The Wedding of the Century

A blog about Amber’s 7/7/07 wedding is long overdue! The word to capture the essence of this wedding event is “extravagant.” I doubt if any of the Oregonians present had ever seen anything like it! We relished every moment. It was held at the Resort at the Mountain at Mount Hood in Welches, OR. It was a full 4 days, so I’ll just mention the highlights. Hopefully the photos and my words can do it some sort of justice. I'll post more photos later too.

The bridal party kicked off the weekend on Thursday with a white water rafting trip. Tremendously fun, or “double super gnar gnar” as our rafting guide put it. Yes, everyone thought we were absolutely insane to attempt such a feat just days before the sacred ceremony, but we managed to sustain only very minor injuries.

Thursday night was the rehearsal, followed by a formal dinner overlooking the golf course. Amber presented each of the bridesmaids with a heart necklace from Tiffany’s to wear in the wedding. Amber’s been my friend for 20 years, so I’m thrilled to have this little token that I’ll still be wearing 20 years from now to remember her special day and our dear friendship by.


Friday more of the guests arrived, including my parents, and we had a buffet dinner. In the afternoon we got manicures and pedicures. My person said I had African feet :o) My toes are the darkest part of me!

Saturday we began our beauty treatments bright and early, including professionally done hair and makeup. Not sure any of us have ever looked that good before! Amber was resplendent. It was her best day!
The weather fully cooperated for the outdoor ceremony. One might think that having a whole wedding weekend might detract from the focal point of the ceremony, but not so. It was delightfully done. Our former band director’s husband officiated and he did a great job. It was special to hear him read what Amber and Glenn had written about why they wanted to marry each other. I read a poem called “Indian Wedding Blessing,” the last line of which Amber and Glenn had engraved on their rings: The adventure has just begun. I was thrilled they liked the reading so much!


After the ceremony we had a cocktail hour while the family took pictures with the happy couple. Then the party began. The reception was in a tent which had been transformed into one of the prettiest rooms I’ve ever seen. The food was great, but the highlight was the music and dancing. A FABULOUS band from Portland played, and they were so good you had to see if it was them or a CD playing. The DJ apparently spins for Phil Knight’s (CEO Nike’s) personal parties. Both the band and the DJ played very danceable music like jazz and funk and oldies. All I can say is “wow”!!! SO MUCH FUN!!!!




Sunday morning we closed the event with a buffet brunch. Never seen such a breakfast spread! Have you ever eaten chocolate mousse in the morning? Highly recommended. So that’s about it. It was great to get together with old friends, get all dressed up, and celebrate with Amber and Glenn. I can’t think of a better way to begin a life together. May God bless your union forever!!

Napoleon Sighting

Sweet! I finally feel justified in my claim to fame as coming from the same home town and high school as Jon Heder (aka Napoleon Dynamite). My sister, nephew, neice and I were driving to the Salem Art Fair. As we passed my old high school I noticed 4 cool looking dudes walking down the street with cameras around their necks. I said, "Hey, one of those guys looked like Napoleon Dynamite!" We couldn't find parking so we came back around the block and drove right by the men again. Cathie Jo was like, "Get a good look this time!" She slowed slightly and as I stared out the window, Nappy D himself turned and looked at me. It was a beautiful moment. I have no idea why, but we were very excited about it the rest of the day. Yeah, I know I'm cool.

Mindy's wedding

I'm so glad I was able to be back for my friend Mindy's wedding! It was a delight to be with her on her special day. I'm so happy for Mindy and Lucas--they both waited for God to bring them the right person and purity is a beautiful thing.



I love the blue of the dresses, but this pic already looks outdated to me 'cause I have new glasses! Yeah, when I finally get a new camera (going on 7 months since mine broke) I'll let ya see what they look like. Maybe I'll go for laser surgery next furlough, but for now I'm enjoying my new look.


While Mindy and Lucas went off on their honeymoon, a bunch of us had a blast at a reunion of old church friends. Watch out for the beave!

Home Again Jiggedy Jig

Greetings from beautiful Oregon!

Time has flown by these past 2 weeks in the States. I was the Maid of Honor in a wedding 5 days after I got home, and I'll be a bridesmaid in another wedding this coming weekend, so that has kept be quite busy, but it's been a great opportunity to see lots of old friends.

I was greeted at the airport by my family and friend Carrie, complete with big posters and balloons. It was great.

I'll have to start blogging about all the things I've noticed since coming back before they become commonplace again. I was commenting to my mom today about how ridiculous our very wide paved roads seem to me now. It's awesome being able to drink tap water again. I pretty much only want to listen to Congolese music. I miss the solitude/alone time that I had in Africa, which is funny 'cause that was one of the things that was hardest for me to get used to there. Shopping is pure bliss here.

More later.

Conference

I'm off today for a branch conference. We'll be out at a retreat center until Monday the 11th, so I will be without Internet access until then. I didn't get around to sending out a prayer update, but if you think of me, please be in prayer for this week of important business meetings and for the 3 days of spiritual retreat at the end. I am in charge of planning and coordinating the fun activities for the week, so you can pray that what I have worked on will truly be fun, helping a lot of stressed people to relax and bringing us closer together as a group.

When I return I will have just a week left in Congo to pack up my stuff, tie up all the loose ends, and say my goodbyes before I arrive in Portland on the 18th.

What Congo Has Taught Me #3

People are not interruptions. If you’re working away and someone comes along to talk to you, how to you respond? For an African, this person is more important than the work they were doing. Moreover, the fact that this person crossed your path means that they are God’s will for you in that moment!

I am learning that my relationships with people are actually my most important work here. Even more importantly, I’m realizing that my interactions with people are almost the only thing that counts in God’s eyes. Without those same people who “interrupt” me, it’s impossible to practice love, which is the most important commandment and the only way of making God real amongst us.

In the West we isolate ourselves. We build castles and put hedges around those castles and we close ourselves up inside. If we want to see someone, we let down the drawbridge and extend an invitation. This is known as hospitality.

In Congo you don’t close your door. Anyone could walk through at any moment. A surprise visitor will be offered whatever is available; if you have enough for one, you have enough for two. There’s always time or food or a bed. This is African hospitality.

I have a long way to go before I will value people the way they should be valued.

What Congo Has Taught Me #2

There’s no need to be self-conscious about expressing yourself. I love the way Africans seem able to just sing and dance at just about any old time, whether or not anyone else is participating. You can walk down the street singing at the top of your voice. If you’re talking to someone and a song comes to mind, just sing it out! If you are happy, why not do a little dance?

I think I’m making some progress in this area, mostly because I’ve been persistent in pushing past my comfort zone and have continued to get involved in music here. It’s no longer very difficult to sing for people who want to just hear what my voice sounds like, or to try out a solo part in front of a group of outstanding vocalists. But I’ve still got a long way to go before I’ll be the kind of performer they are! They do everything with their whole heart, no self-consciousness at all.

What Congo Has Taught Me #1

I’ve been realizing lately that I’ve learned a lot of important lessons in the past year. Many good things have come clear to me on account of the stark contrast between the Congolese culture and my own. Overseas living is good for that; you stay in your own culture and you think everything is normal, when in reality there are things about it that aren’t good. Here’s what Congo (mostly the Congolese people themselves) has taught me:

#1 There’s no need to be embarrassed about your body. People here will be like “Hey, you’ve got pimples on your forehead. What’s causing that?” I’m like “Excuse me? Just leave me alone!” But for them it’s not something I need to be embarrassed about. If you’re short they have no problem making fun of it, or you will even make fun of it yourself. If you’re fat it’s just a plain fact everybody can comment on. Some of the things they say about people I find quite insulting, but on the other hand just to be open and honest about bodies is rather refreshing. They simply aren’t embarrassed of their bodies. Here’s a passage from “The Poisonwood Bible” that I really enjoy:

“The lady in the little house that’s pretty close to ours is Mama Mwanza. One time her roof caught on fire and fell on her and brunt up her legs but not the rest of her…Mama says that was the poor woman’s bad luck, because now she has got to go right on tending after her husband and her seven or eight children. They don’t care one bit about her not having any legs to speak of. To them she’s just their mama and where’s dinner? To all the other Congo people, too.

“Used to be Adah was the only one of us in our family with something wrong with her. But here nobody stares at Adah except just a little because she’s white. Nobody cares that she’s bad on one whole side because they’ve all got their own handicap children or a mama with no feet, or their eye put out. When you take a look out the door, why, there goes somebody with something missing off of them and not even embarrassed of it. They’ll wave a stump at you if they’ve got one, in a friendly way.

“Father said, ‘They are living in darkness. Broken in body and soul, and don’t even see how they could be healed.’ Mama said, ‘Well, maybe they take a different view of their bodies.’ Father says the body is the temple. But Mama said to him, ‘Well, here in Africa that temple has to do a hateful lot of work in a day.’ She said, ‘Why, Nathan, here they have to use their bodies like we use things at home—like your clothes or your garden tools or something. Where you’d be wearing out the knees of your trousers, sir, they just have to go ahead and wear out their knees!’”

The Countdown is ON

Hi y'all!

Sorry there hasn't been too much blogage going on these days. I've just been having too much fun in Congo to spend time in front of my computer getting angry at our unreliable and sluggishly slow Internet connection!

Somehow a lot of things have really come together for me the last few months. I'm so much more at ease here than I've ever been, both in my work and with my Congolese friends. Others have remarked on my growth. For about a year everyone (especially myself) have been wondering how in the heck I'll handle being team leader when I come back in October and find myself with two new ladies to work with. But seriously all of a sudden a lot of things have come together for me. I have ideas, I'm asking the right kinds of questions, I feel more confident, I have a positive outlook on the coming year. So I praise the Lord that He knows our needs and does all things well!

Although this new progress makes leaving a bit harder, I'm so so thankful that I can go home looking forward to coming back. I leave in 2 1/2 weeks! I will be in the US (mostly in Oregon) for 3 1/2 months. I'm looking forward to wearing closed-toed shoes, eating cereal with real milk, driving, shopping, and blending into the crowd. Of course the biggest deal will be seeing my family and I am praying that this summer I can be a blessing in the lives of my friends. (See you soon!)

Double cause to celebrate

Hello! Did you know that today is a holiday? Two in fact! First of all, it is Ascension Day. I found out the hard way that it is a holiday...I'm up in my house working away on my computer and I went down for coffee break to find that it hadn't been served. A little annoyed and wondering why the woman who puts the break stuff out didn't show up for work, I wandered over to the office. "Hmmm, that's weird. Why are the gates shut?" I go in and everything is all locked up and no one is there! "Uh, is it a holiday?" I go over to the director's house to find him and his wife and another couple chatting away drinking coffee together. "What?!! Nobody told me! I've been working!" :o)

Read this post from two years ago to find out about today's holiday.

What's the 2nd cause to celebrate? Well, a few days ago Brent and Brock, the director's two kids, were like "May 17th is Miss Jessica Day. We have to respect you all day long." Wow! We joked about it again yesterday and then this morning I heard a little tap at my door. Brent and Brock were there with a plate of steaming hot cinnamon rolls. Mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!! Brent said, "Even though we tease you a lot we just wanted you to know that we really love you." Wow again! So precious. Pretty thoughtful for 6 and 8 year old boys, doncha think?
I felt kind of bad that I put "Miss Jessica Day" on my calendar when it turned out to be the Ascension! Sorry Jesus! :o) Can you tell from these mischievious photos that a whole day of respect is a big deal? :o)

The Guinea Fowl and the Lion

Lion and Guinea Fowl had been friends for many years. One day, Lion was chosen to be king of the animals. Lion sent one of his children to share the good news with his friend Guinea Fowl. Lion also sent word that he needed to wear a crown decorated with guinea fowl feathers. And so Guinea Fowl was asked to give all his feathers for the king’s crown.
Guinea Fowl was embarrassed and frightened by the request. But what else could he do? He couldn’t refuse. So, with the help of his wife he plucked out all of his feathers and brought them to the king.
As a result, Guinea Fowl was very sick for a long time afterwards, and his family wondered if he might even die. But, little by little, his feathers grew back and he recovered. Over the years Lion and Guinea Fowl remained close friends. One day, Guinea Fowl’s son became very ill, and the only thing that could cure him was a lion’s pelt. But where in the world could he find a lion’s pelt? All of a sudden he remembered his friend Lion, the king.
So Guinea Fowl sent word to Lion to see if he would help them. Poor Lion was embarrassed and frightened by this request, but how could he refuse someone who had demonstrated such close friendship in the past. So Lion began to skin himself... and died in the process.
This story shows us that we should never ask something of a friend that might cost them their life.

My colleague Trista got this story from her French tutor (who was also my Lingala teacher) and after a half hour of discussion with him, she concluded that the message of the story in a Congolese man's eyes is that it's good to ask your friends for things, but you shouldn't ask too much. This is a very good thing for us to know because people are ALWAYS asking for things and it can be really annoying. But if we understand that to them it's acceptable and appropriate, we won't be so offended about it. So far no one has asked me for the skin off my back (although I have been asked for my hair!) so I guess we're doing OK.

Things people ask for include: taking them to the States, helping them find an education program (abroad or by correspondence), food, money, medicine, English lessons, phone credits, something you're wearing that they like, bus or taxi fare, etc. The person asking could be your best friend or someone on the street. I generally don't give anything to people I don't know (families are big here, they should be asking their relatives if they're really in need) but managing friends' requests is a little harder. If I follow my African colleagues' example, I will help people in need whenever I have the ability to do so. I am like a big sister to all my jobless musician friends so it's my role to help them out.

But it's not always easy to accept. Imagine if your good friends started coming to you all the time asking for things! You would get mad or feel used. It's the same for me except I have to tell myself to interpret it differently. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't. But I'm learning.

Living Faith

Thursday night was one of my best meetings with my girls from church. They were all there, which was amazing ‘cause they’ve been super busy with the end of the school year and attendance has been pretty spotty. But they were there and we had a great discussion. They were attentive and interested and even looking up verses for themselves.

The preacher on Sunday had talked about how we will be judged not by our faith but by our works. The Bible does say over and over that we will be judged according to what we do in this life, but I was a little concerned that he didn’t emphasize the fact that we’re saved by grace. So I looked at Ephesians 2:8-9 with my girls, to make sure they understand this foundational truth. We’re working on memorizing it in French and Lingala:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

But we also held up this truth in relation to what James has to say:

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:14, 17

Unintentionally on my part, this teaching went incredibly well with what we were experiencing as a group. On Sunday we had gone to the orphanage for my girls’ first visit there. I’d had to leave early, but the girls ended up staying quite late and apparently the kids begged them not to leave even then. They played and played and then had a really great praise and worship time together. The girls were so excited to report to me how well it had gone, how the kids loved them, how God really came and did a work in their midst.


We often hear “faith without deeds is dead,” but what about faith WITH deeds? It’s so alive! After having spent themselves in service at the orphanage, I could see my girls’ faith just bursting with life. Nothing better than knowing you’ve done something for someone else and feeling the Spirit of the Lord work through you. So satisfying, so life-giving.

Trip to Nkayi

I’m back from 2 weeks in Nkayi. It was a fun time ‘cause I got to stay with my friend Elizabeth in her beautiful house. She’s probably the person I have the most in common with here…she’s just a few years older, she’s American, she too decided to work in Bible translation when she was only a teenager, she likes to sing, she studied French in Neuchâtel, we took the survey class together in Dallas, etc. She enjoys that I snort when she makes me laugh :o) We ate a lot of good meals with her Chinese-American housemate Chialin and her super great house helper Mama Brigit. Here I am making some delicious pesto by pounding it Congolese style.



Nkayi is quite a bit different from Ouesso, so it was interesting to add to my Congolese experience. Nkayi has a population of about 70,000, 4th largest in the country, while Ouesso has maybe 30,000. The electricity is the best in the country—power cuts occur only occasionally and last maybe 1 minute! In Brazza we have cuts nearly daily for hours at a time and in Ouesso most of the power is by generator only. Nkayi is known for its orange dirt—dusty in the dry season and muddy when it rains. The streets are so bumpy it’s hard to walk anywhere and they’re practically impassable if it rains. The main commerce of the town is the sugar refinery and vast sugar cane fields. The cane cutting jobs are highly coveted, though they pay but a scandalous pittance in our minds, and the whole show is still operated by the French.

One highlight of the trip was helping Elizabeth teach an English class which she holds on Saturdays. I’d like to start such a class here in Brazza ‘cause my friends are always saying how they need to learn English and it would be a real service to the people here. Not that there aren’t already opportunities for them to learn it, but it’s something I would really enjoy doing.



The purpose was to help with Scripture based song writing with the Beembe, like I did with the Bekwel. The circumstances were nearly 100% different, however, and we didn’t reach the objectives of the project in time to get a recording done before Elizabeth goes home on furlough. We did enjoy our time with the people, though, and they were thrilled with the one song they were able to write together. (song writers shown in picture above)



Elizabeth’s best friend in Nkayi had a baby while I was there. By the time Elizabeth got the news, the woman was already at home sweeping the house! Of course, the baby was only 7 months and like 4 lbs, so maybe the labor wasn’t all that hard, but still! No rest for the weary. The cool part was that the baby got named after Elizabeth and her housemate Chialin. They call her Chializ! (pronounced “jaw-leez”) So cute!

And I'm off again!

Hey, just a little note to say I'm headed to a village in the south called Nkayi to work with my colleague Elizabeth on a Scripture based song writing project like I did with the Bekwel. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to help us and the participants because our time is short. Nkayi doesn't have Internet so I'll be out of touch the next couple weeks. But they've got great electricity down there so I'm hoping to write a lot of emails since I'm about 3 months behind! Later!

PS/FYI

BTW, I just bought tickets home! Thought I was never gonna be able to get out of this country! It's much easier buying tickets from home to come here than vice versa. But for a pretty penny I managed to do it. Coming home mid-June to early October. Yippee!

Mom's last day in Congo

Well, I saw mommy to the airport last night. I’m assuming she’s well on her way home. It was nice to part knowing that it would only be 2 months before I see her at home again. It’s been strange being alone now though. I was used to having her with me almost 24/7 for 3 weeks! But I am already enjoying some solitary time to pray…I miss Jesus when I’m with other people too much!

Mom’s last day turned out great. In the morning we got her bags all checked in with Air France. It was seriously the most efficient thing I’ve ever seen happen at Maya Maya Airport! We came back and I stressed over finishing my taxes (anyone else think the American gov’t is crazy for expecting its citizens to accomplish such a feat?!!). Then we had a great lunch with my colleagues, the Winters family.

Afterwards I got a call from my friend Byas saying his wife had a baby girl and we could come see them at the hospital! We went, taking along a typical gift of bottles of filtered water, and marveled at the simplicity, cramped conditions, and lack of sanitation at the hospital (actually, I didn’t think it was too bad, but I haven’t seen an American hospital for a couple of years). Byas’ wife was looking good but we found out she’d had the baby just that morning! They don’t waste any time getting visitors over there! The baby was precious and sleeping and looking healthy. Praise the Lord!

We came home and my friend William showed up with his cousin who is visiting from Nkayi (where I happen to be flying to tomorrow). We had a good visit and it was nice ‘cause my mom had thought she wouldn’t get to see my friends again. My Cameroonian friend Marcelle who is a missionary with Intervarsity came over too and brought a very generous gift for my mom! It was a dress and a set of jewelry. So precious. This girl has very little money. People here are just so generous and non-materialistic. I hope they are rubbing off on me!

In the evening Louz came just in time to join us for dinner. He brought my mom an outfit made at the tailor! It’s made from a pagne material that has lamps on it and says “Christ is light” in Lingala. Just before we finished dinner and needed to head to the airport, another visitor came! His name is Dupaul and we’d met him on the street a few days ago. He had started explaining a mural to us in English and then mentioned that he has made a Christian CD. It was awesome because just a few hours earlier my mom literally said “I wish I could buy a Christian CD from here.” So he remembered and managed to come by the house with his CD just in time for my mom to take it back with her. Very cool.

So my mom’s trip ended very well and I think she is going home with warm memories of Congo (no pun intended) :o) Sorry no photos to show yet—my camera’s busted and my mom’s isn’t digital. She’ll send me a CD in a few weeks though.

Long post about some really cool stuff like Congolese music and the Bible

Last night we went to Mom’s 3rd concert since being here. Yeah, I go to a concert like every week. It’s pretty much awesome. Last night’s was a choir called Karisma Gospel. It used to be directed by Byas, the lead singer of the group I was in, but now it’s directed by my good friend Louz. I’ve been invited to join a number of times but after seeing them perform last night I’m a little intimidated by all the beautiful women with great dance moves :o)

Last night at the concert was one of those times when I feel like my life is just one huge divine appointment. God is just so sovereign. I read in Jeremiah 23 the other day: “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” It reminded me that God is not only close to me in a personal way, He’s also out there able to coordinate the circumstances of the entire universe. Last night was a case in point…

So last Sunday my mom and I went to a huge meeting of 8000 people at the Evangelical Church. They have great choirs and we were seated right next to them. In the front row of a choir facing us was a really cute girl who appeared to be about my age. She sang with much enthusiasm and seemed full of joy. She was just one of those people you’re attracted to. I thought I’d like to meet her. (It’s been my wish for the last few weeks to make more girl friends. I love my guy friends, but I figure it would be better if I hung out with other women more.) Well, last night at the concert she was there! I was like “Hey Mom, it’s that cute girl!” I doubted I would get an opportunity to talk to her, but at the end of the concert when everyone started dancing, as they always do, I ended up dancing with her! She started talking to my mom and me in English with an endearing Congolese accent. She was quite jubilant about meeting two Americans and I was no less excited to meet her! We exchanged phone numbers and when we got home I received this message: “Jessica and Dev, Geritte wishes you good night and hopes to see you as soon as possible bye, big kiss! Geritte” Thanks, God!

Also after the concert, an adorable young man from the choir approached me and said he had something to ask. I must have met him before, but I don’t really remember him. He said “I work at an orphanage and in the program of activities I’d like to do an hour of Bible teaching for the kids. When I was thinking about who could come do this from time to time, I thought of you. And here you are tonight!” I’m totally stoked about opportunities to do more direct ministry here (vs. just working in the office), and I was touched that he would have thought of me. Mom was excited too because now we’ll have the opportunity to visit an orphanage while she’s here.

After the concert I felt really energized and full of ideas. Here in our office we’re talking more and more about orality vs. written literature. There’s this idea that not only do people have a language of the heart, but they also have a “heart media”!! This means that here in Africa where there is not a tradition of reading, transmitting God’s Word thru Bible reading alone may not be very effective. That’s just not how they communicate. This is an oral culture here in Congo and they are very musically inclined. It’s awesome. Why toil away trying to get them to read the Bible and beating them over the head with literacy classes, when instead they can interact with the Word in a powerful way via music and incorporate the Scriptures into their lives in a natural and culturally appropriate way that spotlights their strengths?!! I saw firsthand with the Bekwel music project how effective it was!!! (see March 21st post below)

[note: I am not against literacy and I totally respect those that have given their lives to teaching it here in Africa. I just think it shouldn’t be our primary focus because it’s not going to be the primary fruit bearer. As Westerners we highly value reading and our literary tradition. Africans value music and their oral tradition. I think we will see a great surge of effectiveness if we start going with the grain instead of against it.]

At the concert, not only did I witness another amazing musical presentation, but there was also a compelling performance by a theatre troupe. I was totally stoked to realize that all they were doing during the entire 15 minute drama was quoting Scriptures! They went from Genesis to Revelation basically laying out God’s plan for the world from beginning to end. It was done in an artistic and illustrative way and the crowd was totally into it. Wow!!

When I first started getting into music here I thought it was just something fun to do and a good way to make some friends. I had a tiny inkling that God was in it, but I think I’m on the brink of actually discovering how incredibly amazing and advantageous it is to have a whole passel of exceptionally talented musician friends. I don’t know what God is going to do with it yet, but I think it’s going to be big. Our relationship is mutually beneficial. For me, it helps me understand this culture better and is a great way to make friends and continually meet new people. Concerning my vision and work, it gives me a platform for influencing people to get the Scriptures into their lives. I need this musical experience to be more effective as I work with minority languages to write Scripture-based songs, as I did with the Bekwel. For them, I think just by being an outsider who enjoys who God has made them to be and who appreciates their music, I am ministering to them. I can affirm their gifts and perhaps connect them with resources. Plus it’s just stinkin’ cool to have the white girl around :o) I’m seriously a groupie now and a Congolese music junkie. Totally addicted and they love it!

I think Mom’s gonna come home with a drum and exchange her Spanish music for some Congolese “kilombo” :o) She’s lovin’ it too!

Hi from the lovely A/C of Ouesso's cyber cafe :o)

So, Mom, what have you seen in Ouesso that you never have before?

--A dead monkey in a wheelbarrow going to market
--The Sangha River
--Women carrying cement blocks on their head (and one in their arms as well)
--African children playing a rhythmic game or pushing cars made out of sardine cans
--People younger than I am who look 30 years older

What have you eaten?

--Crocodile soup
--Wild boar
--Lots of fish
--Manioc

What have you heard?

--Singing and drumming at all hours (even the middle of the night)
--An amazing choir rehearsal; 20 voices that sound like 100!
--French and Lingala, with a little Swedish thrown in
--African Christian rap
--Millions of roosters crowing before dawn

It all combines for a wonderful and colorful experience in Congolese culture, with a daughter who has herself become Congolese :o)

Thoughts from Mom [and Jessica]

Things are quiet across the river. To give you a perspective on the closeness, there is only the Congo River separating Kinshasa (capital city of Democratic Republic of Congo) and Brazzaville (capital city of Republic of Congo). [Closest two capital cities in the world!] It was a sad situation. Jessica kept saying, "Why do they want to destroy their own city?" A fire burned all day yesterday because apparently the oil reserves were bombed and flames could be seen shooting skyward from a vantage point near SIL [about 4 miles from the scene].

Yesterday I did get to go into the prison here with a CMA missionary, who also lives here on the SIL compound. Got to do a couple of songs....I do love these Congolese people. [Brave woman. At this prison you get locked in with the inmates, and the guards take no responsibility for you! But she said the women welcomed them with smiles and hugs. They also went into the men's area to support the guy who was preaching. I wasn't allowed to go to the prison because I'm "too young and pretty" :o) Ha!]

Tonight Jessica and I are going to the French Cultural Center for a concert. A girl from Jessica's church is in it. Tomorrow night there's another concert in which many of Jessica's musician friends will be performing. So you see, life is not really too bad here, although we got caught in a huge windstorm while we were out today and came home with sand in our teeth & eyes (and everywhere else). But we did buy some wonderful material and took it to Jessica's tailor--who lives in a neighborhood that makes Ciudad Sandino (where Wilber lives) look like Nob Hill. She will construct an outfit that will make me look African! All right!!!! [For those who don't know, Wilber is my mom's "son" from Nicaragua. As for the outfit making her look African...we'll see :o) ]

Thank you, thank you, for your prayers. It was a scary couple of days, but it was good for this mom to see how Jessica's director stayed on top of the situation and kept a cool, but alert, head. ["Scary situation"? Yeah, Mom wasn't scared one bit. I was the nervous one!]

On Monday we will fly to Ouesso, where Jessica has heard that the homes of many were damaged or destroyed yesterday by a storm that came through. So please be in prayer for that trip. We will be returning on Friday to Brazzaville.

The sounds of Congo

My mom got in last night! Woohoo! We've had a full day. Took her to the market to get food this morning. We even rode the bus (I won't tell you about my mom falling into the lap of the guy behind her while both of us are lauging hysterically). One of my colleagues said "Way to jump in the deep end!"

One thing you notice about Congo is the sounds. We've been listening to chirping birds, a squealing monkey, dogs barking, salesmen hawking their wares...and gun fire/grenades. Like I said, we've had a full day. Welcome to Congo, Mom!

Things have suddenly taken a turn for the worse across the river in Kinshasa. We're staying up town and inside for the moment! Yeah, it's been a great first day for my mom :o)

Don't freak out, I'm sure we're safe here, but pray for the fighting to cease for the poor Kinshasans sake.