing in lines trying to get transportation home on buses, taxis or transports. We were told not to go out wearing white shirts, so we chose to stay in. We were going to a buffet dinner that evening but it had to be postponed until noon the day after because we are not to be out after dark. The news reports that day said that one hundred and one rebels had been killed in this attack. Still not sure what it was all about, but with the quality of news reporting we may never know.

Did some internet searches to find out what was going on early Monday morning. The early reports said the group responsible for the attacks were supporters of a televangelist claiming to be God's chosen on the earth. One report said it had nothing to do with religion but was a political move. The evangelist used the "pulpit" to whip up his followers to overthrow the current President of DRC because he lost to him in 2006. His main complaint that causes the "tribe" mentality to go ballistic was the preacher's claim that President Kabila is not Congolese, but Rwandan. Then the reports stated that 40 attackers with machetes and some guns were killed. The authorities were incredulous because the attackers we not organized, had crude weapons and their numbers were so small. They attribute the attack to a desire to make trouble just before the big celebration of a new year and sort of an act of "dying for the prophet" mentality.

Part 1 - What a way to end the year

We have had some interesting days the past two weeks. The week of Christmas was basically a vacation for the Church employees so most of the offices were closed in the Seminary and Institute offices were closed. Frère Didier said he too was taking a break from the office until January 6th. He gave us the option of coming to the office or not. The two young men that help asked us to come because they had "work to do". The work to be done is to take money accompanied by a student and pay fees, and tuition. Well we felt that the work must go on. Because of the orphanage visit on Christmas Day, we had things to do for that and decided to not go to the office so we could be ready. One helper called and asked if we would come and let them have the keys to the office as well as a key to get into the building. We do not have a key to the building and told him. As we considered the request, we wondered why he asked for a key to the building. We apologized that we could not help them. After only a gap of two minutes the other helper called using the same phone as the first one, and asked the same questions, will you bring us the keys? Our answer was the same. As we talked about the requests we realized that no key-holder was going to the office, so see if the Volunteer Couple Missionaries will bring the "keys to the Kingdom" so the usual crowd can have their usual place to hang-out. That was when we decided to also avoid the office during the two weeks; we chose not to be the enablers. The S&I building has become the place for so many youth to just "hang-out" and "Veg". They want you to supply them with water, air conditioning and food if available. Some just lay on the floor and sleep all day. One takes over the keyboard and bangs on it all day long - never taking a break unless he sees new "meat" to beg for food. So much for self-reliance.

The orphanage Christmas was quite an experience. It is a "private" orphanage operated by a member. She has eighteen children from three to twenty. She receives some money from a charitable organization in the United States. This organization paid for the construction of a school building where the children could be taught the basics because they do not qualify for any other school. The Gates and Sneddons had family that wanted to donate all their Christmas funds to help this little group. They gathered clothes, food, toys, shoes, school kits, hygiene kits, had benches made for the children to sit on in the school and much more. The day before Christmas, there was a serious rainstorm. We live in what would be called the "downtown" part of Kinshasa and as usual, the rain "drains" somewhere and the only evidence of rain are a few puddles or ponds in certain places along the road. The evening and the night of Christmas Eve was rain-free and the early part of Christmas was also clear so it was decided to attempt the trip. The orphanage is not on a paved road, can't really be called a road, just a rutted trail. The first part of the trail had a huge puddle that the caravan was able to cross. A little farther on that road we turned right onto a rutted trail that could have swallowed up our trucks unless you negotiate the best way to avoid the deepest holes and the biggest rocks. It was not too far down this trail that we stopped and walked the rest of the way because the trail became a footpath not meant for trucks. The trail went along a canal on the left and a "lake" of muddy water on the right. The trail went around the school building and widened to reveal the lake of filthy water, a flat-roofed building with four openings and some women using buckets to bail water out of the residence part of the orphanage. 

The children have bunk beds in this space and when the room fills with water, they double up on the top bunk because the lower bunk is under water. The missionaries carried in plastic chairs and a table and started piling all the gifts, food, and such on the table. One weak leg gave way under the weight and collapsed, spilling some of the food and gifts into the black drink. One camera ended up in the muck.

We have just cleaned off the table.

They were planning on having the festivities in the "yard" but it was filled with water so they decided to open the school and use it. The head of the orphanage could not open the lock, making us wonder how often that building is used as intended. After trying for twenty minutes, Elder Gates broke the lock and we were able to get in. The school was also flooded with several inches of water. The older children and some women worked to push the water out. So after an hour, we were inside setting up tables for the lunch. It was a simple lunch, chicken legs, french fries, drink and roll. The children and adults were fed, the tables were cleaned up and the presents were brought in. Each child got a pair of shoes, three or four outfits and each got a toy. The older boys got soccer balls, the middle group model cars and the little boys got smaller cars or motorcycle. The girls got dolls but I forget what the older girls got.

Little guys hanging on tight to their pops.

 

The boys joyous over basketball shoes, while Philomene, the "mother" cries. Two of the boys, center, are legally blind.

Mark had talked to managers of several large markets in our area and they were anxious to help provide food for the children at the orphanage. When he and Brother Sylvestre went to collect the goods, they offered enough canned goods to fill several trucks. They filled our Isuzu and threw in on top one hundred frozen pizzas. This store is owned by Muslims and they do not sell anything that contains pork so they had to get rid of these pizzas.

Bro. Sylvestre and Mark with Amer, the grocer, center.

Well, you need some kind of refrigeration to keep frozen pizzas frozen and Mark realized that they would not make it until Christmas, so what an experience to give away pizzas quickly to people that do not have refrigerators or freezers. It made for a long day for him. There is a small kitchen in the S&I building, so we cooked the ones that could not fit in the freezer. We fed as many people that were around as much as they wanted. For most this was their first taste of pizza. One local brother took some frozen pizzas and put them on his desk in his office not knowing what they were or what was needed to preserve them. The canned goods were carried to the school and the amount was overwhelming. We learned later that they did not have a can opener. There was a large supply of canned pop. I wonder what happened to the empty cans, did they recycle or are they in the bottom of the swamp? We had to back up the truck to get out because the "neighbors" wouldn't permit us to use their space (I almost wrote driveways) to turn around. We got the three trucks pointed in the right direction and were able to get to the major road before more rain.  

P.E.F. Realities

Mark writing:

My big brother Dave in Bonita Springs, FL says,

"About your blog; it's nice with all the included pictures, which tell more of the story than the words. Sorry that you had to scramble for some turkey; I ate more turkey than you had in just one of the birds.

You have not related much about some of the success you have had with helping others to train for new job experiences, or to do better on their own in business. Tell us some news about that: who have you helped, how have they done, and what are their futures looking like?"

We thought of little successes we have had, like not getting dysentery, but have not wanted to say much about the Perpetual Education Fund, because it seems pretty discouraging. We like the work and are motivated to serve, but we found quite a financial immaturity among the students. Who can blame them, since their mamas and papas probably never had a bank loan in their lifetimes. The PEF is tailored to third-world environments, and one reality is that there is no way to send you a loan statement. Who among us has ever made payments to stores or banks or other institutions without a monthly bill?

Instead, the program opts for a personal phone call to every beneficiary each month. It's great, it can be mentoring and encouraging, but here is where I diverge from the norm. I think the call needs to be focused and specific. Not just "how are you doing" but maybe "when are you going to make your payment, and why did you break your promise last month and the month before?"

In my mind the student is not a strength to his family, congregation and community if he doesn't have integrity or is totally disorganized. So, I've tried to stick on them until we get them on the phone and they make a specific commitment. Last week I had six people left on my call sheet whom we had not reached. I had left voice mail or sent texts to the number we had for them, but it wasn't until I called moms and dads, brothers and sisters and even bishop in the church that we discovered that the phone numbers were wrong for four of the six. The phone they had previously was destroyed or stolen or whatever. Yet, in the database, I could see that other callers from our program had said "we called, we'll try again later," and left it at that.

For us, the PEF is two things. Elaine is application processing, and has done as many as 8 apps in one day, providing all the documentation, and doing it all packaged up electronically for review and approval. She is also responsible for our working fund, and has become quite the little accountant and spreadsheeter. I am mostly collections, and have gotten into it heavily. There has been some wonderful progress there. Students who were previously "lost" have been found and are making payments regularly. There are maybe 20 of those, among maybe 100 who are far behind on their payments. Still Elaine and I sometimes need some moral support.

In this picture, our boss is grinning, because our stake president, sitting in the middle, is making PEF calls with us. He called all the most delinquent in the stake, about 20 people, and told them all to get the payment in. Several, he set meetings with in his office. I started the first call, and mentioned that Président Eustache was sitting with us, and he grabbed the phone. After that he made every single call by himself, while I scribed.

He used all the same approaches I do, like setting a specific deadline, and committing the student to a specific amount. He seems to believe that a student who pays his obligations is a valuable member of the stake, the family and the community, and the contrary not so much. He didn't accept excuses like sickness or unemployment for these chronic non-payers. He was sympathetic, but said they needed to exercise faith and make a commitment for a payment date. It was very gratifying to see him in action.

From a business point of view, I very much like the discipline of getting the students to make a small payment every month. I think that skill alone (and the underlying budgeting) will set them apart. Not to mention that we have 400 people in the program and most if not all will get a college degree of some kind or higher learning or trade certificate. That's pretty darn good in a country where there were only 30 people who had college degrees in the whole country when they liberated from Belgium 50 years ago.

Quite a few of our kids have gotten skilled positions with good wages. Many others will have to create work for themselves in the informal economy that is 80% of the whole here. Dozens of them are a success at self-employment. We've got nurses, teachers, drivers, plumbers, lawyers, managers, carpenters, and information techs. I think it all works out eventually, and I don't think you should judge the "hiring rate" in the first couple of years. Things move much more slowly here.

Elaine has a custom of making a chocolate cake when one of the students makes a $100 payment. The last couple went like this:

Our bishop in the LDS ward we attend is Aimé Ngoy. He has a wife and two beautiful little girls.

Elaine holds the Ngoy's newborn baby girl.

Aimé has a law degree and magistrate certification. He is employed by the Church and works in our mission office handling all legal affairs. As a magistrate, he has the ability to arrest even police officers he deems to have committed a crime. So if any couple or young missionary in the mission is badly treated by the police, Aimé gets a call, and goes to the police station and negotiates for us. He and his wife also raise chickens and sell eggs (we buy a couple of flats a month, 30 eggs for $6.) The Mrs. also has a small store. He got his magistrate certificate through a PEF loan. I called him as part of the routine a month ago and asked why he was late. He said he was thinking of paying it off. Since then he has made a $90 payment and a $100 payment. Elaine baked him a cake. (Congolese don't favor sweets. He ate a piece and we, well, we took care of the rest with a few friends.)

The next $100 payment was from a girl aged 25 or so who found work as a computer programmer out in the provinces after studying I.T. at Cisco Academy (they exist in the States, too.) She hadn't made her payment because there was no Ecobank out in the boonies. We set it up for her to send in a payment via Western Union to her bishop, who took it to Ecobank, our processor. She sent in $100, putting her into the black by $30. I told her bishop about the chocolate cake, and said there was no way to send it to her that far away. He said to make the cake and he would enjoy it by proxy for her. Elaine is getting it ready for tomorrow.

The young woman wants another certification from Cisco. However, she reported that they were not cooperating with her in setting up distance learning over the Net. We put her on to Pépitho, our first Cisco grad 16 months ago, who knows the director of Admissions and other administrators. Pépitho makes a whale of a salary working at the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa, and supports another P.E.F. student for whom he is the legal guardian. Out old boy network worked and the young woman will get further Cisco credentials in due time, and improve her situation further.

Out of our 400 beneficiaries of P.E.F., 300 are established and required to make payments currently. Of those, I think 100 are always on time, 100 have so-so payment records, and 100 were seriously late when we arrived. With involvement with priesthood leaders like President Eustache, we probably have 20 who have reformed, and probably another 20 in process of change. That makes us happy.

Thanksgiving and South Africa

Thanksgiving is celebrated only in the U.S. so we went to the office as usual. The couples wanted to celebrate just to honor the day but to also see if we could do it here.

Ready for Thanksgiving on the top floor of our bldg.

The hunt began for a turkey for the celebration. Turkeys were on order, not for Thanksgiving but for Christmas. Shoprite market had turkeys of about six or seven pounds per bird and cost $14 per kilo adding up to $90 U.S. for two of them.

In the foreground, real whipped cream

 They were very tasty after being cooked by the master in the group, Sister Sneddon. The couples added to the fest with side dishes like sweet potato casserole, glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, Jell-O, homemade rolls, (white and whole wheat) and great pumpkin pies made with canned pumpkin from the U. S. imported by the Gates. It was a great occasion and helped us appreciate all the wonderful celebrations we have had with loved ones on past Thanksgivings. 

The smell of those rolls coming out of the oven can bring tears to your eyes.

 We didn't have a lot of time between the holiday and our trip to South Africa. We are serving as PEF Self-Reliance missionaries. This program is being changed and adapted to the needs of countries like those in Africa that do not have stable economies with jobs and employers. The conference we attended was to help us understand how the program will work in countries like the Congo.

Modern airport in Johannesburg. Kind of a shock.

The flights were not too bad, but getting to the airport in Kinshasa was harder than I thought it would be because it was a Sunday. We used a door-to-door service called Jeffery Travel to get us there, and get us through the gates. We had to get ourselves on the plane but it was a little easier than when we first came. The plane was packed with people and luggage; the Kinois don't trust anyone, so they drag all their possessions onto the plane as carry-ons. The steward, in a snide voice said, "You are allowed one carry-on and most of you have three or more, hope you can find a place to stow it."

Our South African airport driver Abram speaks 11 languages.

The hotel in South Africa was more traditional than modern, with an estate feel as opposed to a high-rise. It was wonderful to have a tub that we could "soak" in. The food was great, a buffet, with different choices each day, no continental breakfasts but thirty or more choices each meal.

Many foods we truly can't get in The Congo

We asked if we could go shopping and we went to the Killarney Mall three times. We had to return again and again because the meetings ended around 5 PM and the mall closed at 6 PM, go figure. I guess like many African cities, it is not safe after dark.

The participants were mostly senior couples doing PEF in various places in the southeast region of Africa. We learned a lot from each other about the conditions they are experiencing in their area. One couple is serving in Kenya, one in Durban, Nigeria, Tanzania, etc. The staff conducting the training were South Africans, young and smart.

Our farewell dinner included exotic dishes like ostrich. We had steak and lamb chops with a side of peanut pumpkin puree, very good. The service wasn't nearly as good as the food, and three hours for dinner was a little much because the location was outdoors and it was cold, cold enough to need a blanket around your shoulders.

We are now back in our "home" apartment and that is good. The airport van with tinted windows allowed us to take videos without anybody on the street shaking their fist as usual.

We went to the Binza Stake conference after our return, and that was wonderful. We were the only white members in a congregation of 1,000 or more.

We learned that our dear nephew, Wayne, has been diagnosed with colon cancer. Please pray for him and his family.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Elder Bednar's Visit - Before and After

Elder Bednar is the youngest in age of the Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is a great occasion for an apostle to visit and he was scheduled to meet with the Kinshasa Missionaries Monday November 4th. There was a lot to do to get the meetings scheduled but much was needed to be done to spiff-up the buildings and grounds.

Crispin is responsible for cleaning the S&I building where we work, so for several days before the apostle's arrival he was putting in the hours. Mark and I were given the task of making sure that the refrigerator was clean so it could be used for the food that would be served at a luncheon just before the meeting with the missionaries.

Some of the local leadership had traveled to Lumbumbashi - a Southeast city where Elder Bednar was also visiting before coming here. Word was sent to the local leaders telling them to do more than a surface clean. SO we had armies of workers in our building re-staining doors, painting walls, replacing tile in some rooms, just about anything you could think of was attended to.

The wall around this property which will also be used for the Kinshasa Temple sometime in the near future was less than inviting with the rivulets of black mold making it look well like the Congo. The Thursday before the Apostle's visit they started painting the outside of the wall. We almost missed the driveway because we didn't recognize that it was the same place where we work. When we left the office on Friday nothing had been done on the interior of the same wall but Monday when we arrived it too had been painted and they were painting the eves of the S&I building.

 

President and Sister Cook asked the Senior Missionaries to help with the luncheon for Elder Bednar his wife and four or six other authorities that were with him. Sister Cook prepared all of food and we helped her set the tables and serve the food. It was a wonderful experience for us to help and we also had an opportunity to greet and shake hands with the authorities. 

 

The group of visitors went to the chapel next door to our office to meet and teach the missionaries. We were able to join them there and to listen to the message from Elder Bednar.

After Elder Bednar left, the Missionaries sang the hymn "Called to Serve" en Français for President and Sister Cook, our mission president and his wife.

We have had days of rain and more rain. Mark was able to photograph a double rainbow when we were taking a walk around 5:30 PM. The storms stir up the air and it is possible to see the sky and the clouds accompanying the storm which made quite a spectacular sunset.

I wanted to share the birthday song sung in French and Lingala by some in our office and others in the S & I group with Hermes leading when we celebrated my birthday. Lingala is a tribal language that most of these men and women learn in their homes. Sometimes they speak using  French, Lingala and English in the same sentence.

Elder Bednar and his wife, President Cook and his wife as well as two security people and one videographer flew to Gabon to dedicate the country for missionary work. Recently the Church was granted official status to function within their boundaries. President Cook described that as a most sacred occasion with twelve people attending in an arboretum under a tree that is 150 years old and massive. Torrential rains fell the night before and into the morning but cleared somewhat. As they gathered for the dedication Elder Bednar explained to the Botanist and the gardener that he is a special witness of Jesus Christ to all the earth, here to dedicate the country for the preaching of His Gospel. The men remained reverently in proximity to witness the event. As he began the prayer, sunlight shined on him and the air was filled with butterflies. The Church will be assigning missionaries to work in that country in the immediate future.

President and Sister Cook returned to Kinshasa with Elder Michael Moody and his wife who are serving in Gabon but needed to leave the country in order to renew their visas. They were here in Kinshasa for a week and they were able to attend our Kinshasa Stake Conference last Sunday before leaving to return to Gabon on Wednesday. 

Elder Michael Moody and his wife are serving in Gabon. The Moodys spend three years serving in Tahiti as Temple President and Matron at the same time Matt and Sue Smith were serving there as Mission President. They send their love to you Sue, and to your family.

Mardeau is a sister that works in the office next to ours as a secretary. She speaks English as well as French and Lingala. She was at Conference with her family, two little girls and one son the oldest. Her husband was called to be the Stake Young Men's President. He has served seven years on the High Council.

President and Sister Cook leave for South Africa tonight so we had a gathering of all the Senior Missionaries at our apartment Friday before they departed. It was fun to share dinner and conversation with these wonderful people.

One day as we returned from the office, just outside of our compound there is a big tree with vinelike aerial roots supporting it. A lighthearted young man was using one as a swing to the enjoyment of onlookers including Mark and me.

 

Love you and wish you a happy Thanksgiving. We are so grateful for all of you and your prayers in our behalf.

E & M

Weather Report and such

We all (maybe we older folk) repeat a saying about the weather, “Red in the morning, Sailor take warning; red at night, Sailor’s delight.” We had a substantial rainstorm this past week and at 6:00 PM (18:00) there was a beautiful red sunset, the sky was ablaze with color.

Around 9:00 PM (21:00) the rains, thunder and lightning started and every bit of dirt in the air came down but this time there was enough water to wash the air clean. It rained off and on all night. We went to the Chapel Saturday to watch the first two sessions of General Conference

and the streets were wet and only a few sprinkles were falling. As we drove along we could see why they have an “army” of street sweepers with brooms. Most of the streets are dirt or sand and when it rains like that those roads wash down to the paved roads and the street sweepers are spaced about one block (Provo block) apart and spend their day sweeping dirt. I didn’t understand why they would do that day after day (except Sunday), why every day? It will be interesting to see what progress they make today (Monday) on moving all that sand from the road to the shoulder so it can be washed back into the road next time it rains.

Sweeper in safety vest alongside a transport

So back to my original question, since we are in the Southern Hemisphere, should the saying go like this; Red in the morning, Sailor’s get going; Red at night, Sailor’s plight! We had rain again Sunday night so things look “clean” even the air. I put clean in quotes because there are so many levels of clean.  We can see the Congo River through a window from in our apartment and the air isn’t clear enough to see any details, hard to separate the water from the land but Saturday you could see the land and it was green with trees and the water was still gray with clumps of something floating along but you could distinguish the difference between the two. 

 Monday we left our apartment at 7:00 to attend a devotional for all Church employees held in the SI building where our PEF office is. Traffic is about the same, taxis driving sideways, transports changing lanes from right to left and back again right in front of our truck, the best one was when one flipped a U-turn right in front of us and went the opposite direction on a divided road. You have to have at least two sets of eyes to keep track of all directions including up and down.

Monday is usually a busy day, well all days are busy but because so many employees gather for the devotional, they bring students from their wards and stakes to the office to get started on their paperwork for PEF loans. We left the office about 16:00 with Frère Mutombo and Kalongi Dieumerci Tshitundu to participate in the Mutombo’s Family Home Evening. When you get off the one or two main roads you don’t have many roads that are paved or the pavement has been maintained but after you get through the juggernaut close to the office we were on a fairly nice road. It wound around nice walled properties, trees and went up in elevation. It even felt cooler. The elevation was something like going along 3700 North to the West up the hill. We passed a property that had a beautiful wrought iron fence around it that followed the curve in the road for quite a distance; Mark said that the fence looked like ones that the Church puts around Temples. Didier said that the “Church Officials” visited this property as part of their information-gathering preliminary work for the temple here. Then he said that this was the Presidential Palace and was where the father of the current “President” was assassinated some years ago. 

We turned off this winding paved road onto a rocky, potholed, lane that in places looked like steps to go down. In my mind I saw images of cars in movies being driven down stairs to escape the police. Then there was a sharp drop and I thought, how will we ever get back up this hill? We turned off this lane into a narrower lane and the home was the first gate on the left. It was a very humble home with the water source out in the yard against the wall enclosure. They had a little garden with Manioc or cassava growing. We went into their living room; the family was gathered, which included a young man unknown to us and three sisters of Sister Mutombo and three little ones, two children of Frère Didier and a niece. 

That was one of the best FHE's I have ever participated in. It was in French but I did understand enough to know that it was a lesson on faith and that faith requires that we ask in prayer and Heavenly Father listens and answers our prayers. President Mutombo is 34 years old and serves in the Stake Presidency as the second counselor. He and his wife traveled to South Africa with their first child, a girl, to be sealed. They now have a son, Dave, that is around one. They are preparing to return to the temple with about eighteen family members to do endowments and sealings for many of their brothers and sisters.

  

Dieumerci asked if we could get back to familiar territory (he wanted to linger longer because his girlfriend is Jennie, one of the three sisters) and I asked him to see if I had the turns correct. He asked which direction do you turn at the top of the lane, I said left. He laughed and said the he would go with us to get us back. I must have been wrong. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be, but we were glad to have Dieumerci with us. We dropped him at a place where he could get transportation to his part of town and continued on a familiar road to our apartment. We got there at 19:00. The drive was in the dark and the hardest part was trying to dodge pedestrians stepping right in front of you. Whew! These forays underscore the reasons why Senior Missionary Couples drive trucks

Trucks for Moons, Sneddons, Smiths, and Gates

 We have a “New” truck, the one that was “totaled” the day we arrived. It is a blue Izusu not quite as big as the Toyota truck we were driving. They spent $8,000 to repair it, but the door on the driver’s side isn’t tight and produces a wind-tunnel sound when your speed gets above 30 miles per hour. We changed trucks on Friday and drove home. Saturday we worked all day on P’day things and then Sunday we tried to start it so we could go to church and the battery was unresponsive. The Moons gave us a ride and Elder Smith "1" got jumper cables so we were able to get to the office on Monday. Getting a battery replacement was a task that took all one day but it is still not right so tomorrow Mark has to spend another day finding out what is wrong with it. I guess he will go with someone that is responsible for the upkeep of the fleet.

We'll say goodbye today from the 10th floor of our building, where we took a rooftop view of the city.

The railroad yards where commuters come in and go out twice a day.

The courtyard of St. Joseph's school, our next door neighbor

 

Lots of light from the setting sun at 5:00 p.m. in Kinshasa