Mungu Wangu

I am once again writing by generator. The power has been out for more than a week. They just can’t seem to fix the problem. I keep asking if it is a big problem but everyone says “no but the repair man is tired.” I don’t really know what that means beyond the fact that I won’t get electricity today. In Congo things just take time I guess.

A little boy was crossing the street nonchalantly when a van going at an ungodly speed rammed into him just outside my house. I heard the tires squeal to a halt and many Congolese crying out Mungu Wangu (Oh My God). They have recently repaired the road outside of my house and there are no speed limits in Congo that I’ve noticed so vehicles go as fast as the vehicle can possibly go regardless of the fact that it is a heavily residential area with plenty of “children’s crossing zones”. These accidents happen really frequently from gross negligence on the part of the driver. The mentality is I have a car so get out of my way or I’ll hit you. People riding bikes get hit the most frequently because obviously the man carrying 200 pounds on his bike should get off the road rather than the car having to slow down. So the man who hit the little boy (I hear he will be ok) gave a little bit of money to the police man who quickly came to get his payment and then the driver carried on with life as usual. He didn’t loose his license he didn’t go to jail nothing. This is Congo.

Last month a truck driver hit and killed a police officer who was standing in the middle of the road in bright yellow. The driver just paid some money and continued on to make his delivery as if nothing had happened. Right now the 12^th graders are getting their results back from their standardized exam. In Zambia this is a big deal because the exam is really difficult and your score determines whether you can continue your education and if you don’t do well enough you have to wait a whole year to even have the chance to retake it. So I figured the situation was similar in Congo but I was told that if you don’t pass you just pay the school money and they let you pass. Great system they have here. Likewise I’ve heard that at university if you don’t pay extra money to your teachers to make them like you they will fail you no matter how smart you are. A friend recently made the statement Congo is 100 years behind even Zambia and although that is an exaggeration this country is ridiculous.

Once a week in my English class I print off a chapter from the Bible in English and we go through it word by word. We are learning English words and phrases but it also gives me an opportunity to preach the word of God and explain the purpose of the passage. Of course I love to preach but I especially love this situation because all of my students except one are boys and many of them have explained that a woman is incapable of preaching. So week after week I am preaching to them and explaining the truths of the Bible and they don’t even realize it.

On Friday I was called to Shituru again to speak with a drunkard. He asked me to talk to Him about the things of God. Of course it was hours after the time we had planned but I was able to take him through what the Bible has to say about drunkenness. I was surprised to hear him say he had no idea what the Bible said about the issue. I don’t know what he will do about what he has heard but I pray he changes. I really believe if just one or two key people in that area become serious about the things of God it would make a huge difference.

I began house to house visiting again this week. It is always a joy to encourage fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I enjoy seeing different areas of the city and dealing with the range of reactions. Some of the children are scared to death of me and scream and cry while others are so exited and won’t stop asking me questions and laughing. The adults seem to have the most trouble with the fact that I wear flip-flops. I find it hilarious that we will go out in the middle of the day when it is incredibly hot and the person I go with will be wearing jeans, a jacket, and socks and shoes just because they like the way it looks.

I received news this week that my niece, Samantha, has leukemia. The doctors are really positive and God has already been so faithful and things are going well. It is extremely hard to be so far away in such a difficult time. I would really appreciate all of your prayers.

Getting my visa is coming along slowly. I have a few more pieces to the puzzle and I’m becoming more accustomed to waiting and not understanding why I should be waiting for something so simple. Please keep that in your prayers as well. God is helping me everyday. Thanks for praying.