10 October 2008
delays
As for life in Zambia it is very different but very wonderful. I was able to sleep semi outside and watch the stars which were few because of the brightness of the moon. Thankfully there were few mosquitoes. After eating amazing Zambian food (Why can't the Congolese cook like the Zambians?) all the orphans gathered around and we sang songs while some of the kids played the drums. Then the little ones went to sleep and the older ones came outside and played with me and a girl named Elizabeth until "late" 9:30. They played with my phone and asked all kinds of questions and were such a joy. I'm not that great with kids but these orphans are incredible. They came from such sad situations and it is incredible to see what a little love can do!
04 October 2008
A Little Trip To Zambia
Tomorrow I will be going on for a couple of days to the village where our orphanage is here in Zambia. I don't know where we (me and 2 other Americans) will be sleeping but I'm rooting for outside under the stars. We have over 20 children now and they are all wonderful. I got the chance to meet the new children but look forward to getting to know them. Now my big challenge is to stop mixing in Swahili when I'm trying to speak Tonga to the kids. Since I've been back I have so many times taken a few minutes to construct an intelligible sentence using French and or Swahili and then realized I could just ask in English. Its a great feeling knowing you can easily and effectively communicate with people. In the villages its mostly Tonga which I speak incredibly poorly but at least I know some and there are plenty of translators around.
20 September 2008
Chunga Kiloko
First of all I come here because I am told to come here. Because I didn’t believe it after having waited for so long I asked over and over are you sure is this really all we need for the visa. And over and over again they said yes this is everything go tomorrow and we will take care of everything. I was excited and chose to just believe and silence the voice in the back of my head saying “I doubt it, this is Congo”. I got to the church treasure's house where I am staying and asked what time we were going to immigration and got the disappointing news that things were not ready and someone was trying to get it all together but as they usually say in Congo “chunga kiloko” or “kesho mangaribi” (Just wait a little bit or tomorrow afternoon).” So from previous experience I correctly assumed that phrase means it’ll be awhile. So here I am 3 days later still waiting and hoping.
I went to an office to get internet for my computer which can only be done in Lubumbashi. Long story short I waited in their office for 3 hours while they tried to make everything work as they continually told me 10 more minutes for 3 hours. Finally I told them I had to go and they had to give me my money back and at first they refused but I was able to persuade them to reconsider. I was really patient for the first 2 hours but the third hour was just too much for me especially since it seemed to me their system was down and it was impossible and they were wasting my time just for the fun of it. The good news is I found a new store that sells western style food because it was across the street from their office.
When I got here the pastor I am staying with took me to a room that was disconnected to the main house and told me there is good security here but I should lock the door and gave me a key. I locked the door and went to sleep. When I woke up I attempted to unlock the door but it wouldn’t unlock. No one was around to help me so I wasn’t sure what to do. For security every window in Africa has bars to keep out thieves. Luckily they had never spent the money to put in an actual window frame so the window was made of metal and wood and opens all the way making it possible for a person to climb out. So I was able to escape from the room. Later on one of the pastor’s sons squeezed through the window and fixed the problem explaining to me that they’ve had a lot of trouble with the lock and need to buy another one. Of course no one bothered to tell me that in advance.
The food situation is always humorous. I of course don’t eat meat or fish which is almost impossible for a Congolese to believe or understand. The basic idea is the only people who don’t eat meat are those who cannot afford to buy it. Then they eat Bukari everyday. Bukari is corn flour boiled with water until it is stiff. It is the basic food of Africa called by various other names including nsima and fufu. In Zambia it is much thinner than here in Congo. I prefer it that way probably because it is what I grew up enjoying. If there is no bukari at a meal there is no food and if you don’t eat bukari you didn’t really eat. So I do eat bukari but because there are frequently other choices I’ll eat bukari at one meal then rice at the next and potatoes at the next then bread then bukari again and so forth. It really confuses the people here and they think I’ll get sick or become weak because I’m not eating bukari. When I first got to Congo in March and was living with the Catholic mother she was very concerned for me and showed me in a health book by the Congolese government that for good health it is necessary to eat bukari everyday. They try to give me more and more vegetables but for me I can only eat so many leaves at one time because it tastes just how you would expect a leaf or weed to taste. I guess it’s an acquired taste.
There is also a mouse that lives in the room I’m staying in. It’s a cheeky little mouse who continually scurries around the room even though I’m here. I’ve almost killed it so many times but it appears to be quite daring and fearless. I hope I manage to kill it before I leave. I hate losing.
Please keep my visa in your prayers. I’m meeting with the youth at a church here tomorrow. I think it will be really great to get some ideas from them. It will be nice to get back to Likasi. I’m hoping it’ll be soon. Thanks for your prayers.
15 September 2008
Shituru
The biggest thing that blog readers can do is pray. As much as Congo’s problems and my life here brings humor it can also get super annoying and difficult. Each day I need God’s grace to handle each new challenge and to do the ministry God has called me to. If you want to ask questions or anything you are welcome to email me at noahminstriescongo@yahoo.com
On Friday I went to Shituru again. It was a day filled with intense spiritual; warfare. There is such a covering over that area hat has to be broken. We spent the day casting out demons, counseling people concerning spiritual problems, and encouraging them that there is hope. We went to one house where 2 teenage boys had just moved in with a family looking for jobs with the mining company. They got fired because they are drunk all the time but before they moved to Shituru they weren’t drinkers. One of the families had a lot of money stolen from their house and the now the husband tried to kill himself and keeps saying he’ll do it again. One young man was working for the mining company and water he said was 1000 degrees splashed onto his ankle and he suffered serious burn damage. The doctors have said the damage is so severe he will never be able to do heavy manual labor and will always walk with a limp. When the mining company heard that they immediately declared him fired and refused to pay his medical bills. There are so many problems there. In one of the house the Congolese song C’est Encore Possible (It’s Still Possible) was playing. It’s a song all about how there are so many problems and so much suffering but God hasn’t forgotten and even thought it may seem impossible with God it is still possible that things can change. It just reminded me that Shituru can change regardless of how bad the situation is because God is bigger than all of its problems.
The pastor took 2 months to seek the Lord without doing ministry. His official day back was Wednesday and he is so on fire it’s incredible. He declared Thursdays as the church’s day of intercession and this past week it was so anointed. I am excite about what God has done is and is doing through Pastor Kabamba. I am really enjoying working with him again.
A lady asked me how I got so many mosquito bites on my arms. I responded that I didn’t have any mosquito bites on my arms. So she said something I couldn’t understand and then came over and grabbed my arm and began examining it. She asked what those spots were on my arms if they weren’t mosquito bites. I then proceeded to explain to her what freckles were without much success but I assured her they never come off or go away, I was born with them, and they don’t hurt.
10 September 2008
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
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
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 12th graders are getting their results back from their standardized exam. In
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.
02 September 2008
Orphan Sponsorship
27 August 2008
Challenges, Open Doors, and Congolese
On Sunday we played football with the youth from church and had by far our biggest turn out ever. There were 25 people. In fact several of the people I have never seen at church before but their parents attend. I am excited about the possibilities that could arise from this. There is a big youth event this Saturday at the church here and I really hope it goes well. I’m not sure how everything will work out but hopefully God will use it as the beginning of getting our youth on fire for Him. I am the speaker so also be praying that I have wisdom and anointing to say things that touch the hearts of the youth.
I talked with the pastor on Sunday and he told me he has been seeking the Lord about planting a new church in Likasi. Everything isn’t planned yet but he wants me to be apart of it which I’m really excited about. He has also asked me to begin leading the block meeting in Shituru. I sense that the devil has such a stronghold over that area of town. I am really seeking the Lord for the best way to minister to the people there.
I tried to get my furniture once again and this time asked for the coffee table that is finished. I was able to take it but decided to take it the Congolese way so I put it on top of my head and walked about a kilometer to my house. It was heavy and my head hurt for days. Everyone got a good laugh out of it.
I tried to find rat poison because I’ve had some trouble with them but all I found was glue to trap the rats. I asked my neighbor about it and she said it’s because they eat them. She asked me to please give her any I catch. I did eventually find poison and was able to take care of my problem the American way.
Another thing about Congolese is they are very free about where they pee. I’m all for peeing outside but not in the city. The men pee on the side of shops right in the heart of the city. They pee on walled fences of people’s houses. All of this I found strange but it didn’t bother me until people began to pee on my house. There is one side of my house where the septic tank is and there is a wall around 3 quarters of it so I guess it makes for a nice private place to relieve oneself. And of course peeing on the ground just wouldn’t do so they pee on the wall and I’m stuck listening to and smelling their urine. I would ask them to stop but I haven’t learned how to ask someone to not pee on my house in Swahili yet. I guess I’ll have to learn.
Next week I am supposed to begin doing house to house visiting like I did before. I am really excited about that. I haven’t heard any more about being able to visit some new places. I’m hoping after I get things in order with my visa I’ll have that opportunity. Please be praying for my visa situation. The hang up is just people taking their time. I think it is going to end up costing me even more money but I just don’t know how to motivate or convince people to do things quickly. It’s frustrating because before I left I discussed all of these things and I followed their instructions but when I got back things changed. The language barrier makes for plenty of miscommunication.
Recently I’ve been hearing some of the people from the churches I work with explain that God doesn’t heal any more. They are always praying for healing and so I asked them about it and they explained that God can use doctors and He can heal headaches and things like that but He can’t heal a lame person or a blind person or cancer. It makes my heart sad to hear them absolutely convinced of this. Also there is a lot of resentment from the old denominations and the Pentecostals in this area. They have heard many of the Pentecostals give false prophecies and now they are completely against prophesy. It has been a challenge to have the wisdom to talk to them about it especially with the language barrier. Please pray for me to have wisdom.
Thanks for your prayers. God continues to open doors and I am excited about what is happening over here. Each day is filled with challenges so I appreciate your prayers more than I can explain!
