Mbote

Mbote! (Hello in Lingala)

Sango nini? (what news?)

That is about the extend of my knowledge about the language of Lingala. I am learning though, slowly but surely. I am determined to come back able to have a conversation in lingala, even if that conversation is broken up and childish.

I am literally living in a village in the jungle, roads are bumpy, and the homes are made straight from the earth and I love it. Gemena is so full of color and character. The dirt is deep reddish/orange and the plants are green like I have never seen before. The people have huge smiles on their faces and have such excitement to see mandele (a white person). Children stop what they are doing and yell, “mendale! Mendele!” as we drive by while others (mostly men from what I have noticed) look at us like they have just seen an elephant climbing a tree, shocked to see white people. Not only are we white but we are in vehicles which is rare, I have yet to see a vehicle that has not been related to the church that we are working with and even at that I think the total would be no more that 4 vehicles.

Today we start working with the orphanage and later on in the week some sports ministry stuff should get going once Joel gets back in town. I am hoping to also design and build a simple play structure for the orphanage while I am here.

Prayer requests:

-       -that our time here would be used efficiently and effectively

-       -for stomachs of steel, we are getting used to the food here and we don’t want food to be an issue

-       -that God would be glorified in everything we do, no matter how big or small

-      - that in our weaknesses God’s strength would be shown and evident to the people here and to us.

-       -For Lingala to come easily to Hannah and I (we desperately want to be able to communicate with the people here)

-       -For growth in me and my relationship with God, to have a child like faith in him to do the unimaginable.

-       -For special down time from God (as an introvert in a culture that is so charismatic, talkative and energetic it can be hard to keep up. So pray for divine appointments from God that would renew me and give me energy when I need it.

Praise God:

-      - for safe travels and no complications

-       -for the generosity of the Sangumas for letting us stay in their home for 2 months ( we are living luxuriously compared to the rest of this town with running water, flushing toilets, toilet paper, beds, vehicles, some electricity, and more food than we could ever desire (we are having to turn food away because we have been eating so much, so often).

-       -aFor the opportunity to come to Gemena and learn from these amazing people.

We made it! Almost.

Hannah and I got to Kinshasa, Congo (the capital) last night and we have one more flight to Gemena tomorrow morning with Mossai. Today we are suppose to be seeing the city of Kinshasa as well as a University that Mossai teaches at. We both are so excited to be here, especially after 36+ hours of traveling and cannot wait to see what this country has to offer us!

Opened up my bible last night and a piece of paper with these lyrics fell out.

Come away with me, come away with me
Its never too late, its not too late for you
I have a plan for you, I have a plan for you
its gonna be wild, its gonna be great
its gonna be full of me.

I thought they were so fitting for this adventure. It is going to be wild, and it is going to be great but even better it is going to full of God.

Until next time :)
H

Bring on the Heat

My brain is telling me right now that it is hot outside. It is 74 degrees outside. 74. I am not prepared for the heat that Gemena has to offer me.  After realizing that I thought that 74 degrees was hot, and laughing at myself knowing what I was  getting myself into I looked up the weather for the week in Gemena. The "highs" for the week are all above 90 and the "lows" do not fall below 70. Currently at 8pm it is 74 degrees there. Not to mention the high levels of humidity that accompany the heat. The weather was no secret when I said yes to this trip, it is something I won't be able to escape from, something I will need to learn to deal with and not survive from because after all I am there for two months and so if survival is my method of living it simply will not go well.

I realize that I cannot be fully prepared for this trip and the heat is a small example of that. I want to be prepared, I love to be prepared for what is to come, that is just how God made me but the more I sit here thinking about the trip I am about to embark on tomorrow the more I realize how unprepared I am. I think and hope I am prepared as one can be to go on a trip such as this, but there are so many unknowns that I simply can't prepare for, and that is okay. I am excited for the unknowns and to look back and see how God did indeed prepared me for this trip whether I realized it then or not.

 After saying some goodbyes to people this week  I was getting back in the car and someone yelled out; "Try not to sweat!"  I think I am going to try that out. I'll let you know how it goes.