Lovely new profile pic

First Concert with Karisma

Hey! My roomie and I sang in our first Karisma Gospel choir concert--2 concerts in fact! On Sunday we sang at an outdoor venue, dressed like beautiful Congolese women. Then tonight we sang at the French Cultural Center. We placed second in the gospel section of a jazz competition. I'll see about posting video sometime, although I doubt our connection will allow me to upload such a thing. We'll see. Anywho, it was tons of fun. We love getting to be friends with the other singers and performing with such a popular group is a thrill.

Meet my friends

Having Congolese friends has been one of my biggest goals, but it's also one of my biggest challenges. First it's hard to find the ones with whom you have a lot in common. Then you have to find ways of building up the relationship and you have to learn to communicate in their language and in each other's ways of expressing friendship. Some things are universal, but other things are not, or are at least expressed differently.

I have to choose to not be offended when people ask me for things or when they show up late, because I know that they are not being rude, they're just acting in ways that are normal for them. Sometimes I wonder how many ways I'm seeming rude to them too and don't realize it because I'm just doing what's normal for me as an American. For example, I don't often think to ask about their families or about their health, which are basic ways of being polite and expressing friendship here. When I think of how much grace and patience it takes for us to navigate a cross-cultural relationship, I'm amazed that I have so many friends here! Thanks God! Please help us!

This is Geritte and Esperance. They are 2 of my favorite friends. We laugh a lot together and have good discussions about God and our spiritual lives. We all enjoy music and singing and learning new languages.

Meet the new love of my life

I'm back in Congo but sadly I don't have a cat anymore. My cat from last year, Frecky, was only on loan and her family is back in the country to take care of her now.

Yesterday I went to the Mauritanian mini mart across the street and saw that they had a pretty decent looking orange cat. Cats around here tend to look pretty mangy, so when you see a nice one it's of note. I told the young clerk that he should tell me if ever his cat has kittens. "She has kittens!" he exclaimed. "Where? At home?" "No, here." "Really?! Where?!" "Behind the notebooks." Sure enough, on a shelf behind the notebooks the kittens were snuggled away.

I went to see them again today and informed the clerk that when they are 6 weeks old I will take a boy cat. I think they're about one week at this point. I'll be lucky if they hold on to them until 6 weeks; I'm sure by 4 they'll be wanting to get rid of them, but that's not really old enough in my opinion.

Anyways, this is Monkey Business, hopefully my future cat. Depends on if he's really a boy or if he turns out to be a girl--kinda hard to tell when they're so small and furry :o) We hope he will be friendly and affectionate. He's already got the cute factor going for him.
This is my new roommate Theresa from Germany with our cat, Monkey Business.

The Internet is not my friend

I take back anything good I ever said about our connection here. I've been trying to send my newsletter all week and it won't leave my outbox! I'll load a webpage and by the time I click on something else I've already lost the connection. OK, just venting and letting ya'll know why you never hear from me. Well, that's partly why...the other part is I haven't figured out where emailing fits into my schedule yet. Sorry! I'll talk to you someday...

Uncle Bob 1937-2007

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

some summer pics

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

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

A few new pics of Congo

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

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

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

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

Greetings from Brazzaville

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

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

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

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

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

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

more Facebook photos

A few pics from the last month

More pictures of Congo on Facebook

Ouesso trip with Mom

First 2 months in Ouesso

Off to the land I love...

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

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

Amber's wedding pics

Here are some more pics on Facebook...

Amber's Wedding

Urgent: cheap digital cameras needed

Hi! Yes, I'm due for a real blog post, but first I have a question...

Anybody out there got a used digital camera to sell? I'm looking for 2 cameras at about $40 each to purchase on behalf of 2 Congolese colleagues. Let me know asap if you do 'cause I leave in just 2 weeks!

Thanks!
Jessica

Living and loving the African life

People ask me all the time if living in Africa is hard. It does have its downsides, most notably the fact that it’s located thousands of miles from my family. The public restrooms are atrocious, and I’m not free to express myself in my mother tongue. Other than that, it’s really not too hard to live there. In fact, I feel that living in Africa facilitates a lot of good things in my life. Here are a few that come to mind:

1) I have easier access to solitude. Because I have a limited network of relationships and because not much happens after 9pm there and because I have my own place and because I don’t have a television, I seem to find more evenings to spend in prayer or doing a creative endeavor or just reading.

2) I am more generous. The Congolese obligate generosity. There are just so many needs and they tell you about them and ask for your help. To be a real friend you have to be giving.

3) I am less of a consumer/garbage generator. There’s just not a whole lot to buy. Things don’t come with as much packaging. I don’t get junk mail. I can give stuff away that I don’t need anymore, including empty jars or plastic bottles.

4) I am constantly improving myself. You just can’t get away with a lot of junk in your life; it comes out ugly under the stress. I am always surrounded by seasoned missionaries who voluntarily mentor me and help me grow. The challenges that I face force me to become a better person.

So yeah, it can be hard. But I wouldn’t trade the benefits for anything. I’m happy to be going back in 4 weeks. In spite of the distance. And the toilets.

Facebook Photos

Check out my new albums on Facebook

Congolese people

Brazzaville daily life

My orphans

Summer 2007

My Congolese Self in America: #2 Church

OK, it must be time to talk about Congo some more. Unfortunately my biggest disappointment in coming back to the States has been church. I just haven’t found the fellowship and worship I was looking forward to. The first Wednesday I was home I went to the evening service at my home church and didn’t know anyone! I went back to the youth group and didn’t know anyone there either! So I ended up leaving early simply because I didn’t have anyone to sit next to. So where does Congo enter in? Well, I’ve been shocked at how many services and different churches I can go to without ever being introduced! (Although there have been exceptions!) I was so used to Congo where when a person comes back from a trip or when a minister visits from out of town, they get a minute to give a report or they are at least greeted from the pulpit. It’s a really big deal for Congolese and I’m used to getting acknowledged quite a bit in church over there. On the other hand, there’s something nice about being able to go to church here and NOT be noticed! :o)

It’s also odd going to church here because it doesn’t feel natural to me anymore. I’ve been to a lot of different churches this summer, but everywhere I see all the cultural traditions we have, rather than just joining in like I used to. I feel like more of an observer than a participant in our huge concert-like services. I notice how nice our buildings are and what elaborate sound systems we have. This is disappointing because I was looking forward to being back home where I wouldn’t have to be distracted by cultural issues in church!

I hesitate to write this entry because I really love a lot of churches here and believe they are doing just what God has called them to. I don’t want to sound like I’m bashing the American church. I’m not, I’m just saying how I see it through my Congolese eyes. I think this is a pretty common experience for missionaries who come home.

I guess if I were really Congolese I’d have a few other things to say—like “People! Get up and move when you sing!” :o) The Congolese would love to hear our beautiful worship songs, but ultimately I think they’d prefer their own music. If I were Congolese I think I’d be very jealous of all the wealth that the church here enjoys and I’d probably ask if they could spare something for the church in Africa! All of the churches I’ve visited are VERY giving, yet I don’t think a Congolese would see that when it’s obvious that those churches still enjoy a great amount of money for themselves. Our wealth and living standards are just so foreign to them.

So I’m left with knowing that even if no single service or church building is going to completely make me feel at home, I’m on the road to my heavenly home and I can get a taste of it no matter where I am when I’m in Jesus’ presence and with His people.

The Joys of Roadtripping

Cathie Jo having way too much fun.
My impersonation of Cathie Jo

Hiller depicting just how hungry we were for In 'n Out Burger

At last!!

Cutest baby In 'n Out's ever seen

Off to Texas

Howdy from PDX. I'm off to Dallas this afternoon with my dear friend Cortney. Came back Monday night from a roadtrip to Sacramento with my mom, sister and sister's kids. Pics to come, my battery is going to die.

PS: Best quote from the roadtrip: Oh no! We forgot the dictionary. How are we going to understand what Mom is saying?

My Congolese Self in America: #1 Transport, Time, Etc.

So people keep asking me questions like “So has anything changed since you came back?” “What’s it like to be home after living in Congo?” Some days I think that nothing has changed at all (after all, it was only a year and a half that I was gone) and other days I feel like I’m on a foreign planet. It’s my perception of things that has changed more than any real change here in Oregon. I want to write about it and describe what I see to you, but I think I’ll have to do it in several installments. Here’s installment #1. Pardon me if I ramble.

It’s funny the things you notice when you come home from a country like Congo. You notice things you never noticed before. Our neighborhood streets are REALLY wide. And they’re paved! Having a car gives you a lot of freedom, which makes life a lot more complicated because there are so many people you can zip over to see and so many things you can zip around to do. In Brazzaville the bus only stops at so many locations, you know? But we still never seem to be able to get where we’re going fast enough. In America being in a hurry and being busy are quite virtuous.

I’ve found that I have a bit more of a cushion of time now. A few minutes doesn’t make a difference to me anymore, so sitting a little longer in traffic or being stuck behind a slow truck doesn’t stress me. Being 10 minutes late is no big deal at all, whether I’m the one who is late (which I usually am) or whether I’m the one waiting for someone else. It stresses me out that for people around me those things are big deals. I’m like, How can you expect someone to be on time right down to the minute? In Congo you make appointments by the hour. If you arrive at 10:59, it’s still 10 o’clock!

I wear a button on my purse that says “I (heart) Congo.” I think it gives me a sense of identity and unity within myself. Like I can drive around this frenetic town and still be the girl who lives in Congo. When I feel like I come from a different planet, I can just point to the pin and be like, “Yeah, I know I’m weird; I just got home from Congo,” and that seems to make sense to me and everybody else.