Update from the Congo!

One of a dozen videos of African folk dances‏.

Meetings in villages March 12 (and following two pictures).

March 15--closing ceremony of the RVA irrigation project.  There are about 100 acres of garden plots adjacent to the airport that the government owns and lets people use.  Previously people had to walk to a river to haul water to irrigate their gardens.The project was to connect a pipe to the public water supply and then distribute it to a number of ponds lined with think rubber bladders so the water wouldn't sink into the soft sandy soil.  The ceremony took place at the Kimbanseke stake center, across the highway from the garden plots.  Here are some photos of the set up. Sorry these photos are scattered about--the rest of the unmarked photos are associated with this opening ceremony.

Door 3' high in bank people go in and out all the time‏.

Waiting for dance to begin‏ (see above video).

Here's a photo of a fabric shopping area near our apartment.

People selling plants at entrance to 100 acre garden plots; on the way to one of the irrigation ponds; at one of the ponds (women are washing their amaranth plants).



Marcelline and Glo‏.

With the wonderful Nilza.  An adorable Portuguese lady who is on my Sister Power Team!  This women gets things done!   She had some fabric like Skirt #3 so we will be twins. 

Ridiculous onions the size of walnuts‏.

Papa Norman.

Roland with the village chief (sorry this is sideways!).

Photo of the meeting itself. Everyone (except us) are singing the Congolese national anthem.  In the second photo the president of the gardeners' association is speaking in Lingala so I only understood the occasional French word thrown in evidently because there wasn't a good Lingala word.

Close- ups of women washing their plants and the all-important cutting of the ribbon.  Afterwards I was given a piece of the ribbon as a memento.

This is one of my buddies--President Lono, stake president of the Kimbanseke stake.  We're taking pictures of each other simultaneously after returning from the ribbon cutting and the garden area.  Note the soft drinks in the background.  We served refreshments to about 100 guests.

Site monitor Eddy, recently called as a bishop, is in white shirt and tie; translator Felix is on my left; the village chief is on my right.

Site monitors Eddy (above) and Eric (below).

Temple cconstruction advance team‏.

Two photos of the enormous hole in the road that we drive past every day. We have to pull into the opposite lane to avoid the hole.  Too bad there's rain water in the hole, because the hole is at least three feet deep!  Nobody thinks it will be filled in within the next 16 months.

Our translator, Felix.