Molende Visit

Photos 1-3: Meeting of Molende water committee and landowners; treasurer of water committee and her new baby; Glo, Jeff Clayton (church's chief attorney n SE Africa), and Eloi, the contractor responsible for digging the wells and setting the pumps .

Photos 4-6: Bidons lined up to be filled; typical African scenes (women sitting around working on food preparation and laundry hanging up to dry).

Photos 7-12: Photos of the stream enhancement project.  Water from the stream is diverted into a channel so people can fill their containers without having to scoop out of the stream.

Trip to Brazzaville

Brazzaville is the capital of the Republic of the Congo, a former French colony, situated across the Congo River from Kinshasa.  "Brazza" and "Kin" are the only two international capitals close enough to see each other.  The masses of people in the photos are being deported from Brazzaville back to Kinshasa as refugees.  Brazzaville is much more clean, orderly and prosperous than Kinshasa. This and the following six pictures are of the Congo River shots from Brazzaville with the DRC in the background. You can see the Brazzaville Tower and refugees being deported back to the DRC.

 

The hotel we stayed at was marvelous as the photos around the swimming pool attest.

More Brazzaville: Glo failed to bring a bathing suit but did enjoy the hotel pool ambiance.

Looking from Brazzaville across the Congo river toward Kinshasa.   The Congo is impassable for boats from the port city of Matadi all the way upriver to Kinshasa.  However, from Kinshasa upriver for over 1,000 miles the river is own to boat traffic.

Tributary of the Congo River (Fleuve Congo) rushing toward the mother river.

Missionary couple on the banks of the Congo River.

Visit to a bakery that the man in the photos started with encouragement and guidance from a church program called "Interweave," which was started up by some returned missionaries from Third World countries to help people become entrepreneurs of their own businesses because getting a real job is so difficult in many parts of the world.  Unemployment in the DRC is said to exceed 80%.  The couple with us are Howard and Sue Bybee, who recently had to leave their mission due to health issues.  They were the Public Affairs couple.  We went to Brazzaville for three reasons (other than to get a little vacation): take a look at some of these Interweave projects for which Humanitarian Services actually provides some funds; meet with Ministry of Public Health officials to see if we could support their immunization campaign; and meet with some pediatricians to try and set up a Neo-Natal Resuscitation training program later this year.

We are supporting the government's measles and polio vaccination campaign by printing banners for the government to use for publicity purposes.  In this photo I'm delivering some banners to the Ministry of Health.  We also printed literature for Church volunteers to use as they go door to door encouraging people to take their children to clinics for vaccinations.

Humanitarian Aid Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa

The following four photos: These are photos of the hotel where we stayed.  The core building was built in 1895 as the Governor's mansion. The grounds were very lovely with interesting sculptures and beautiful plants and flowers.  As Johannesburg is far enough south to actually have seasons, many of the leaves have fallen from the trees since winter is approaching.

The next two:  The purpose of the trip was a conference for the humanitarian missionary couples in the entire SE Africa area, so we had couples from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Madagascar, South Africa, Gabon and two from the DRC (ourselves and other couple who just arrived and who will be posted to the Lubumbashi, DRC mission).  Unfortunately, the couple from South Sudan were sent home due to the political unrest there, and the couple from Zambia were unable to come. 

The next three: Johannesburg temple, area offices and grounds.

Conference attendees: Mostly Humanitarian Missionaries from other African countries but some were locals of course and the young couple on the far left is the Area President and wife, Elder and Sister Cook. 

Lubudi

Lubudi quartier, chief Philomene (the regal lady) and other sub-chiefs.

We arrived in Lubudi to meet with the chiefs and residents to discuss possibility of digging 6 wells in the village and the need for village support, financial and otherwise.

The vegetation at the bottom right is sweet potato; the locals eat the leaves as well as the tuber.  Not knowing what it was, we walked all over it while addressing the people who attended the meeting.  After they laughed at us, we apologized and they laughed even harder.

 

 

Photos of village children and our truck.

Heart of the Cow

Recall this strange looking fruit?  They call it the Heart of the Cow.

The insides of the heart of the cow.  One waits until it is very soft, then peal it and eat!  Ummmm well it looks really rather icky but in actuality it has the texture and taste of a grapefruit with very large black seeds that resemble black beans.  Ro loved it so much he gobbled most of it down.

Congolese currency...and a few other stories

When I emptied my bulging pocket I discovered I was carrying  69,850 Congolese Francs, or about $75 (normally written 75 USD).  The exchange is 920:1 in some places and 930:1 in other places.  Congolese currency is usually very soiled, limp and torn, but when one attempts to pass US currency, which really is accepted just about everywhere, they examine it with a magnifying glass and if it is creased or slightly torn they will refuse it.  I haven’t found out yet why they accept, and often issue invoices only in, US currency but not European euros.   I think it is a status thing for Congolese to pay in US currency.  Only paper bills are issued here; there are no coins.  Often the smallest bill that is recognized in a transaction is 100 FC, so sometimes you have to pay a few cents more than the item costs because it rounds up to the nearest 100 FC, and sometimes you pay a few cents less than the item costs because it rounds down.  The most common denomination is 500 FC.  Sometimes I might get 20 of them in change.  The largest denomination I have seen is 5,000 FC.  A few things may be less expensive to buy than in the US (although that would mostly be services, such as tailoring), most things are much more expensive, and not just the imported things.  Some examples:  a big head of butter lettuce costs about $11; one medium sized potato is about $1.10; a nice leek might cost $5.  I bought a few $4 pens today that probably would cost .50$ at Staples. 

The adorably cute Amy Scott of Gilbert, AZ and close friend to daughter Lindsay makes the most divine
Banana Bars.  Whenever I visit Gilbert here comes Amy with bars ....just for me....she only gives her recipe to extremely special people.  After begging, crying, sobbing and bribery....she consented to give me the recipe!   They turned out wonderfully but not quite as wonderful as Amy's banana bars. 

Just out of the oven! OH YUM!!! Can hardly wait to eat them!!!

Banana bars with cream cheese frosting: Turned out quite good, if I do say so myself!

Cute Amy's banana bars were the hit of a Sunday brunch with the other missionaries. Note my necklace a treasured mission departure gift from Lindsay and Danny and family.  A tiny charm to depict each of my four children.   Priceless!  



While corresponding with my sister-in-law (Ro's brother and wife) who are currently serving as Church Education Missionaries in Odessa, Ukraine, Kaye was bragging about a lady there who was "our" age and could do the splits.   I informed her that even though she had known me for nearly 43 years she apparently didn't know everything about me.  She didn't believe that I could really do the splits until I sent proof!   So now you know.....the rest of the story! 

It's a jungle out there!

Felix, Glo, Eddy and Ro in search of water.

Eddy pointing out some of the more scenic spots.

Lunch anyone? Ro salivating over a pot of freshly made fufu.

Felix and I are on a quest to help the villagers understand the value of trash receptacles!  This is going to be a hard sell! 

We found a currently functioning well, the villagers put me to work at once!

Even though I brought Valentine's (Valenteen) the picture of us together, she still wasn't just thrilled to see the mondeli woman but at least she didn't run away screaming, she at least came close to me and ...yes screamed! 

......But...we are going back to Valentine's village soon and this time I have a secret weapon I think she will like, I hope stay tuned......