It has been another great week. The Thomas’s left last night so we are on our own. Hopefully we can get our apartment better organized the next few days. Yesterday was our Pday but we had very little time for the getting personal things done. We were asked to attend a Stake Missionary Open House that was being held at the church. They wanted us to be there by 1:30 so Elder Moon could set up some equipment they asked us to bring. We arrived and were very impressed with all they had set up. It looked very nice with 7 foot tall displays lining the halls and the cultural hall of Church beliefs. Bill got things set up but then realized the people organizing the event had not brought any speakers or microphones. They had the cultural hall filled with chairs so they could have a meeting in there and show a DVD about Heavenly Father’s Play. We scrambled around looking for anything Elder Moon could use to create the sound in the room. We finally took off the microphone that was hooked to the pulpit in the chapel, and with a really small piece of wire someone had found, Elder Moon poked two little wires into the microphone outlet and two into the end of the microphone and set it next to the computer and voila! There was sound!!! We were set up and ready to go by 2:00, the starting time, only to be told that 2:00 in the Congo means 3:00. So we waited with about 15 people there until close to 3:00 only to learn that a lot of people had been told 3:00 so that means even a later start time. They finally started around 3:30. After a song, prayer, lesson, and the DVD, it was time for a little African Culture. One of the men in the ward walked in dressed in African garb from a small village and told a story. He really had the people laughing. At the end he even did a little dance. Then they set up a fun game. It was after five o’clock and our ride had come to pick us up so we had to leave before the event finished.
Today as we were walking into Sacrament meeting, we were asked to share our testimonies. Elder Moon was not very excited but I convinced him we really could do it. Before the meeting started, they actually sent a man up that is the Ward Mission leader(he’s in the English class we teach) to translate for us. We told him we were going to say it in French. He was very surprised but very excited. I told him I wasn’t sure they would be able to understand us, but he assured us that they would through the Spirit. It was a very humbling experience but we are glad that we did it.
Teaching our English class this week was really interesting. One man wanted us to kick anyone out that had not completed the second level. That started a very heated discussion. I finally had to stand up and demand everyone’s attention and explain that any one was invited to attend the class regardless of whether they had passed level two or not. However, they might get more out of the beginning level that is held on two different days of the week. Everyone seemed satisfied and we were able to move on. They love to sing as part of our class. It is really interesting what things they seem to get a kick out of. I also teach a Stake President and his wife at the office once a week. They are a really neat couple .
Elder Kola, an Area Seventy, comes into the office twice a week to check his email. It takes him 90 minutes each way. He is a very sweet man that is so kind and humble. He has no electricity where he lives so he makes the trek twice a week to stay on top of things.
We have had dinner at the Livinstones twice this week. She is a great cook and always trying new wonderful recipes. I will need to get more daring as Sister Thomas was doing the cooking before she left and now it will be up to me. We are really enjoying the different fruits and vegetables that are available here and especially the French bread baguettes. Washing everything in a solution of filtered water, soap and bleach takes alittle extra time but hopefully it will keep us healthy.
The Catholic school next door to our apartment is always having interesting events, especially on the weekends. They have all night parties with loud music from 6:00 at night until about 6:00 in the morning almost every weekend. It can make it a little difficult to get to sleep but we are usually so tired that it doesn’t keep us awake.
So until next week, au revoir
Visitors From Around The World
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
First Week in the Congo
We arrived in the Congo one week ago tonight. After making it through Immigration, we were grateful to see a man running towards us with a sign that said, "Moon". He introduced himself as Antoine. After traveling for over thirty hours, we were glad that someone was really expecting us! Antoine was very helpful in finding our 12 bags of checked luggage and getting us through customs. We had been asked to bring a long list of tools that weighed alot, hence, the 12 bags! The luggage carousels were quite the experience. Bill had to constantly grab our bags from other people who were trying to walk off with them. A number of people were trying to sneak into the customs area through the baggage carousels. A fight began amongst several of the security people and police. I couldn't figure out what the real problem was, only that they were getting a little too close for my comfort. Bill and Antoine were still trying to find all of the luggage. Amazingly, all twelve bags made it!
The Thomas’s, who we are replacing, and the Barlow’s, the Humanitarian couple, were out waiting by the cars for us. It was good to meet up with them. We almost had our camera confiscated. Bill wanted to take a picture of all the bags. I guess that is a big NO_NO here. A policeman came scurrying over saying all sorts of things we didn’t understand. Elder Barlow did most of the talking and agreed to pay the policeman $4.00 for the price of the picture so we could keep our camera! Apparently, you cannot take any pictures at the airport, even in the parking lot. In fact, we have learned that the only place we can take pictures is in our apartment, office or someone’s home.
The Thomas’s have been very helpful this week teaching us the many things we need to learn. We have been very grateful we had an overlap with them. They leave on Saturday.
Here are some brief first impressions:
· There are people everywhere!!!!
· There are really no rules to driving here except make sure you don’t hit a pedestrian, stop if the policeman standing on the concrete pedestal faces you, and don’t open your door if you get stopped at one of the intersections by the police.
· I have seen more disabled people here than anywhere in my life. One man apparently sleeps right on the edge of the roadway every night. I don’t know how he is still alive! He blends right in with the pavement.
· Everyone seems to want something.
· The gospel is true wherever you go and you can feel the spirit even if you can’t understand the language.
· We are blessed with a nice apartment in a secure building with air conditioning. We even have a huge generator for the building that automatically kicks in when the power goes off which is frequently!
· Shopping is an interesting experience. We are trying to learn how to get to the markets, find what we need, remember to have to have the person by the produce weigh it for us, and then try to figure out how much money to give the clerk. They usually hold up a calculator if we have asked for it to be converted to dollars. Then you need to show your receipt always at the door. And one mustn’t forget to pay the boy or man who has been watching your car!
· People carry everything on their heads from large baskets of bread, plastic containers filled with bagged water, stacks of eggs and anything else you can imagine.
· The wars they have had here have pretty well destroyed things. Buildings are in ruins, statues destroyed, schools destroyed, but a lot of rebuilding is going on. A number of the huge pot holes we have tried to dodge have actually been filled in this week. Some of the potholes are 6 feet in diameter and 3 feet deep. They could do some serious damage if you hit one!
· Most days at 5:oo pm we get to walk along the Congo River. It is huge! The only boats you ever see are are flat canoe type boats that usually have two or three people standing and rowing.
· We teach English on Wednesday afternoons. The class has been growing and was the largest it has been when we went for the first time this week to observe the Thomas’s teach. This week, we will have the class ourselves. Most of the people in the class are nonmembers.
The Thomas’s, who we are replacing, and the Barlow’s, the Humanitarian couple, were out waiting by the cars for us. It was good to meet up with them. We almost had our camera confiscated. Bill wanted to take a picture of all the bags. I guess that is a big NO_NO here. A policeman came scurrying over saying all sorts of things we didn’t understand. Elder Barlow did most of the talking and agreed to pay the policeman $4.00 for the price of the picture so we could keep our camera! Apparently, you cannot take any pictures at the airport, even in the parking lot. In fact, we have learned that the only place we can take pictures is in our apartment, office or someone’s home.
The Thomas’s have been very helpful this week teaching us the many things we need to learn. We have been very grateful we had an overlap with them. They leave on Saturday.
Here are some brief first impressions:
· There are people everywhere!!!!
· There are really no rules to driving here except make sure you don’t hit a pedestrian, stop if the policeman standing on the concrete pedestal faces you, and don’t open your door if you get stopped at one of the intersections by the police.
· I have seen more disabled people here than anywhere in my life. One man apparently sleeps right on the edge of the roadway every night. I don’t know how he is still alive! He blends right in with the pavement.
· Everyone seems to want something.
· The gospel is true wherever you go and you can feel the spirit even if you can’t understand the language.
· We are blessed with a nice apartment in a secure building with air conditioning. We even have a huge generator for the building that automatically kicks in when the power goes off which is frequently!
· Shopping is an interesting experience. We are trying to learn how to get to the markets, find what we need, remember to have to have the person by the produce weigh it for us, and then try to figure out how much money to give the clerk. They usually hold up a calculator if we have asked for it to be converted to dollars. Then you need to show your receipt always at the door. And one mustn’t forget to pay the boy or man who has been watching your car!
· People carry everything on their heads from large baskets of bread, plastic containers filled with bagged water, stacks of eggs and anything else you can imagine.
· The wars they have had here have pretty well destroyed things. Buildings are in ruins, statues destroyed, schools destroyed, but a lot of rebuilding is going on. A number of the huge pot holes we have tried to dodge have actually been filled in this week. Some of the potholes are 6 feet in diameter and 3 feet deep. They could do some serious damage if you hit one!
· Most days at 5:oo pm we get to walk along the Congo River. It is huge! The only boats you ever see are are flat canoe type boats that usually have two or three people standing and rowing.
· We teach English on Wednesday afternoons. The class has been growing and was the largest it has been when we went for the first time this week to observe the Thomas’s teach. This week, we will have the class ourselves. Most of the people in the class are nonmembers.
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