Uncle Bob 1937-2007

My uncle Bob died Sunday after a courageous battle with cancer. My mom was able to be with him and her sister Jo for the past week. I’ve been praying for them here in Congo, so he was covered with transcontinental prayers :o) I will remember Bob for his kindness to children and his devotion to his wife. We had a good visit with them this summer while he was still feeling well and even got to celebrate his 70th birthday with him. We will always remember that as a special time. Let’s pray for my aunt Jo during this time of immense loss, that she will be comforted in her grief and be able to make a new start. I love you, Jo and Bob!!

some summer pics

Hey! I'm pretty pleased with how well the Internet has been working on our center since I came back. I'm sitting in my apartment using the wireless connection. It's not fast or really that consistent, but hey, look at all the photos I'm uploading!

This is an album of photos from August when I went to Sacramento and Dallas and celebrated Everly's 1st birthday. Enjoy

A few new pics of Congo

From left to right: Heather my new teammate, John James BBC journalist, Me, Mike who is doing a construction project on our center, Dana my other new teammate, Theresa my new flat mate.

This is where I go running in the morning, down by the Congo River, looking across to Kinshasa. Some miracle has occurred and I actually get up early in the morning to exercise :o) People yell to me "C'est bon le sport!" "It's good to do sports!"

We saw these crazy long horned cows on our way out to swim at Papa Gabriel's on Saturday (a favorite place to spend the day outside of Brazza). They were herded by some muslim men. I think it was the first time I've seen a cow in Congo (besides the one laying on the butcher's table at the market, of course)

As usual, the scenery on the drive to and from Papa Gabriel's (along the north road out of Brazza) was beautiful. It's a nice contrast to the concrete jungle that I live in.

Greetings from Brazzaville

Hey everybody! Just a little note to let you know...I'm here! Haven't been doing much emailing the past couple weeks, so it may seem like I've fallen off the planet. Nope, but I am in Congo!

It's been really good to be back. I'm so thankful for the joy that God has given me in being here. Thanks to all who prayed for my bags--they arrived on time with me and I didn't even have to go through customs!

I had moved out of my apartment and put all my stuff in storage. I'm back in the same room now, trying to get settled in again. My stuff got pretty musty/moldy, so that's been a challenge airing everything out and doing a lot of laundry. I can't fully move in because I ordered new furniture for the living room and it's not here yet. When I get all set up I'll be sure and post a few pics for you.

One development is that I'm sharing my apartment with a new person. Theresa is 19 and from Germany. She's here to tutor one of the missionary kids. She is full of life and is a lot of fun to be around. She's planning on joining a gospel choir with me and is ready for a lot of new experiences.

I also have 2 new teammates, Dana and Heather, who just arrived about a month ago. They're getting oriented and are enjoying themselves. We went to the market today, and 3 young white women together seems to make quite the impression ("Hey, look at the white people!!!"), so being a team here should be interesting.

Alright, I better post this before I lose my Internet connection. Have a good day!

more Facebook photos

A few pics from the last month

More pictures of Congo on Facebook

Ouesso trip with Mom

First 2 months in Ouesso

Off to the land I love...

Hey I'm in the Portland airport! In about 40 hours I'll be in the Brazzaville airport! :o)

"We are tragically uncool compared to these people." --Matt Gerber, said while watching a video of my Congolese musician friends