Jessica's Adventures in Language and Travel

Laundry Day photos

2011-12-01T14:39:00.003+01:00

Hi Mom and others with no Facebook profile. Here are some more pictures of Maria :o)

Fall Photos

2011-11-24T21:18:00.005+01:00

Ok, ok, I really am going to finish my 10 days of Congo before the end of the year :o) But for now, more Facebook photos. Here's an album from Maria's 8th month of life and another of Thanksgiving dinner chez l'Ambassadeur. Enjoy!

Maria is now 9 months old, crawling all over the place, and growing her 7th tooth!

Facebook Photos

2011-11-04T20:46:00.005+01:00

Hi! Here I am catching up with pics from August and September. Enjoy!

Congo Culture Day 4

2011-10-07T00:11:00.002+01:00

It’s midnight and I just remembered I needed to blog! So today’s entry will be short and sweet and mundane. I would like to talk about honking. [Pictured: Brazzaville Taxi]

In the US the car horn is used with much restraint. With the phenomenon of road rage, I think we’re actually afraid to honk at this point. Not in Congo. Restrained is the opposite of how the horn is employed. Liberally and loudly the horn is used. Really, the more the better. You honk at pedestrians and at other cars to warn them you’re coming through. You honk when other guys cut you off. You honk when you’re stuck in traffic. You honk when the light turns green (not because the person in front of you fails to move, just right when it changes everybody in the line-up honks!). And let’s not forget the taxis that run a set route like a bus who continually honk their horn the ENTIRE time to let people know they’re available.

In America I’ve tried to give just a friendly honk to someone in front of me when they don’t go on green and they get very grumpy about it! From that I’ve discerned that the horn should only be employed in emergency situations. I wish that we could all just find a happy medium between the excessive honking of Congo and the no honking rule of the US!

Congo Culture Day 3

2011-10-05T21:56:00.002+01:00

Day 3: The Exteeeeeended Family
(happy 8 month birthday to Maria!)

Here in Congo relationships are often measured in family terms. You refer to friends as either big or little brothers and sisters…as in “this is my little sister” when introducing a girl who is younger than you. The word for an older sibling is “yaya” and you can place this in front of a name…as in “Ya Espérance” if you are speaking to your older brother/sister. There isn’t a way to use a younger sibling’s name with a title, but you can just call them “petit”…as in “Petit, comment ça va?” You refer to people your parents’ age or older as “mama” and “papa/tata,” sometimes placing their first or last name afterwards…as in “Mama Jessica” or “Tata Kouka”. This is also the polite way to refer to any adult or stranger even if they’re not old enough to be your parents.

When Congolese people use family terms, it also implies certain rights and responsibilities that apply to that relationship. For example, in Congolese culture my nephew and niece are considered to be my own children and they would refer to me as being their mother. This implies that I have the responsibilities of a mom towards them, making sure they have what they need. It also means I have the right to discipline them or otherwise intervene in their lives like a mom would.

The use of family terms has recently turned into a joke with Espérance because I pointed out that he doesn’t actually have any “friends.” He only has brothers and sisters! I’ve seriously never heard him refer to anyone here as “friend”. If he were to do so, I imagine he would mean that the person was just an acquaintance. He’s always saying things like, “He is my brother. He’s REALLY a brother!” and by that he means they knew each other growing up or had some experiences together or they just really like each other…basically it means they’re friends in American English. But to him it’s much more than that and to refer to someone as a friend just doesn’t express the affection he has for the person.

This brings me to muse about the whole Sapir/Whorf hypothesis, that the structure of a language determines the way its speakers conceptualize their world…Does language influence our culture or does culture influence our language? Is it the kind of relationships that Congolese people build with each other that leads them to use family terms, whereas we in the US are more distant and individualistic so we don’t? Would it change my perspective on people, or the way that I treat them, if I were to refer to them using family terms? Or do we all in the end have the same kind of relationships and just speak of them differently?

Congo Culture Day 2

2011-10-04T23:03:00.003+01:00

Day 2 Being Bossy

Here in Congo it’s a lot easier to tell other people what to do or to give them advice. You just say it matter of fact. Perhaps this is partly due to the fact that there is a definite age hierarchy. You must respect anyone who is older than you, and from the time you’re able to talk you’re allowed to boss around anyone who is younger. You don’t have to couch what you say with phrases like, “I was wondering if maybe you could possibly think about picking up some bread at the store for me?” No, no, just say, “Hey you, go buy bread.” If you’re really nice, you say “please.” And the same goes for giving advice; just give it to them directly, no beating around the bush.

I think that one of the reasons they are able to tell others what to do so bluntly is that it’s considered a loving act and not rude. Giving advice is a way of showing someone that you care. This makes it really easy to exhort someone from the Scriptures, although whether or not they actually take it to heart is another matter.

It can be a bit frustrating for me when I go out with Maria. They like to bundle their babies up here, so people are always yelling at me, “You need to cover your child well!” “Why didn’t you put a hat on her?” (Note that we’re living on the Equator, not the North Pole.) I need to remember that people say such things to be helpful, not critical (at least that’s a nice way of looking at it whether or not it’s a culturally accurate observation!).

There are the perks, although it’s hard for me to really feel comfortable bossing around people who are younger than me. I’m just now getting used to it a bit, sending Espérance’s “younger brothers” on errands and such, but I still have a tendency to prefer to do something myself rather than to ask someone else to do it for me. About the time I’ll get the hang of it I’ll move back to the US and get blank stares from insolent little American children who are not used to being told what to do!

Congo Culture Day 1

2011-10-04T00:08:00.004+01:00

I’m sorry to anyone out there who is actually still reading my blog…sorry for the inexcusable distance between posts and for the fact that all I have to talk about these days is the photos of my infant daughter.

In an act of blogging contrition, I bring you “Ten Days of Congo Culture.” The challenge to myself is to blog every day for the next week and a half and to share with you some interesting aspects of Congolese life. I don’t even think to write about many intriguing things because I forget that they are fascinating; they’ve become ordinary to me after having lived here for nearly 6 years!

Day 1 Mermaids
Congolese people believe in mermaids. Yes, the creatures that live in the sea. I’m not talking about something cute like Ariel, the Little Mermaid, however. These are spiritual beings, evil spirits that live in the water. From a Christian perspective, I would say they are demons. To Congolese people, even the Christian ones, mermaids are very much a reality.

It’s not as big of a deal here in Brazzaville, although there are spirits in the rivers; but in the port city Pointe Noire, it’s a very real and present danger. The spirits in the water beckon people and if you cede, you become enslaved to them. There are both physical dangers, such as drowning, and a spiritual danger of bondage and deception.

Some people are married to a water spirit. Every night, as if in your dreams, you go under the water and interact with the beings there. At first it may be like a choice to you, but after a while it’s an obligation. People in this situation must receive deliverance ministry to be set free.

There’s no point in telling a Congolese person that mermaids don’t exist. It would be like saying there’s no such thing as the wind. They will recount numerous stories of people they know who have been affected by this phenomenon.

In French the word is siren. An English dictionary definition of the word refers to classical mythology, sea nymphs who were part human and lured mariners to their destruction by their beautiful singing. I wonder why in our days we have Disneyfied the concept and turned them into creatures suitable for children to play with? With my Congo cultural influence, I’m not sure I’ll be able to let Maria enjoy The Little Mermaid as I once did.

My real doll

2011-09-21T17:56:00.002+01:00

Photos of Baby doll Maria

It's fun to see kids interact with Maria here in Congo. From a very young age they already know how to take care of babies. Maria has a lot of fun with her friends.

New Favorite photo

2011-09-09T16:29:00.002+01:00

This might be my favorite photo of all time. It's killing me. This is a little boy that was found abandoned last year and taken to the orphanage. Esperance named him Schekinah. Maria looks like she's about to go to Jazzercize!

photos from summer 2011 Congo

2011-09-09T15:43:00.001+01:00

Hi! Here are a few pics from late july/early august and some of Maria's 6 month birthday party on Aug. 5. Enjoy!

Interesting article on phones and internet in Africa

2011-08-16T20:30:00.003+01:00

This is a fascinating article called Digital Africa. Just thought I would share it with you. It is truly amazing how in the past 6 months everyone here is suddenly accessing the Internet on their phones and using Facebook. Enjoy!

First pics in Congo

2011-07-24T21:53:00.003+01:00

Here are some photos of Maria's first few weeks in Congo! They include a lot of other firsts for her, such as eating, drinking, and growing teeth! There are also some from our favorite annual Independence Day bash at the American Embassy. That wasn't a first for Maria because she attended last year in utero :o)

Diaperless Baby

2011-07-20T23:06:00.003+01:00

Have you heard of diaperless babies? Infant potty training? Elimination Communication? These are all terms referring to a wonderful method I am beginning to discover by which you teach your baby to go to the bathroom when prompted rather than passively in a diaper. I had heard that in some places this is a traditional wisdom that has been passed down through the years. In China for example babies wear split pants, so the mom can just open them up when the baby needs to go. They make a sound like “psssss” which signals to the baby that it’s time. I first heard about Americans practicing this from a missionary here in Congo who did it with her baby. She piqued my interest with the words, “By 10 months she never went poo anywhere but the toilet. She still had occasional potty accidents, but she didn’t need a diaper, just underwear.” Fascinating!

I looked it up online while I was still in the US and tried it out a little when Maria was just 3 months old. The first try was very encouraging! I took her to the bathroom just after she’d eaten, which is a typical time they need to pee. I held her over the sink and a few seconds later she pooed! That was a lucky break which gave me courage and interest to continue. I would occasionally take her to the bathroom after she’d eaten and she would usually potty, but beyond that I didn’t know how to catch when she needed to go.

So I’m here in Congo now and with the tile floors feel like it’s a good place to try out the practice more thoroughly :o) But I still haven’t been quite sure how to get started. Today Espérance noticed that Maria’s buns were a little raw. That would be my fault because I’m becoming more and more stingy with changing her disposable diapers in anticipation of running out and needing to make the painful change to cloth diapers and all the fun that entails. So I spontaneously said, “Well, just leave her diaper off so she can air out a bit and we’ll see about this whole diaperless thing.” You don’t really have to go diaperless because you can just remove the diaper when they need to go, but so long as she’s wearing one I’m not sure when she’s actually going. I need to learn approximately when she goes and how she indicates that she’s about to go and also be able to make the sound while she’s going so she’ll learn to associate it. It’s called “Elimination Communication” because you learn to recognize your babies’ signals about her need to eliminate and she learns to recognize your signal for her to go.

At the beginning of the day I was only able to anticipate the obvious times—just after eating and upon waking from a nap. I would take her to the bathroom and set her over the sink and say “Ts ts tssssss” a few times, wait, and say it again when she would actually go. A few times I also saw her going while she was lying on top of a cloth diaper and was able to make the sound while she went. Much to my great astonishment, by the end of the afternoon I was able to take her to the bathroom a few times when I just thought maybe she might need to go and made the sound and she instantly went! The things I read did not indicate how long it would take to learn, so I had no idea that it would only take one day of this practice for her to already associate the sound and be able to choose to go!

It makes me marvel at my little baby, realizing she’s probably capable of much more than I give her credit for. It also makes me wonder why we either spend a ton of money on disposable diapers or else a ton of work dealing with cloth ones?? Even if I only do this part-time, it could still cut in half the number of diapers I either throw away or have to wash. Plus, if a baby is capable of this, why would I want to stifle that? It makes both her and me more aware and less passive, and I feel like it’s creating a special bond between us already.

I confess it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. It does take a lot of attentiveness and some trial and error. There were a few mishaps today (including some pee on the couch…), but overall it was an exhilarating debut to our diaperless endeavor.

Cute pictures

2011-07-17T20:39:00.005+01:00

Here are some really cute pics of Maria that my friend Crystal took just a couple days before we left for Congo. She is still in the editing process, so these are mostly rough ones, but they're already adorable!

Maria is now 5 months old (had to think twice when someone pointed out she's almost half a year already...crazy!). They grow fast at this age, so even just in the two weeks we've been in Congo it seems like she's changed so much. She can now put her pacifier in her mouth by herself (sure, it's a little hit or miss...). Whenever you stand her up on your lap she immediately starts bouncing, which expends an unbelievable amount of energy....the person holding her gets tired before she does though! Thankfully we brought a jumper seat that hangs in the doorway, so sometimes she can get her energy out all by herself. She has now eaten avocado and started drinking apple juice (I was going to wait until 6 months at least to give her anything besides mama's milk, but she's not pooing anymore and the doctor said to increase her liquids because of the climate change). Surmounting the time change wasn't as painful as it could have been; I was imagining her going to bed at 6am (10pm Oregon time), but usually by midnight we've been able to settle in for the night. Just in the past couple days she seems to be showing some preference for mom over other people. Of course it's been great the way she'll just go to any old person and smile at them, but it's also kind of sweet to know she likes me especially :o)

Current pics

2011-06-02T00:15:00.003+01:00

OK, here are the pictures from April and May in my Facebook album.

Maria is growing by leaps and bounds! In the past week she has started to be able to grasp toys. She'll be 4 months old in a few days.

I've been gearing up with swimming supplies for our return to Congo. My mental health contingency plan is to go to the pool every weekend :o) We've got a baby bathing suit, a floatie tube for Maria to sit in, a foam noodle, and baby sunglasses!

My Maria

2011-05-18T00:56:00.003+01:00

Hey everybody! Sorry, sitting at the computer isn't a luxery I get much these days! Maria is now over 3 months old! I've posted some more pics on Facebook:
March 2011
These are from her second month of life, but I'll get some recent ones up soon.

It's really fun being a mom. I enjoy seeing Maria develop new capacities on a weekly, even daily basis. She can smile now, look at the pictures in a book, and bat at toys hanging above her. Such fun!

More Maria

2011-03-15T00:40:00.003+01:00

Hi! Here are some more pics of Maria's Weeks 2 and 3. Enjoy!

2011-02-15T05:08:00.002+01:00

For more photos of Maria see our FB album

some pics from January '11

2011-02-04T06:46:00.002+01:00

Here is a new Facebook album of pics from the past month or so.

Some pregnancy pics and advice

2011-02-02T18:00:00.004+01:00

Here I am at 39 1/2 weeks.

We've been steadily getting ready for a home birth and setting up all the stuff for baby. I can heartily endorse the store Once Upon a Child and other "gently used" children's clothing and accessory stores. Babies don't wear out their clothes before they out grow them, so you can get lots of stuff in great condition for a fraction of the price you buy it new. If the items are on clearance you can get nice stuff for $1 or less. I also recommend registering at Target because you get a whole bag of coupons and even a $20 gift card for photo products on Shutterfly.

I also highly recommend the following books:
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
The Sears Birth Book
Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way

These books are full of great information for helping you prepare for a positive birth experience (regardless of whether you choose a home or hospital birth, a natural or a medicated one). There are so many things we can do to prepare physically and mentally. I definitely feel like a home birth is the easiest path to having a good experience, but everyone planning a hospital birth just needs to work twice as hard to get educated about your choices and make a plan for the doctors to follow. There are many interventions for which there is not informed consent, so you have to know what they plan to do before they do it if you what to decline (For example, a lady in Salem was shocked the other day to receive her baby into her arms and see that a monitoring device had been inserted into its scalp. No one had told her about internal fetal monitoring and she was appalled!).

I've come to see that my health and the health of my baby is my responsibility and I should never give myself unquestioningly into someone else's care. There are sooooo many options for birth that I had never even thought of before. Did you know that at the hospital (at least at mine) they wash your baby by holding it under a stream of water and scrubbing it with a brush? You can opt to not bathe your baby until you go home, leaving its protective coating on and avoiding the risk of staff infection (you KNOW how common those are these days!). That's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of choices and risks which need to be investigated so that you can make the best plan possible.

I know a lot of pregnant women, so I just thought I would share some of these resources because I want everyone to have their very best experience!

Christmas Tree pics

2011-01-07T01:22:00.002+01:00

Here's an album of photos of Esperance's very first adventure in Oregon--hunting for a Christmas tree!

Esperance's first days in America

2010-12-30T02:51:00.004+01:00

Here are some Facebook photos of Esperance's first week here! (plus a few random ones he included from Brazza)

He's had enough of English by now and thinks we're all speaking Chinese instead. (I know the feeling well from my years living abroad.) There have only been a few things that he hasn't seen before, namely the garbage disposal in the sink and the skywalks for pedestrians downtown. He also has noted that the architecture is different here than in Europe. We haven't spent much time in Portland yet, but when he saw the city lights and the big buildings he said, "Now I really feel like I'm in the US!"

The relatives were duly impressed with how he handled 17 people in the house on Christmas Day, joining in the festivities like he'd always been among us. The two of us even serenaded the group with a rousing rendition of Feliz Navidad, as well as a song in Kikoongo. Good times so far!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T22:50:00.003+01:00

I came home just in time for the most delicious holiday of the year! See pics here.

There are some distinct advantages to being pregnant at Thanksgiving:
1) I wear pants with an elastic waistband
2) My baby bump covers for the food pooch ("This is all baby, I swear!")
3) I WANT to gain weight
:o)

First Anniversary photos

2010-10-27T14:27:00.001+01:00

Hey everybody! Sorry for my disappearance these past few months. I was vomiting most of the time, so you'll have to forgive me :o)

Here are some lovely photos of my first wedding anniversary celebration with Esperance this past weekend.

Random thoughts on life in Brazzaville

2010-07-09T17:14:00.003+01:00

Here are a few thoughts I've been wanting to share with you. They are completely unrelated from each other, but each represents a little slice of life in Brazzaville, Congo.

1) The 50 year anniversary of the independence of Congo is coming up August 15th. To prepare for this illustrious event, the city has decided to tear up and replace most of its water pipes and roads. The end result I'm sure will be fantastic (at least for a month or so until new pot holes form), but in the meantime I'm getting really tired of seeing "detour" signs everywhere I go; there are basically only detours left to drive on, no straight road to anywhere. You literally can't drive into certain neighborhoods now. I'm sure that one day I will go to leave my house and I simply will not be able to! My friend Barb has had to stop going into the prison on Fridays because she literally would have to jump over a ditch to get onto the property (guess that's one way of doing security--build a mote!). For several weeks the route between my home and work (along which the aforementioned prison lies) felt like a military training course; I gave myself points for every danger safely avoided and daily new obstacles of holes and piles would form. But now it’s impassable and I have to brave the main roads which take me out of my way and put me onto the path of policemen who want to pull me over. But the 15th is rapidly approaching and I’m hoping they’ll be able to finish these ambitious projects in time.

2) The main (pretty much the only) supermarket in town smells like a hamster cage. This is actually putting it in kind terms considering the cute and cuddly connotation of hamsters, so let’s just go with “rat butt”. I took a poll amongst my friends and they unanimously used the word ‘urine’ to describe the notorious odor. Now this smell is to be easily explained in most of the small boutiques in town—they have cats to keep away the rats and these cats raise their babies under the shelves in the store so the store literally becomes a litter box. But the source of the supermarket smell is less observable, although I did look at some food the other day whose packaging had clearly been chewed open…probably not by hungry customers. Thinking about this makes the muddy, pungent open-air market seem a whole lot cleaner to me by comparison. At least those sweet market ladies aren’t trying to sell me something a rodent has previously gnawed on!

OK, people, you know I love Congo and don’t complain very often, so you’ll allow me this one post, right? I’m only supposed to say good things about the country, so here’s my positive spin on the ranting of the previous paragraphs—Thank you, city planners for working on all those rough roads that lie between my house and place of work. That will make my commute totally awesome! And thank you, super market store owners for being willing to operate in this country where conditions make doing business difficult. I’m glad you’re here!

House-Hunting: Starting from scratch

2010-05-17T14:00:00.002+01:00

Well, the other couple has decided they're not ready to commit to anything since they still have some months before they get married, so we're scrapping the duplex idea. Back to square one!

I hate house-hunting. You spend so much time and money and still come up empty handed. I'm ready to pitch a tent.

Our Dream Duplex :o)

2010-05-15T18:10:00.004+01:00

OK, these are all the photos I can get up at the moment (spotty Internet connection). So basically the house still needs all the fixtures (sinks, lights, etc.) and the walls need painting and the floors need tiling. So it will look a lot prettier in the end than what it is in these photos.

This is the living room. Will be a little bit of a squeeze to get a dining room table and couch and buffet and all in there, but I think it can work.

This is the big bedroom. Big enough

This is the bathroom. It's pretty small. They still need to add a sink and a shower head. I guess the room will get pretty wet when you shower (note the hole on the floor on the right). I'm assuming it will all get tiled.

This is the kitchen. It's pretty tight quarters but I think we can swing it.

House-hunting in Congo Day #365

2010-05-15T18:01:00.002+01:00

I realized the other day that it has been a year since Espérance and I starting praying for a house! God has not left us homeless; au contraire, we have had some good times these past 7 months of marriage. But we’re STILL praying to find a house to settle in!

The other day we happened across a real estate agent (so to speak…the system is different here…it’s a bit like in the US, only really confusing, if not chaotic…) who wanted to show us a house he was sure we would like. What really sealed it for me was it apparently was 2 houses being built on the same lot which was funny because my colleague Angi and I have started joking (and praying) that we would find a duplex so we could live together when she gets married at the end of the year to her DR Congolese fiancé (the Ameri-Congo club is growing! Sorry, we’re very elite so you probably can’t join). Well, this house he was sure we would like I was able to eliminate after looking at it for about 3 seconds. It was lovely when we walked in since it’s brand new, but the so called “modern kitchen” only had enough space for a sink and counter top (guess the fridge and stove would go in the living room!) and in order to take a shower in the bathroom I’m pretty sure I would have actually had to be standing on top of the toilet. No thanks.

I was really regretting the $20 I had paid to the realtor as we went to look at another house with him today. But much to my surprise, he showed us something very interesting! Our dream of a duplex apparently was not so far-fetched after all. There is one being built by a Congolese Parisian lady and they have offered it to us at a reasonable price! The dimensions are smaller than I was hoping for, especially for the kitchen, but could work out with some careful planning. The most amazing part is there is an underground water tank and a pump, so I would have water flowing in my house!!!!!!!!!!!! This is more than I had hoped for. It’s a bit further out than the other house we had looked at, but is on good accessible roads and is maybe a 10 minute walk from a bus stop that would take me to my work. There’s a place to park my car and there’s already a good sized wall all around. There’s no place for planting trees or grass, but we could always install planters and pots to grow vegetables and flowers. There was power when we were there so that’s a good sign.

The fact that it is unfinished is GREAT for 3 reasons: 1) We can have it made to our specifications, 2) We’ll be the first people to live in it, and 3) Hopefully the owner will be ok with finishing Angi’s side more slowly (it needs even more work that our side) so that it can be done just in time for her wedding and she won’t have to pay rent until then. This is practically miraculous if it works out because who would have thought we could find a duplex with both sides available and the possibility of delaying Angi’s move for over 6 months?!

Please pray for Angi and Rémy and Espérance and I to make the right decision! We need to get back to the owner asap (Monday?) because houses go very quickly. If Angi and Rémy are undecided or decide not to take it, it will be hard for Espérance and I because we need to know who would end up living next to us. It’s a hard decision because it’s not PERFECT, but it’s close enough to what we’re looking for that it’s not easy to turn it down either. What do you think?!!

I'll try to get some pics up soon...

Easter 2010

2010-04-09T18:39:00.004+01:00

He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Il est vivant! Il est ressucité! Qui? Jésus!

I celebrated Easter, as I have for the past 4 years in Congo (minus last year when I was with my mommy at Saint Joseph's!) at the Cathedral up the street from my work. It's the most important holiday on the liturgical calendar, so the service is replete with dancing girls, beautiful music, and an air of holy festivity.

Afterwards (and the great part is the mass is over by 9:30am!) I scurried home and made lunch for my beautiful family (as inlaws are called in French) plus my girlfriends Angi and Mikhal.

The meal was a great blend of American/Congolese. Mamy (my mom-in-law) brought fried chicken, Mikhal made cheesy mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, Angi came with dessert, and I prepared safou, rice, and deviled eggs. Espérance has deemed the eggs no longer a holiday food, but rather something I should make a couple times a month :o) I was happy that everybody seemed to like everything on the table!

Hints from Jello-Weez: The Joys of Mapeline

2010-03-25T18:18:00.002+01:00

Hint #2 The Joys of Mapleine

I grew up on Mapleine syrup. I’m sure there are Maple snobs out there who only believe in real maple syrup, but probably most of you grew up on some other kind of goopy fake version like Mrs Butterworth. I can’t stand it when people take that cold goopy stuff out of their fridge and expect me to put it on my pancakes. I’m rather a fan of the easy to make, hot off the stove batch of Mapleine. It’s economical to boot.

One of the things I enjoy about Mapleine is using up the leftovers over the next few days. One obvious way is to just keep making pancakes; my helpful hint concerning that is you can keep leftovers in the fridge and just pop them in the toaster to reheat! Reheat your syrup and you’re good to go. Other tasty treats include: mixing it with plain yogurt (yum!!), using it as a sweetener for your tea, and poaching eggs in it (à la Quebecoise! Check out this article on “sugar shacks” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_house). For the eggs I would not recommend using syrup in which you have put blueberries—turns the eggs black! (Thanks, Mom, it was delicious, but…). The syrup is also superb on oatmeal. Bon appétit!

Happy Anniversary

2010-03-22T16:21:00.002+01:00

The 31st of this month makes 3 years since I first met Espérance! The other day we happened to have a concert at the very place where we met all those years ago. So we took a photo in front of the stage right at the same spot where we talked for the first time :o)

House-hunting in Congo, Take 2

2010-03-19T17:58:00.002+01:00

So the polls are in and…drumroll…we’ve decided to take the house! It’s not a done deal since we don’t have a contract yet, but we’re pursuing it. It will probably be another month or so before everything is fixed up and purchased and we’re ready to actually live there.

I admit that my dear blog readers’ comments did not influence me much. I mostly talked to colleagues here and in the end it was talking to God that won me over. I realized that so long as we don’t settle down into a place of our own we’re sort of floating in a no man’s land and we can’t really establish our ministry. The Lord gave me Psalm 107 which speaks of wandering people finding an inhabitable city to settle in. It also talks about making springs in the desert so I’m praying for more water to flow in our pipes! I also liked a question my mom posed me; something like, “Do you think you could make it feel like home?” My answer to that question was definitely yes. I really like the spacious front room and would be able to have many visitors over. The rooms are all big by Congolese standards and that counts a lot to me, especially to have a good-sized kitchen to work in.

I did really appreciate hearing from people though and would like to address the comments that were left.
Stephanie Mason said...
I love this post! I actually forwarded it to a few coworkers who also fount it very interesting. I do take so many things for granted- running water, fully stocked kitchen, even electricity! I am rooting for you to find a home you both love and look forward to more posts!
Thanks Steph! Yes, so many things taken for granted at home. We just readjust our standards here and it’s really not too hard to adapt! Espérance is easy to please compared to me since he’s used to the conditions here, but I would say he does like this house and we’re both convinced now that taking it is the right thing to do.

bo betsy said...
oh my, ca.
(the farmhouse is looking SO good!)
i think i liked the jello - weez entry better. :)
like mom, i have no doubt that things could be improved and made home-y... but, ew - i hope you don't have to be the one to tackle the bathroom! also - is it mold on the walls? seems like it would be too hot there to have mold problems...?
you amaze me. endlessly. i will pray for your decisions -- love the pros and con list - you are so good at living there!
love to you both!
Yeah, sister, it’s funny to look back at how we thought the farmhouse was inhabitable until you lived there for like 2 years :o) For sure not me cleaning the bathroom!! If they don’t do a good enough job before the house becomes our responsibility, I’ll hire a maid for like 10 bucks to come spend a day there before I move in. Um, yeah, I honestly didn’t even notice the walls because they all look like that here! It’s water damage mostly I think. Some mold maybe too. It’s humid here. Plus the quality of the walls and the paint isn’t great. It’s water-based paint which doesn’t really last.

Carrie said...
The front yard makes me sad. :( What if you decide to have a little garden (and finally grow your own basil)? where will the kiddos kick around a soccer ball? I know it's annoying, but you should also add into the thought about when people come and visit. Which I know you want. :) So, running water in the bathroom might be kinda nice.
I definitely want to grow some of our own veggies and herbs! We can do it Congolese style which means making wooden planters that are like low tables. Would be cool too because we could actually take our garden with us when we move! I’m not planning on living here forever. I could see having our first kid here and maybe moving when they’re still little (say in like 3 years). I do want visitors! But we’ll have a system in place for water. Visitors to Congo just need to be aware of the living conditions here!

Amy said...
It's actually not that bad of a house! :) I've seen worse here, as I'm sure you have. :) I'd love to see the "after" pictures, since we've now seen the "before" pictures. :)
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Amy! By Congolese standards this is a pretty nice house. Not lavish or anything, but definitely better than average.

maggie said...
in my opinion, running water is a must, especially in the kitchen. your home should be your refuge, not just another place for you to have a cross-cultural experience. if they can't figure out a way to make that work, then you should keep looking.
Mags, I was really surprised that after all the places in the world you have lived, you still need running water! Guess Congo is kind of bottom of the barrel. Besides the people who live where we’re living now and the people who live on the center where I work, I don’t know hardly anyone who has good water here in Brazza. Even if we were to find a place that has water now, in 3 months it could go away and not come back for a year. The only reliable water source is to have your own well and pump. One day we’ll build a house and dig a well but that costs like 10 or 20 thousand dollars! We could keep looking, but the odds are not in our favor. This house is already above par just by virtue of the fact that we don’t have to leave our own yard to search for water!

Daniel and Natalie said...
the hardest part of house hunting is that feeling of losing time on your decisions. It is one of the biggest things we have to look at and it has to be done in a very short amount of time. The questions are endless. I know this doesn't help but just wanted you to know i get what it feels like. good luck!
It’s good to realize that house-hunting is a hard decision no matter where you are in the world! Once again, I’m glad I have Jesus to help me make choices. It’s so much less stress to go by faith than to think that everything depends on me!

photos of Papa Gabriel's

2010-03-19T17:07:00.004+01:00

Hi! Check out these cool pics my friend Brian took with his awesome camera on our recent trip up the north road to a favorite swimming hole. It's refreshing to get out of the city!

Bride price in Congo

2010-03-15T12:29:00.003+01:00

Here's an interesting blurb about getting married in Congo: http://www.solokinshasa.com/?p=325. I've seen this in real life as my friends have prepared their weddings.

House-hunting in Congo

2010-03-11T16:20:00.006+01:00

I’ve never had to house-hunt before; my options for lodging have always been pretty straightforward. Not so now that I’m married! Espérance and I have been renting the annex at another mission’s compound and this has been an excellent transition point for us, but ultimately we’d like to find a house and actually set up a home of our own. Thus has commenced my very first house-hunting experience.

In spite of my lack of experience, I have a sneaking suspicion that this process works slightly differently here in Brazzaville than it would back in Salem, OR. First of all, unless the house you’re looking at is in the forest, in the US you would never question the owner about whether or not his house has running water and if the electricity comes regularly! I’m currently evaluating whether running water is a non-negotiable for me or not…

Second of all, the process of actually locating a house that is available is quite different. If you want, you can hire an agent to take you around and show you houses. But you have to pay them for this each time and there might be 5 other agents showing 20 other people the same house. If you’re lucky enough to know someone in the business, you can just pay their transport and only give them money when you actually get a place. Otherwise, you have to just get a hold of inside information about when a house is becoming available. But you better act fast or someone else will snatch it up before you.

We’ve taken the semi-passive route of waiting for the information to come to us. So as of today we have seen a total of 2 houses in the past few months. The one we saw today is posing me a decision-making problem.

Pro: the floor plan is good for us, spacious rooms, 3 bedrooms
Con: it needs a lot of work to fix everything that is broken, missing, or dirty
Pro: most of what needs to be done we can pay them to do and they’ll take it out of our rent
Con: the location is not super close to where I work, adding at least 20 minutes each way to my commute
Pro: the location isn’t as far away from my work as a lot of other places in town and it’s close to the market where I shop and on a good bus line
Con: the water only comes out of the tap at night and never comes into the kitchen
Pro: I’m already accustomed to taking bucket baths and there are several options for rigging systems to make the water more convenient
Con: investing in fixing up and making a place home when you’re just a renter and will leave it all behind eventually is kind of a drag
Pro: it’s got plenty of space for the kiddos, so we could end up staying there for a number of years without needing to see something else
Con: What if there’s something better?
Pro: What if we don’t find something better and I regret not taking this place?
What do you think?

This is where I would park my car

This is the front gate

This is the spacious living/dining room

This is the stinky bathroom that they desperately need to clean. The shower is ridiculously tiny, but otherwise it's nice with all the tiling.

This is the master bedroom. Walls are being repainted white.

There are also two smaller bedrooms

Here's the front yard

This is the kitchen. I would need to use our wedding funds to purchase our fridge and stove and everything

Hints from Jello-Weez

2010-03-09T10:29:00.004+01:00

I’m starting a new column on my blog as a spoof off of the famous Heloise. I’m no domestic goddess, but I’m learning, and living here in Congo sometimes forces me to come up with creative solutions to things. Plus a lot of the missionary women around me are truly homemaking geniuses, so I have no shortage of hints to share. Hope you enjoy it and find something helpful from time to time.

Hint #1 Yummy snack (and it’s gluten and dairy free!)
I just wanted to share with you my new favorite snack. I started eating it a couple of months ago, but now it's especially dear to me because I’m doing a gluten and dairy free diet to try to get rid of my eczema. I call it my Peanut Butter Banana Boat. Ingredients: one banana, spread with peanut butter, topped with chocolate chips. So cute and yummy, no? It’s only unfortunate that I have a limited supply of American PB and Choc chips. But bananas are cheap and plentiful here in central Africa!

Warning: Reading this blog may cause digestive upset

2010-02-19T12:56:00.006+01:00

So I've had a new adventure recently. Ever heard of mango worms? My personal collection is pictured above. They hatch when flies lay eggs on your clothes as they are hanging on the line to dry. The catch is WHERE do they hatch? Under you skin! Little bumps form that itch like crazy. Every once in a while you suddenly get zapped with a stinging sensation...that's the worms moving inside you! When the bumps get bigger and harder and you can't stand it another second, you put some oil on to suffocate the guy and then squeeze them and voila, out pops a wiggly worm! The first time I witnessed this was my first year in Congo when I was staying up north in Ouesso. My colleague thought he had a boil but treated it to no avail until one day a Congolese came by and was like, "Hey! Just squeeze it!" and out popped a very ripe worm wiggling and writhing. I thought, "That's it. There's just no where to go from here."

This past week I survived a nasty batch of mango worms myself. Mine even had the special effect of getting infected and causing a fever which kept me home for an entire day. I'm back in good health now with just a few battle scars.

Cute couples

2010-02-05T09:40:00.003+01:00

Here are some cute pictures from a wedding last week. The groom works for the CMA missionaries. I helped the bride with her train (the picture here is the traditional wedding...she wore a white dress at the church wedding) and helped them collect the gifts. The other couple is my friends kevin and Dior who were married in August, where I was also the bride's right hand woman. They say that when the young people in their church see them together, they want to get married too!

And last but not least, me and Espérance looking snazzy and chic!

My walk home

2010-02-01T13:37:00.003+01:00

So I continue to be extremely blog-negligent, but then sometimes I realize that I can just write about stuff that's normal and everyday to me and it will still be interesting and foreign to most of my audience. Case in point: my walk home from work. This past month we've been taking care of a friend's apartment which is only a 15 minute walk from my office. Last night I walked home after our Sunday evening service and decided to make note of what I saw along the way.

The first thing I do is walk out the gate and say goodnight to the guard. I turn left up the hill towards the cathedral. At the top of the hill I turn right past a little boutique which is basically a big red box with bars over the window at the counter where you place your order for pop or a sandwich or various pantry goods like canned peas and sardines. There are men or students eating a snack and having a drink outside. I go by quickly and hope no one greets me. A cute brown dog with a nasty open wound on his ear (which almost all dogs have here) sleeps on the ground.

I walk along the street which is at the crest of a hill and enjoy a nice view of the city lights at night. A crazy man sits on the ground along a wall and I walk in the middle of the road where there’s more light and no garbage or sand. I turn left at the end of the block and usually find students studying under the big street lamps outside the mobile phone company compound and Cameroonian embassy. As I was pondering this practice last night, to my surprise, one of the young men called out “Bonsoir, Mama Jessica!” I vaguely recognized the teen boy (he was at my wedding for all I know!). “Do you study here because there is no light at home?” I asked. “No,” he said, “for the distraction.” “Ah, you like to be outside when you study? I’m like that too.” I went on my way, happy to have resolved that question for myself since for years I have been observing people reading under street lamps in this way.

The neighborhood I walk through consists mostly of large houses and embassies. Some are actually rather attractive buildings and when I’m with Espérance he usually starts talking about what he’ll do one day when he is rich. There are civilian guards sitting outside many of the houses, which makes me feel safer walking that way after dark. We greet each other curtly and I try to avoid conversation.

When I get up to the main road which leads to the apartment building we’re living in, I turn left which takes me up a hill and down the other side. This goes past what used to be the Meridian Hotel, supposedly the nicest in town but really a big rip off. It’s being renovated now by some Arab company. There’s a small boutique which usually has a few customers. One night as I passed by there, a prostitute asked me to buy her a Coke and I obliged, giving her $1, and hoping I could see her again sometime and talk to her. She was a little scary looking with a hairy chest and matted long wig. Anyways…

Just before I get to our building, I pass along a nice wall lined with beautiful plants. There are even lights in the flowerbed and it all is quite lovely. The mystery is that on the other side is an unfinished house, or rather, more likely, a house which once was but is now torn down and pitted out. It looks like it was going to be a very nice building. I wish these people who aren’t doing anything with their charming property would let us move in and finish it for them!

When I get home I still have to climb up to the 4th floor, which is quite the challenge sometimes on a long hot day!

Good news for orphanage

2010-01-11T12:53:00.002+01:00

It's been a long time in coming, but I have finally updated the House of Hope blog concerning the purchase of their property! I was personallly there to witness the transfer of funds and signed the contract as a representative of all the folks in the US who made this possible!

Name giving

2009-12-11T11:46:00.004+01:00

I recently received this comment on my last post:

Okay, Madame Kouka, explain to all of us about names. If your husband had married a Congolese woman, how would the naming go? In other words, would someone from Congo have taken the husband's name as their last name like you did? And what are all your husband's names? Is his last name his father's first name like so many African conventions? Just how does all this go?
Curious Ted

Just thought others would be interested too, so I'm making my reply its own post. First of all, I have chosen to take the name Kouka, but legally (i.e. on my passport, etc.) I'm also keeping my maiden name just to facilitate things (since I have some documents in my former name and what not). But please feel free to use just my married name in your correspondence with me. I will be changing my email in the near future.

I confess I do not know all the ins and outs of name giving in Congo. Kouka is my (deceased) father-in-law's family name, which my mother-in-law also took on when she married him. Esperance does not carry his mother's maiden name. Espe's dad's name was acutally Nkouka, which is a common family name here, but for some reason he dropped the N when he gave the name to his children.

I think name giving is changing in the modern Congo. Previously you could just make up a name for your child so there was no family lineage traced through the name, but rather your name meant something (like something about the circumstances of your birth). But now I think more people are using the practice of passing along a family name. I haven't heard of anyone here using their father's first name as a last name. People tend to have lots of first and middle names (like 3 or 4!). One funny thing is that people's names are often spelled weird because the person who filled out their birth certificate made an error. I can't imagine anyone putting up with that in the US!

Traditionally it needed to be a wise older person in the family who gave the baby its name. And they needed to wait a few weeks to see what the baby was like in order to give the appropriate name. I don't think people in the cities practice this anymore, although some people give their children both a French name and a traditional name. There are also certain names given to twins and to the child who comes after a set of twins, although these are sometimes just nicknames and not officially given. I think there is also a name given to a child whose mother dies in childbirth.

Yes, when women marry here they tend to take their husband's name. Everyone has automatically started calling me Madame Kouka without ever asking if I was taking that name or not. Thanks for the interesting question. I'll ask Esperance to fill me in on the details of name-giving in his culture when I get home from work today!

More wedding photos

2009-12-09T12:42:00.004+01:00

Hey everybody! It's fun reading your comments on my Facebook photos. So much so I'm willing to painstakingly post them with my slow Internet connection. Here is another set of pics from the wedding. Enjoy!

Birthday Dinner

2009-12-08T13:46:00.003+01:00

For my birthday, a dear friend treated me and Esperance and another couple we know to a fancy dinner at Mamiwata's (sp?) in Brazzaville. Delish! Here's the Facebook album.

Good Sistah

2009-12-07T13:07:00.004+01:00

For those of you who love my sister Cathie Jo--or else if you're interested in embroidery--here's a link to an article interviewing her about her handiwork.

http://www.handmadenews.org/article/index.php?id=4375

Pest Control

2009-11-26T09:26:00.001+01:00

I often make reference to what I call “The Holy Spirit Help Desk,” to which I turn for assistance with all manner of technical difficulties. Inexplicable computer glitch? Praying over my laptop often fixes the problem. This week I have discovered a new function for prayer—insect repellent!

Espérance and I have moved into a guest room at the center for another mission whose personnel only come and go from Brazza on their way up to a hospital in the north of the country. A couple I work with rent the main house, while we occupy a bedroom and kitchen/dining room with an outside bathroom. The compound is situated near a central bus stop and is not far from where I work, where I shop, or practically anywhere else I might like to go, so it’s a handy temporary solution while we continue our house hunt.

There have been a few aspects of this housing solution, however, that have irritated and troubled me. It’s rather tight quarters and I don’t have the room and storage space that I need to really feel moved in (although I expect I’ll adapt and find solutions…it’s just a bit tough in the transition phase). It’s hot even in the cool evenings because we keep the shutters closed since there are no screens on the windows and the mosquitoes are plentiful. Although, in spite of this precaution, the house has still been full of the little buggers swarming around my sensitive skin! Sweating and scratching all the time, does not a low stress situation make. Lastly, the place is CRAWLING with cockroaches. Cockroaches in the cupboards, cockroaches in the corners, cockroaches while I cook. Cockroaches flying at my head. Cockroaches running over my feet. Need I say more? (Do you feel a Dr Seuss coming on?)

Two nights ago it really got ridiculous. Espérance and I were eating dinner and it seemed the roaches had made themselves completely at home. I found them to be quite insolent, daring to run around our feet and come out into the middle of the room as though they owned the place. I stomped a few of them and Espé told me I should “laisser vivre la nature.” I’m like, “Yeah, I’ll let nature live…when it’s actually out in nature! This is my house!”

I’m not exactly sure what else was said in the course of this conversation, but somehow I was struck with the inspiration that God is sovereign over all creation and all creatures must submit to His authority, and consequently must also respect us as children of God. I told Espérance that we needed to have a contest: I would chase out the cockroaches in Jesus’ Name and he would take care of the mosquitoes and we’d see which one actually left the house :o) He refused to participate in the challenge (odd, since he has been known to talk plants into bearing fruit in Jesus’ Name!) but I forged ahead anyhow.

I was reminded of Saint Francis’ practice of referring to animals as “brother dog” and “sister cow”, etc. so I spoke kindly but forcefully to all my brother roaches in the house and let them know in Jesus’ Name that they would need to leave the house the next day. Some of them seemed to be standing around listening to me! I repeated the same idea a few times to make sure they’d all heard. Espérance sat amused at the dining table and informed me that if they were my brothers then we should all live together. I stood my ground and insisted they had no right to occupy our house and eat our food when there were plenty of places outside they could go without bothering anyone.

The next morning as I was eating my homemade peanut butter granola, a stranded rebel roach was scampering frantically about and I sternly warned him that this was eviction day. That was 3 days ago and I haven’t seen a cockroach since! Hallelujah! Was even 48 hours before I saw any mosquitoes again! What a relief to have my abode to myself. Now I’m working on the Lord sending a cool breeze through the place so I’m not so hot anymore :o)

Ha! As I’m writing this, a Cece Winans song I’ve never listened to before is playing on my computer: “I am the One, yes, I created the whole universe. Greater than anything in heaven and in all the earth. It’s My air you breathe so I’m the One that you should please. I am the One you need, why should you be alone? I am that I AM, I’m all that you need. I can, yes I can, no it ain’t too hard for Me. Do you know, do you really feel it? Every day, every night of your life, I AM. It hurts my heart indeed to see those whom I love in need. Knowing all I wonder why they never call on Me. If you just ask then I can satisfy you with good things. I’ll give you everything, yes, you can have it all. I tell the sun to rise, the wind to blow, the rain to fall. I move the mountains and the oceans, rivers, great and small. Yes, everything I made I want to hear them give Me praise, and especially you, My children, each and every day.”

Here are the verses I had in mind that gave me the biblical basis for my actions:

Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)

“God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26)

“In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered.’ ‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart bu believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:20-24)

More photos

2009-11-08T16:33:00.001+01:00

OK, I finally posted some photos of the wedding! Enjoy them here: My big fat congolese wedding album

Wedding photos

2009-11-05T15:47:00.003+01:00

If you haven't already seen them, here are the pics my friend Amber posted on Facebook from her trip here to Congo and of my wedding: Amber's Congo album.

my shower cake

2009-10-06T10:28:00.004+01:00

My amazing sister-in-law Nancy hosted a bridal shower for my friends and family and ordered a cake that looks like my wedding cloth! I was able to attend the party via video Skype, although I didn't get to taste the dessert :o)

Wedding Invitation

2009-10-03T14:09:00.007+01:00

OK, folks, this is as close as we're gonna get to taking engagement photos. It was for the purpose of creating our wedding invitation. This is the pic we used for that. To see the others go to my Facebook album.

Here are the other graphics on the invitation. I think it's so cute! The heart is cut out in the middle and the picture of us shows through.

Surprise!!!!!!!

2009-09-20T17:00:00.003+01:00

I just got off the phone with my friend Amber and she announced to me that she already has a ticket to come to Congo for my wedding!! Woo-hoo!! What a great surprise! We've been friends since we were 6, went to school together 1st thru 12th grade, our parents still live in the same neighborhood, and we've stayed in touch over all these years. We've traveled to Hawaii together twice, to Australia, and to Disneyland. We were in Girl Scouts, band, and countless classes together. I was a bridesmaid in her wedding a couple years back. There aren't very many people I can be sure I will still be friends with in another 20 years, but Amber and I will be!

My wedding pagne

2009-09-01T09:45:00.004+01:00

Many people have been asking about my wedding preparations here and what the differences are between a Congolese and an American wedding. One of my favorite aspects of African weddings is the "wedding pagne" (pronounced pawn-yuh), a cloth chosen for the event which people can buy and have outfits made to wear to the wedding. Oftentimes different cloths are chosen for different sides of the family or for different groups. Heather and I chose this cloth for my work colleagues and other missionaries to wear. Fun!

This is a wedding pagne Heather and I wore a couple months ago.

Congolese handwriting

2009-08-31T15:10:00.004+01:00

I never cease to be amazed at the handwriting here in Congo. Penmanship is still very important in school here. When I was a student all that really mattered was that it was legible. I think it might be a French influence here, but it's also the fact that many things are still written out by hand (i.e. official records) rather than being entered into a computer. I'm even more impressed when people write on a chalkboard and it looks like calligraphy! Have you tried writing on a chalkboard lately? Not easy! I don't really have that great of example photos here. Some people's handwriting seriously could be turned into a font it's so precise!

Some new photos...especially of my MAN!!

2009-08-11T13:19:00.002+01:00

Here is a new album on Facebook from the last few months in Congo.

PS: I'm engaged to be married

What Would Jesus Save? Meditations on my inbox

2009-08-06T21:53:00.002+01:00

I have two colleagues who are known as “The Deleters”. They delete nearly every email they receive, keeping their inbox to a very tidy minimum. They are even known to exercise mass deletion…Too many emails at once?...After a brief scan of the subject lines to catch anything important, just delete them all! They like to think of this as a selective, voluntary computer crash.

I, on the other hand, am an email packrat. I can’t seem to throw anything away! Not only this, but I don’t manage to stay on top of my email, so I end up with hundreds of ones flagged to indicate they need a reply and others that have never been read. Yet I hang on to them all! I recently discovered the joys of the “archive” function, so now I have moved all my emails from 2003-2005 out of my inbox…yet I didn’t have to delete them! Yes people, I have kept emails from 2003 and still don’t want to get rid of them.

This brings me to my meditation…What would Jesus save? Any thoughts?

Back to blogging in Brazza

2009-07-12T14:08:00.007+01:00

My apologies to those of you who have checked my blog to much avail these past few months!

My first entry since returning to Congo in April will be about the delightful party I went to at the American Embassy for the 4th of July, because when I arrived the ambassador greeted me with a chastisement for not maintaining my blog :o)

The fete was held in the embassy courtyard under a tent. Servers continually passed through the crowd with trays of drinks and hors d'oeuvres (sushi, skewered meat, fried shrimp, and other tasty treats). It was hard for me to turn them down and I went away having eaten at least my fair share of government diplomatic funds.

The elections are today and I was surprised to be told that the candidates were present at the party (except for the president himself). Heather and I had a hard time figuring out what to wear and came in African cloth because it's the only nice clothes we have. Most of the people at the party were men and almost all of them were in suits. In general it's difficult to be over-dressed in Congo, not to mention when it comes to high brow events such as this one.

The cake was a giant imitation of the White House and I was delighted to be chosen to receive the very first piece--bribery to get me back on my blog?? :o) Apparently the exquisite work of culinary art suffered a car accident on the way, but it didn't look any the worse for wear (unlike my hair which became progressively frizzy throughout the evening in spite of my rare effort to actually style it for the event).

This was my first opportunity to attend an official embassy function and I look forward to future occasions! Feels like a fancy tax refund :o)

Me on Mando

2009-04-17T18:10:00.004+01:00

Some of you have been asking how the mandolin playing is coming along. Well, it's coming...Here's what I can do after 3 months. It's pretty rough, but hey, I'm getting better. Here's my last entry using a high speed connection. Figured I might as well upload a big video!

Sorry, it's not embedding. Here's the YouTube link

Packing Time

2009-04-11T06:37:00.002+01:00

I was excited at the beginning of this week because I could finally pull out the suitcases and actually start packing my bags. And I'm pretty happy with how it's going so far because it looks like I'll have room for everything and even for some of the extras I didn't think I'd have room for (like cheese and chocolate when I pass through Germany!)

People often ask what kind of things I take back with me, or what I can get here that I can't get in Congo. Here's a little rundown of some of what is going to accompany me:

--The Carryon. This will include my computer and camera and purse, etc., and also the mandolin I've started to play the past few months.

--Clothes. This wouldn't be such a big deal this time except that when I left Congo I had not one pair of pants that still fit me. So I've done quite a bit of shopping, which was aided by some fabulous Nordstrom gift cards from the past two Christmases. I also like to stock up on new underwear and shoes, which are quite important.

--Gifts. Gift-giving is an important part of relationships in Africa, so I go back well supplied with shirts and jewelry and other things for my closest friends. Oooh, my favorite this time is a little black baby doll for my goddaughter.

--Things for other people: This time it includes 3 digital cameras, a pair of jeans, a DVD, 2 battery chargers, a book, etc. There are innumberable other items that have been requested of me, but at some point I have to say no or I won't be able to pack any of my own stuff! I only get 2 bags after all.

--Toiletries: New face products, cream, hair stuff, etc. You can get generic stuff there, but it's nice to come equipped with some of the nicer essential items.

--Kitchen supplies: I'm getting better and better equipped in the kitchen with each trip. This time I'm bringing a garlic press, a small non-stick skillet, some more tupperware, more flatware, ziplock bags, etc.

--Entertainment: DVDs and new music to get me through the next year or so. I'm taking about 10 movies with me and loaded probably a dozen more CDs onto my computer. Plus a few books.

--Food: Besides the muesli and cheese and chocolate I plan to pick up in Germany, I've got a can of Kraft Parmesan, a can of cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, and some spray on olive oil which I will use for making pita chips.

That probably covers about 90% of what's in my bags. The other miscellaneous 10%? Things like a mandolin book, tealight candles, a bath towel, cilantro and flower seeds, a new USB flash drive, etc.

Leaving home and going home

2009-04-01T02:54:00.002+01:00

Yikes! Less than two weeks until I leave to go back to Congo (via Germany for a few days). A common question I get is "What do you miss while you're in Congo?" or "What can you get here that you can't get in Congo?" Here are a few things off the top of my head:

#1 is obviously time with my family and friends. This is really the only thing that could possibly bring feelings of regret. I'll never say "Gee, I wish I hadn't spent all those years in Congo when I could have been back in the US with high speed Internet and lattes everyday." But the time spent away from special people is time that can't necessarily be made up for later. Plus, giving up luxeries and conveniences is a personal sacrfice, whereas familytime is something I force others to give up as well.

That said, high speed Internet and lattes are probably one of the first things that come to mind when I think of what I have to go without in Congo. That Internet connection over there is going to be pretty painful after these last few months.

The variety of restaurants and cuisine from around the world will also be missed. No Thai or Indian in Brazzaville. But I've pretty much had my fill and will enjoy visiting my favorite places back in Congo once again.

Listening to the radio, especially Christian stations, in the car is something I really love too. The excellent tradeoff, however, is that in Congo I get to attend lots of live concerts, mostly either Christian or jazz.

Wearing socks and regular shoes and jackets and layers has been fun the past few months. Not sweating is definitely a highlight of being back in the States as well. Although I am looking forward to the warmth of Congo (especially once the really hot season is over in a month or two).

OK, gotta run pick up my Indian take out!!

Orphanage needs urgent help

2009-03-18T22:21:00.002+01:00

Please check out my blog about the House of Hope and spread the word about this urgent financial need. We have an opportunity to provide these orphans with a home of their own! Thanks for praying and a big THANK YOU to all who have already given. Help me continue on to see the project to its glorious conclusion!

Abstinence is the only road to freedom

2009-03-18T00:16:00.003+01:00

On Africa trip, Pope says condoms won't solve AIDS

I noticed this article amongst the headlines because I was just talking about this very topic at lunch today. Based on what I've seen in Congo-Brazzaville, condoms absolutely cannot stop the spread of AIDS (in my humble opinion). Sexual activity begins in jr high school and continues with infidelity in marriage. Statistically it just seems impossible that the spread of an STD can be stopped when everyone is having sex with multiple partners...even if they're using condoms.

I talk about abstinence as much as I can and encourage the young people in my youth group to believe it's possible to wait for the one life partner destined for them. But it's a tough battle. Many people do not believe that abstinence is even possible. It is said that one's organs will not function properly if they are not used. The sad thing is that this is a lie that is the exact opposite from the truth--Abstinence is what promotes sexual health. Condoms are hardly needed for birth control because STDs and venereal diseases are so rampant that fertility is hard to come by.

I don't believe we can fight this war against AIDS through science and teaching people proper techniques. This is a social and spiritual battle. The beauty and holiness of a man and woman coming together needs to be reclaimed and cherished and prized. The married couple is the building block of society and when those blocks are in shambles there's nothing to build with and no shelter for people to live in. Exposed to the elements there's no telling what may befall them. That's what I see when I think of the AIDS epidemic. Societies that have fallen apart. Rather than helping them rebuild, we're just handing out helmets hoping they'll dodge the bullets amongst the wreckage.

I know that not every situation is the same, and there are different ways of spreading AIDS, but if the majority of people in a given society would be abstinent outside of marriage and faithful inside it, they would save their own lives and the lives of many others around them and we'd get control over this terrible monster ravaging the continent. That may not be popular opinion, but to me it just seems common sense. And it would solve so many other major problems along with it--unwanted children and teen pregnancies, infertility due to sexual activity, jealousy and lack of trust in marriage. This is a lofty goal, much more difficult than handing out little plastic wrappers, but in the end it's the only choice that produces real results and happiness and stability.

You know you're from Africa when...

2009-03-16T23:45:00.002+01:00

Apparently there’s a Facebook group called “I’d Rather Be in Africa.” I don’t have to join such a group because I still live in Africa and can simply enjoy being in my country of origin for a while without too much pining away. But they’ve got one of those “You know you’re from Africa when…” kind of lists and I thought I would comment on a few of the items (there were like 100 things on the list, so I’ll spare you the details; sorry it's still a bit long).

You know you're from Africa when...

...you're appalled that American grocery stores only sell one or two different types of bananas.
Um, I’m not so bothered by the lack of variety so much as how big and too perfect they are. They look like they’re grown inside, not on trees. The taste leaves a little to be desired as well. One funny thing about bananas in Congo is they’re a little smaller than ours and you’re expected to eat more than one. I don’t know, bananas always seemed like a one per serving kind of fruit to me.

...your parents yell at you for forgetting to use silverware in public.
Well, that hasn’t happened yet, but I have caught myself using my hands a lot. I’ll pick my food up with a piece of bread rather than use a fork :o)

...you find all the non-white people on campus so you can be a minority again.There is indeed something unique about getting used to being the minority and I definitely zone in on the black people around.

...black outs are nothing new to you.
It’s funny when you get used to blackouts and suddenly you find yourself sitting in the dark and everyone just carries on with the conversation/choir rehearsal/whatever you happened to be doing. I was wondering where I was when we lost power a couple of times during the snowstorms at my sister’s house. Thought I’d left that in Congo!

...no running water for a day is just another ordinary thing
Unfortunately, yes. If it goes longer than a week it gets a little rough and we all lament the loss of the use of the washing machine.

...The smell of freshly rained on mud paths/tarmac is comforting.
This has always been true…I’m from Oregon.

...being an hour late equals being "on time"
Duh! 7 is 7 until 7:59!

...Cramming 7 passengers in a 4 passenger taxi is really not a big deal.
Certainly not.

...you know never to question what you're eating (even if it does taste good), cuz sometimes you just don't want to know.
My teammates always said this, but I’m not a believer. Hence, they both ended up with monkey on their plates before they knew what it was!!

...you invite people for a get together at 7 and they all come at 9.
I don’t know why this still catches me off guard. I mean, 30 minutes I can understand, but 2 hours late? Seriously? Sometimes it’s been very beneficial when the meal wasn’t quite ready yet!

...you keep converting the value of things in your home currency when u see the dollar value.
How else would I know if it’s a good deal or not? :o)

... you have another name in your home language.
Yep. Mikembi.

...someone is riding their bike down the road with corrugated iron strapped width wise across the back of the bike and its taking up more than half of the road.
And this would be Mike, our construction guy. He’s American but he loved pulling this kind of stunt.

...you've been proposed to while walking down the street
Just take it as a compliment

...You unwrap all your gifts carefully, so that you can reuse the wrapper.
I’ve always been like that, nothing new.

...Nobody in your family informs you that they are coming over for a visit.
If you love each other why should you need an invitation? It still usually annoys me. I have a lot to learn.

...You only make telephone calls at a cheaper rate at night
Is this why people call at midnight and 6am? It’s apparently not rude to wake someone up with a phone call (or by any other means), but that doesn’t really make me like it any better!

...you learn the native words for "white person" everywhere you go, because you hear it shouted everywhere you go.
Sure ‘nuf. I swear children learn to yell “mondele” as one of their first words.

...something that would normally take half an hour in the Western world takes a few days or weeks...and if it didn't it just wouldn't be fun.
I don’t know about the fun part, but things do take a lot longer. Going to the PO feels like a major accomplishment and doing the grocery shopping truly is!

...you find it completely natural to have burglar-bars outside your windows
Naturally. And a wall. And a guard.

...you can smell the rain before it comes
I’m not sure about smelling it, but you can certainly tell it’s going to rain. It gets dark all of a sudden and the wind picks up. The darker and the windier, the harder the rain will be. Oh, and you can hear the thunder in the distance.

...you can look up at the sky and see every star clearly
And here we see what? The moon and venus…

...the sunset is something to look forward to
In the village, yes! I always felt exhausted from the heat and cultural exertion and knew I could hide away in the dark. Going to bed at 8pm is quite easy there!

...you miss the sound of rain on your tin roof at night, the after-rain smell, and the spectacular lightning shows.
Ah yes, the lightening shows! Love it. I like the thunder too that makes me jump out of my skin.

...you always drink your drink straight away in front of the shop, and give them the bottle back.
Of course. Although the store on our street knows us well and we can take bottles cos they know we’ll bring them back.

...instead of being greeted with "good morning", you're greeted with "Are you awake?"
It’s always strange no matter how many times. The bad part is when they say it while you’re still trying to sleep!

...the rain back "home" feels cold.
I’m FREEZING right now as a matter of fact.

...you learn quickly that pedestrians DO NOT have the right-of-way
The thing that ticks me off is when they speed up and honk, scaring the pants off me, rather than slowing however slightly my crossing the street might have necessitated.

...you prefer music that's slightly out of tune
And distorted

...b.o. is a comforting smell
Strangely true. But there’s definitely a limit. Some b.o., yes; unwashed clothes, no.

...you reuse plastic throwaways
We re-use our zip-locks again and again…and then realize we’ve still got boxes of unused ones.

...$2 is too much for a t-shirt
My shopping mantra: “It’s not close enough to free to tempt me.”

...you get culture shock in a grocery store, when you see the shelves completely stocked with 15 different kinds of whatever!
Menus do it to me too

...When there's no electricity, you're in bed by dark and up at sunrise.
By dark? Not exactly, since on the equator it’s dark by 7pm. But when there’s no power there’s only so long you can read by lamplight.

...you dreaming of a red/orange/green Christmas instead of a white one
This year was my first Christmas home in 3 years. It was fun to be with family, but we got this out of character for Oregon snowstorm and had to delay the events. We won’t be dreaming of a white Christmas for quite some time!

The Crime of Living Cautiously

2009-01-23T03:32:00.004+01:00

My friend recently quoted a Lucy Shaw book in her newsletter saying:

"The life we hoard, clutch, protect, safeguard out of fear or timidity ends up being of little use to us or anyone else, least of all to God and his Kingdom. The kind of life Jesus lived would appear to be foolishness to any uninformed onlooker..... The cliff edge of our anxiety about the future may indicate that God is calling us to a new and different level of faith. When we walk, praying for guidance, to the edge of all the light we have and breathlessly take that first step into the foggy mystery of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen: either God will provide us with something rock-solid to stand on, or he will teach us how to fly."

I totally identified with this and agree that the kind of life Jesus plans for us is not one of timidity, fear, cautiousness, or reticence, but one of adventure, boldness, faith, and trust. I think I have some experience on that cliff edge between the known and unknown and I can testify that it rocks! I never regret steps of faith taken with trust in God.

(Another good book on this topic is Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. I'm sure that book has changed many a life and I highly recommend it!)

Dallas, TX

2009-01-21T02:27:00.004+01:00

Howdy! Check out my new pics on Facebook! I'm in Dallas at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics this month. It's so fun seeing friends from all around the world and reuniting with colleagues from Congo!

Shout outs to Dana, Heather F, Angi, Elizabeth, Heather R, and the Harrisons from Congo! And to Margaret and Annelies from Fox! And to John and the Lewises and Sweetmans and Will and Ken and all the other great peeps I know! It's been so fun hanging out again!

Urgent prayer needed

2009-01-10T18:06:00.003+01:00

I just received this email and plan to participate in this Novena (9 days of prayer). Please join me! You can also check out Bound 4 Life, a national movement of prayer and repentance concerning abortion. I especially encourage you to check out the statistics and Abortion Techniques found under the link "The Truth."

Subject: Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) Novena - Starting January 11

Dear friends,
Please join us in praying the 9 days of prayers in the hope that FOCA will not pass. If you are apposed to abortion then there is bad news on the horizon.
For those of you who do not know, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is set to be signed if Congress passes it on January 21-22 of 2009. The FOCA is the next sick chapter in the book of abortion. If made a law then all limitations on abortion will be lifted which will result in the following:

1) All hospitals, including Catholic hospitals will be required to perform abortions upon request. If this happens Bishops vow to close down all Catholic hospitals, more then 30% of all hospitals in the United States.

2) Partial birth abortions would be legal and have no limitations. (See: http://www.nrlc.org/ABORTION/pba/diagram.html )

3) All U.S. tax payers would be funding abortions.

4) Parental notification will no longer be required. (Hence minors at even 10 years of age can have an abortion without the parents' knowledge or approval)

5) The number of abortions will increase by a minimum of 100,000 annually.

Perhaps most importantly the government will now have control in the issue of abortion. This could result in a future amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain situations (rape, down syndrome babies, etc) and could even regulate how many children women are allowed to have.

Needless to say this information is disturbing, but sadly true. As Catholics, as Christians, as anyone who is against the needless killing of innocent children, we must stand as one. We must stop this horrific act before it becomes a law.

The Plan :

To say a novena ( 9 days of prayer ) along with fasting starting on January 11th. For Catholics, the prayer of choice will be the rosary with intentions to stop the FOCA. For non Catholics I encourage you to pray your strongest prayers with the same intentions, also for nine consecutive days. The hope is that this will branch and blossom as to become a global effort with maximum impact. We have very little time so we all must act fast. Just do three things:

1) Pass this letter to 5 or more people

2) Do it in three days or less

3) Start the novena on January 11th and pray for nine
consecutive days.

(please also fast for at least two days during the novena)

Remember that with God all things are possible and the power of prayer is undeniable. If you are against the senseless killing of defenseless children then the time is now to do something about it!

May God bless you all!!

Planned Parenthood is the number ONE abortion provider in our country and received over $300 million of our tax dollars to destroy 289,650 unborn children in 2006. They are probably "educating" your children in their school.

As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God

2009-01-08T17:50:00.001+01:00

Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people's mindset

From The Times
December 27, 2008
Matthew Parris

Before Christmas I returned, after 45 years, to the country that as a boy I knew as Nyasaland. Today it's Malawi, and The Times Christmas Appeal includes a small British charity working there. Pump Aid helps rural communities to install a simple pump, letting people keep their village wells sealed and clean. I went to see this work.

It inspired me, renewing my flagging faith in development charities. But travelling in Malawi refreshed another belief, too: one I've been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I've been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God.

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

I used to avoid this truth by applauding - as you can - the practical work of mission churches in Africa. It's a pity, I would say, that salvation is part of the package, but Christians black and white, working in Africa, do heal the sick, do teach people to read and write; and only the severest kind of secularist could see a mission hospital or school and say the world would be better without it. I would allow that if faith was needed to motivate missionaries to help, then, fine: but what counted was the help, not the faith.

But this doesn't fit the facts. Faith does more than support the missionary; it is also transferred to his flock. This is the effect that matters so immensely, and which I cannot help observing.

First, then, the observation. We had friends who were missionaries, and as a child I stayed often with them; I also stayed, alone with my little brother, in a traditional rural African village. In the city we had working for us Africans who had converted and were strong believers. The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world - a directness in their dealings with others - that seemed to be missing in traditional African life. They stood tall.

At 24, travelling by land across the continent reinforced this impression. From Algiers to Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Central African Republic, then right through the Congo to Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya, four student friends and I drove our old Land Rover to Nairobi.

We slept under the stars, so it was important as we reached the more populated and lawless parts of the sub-Sahara that every day we find somewhere safe by nightfall. Often near a mission.

Whenever we entered a territory worked by missionaries, we had to acknowledge that something changed in the faces of the people we passed and spoke to: something in their eyes, the way they approached you direct, man-to-man, without looking down or away. They had not become more deferential towards strangers - in some ways less so - but more open.

This time in Malawi it was the same. I met no missionaries. You do not encounter missionaries in the lobbies of expensive hotels discussing development strategy documents, as you do with the big NGOs. But instead I noticed that a handful of the most impressive African members of the Pump Aid team (largely from Zimbabwe) were, privately, strong Christians. “Privately” because the charity is entirely secular and I never heard any of its team so much as mention religion while working in the villages. But I picked up the Christian references in our conversations. One, I saw, was studying a devotional textbook in the car. One, on Sunday, went off to church at dawn for a two-hour service.

It would suit me to believe that their honesty, diligence and optimism in their work was unconnected with personal faith. Their work was secular, but surely affected by what they were. What they were was, in turn, influenced by a conception of man's place in the Universe that Christianity had taught.

There's long been a fashion among Western academic sociologists for placing tribal value systems within a ring fence, beyond critiques founded in our own culture: “theirs” and therefore best for “them”; authentic and of intrinsically equal worth to ours.

I don't follow this. I observe that tribal belief is no more peaceable than ours; and that it suppresses individuality. People think collectively; first in terms of the community, extended family and tribe. This rural-traditional mindset feeds into the “big man” and gangster politics of the African city: the exaggerated respect for a swaggering leader, and the (literal) inability to understand the whole idea of loyal opposition.

Anxiety - fear of evil spirits, of ancestors, of nature and the wild, of a tribal hierarchy, of quite everyday things - strikes deep into the whole structure of rural African thought. Every man has his place and, call it fear or respect, a great weight grinds down the individual spirit, stunting curiosity. People won't take the initiative, won't take things into their own hands or on their own shoulders.

How can I, as someone with a foot in both camps, explain? When the philosophical tourist moves from one world view to another he finds - at the very moment of passing into the new - that he loses the language to describe the landscape to the old. But let me try an example: the answer given by Sir Edmund Hillary to the question: Why climb the mountain? “Because it's there,” he said.

To the rural African mind, this is an explanation of why one would not climb the mountain. It's... well, there. Just there. Why interfere? Nothing to be done about it, or with it. Hillary's further explanation - that nobody else had climbed it - would stand as a second reason for passivity.

Christianity, post-Reformation and post-Luther, with its teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, unmediated by the collective, and unsubordinate to any other human being, smashes straight through the philosophical/spiritual framework I've just described. It offers something to hold on to to those anxious to cast off a crushing tribal groupthink. That is why and how it liberates.

Those who want Africa to walk tall amid 21st-century global competition must not kid themselves that providing the material means or even the knowhow that accompanies what we call development will make the change. A whole belief system must first be supplanted.

And I'm afraid it has to be supplanted by another. Removing Christian evangelism from the African equation may leave the continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and the machete.

Winter thaw saves Christmas

2009-01-03T04:15:00.002+01:00

Of course we can celebrate the day of our Lord's birth without the bells and whistles, but I was happy to finally get to have the traditions and to see my family! We'll never dream of a White Christmas again! Here's pics of the belated Lebold Family Chistmas 2009 on Facebook. This was my first Christmas home in 3 years!

Photos from Birthday in Germany

2008-12-31T01:50:00.001+01:00

Here are some photos on Facebook of my day in Germany

Video of orphans singing

2008-12-31T01:17:00.002+01:00

I've been showing friends this video I took at the orphanage I'm invovled with and people seem to LOVE it, so I thought I'd post it on the House of Hope blog.

Free Passport photos

2008-12-25T01:59:00.003+01:00

Hey! Need an ID photo? Check out www.portraitbooth.com/. You can save digital passport photos to your computer and get them printed for the normal price of like 20 cents! Yay! Passport photos are normally so ugly and expensive! Or you can do wallets of your kids or whatever. Just upload a photo, choose the format you need, crop it how you want, and download it! It's great!!

Alternative Xmas and Year-End Giving

2008-12-22T03:03:00.002+01:00

Hello from iced over Salem, OR! Are you too stuck inside unable to complete your Christmas shopping? Or looking for a way to give away more money and not pay so many taxes? Consider giving to the House of Hope in Brazzaville, Congo. We'd really love to make a sizeable down payment on a new house for the orphanage by the end of the month. For more information see the blog about the project.

Merci beaucoup to all the precious people who have already donated! May God bless you!!

You Crazy Americans

2008-12-18T20:59:00.003+01:00

Whenever I come home after an extended time in another country it's fun to do a little anthropology on my own culture. Here's a few quick observations I've made so far...

--Rushing, rushing, rushing! Sheesh people! No body's rushed me in over a year, so I'm a little befuddled by all this hurrying and scurrying and worrying about being 5 minutes late. In Congo you say you'll be somewhere at say 10. But 10 is 10 until 10:59, so you can be almost an hour late and not be late at all!

--I'm not used to the kind of interpersonal relations we get with servers here. My waitress tells me her name and asks how I am! Congolese waitresses, a la francaise, kind of look like you're bothering them when they have to come take your order. Americans are hyper friendly when it comes to customer service.

--America is fat. Sorry folks, them's the facts. I'm used to twiggy Congolese bodies. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out why...we eat JUNK!!! When was the last time you actually had several servings of fresh fruits and veggies in a day? The Congolese diet isn't healthy either (sometimes the fish is actually floating in palm oil, the veggies are cooked to death and also floating in oil, fruit although it's falling off the trees all around isn't eaten much). But in our little missionary community I think we eat exceptionnally well--cooking from scratch, using lots of fresh fruit and veg, avoiding expensive snack foods, eating a lot of well-rounded home cooked meals. There are perks to the missionary life!!

--You can get stuff done here. Going to the PO isn't a major event like it is in Congo. You can get a week's grocery shopping done in an hour at just one store. The indoor temperature is perfectly adjusted for optimal comfort and productivity. I can get just about anywhere I want to go in my town in 15 minutes in my very own car. Woowee!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2008-12-18T20:48:00.006+01:00

Oregon doesn't usually get good snow. Just slush. But this week's been great! I decided to be snowed in with my sister and her family, so we're having fun!
I planned on staying one night and now it's been 4! One change of clothes...Fun times!

Just some photos

2008-11-24T18:06:00.001+01:00

A few more Facebook photos. Random life in Brazzaville

The Mandolin...coming soon to Jessica's repertoire

2008-11-22T16:14:00.000+01:00

So this is the funny story of why I will soon be playing the mandolin. A couple of months ago during a 40 day period I’d set aside to seek the Lord, I had the idea that a fun adventure when I come home on furlough would be to take up the mandolin. I confess I know virtually nothing about this instrument but the key factor was that I knew my brother had one. My mom had the inspiration to give him one for Christmas a few years back, but I’m not sure its strings have ever been plucked. I emailed my mom and she got Casey to locate his mandolin, and he went and pulled it out of the warehouse for me.

I don’t know the first thing about mandolin-playing so I also asked my mom to find me a teacher. Where do you go to take mandolin lessons? My mom just happens to be in the middle of working on a music project with a young man, and she was like, “Hey, he plays a lot of instruments, I’ll ask him.” Sure enough, he teaches mandolin! What are the odds? So I don’t know where this experience is going to lead me, probably not to Carnegie Hall, but I think it will be fun and who knows, maybe I’ll find a new passion and a way to express myself! It would be cool if I could use it to lead worship or to play with my Congolese musician friends. Yeehaw!

How God Gave Me a Car

2008-11-22T15:03:00.007+01:00

This is the amazing story of God giving me a car. Since He apparently wants me to have this car, I’m looking forward to seeing how He uses it in my life!

I’m going on a 3 month furlough starting in December. When I return to Congo in March 2009 I will be transitioning to a new assignment helping people use Scriptures in a local language here. When I was talking with my future supervisor about this work she asked if I would be able to obtain a vehicle. I’ve never wanted to have a car here since public transport and walking are so convenient and having a car is expensive and troublesome, but for traveling around the region for my work next year, public transport probably won’t cut it. I said I figured I could ask my partners and raise the funds if a vehicle was really necessary.

The NEXT DAY, I was driving along with some friends and I realized that they would be leaving Congo soon for a different assignment. “Are you going to be taking your car with you?” I asked. “No, we’re going to sell it or give it to a mission.” “You could sell or give it to me!” I said.

I decided not to say anything else about the car but just prayed. Two days later I got an email from my friend saying they were getting lots of offers for their car but that they would like to sell it to me if I wanted it. After reading the email I went on some errands and was praying about the car and composing a letter in my mind to some prayer partners asking for their advice. Not finding what I was looking for, I decided to stop in a little shop before heading home and there in the shop was my friend! She gave me a ride home in what would be my new car and we chatted about how to work out the details.

After prayer, counsel, and looking into the costs of maintaining a vehicle, I decided it was not only an offer too good to refuse, but that it was another open door from God for my work next year. It turned out to be less complicated if I just purchased the vehicle from them, rather than figuring out how to get it donated to me. But my friends decided to give me a donation for my ministry, which would give them the tax write-off they were looking for. When they wrote the check they made it out for much more than what I will pay for the car, so now I don’t even have to worry about the expenses of changing the papers or paying for insurance or maintenance or even a whole lot of fuel for the next year!

I was really touched by my friends’ generosity. The only sad part is the reason they can sell me their car is because they won’t be here anymore when I return. I look forward to telling them the stories of how God uses the car in the next year! Watch for updates on the Pathfinder’s travels in Congo :o)

PS: The photos of pushing the car were taken on our adventure with Carrie to see the gorillas. We found out after the trip that the 4-Wheel Drive wasn't actually working! We were very impressed with what the car did with just 2 wheels. Now that it's fixed they've been having even more fun driving all around!

Outta Town photos

2008-11-20T14:34:00.003+01:00

I finally posted some photos on Facebook of my trip to a town called Ngo when my friend Carrie came to visit in July.

Orphanage needs urgent help

2008-11-17T09:34:00.004+01:00

Hello my friends! The orphanage I've been going to for a year and a half now is in urgent need of a new house. Together we can buy them one! We're just getting it started, but check out: HouseOfHopeOrphanage.blogspot.com

Please pray that:
--People would give to the project and we'd be able to make a downpayment soon
--The owners wouldn't sell the house to someone else (they're receiving lots of offers but so far have been faithful to us)
--God would put peace in the hearts of the workers who are very stressed about the situation

You can also check out my Facebook photos of the kids.

Why I'm proud to be American today

2008-11-05T10:05:00.002+01:00

So I'm down right grumpy about election today, but as I read about it from my perspective here in Congo I still have cause to be happy for my country. Praise God for a country whose transitions of power are without violence! Praise God for a president who telephones to congratulate the new guy, promising to make it a smooth transition and telling him to go have a good time. And praise God for an opposing candidate who sees he's been defeated and graciously promises to do all he can to help his opponent succeed in his task. I'm thankful that we don't use force to determine the outcome of our elections. It's truly amazing.

I'm also proud of America because we have shown today that truly great strides have been made in our society. What joy for little old black ladies who lived through the civil rights movement to go and vote for the very first black president. So cool. And I'm happy that an entire continent can share in this victory as well, feeling that a great thing has been done for their whole race. People lean out their car windows and shout "Obama!" as I walk down the street :o)

So there is cause to celebrate America today! I did it by taking advantage of our tax dollars and eating a complimentary breakfast at the American cultural center. I even got a little Republican notepad :o) Consolation prize I guess! I also met the new ambassador who greeted me as "Linguistica" :o) Just never know who is reading this thing!

Who I spend my time with

2008-11-02T21:54:00.004+01:00

Meet Barb and Espérance. These are the friends I spend a big chunk of my time with. Barb lets me come over and enjoy her air-conditioned apartment and drink her cold coffee and tell my stories and listen to her godly counsel. Espérance is my Congolese confidant and my co-conspirator at the orphanage and choir. They both are like family to me and have been a big inspiration in my life and walk with God.

It's funny how age or race or background or nationality becomes irrelevant in the choice of our best friends. There's something magical about the way God brings people together. You just never know!

Twins

2008-11-02T21:14:00.004+01:00

Heather and I met up last night to go to a friends' house and discovered we were twins! And even another girl we got together with was also wearing jeans and a black top. So 3 out of the 4 women present were dressed alike. Spooky :o) This is the outfit I've decided to wear on the plane home (unless I buy something better on my day layover in Frankfurt). Yes, I'm already compulsively planning every detail of going home and it's still 4 weeks away. Family, think we can go to the Cheesecake Factory after the airport? PS: I'm not short, Heather's just REALLY tall!

The world watches

2008-10-29T22:18:00.001+01:00

I’ve been in northern Congo without Internet access for the past 3 weeks, so I at least have a legitimate excuse for this last blogging dearth! I figure to be a good blogger I better post something about the elections which seems to be the topic invading all of our lives, even here in Congo. I don’t have strong political persuasions (unless you count thinking that killing unborn children is a tragedy), so I’ll just give you a little rundown of what the elections look like from here.

Perched in Congo, my view of the US elections has been interesting. I feel out of touch but everyone else around me seems very clued in. I don't have a television, but every Congolese does. Not actually living on US soil, I'm not especially interested in the elections, but the rest of the world is. Today's experience was typical...

I was sitting in a restaurant with Heather licking an ice-cream cone. A man comes and sits at our table and proceeds to ask us 3 questions: Do you speak English? Will you help me learn English? Who are you voting for? When we said we weren't sure if we were voting or if we did who we would vote for, he pleaded with us to vote for Obama. I get the same request every where I go. The stranger today couldn't give us any reason for voting for him other than that it would be a change and he's black. I explained to this man that Bush was in fact the first American president to visit Africa in many a year and that he's given more aid to Africa than any previous president. Like everyone else, he didn't know that. Yet Bush is detested and Obama, solely on account of his skin, is seen as the future hope of the continent.

One night a few months ago I about fell off my chair when our rehearsal was interrupted by one of the common power cuts and a musician declared, "This wouldn't happen if Obama were president!" Wow! If a black man becomes president suddenly the problems of Congo will be solved?!!

My funniest (er, creepiest) experience regarding the election was in northern Congo where a man propositioned me, asking if we could make ‘little Obamas’ together. A Lebanese friend of mine was like, “What?! That’s so offensive. You’re a republican right? That’s political harassment!” I’m not sure if this is going to come across funny on my blog, but at the time it was hysterical.

My American readers are probably going, “Huh? This is all really crude and racist sounding.” I hesitate to post these things, but this is reality--and I got it approved by my mom first :o) I don’t think there’s any such thing as ‘color-blind’ in Africa. Maybe it doesn’t impact you and I that much to consider that a black man is running for president, but we are living in historic times and Congo knows it.

I find it fascinating how the world is following with such great interest the election of the next American president. What will his impact be on our planet? I fear many will be sorely disappointed because surely no one man can live up to the expectations of every American citizen, let alone 6 billion other people around the globe.

Still don’t know if I’ll vote. I got my absentee ballot in the mail, but I don’t know if I can get it back to the States in time. I might try to just for the sake of exercising my American rights, not because I believe any of these candidates are adequate for the task. I think my political strategy will have to be to pray really hard for whoever gets elected because he’s got an enormous job ahead of him.

“I urge, then, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savoir.” 1 Timothy 2:1-3.

Video about Bible Translation in Cameroon

2008-10-28T20:03:00.000+01:00

My dear friend Nathan from Ireland recently led a trip to Cameroon and here's the video he put together about their trip. It's a good reminder about the power of learning to read and receiving God's Word in one's own language.

I also like the part about how the people became aware of how special they are when this team came so far just to see them. I always hope that just my simple presence here in Congo might testify to someone of God's love for them. In fact, on my recent trip up north quite a number of pastors told us that it's absolutely essential for the believers there to travel so they understand that the message of the Gospel is universal and not something someone there just made up. A young man testified in one church service: "Doesn't it mean something to you that these people came here on account of the Word of God? It must be true if it could motivate someone to come so far!"

Monkey opens doors

2008-09-15T21:34:00.002+01:00

My cat is amazing. She can open all the doors in my house. The other night I even thought I saw her trying to turn the key in the lock!

New Profile Pic

2008-09-15T21:02:00.002+01:00

Time for a new photo

Running the race

2008-09-15T20:38:00.003+01:00

In August I attended my first marathon. It was quite the sight! I'm sure if you've seen one in Chicago or Boston you'd be quite surprised to know how it happens here in good ol' Brazzaville. First of all, the idea of running for a couple of hours, sucking all the polluted air deep into your lungs is kind of a frightening thought. Second of all nothing starts remotely on time here and it wasn't even scheduled to start until 8am. So it ended up starting after 10am. Imagine running a marathon at high noon on the equator! Yes!

Thirdly, yes, if you can see the photo, those girls are running barefoot and in socks. I'd say at least half the runners did not have footwear. Some were wearing sandals and very precious few had good running shoes. In spite all of this, my cute friend Amelia had great spirit! You go girl!

I've taken a liking to short jogs in the morning, but not sure I'll ever be ready for the Brazzaville International Marathon! When I run I always think of Romans 5:3 "We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope." When you run it feels good to work hard and persevere even when it hurts. And then you start to see results: stronger muscles, going longer distances; this is character. And then the pain to get there doesn’t seem important because you know you’re going to reach your destination; this is hope.

I love how God gives us physical metaphors to help us understand spiritual realities. The barefooted runners in the marathon were certainly symbolic of the hard working spirit of the Congolese in spite of limited resources. May God bless and strengthen the people of this country!

Gorillas!!

2008-08-20T23:01:00.002+01:00

Check out the pics from our awesome trip to a gorilla reserve!

Also, check out the coolest news ever about gorillas in my very own little Congo.

yeah, yeah

2008-08-15T20:27:00.003+01:00

OK, so I'm a terrible person. No bloggage in ages. Sorry people! I'm back. Here's a link to some photos on Facebook from Carrie's recent visit. She was here for 3 weeks, which partly explains my blogging silence.

No worries, much more blogging to come...

What missionaries do for fun

2008-06-29T19:11:00.005+01:00

Last week my teammate Dana sent out this invitation:

Come de-worm with us!

Dear all,

Yes, hard to believe it’s been 6 months already, but it’s time to flush the system! Won’t you come de-worm with us? Grab your meds and join us as we celebrate the start or finish of treatment.

We’ll have a nice dinner chez nous on Wed 25 June around 6:45. All the yummy servings will have the shape and/or texture of our favorite parasite. Don’t be afraid! Just wiggle on over!

Please let us know if you can make it.

See you then.

Dana and Heather

Note the wiggly yarn garnishing the table. We ate spaghetti and green beans. Even Monkey joined in and brought her pills too.

Facebook photos from June

2008-06-24T22:32:00.002+01:00

Here are some recently uploaded photos of interviews with pastors, a BBQ, a concert, etc.

PS: My friend Carrie comes in only 20 days!!!!

"Revealed Medicine"

2008-06-24T22:02:00.005+01:00

Last week I interviewed pastors and visited a number of parishes of a large denomination here in Brazzaville. I really enjoy this work because we get to see cool things that God is doing in this country and we get to meet wonderful people who are serving Him.

At several of the churches they mentioned their "therapy center" or their practice of "revealed medicine." At one parish they invited us to come see. These leaves and roots were arranged on the floor. We were told they are used to make tea to heal various ailments. They know which ones to use according to the inspiration God gives (although I think they also have knowledge of the healing properties of the various plants). I asked if something could be done for my eczema since it's hard to find things that help it. "Nothing is too difficult for God," they said. I was told to come back in the afternoon.

When I arrived these pots were boiling over large fires in this courtyard. It was really cool to see! Several people were sitting on a bench, presumably awaiting their treatment, while several men and women bustled around checking on the pots, taking out the roots, etc.

They called me into the office and the man who had talked to me earlier in the day presented me with a wine bottle full of the freshly brewed tea. "Take a half a glass full three times a day, " he said. "And put this oil with these crushed leaves on your skin in the morning and at night after you've bathed." He prayed for me, thanking God that I had come all the way to Africa and that I would trust my African brothers and sisters to take care of me. I think people thought it was cool that I would try their methods and have faith. He told me, "Don't put your faith in the tea. It is God who will heal you. We are the intermediaries, hearing from God what to give you for your healing." There was a really sweet spirit in the place.

So I'll have to report on how it goes. I've been taking the stuff and so far it seems like it's maybe a little worse :o) But I know that if God wants this to be the way He heals my skin that He'll do it and it will be for His glory. If not, then He has another plan.

I'm thankful that there are churches helping people in this way because pharmaceutical treatments can be so expensive. Also, many Christians are still tempted to see the fetisher when they have a problem. This is a great way for them to be able to seek help while also satisfying their need to handle problems on a spiritual level. Reminds me as well that even when I'm taking more "scientific" meds that I still need to put my faith in God and not in the pills. Ultimately He is our Healer and we can't do anything without Him. Our faith "does not rest on man's wisdom, but on God's power." (1 Corinthians 2:5)

Principles of Language Learning

2008-06-17T13:43:00.001+01:00

Since I’ve been planning my own lessons in Laari, I’ve been dredging up from the recesses of my mind the things that I learned back in 2002 at Oregon SIL in my Language and Culture Learning class. Here are a few principles of language learning that you’ll want to apply if you’re wanting to break the great American monolingual mold.
• Get comprehensible input. I don’t know why, but when we start learning a language we want to collect long lists of words and try to memorize complicated expressions right from the start. We should begin by spending time listening to things we can understand, which often means using concrete objects. When I wanted to learn the names of different food items, I brought in a basket of food, learned the phrase “What do you call this in Laari?”, and began pointing to items and writing down their names. Then I had my consultant ask me to give him or touch different items as he called them out. Sometimes he can’t resist making it more complicated and adding in new things, but I just keep reminding him that I need to focus on what I can actually understand. Sometimes he can add new things in a comprehensible way, such as by showing me what he wants me to do as he gives the command.

• This leads us to another important principle: Total Physical Response (TPR). This means actually doing or touching the thing you are talking about. Sit down and stand up as you learn those verbs. Pick up the tomato and the onion as you memorize those words. Our brains just function better this way. Also, it allows you to associate the new vocabulary with the item or action itself, rather than with the word you know in English.

• Listen first. This is just a good principle for life in general, eh? In language learning it means hearing the words and phrases many times before you try to pronounce them. One good tool for doing this is to make recordings of the vocabulary to listen to over and over. Another way is by doing drills where you respond to commands given by your consultant. Only after hearing and recognizing words many times should you attempt to use them yourself; and you’ll be surprised how much you can say when you open your mouth the first time if you’ll really spent a good amount of time listening first.

• Another handy tool I like is to use photos. I cut out pictures from magazines, looking for different kinds of people and common actions such as someone washing their face or eating. I started by learning phrases like “This is a man,” “These are women,” “This is a girl,” etc. Then I added descriptors: “He is tall,” “There are two women,” “They are beautiful.” etc. Next I plan on describing actions in the photos (“The women are dancing”) and talking about the setting (“The girls are in the kitchen”). For verb practice you can describe the picture using different tenses (“Yesterday the women danced.”). More advanced speakers can make up stories about the photo, describing what happened before and after the present scene (“The women were tired after coming home from work, so they danced and now they feel happy.”).

Those are just a few of the principles of language learning that I have been applying and it has proven to be a fun way to study. My consultant is impressed with the method and thinks I’m learning quickly. Bon apprentissage! Happy studies!

Doo-doo's Day Card

2008-06-13T17:57:00.000+01:00

Make a Smilebox free ecard

Socks, sweatshirts, and La Saison Seche

2008-06-13T14:50:00.003+01:00

So it's the beginning of the dry season, which also happens to be the cool season. Hallelujah! The Congolese are pulling out their sweaters and scarves and winter coats. I'm not quite that bad, although I have a confession...Today I'm wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt, shoes and socks. Granted, this afternoon it's feeling a bit warm, but this morning I was seriously cold!

I decided I should find out what the temperature actually is. According to Yahoo Weather it is currently 84 degrees. There's something wrong with people here, including me! But the low was 64, which you have to admit would feel really cold if you're used to 80s and 90s and 99% humidity. Today the humidity is only 62%. In any case, this means I've got problems when I go back to the States in December!

bo betsy--hand embroidered sweetness for you!

2008-06-12T11:13:00.005+01:00

Hey everybody, my Good Sistah Cathie Jo has started a store at etsy.com ("your place to buy and sell all things handmade"). She's got some really cute embroidered items and there's a big sale going on until June 15th--free shipping within the US! Check it out here

Someone is watching...

2008-06-07T16:20:00.001+01:00

Hey! Check this out! I'm being watched. Better be careful what I post!

More Adventures in Language Learning

2008-06-06T14:23:00.001+01:00

I’m learning a new language. Not that I’ve mastered Lingala already, but I’ve decided to move on to Laari because it’s the language most of my friends speak and it’s the main language where I do my marketing, so I have more opportunities to hear and use it than I do Lingala right now.

Laari is more difficult. Lingala is a trade language so it’s simpler in some ways, kind of like the grammar of English is simpler than German. Laari has more of the typical features of Bantu languages. Here are some fun things I’ve learned so far.

There are 15 noun classes, which means that a lot of words in a sentence are different depending on the class of the noun one is talking about. Just to say something like “Is there ____?” requires different forms:
Dimpa ha die? Is there bread?
Nsusu ha ye? Is there chicken?
Mbiji ha ze? Is there fish?
Loso ha lue? Is there rice?
Mungwa ha we? Is there salt?

My Lingala sometimes helps me because there are some words that are the same:
Sala: to work
Tala: to watch
Mona: to see
Loso: rice
Mafuta: palm oil
Etc.

And sometimes the words are similar to what they are in Lingala and I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep the two languages separate!
Lingala: Mbisi Laari: Mbiji “fish”
Lingala: Telema Laari: Telama “to stand”
Lingala: Soso Laari: Nsusu “chicken”
Etc.

When learning a language it’s always interesting to pick up on some cultural items. For example in Laari there are two words for “to lick.” One is for licking like we would an ice-cream cone and the other is just when you stick your tongue on something once. I’m like “Why do you need a word for sticking your tongue on something?” Apparently they do that a lot for when they have some salt or sugar on their hand. Not really sure of how that works just yet, but it’s important enough to have its own verb!

When my language tutor had the opportunity to teach me whatever he wanted one day (as opposed to me planning the lesson), the important expressions he wanted me to know included the commands: “Bury your spit” (like cover it up after you spit on the ground), “Wipe your mouth” and “Stop making noise.” Not exactly the first expressions I would think of to teach a beginning English speaker!

Learning local languages is fun here because people freak out and are so encouraging. You can just say a simple greeting and they’re like, “You speak my language!” My friends don’t get tired of hearing me say the same simple phrases, “I’m fine and you?”, “Until tomorrow,” etc. People also get a kick out of learning that I have a Laari name, “Mikembi.” A boy at the orphanage exclaimed, “That’s an old person’s name, like a mama who works out in the field!”

There’s a French guy here who sings with a Congolese group and speaks fluent Lingala and Laari. I heard when taxis pick him up they won’t let him pay. People all over recognize him. He’s highly revered for his adaptation to the culture, like a legendary hero. Someday…

life mottos

2008-06-05T10:17:00.002+01:00

So I've made a new hobby of creating personal life mottos the past couple months. They take on a sort of informal vow-like quality for me...

"Everything is better with basil." So true. With basil sold at the market for about 25 cents I've decided I should put it on and in pretty much everything I eat. And don't forget the fresh pesto!

"Never drink Nescafe." After all the great espresso in Kenya and Ethiopia, I've sworn off the stuff at our coffee breaks at the office. Why do I drink something I don't even like? No, friends don't let friends drink instant.

"Don't bother posting videos." (not really a life motto, but I need to vent) OK, so 5 stinkin' days ago I posted 3 clips. This was like a technological miracle. Where's the love? Granted, they weren't fantastic, but I was so excited to finally share my choir with everyone and what do I get? Silence. See if I post any more videos!!

A few more pics

2008-06-01T00:38:00.004+01:00

Hey, since I've got a good connection I'm just uploading everything I can! Added a few more pics to the Facebook album. Went to an amazing concert tonight. If you like Jack Johnson, check out "Tete" who is like his French counterpart. His latest album is "Le Sacre des Lemmings." Haven't heard it yet but I'm ordering it this week.

Monkey's Theatrical Debut

2008-06-01T00:28:00.002+01:00

This is a lame video intended for the familial audience only. I figured they'd like to meet their grandcat slash cat niece. I tried to capture Monkey Business playing with her ball. She usually does summersaults, but of course for the video she just wants to lay there. Cats.

Another video!

2008-05-31T16:54:00.002+01:00

This was our best song at the concert last weekend. Awesome soloist!!