We were thrilled to go to the baptism on Sunday of one of the students from our English class. There were several other nonmembers from our class there to support this young man. He was so excited to take this step and is so eager to learn more and increase his knowledge.
Our English class is really progressing. We start each week with short reports on something they have read or experienced the past week. It is always amazing to hear their stories. Live here is not easy but the people are so humble and have such a strong belief in Jesus Christ regardless of their church affiliation. They love to sing and lately their favorites songs to sing are: “Kumbaya”, “Amazing Grace”, “Michael Row the Boat a Shore” and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”. The really sound “Ketoko mingi!” which is Lingala for VERY GOOD!!!
We bought a bunch of paintings last week at the open market across from our apartment building. Our walls are all white and bare so we decided to buy the paintings to give our apartment some character. The paintings are all by local artists. There are hundreds of paintings propped up on the ground. I wanted to see them all before I made any decisions but it wasn’t easy. There are 1-3 men working each row and each one wants you to buy from him. And of course, the price is always negotiable. I would ask how much a painting was, and they would answer,” My first price is….” I would say, “Oh, that is too much. I don’t want to spend that much on one painting because I need several paintings.” Then they would say,” Oh, that was my first price. Tell me what you want to pay. You discuss with me. ” I would them give them a price and the bartering would begin. They usually start at least double of what they hope to get. I much prefer to see a price tag and just pay!
We are posting an assignment we were given to do. President Livingstone assigned all of the senior missionaries and the two Congolese men that work in the office a section of the Book of Mormon to write a commentary about. Then he has the commentaries translated and gives them out to the missionaries each week to help them study the Book of Mormon. I was rather leary of the assignment and didn’t really feel qualified to be writing a study guide for the missionaries to use, but it really turned out to be a really choice experience. I think I would like to go through the whole Book of Mormon writing my own commentary because it caused me to study and think more deeply than I typically have done during my personal scripture study. We were to keep it short enough that it could fit on the front and back of one sheet of paper, so we couldn’t get too deep in any area. Anyway, we are posting our commentaries because we want you to know that we are doing spiritual things also and not just all office stuff and fix it projects!
Last Saturday we went with the Barlows who are the Humanitarian Directors for our mission to Camp Luka. It is one of the more poor villages. The church has done a water project out there so that the villagers don’t have to walk 5-6 kilometres every day to get water. They now can fill their water containers right in the village. We drove for about an hour on some really interesting “roads” to get there. The last leg of the trip would be hard to call roads. It was such gutted narrow paths that the pickup truck would hardly fit through. Some of the turns had to be really negotiated and things moved so that we could maneuver our way through. We finally parked and walked the last few blocks. People had stared and called to us the whole way pointing and shouting, “mondele, mondele.” That means white person. They were so curious and excited. The children all came running and wanted to touch us or hold our hands. Elder Moon had a large group walking with him and all trying to hold his hand. We first walked to the water project to see how things were doing there. There were a lot of villagers there filling all sorts of containers with water to carry back to their “homes”. Next we walked to the school. One of the men in the village started the school. He is trying hard to make a difference for the children in his village. We will post the pictures. It is very difficult to describe what the conditions were. They have no electricity, no books or paper. The concrete wall is painted black so they can write on it with chalk. The Barlow’s needed to check on the latrines that are being built for the school as a humanitarian project. While Elder Moon was involved with checking out the progress of the latrines, I enjoyed some time with the children and started singing some action songs with them. It was so fun to teach them some of the actions and words to simple songs. They really seemed to love it! They then sang several songs to me. It was really heart wrenching to think that these beautiful children were trying to learn on these planks of wood with no educational materials. What a challenge their teachers must have with their teaching!
Two weeks ago we enjoyed dinner at the Barlows with Dr. Preece and his wife from Utah. They were here to provide doctors , nurses and midwives from 38 hospitals and clinics around the area with Neonatal Respiratory Training. They are teaching them to get the baby to breathe, after it is born. It is so simple, but I would guess that this will save 1 in 4 babies,.
We helped prepare some booklets for the training class that Dr. Preece had flown in to teach . Currently when a baby is born, they place the baby on a table. They don’t even put a blanket over them. If it breathes, fine. If not, they massage the chest, which only helps one in 5,000 babies, and nothing happens. Then they tell the mother their baby has died. Dr. Preece came to teach them some basic techniques with very simple equipment that can save many babies lives. At the training, they give them a baby prototype to practice on, the standard little blue rubber suction device for babies, and a squeeze bottle that goes over the baby‘s mouth and forces air down their lungs. The whole kit probably only costs $25. They are to go out and train others so that the knowledge is spread. Many have set up training groups and follow the same format that Dr. Preece used. The medical people here are so excited to learn something so simple that can save so many lives!
This past Sunday, we drive to the Kimbwala Ward at the invitation of Bishop Kateka. He had come to the office and spent some time with Elder Moon and Elder Barlow to learn about the Young Men/Young Women program and also about Bishop’s Youth Council. He had asked us to attend his ward and to stay after to help teach and train his adult and youth leaders how to run the program. Elder Moon did a great job teaching with Elder Barlow translating. It was exciting to see these young people conduct their very first BYC. The young man in charge to a superb job.
We actually attended two Sacrament meetings on Sunday . I was asked to bear my testimony in French in the first ward and both Elder Moon and I were asked to bear them in French in the second ward we attended. Our French is not really good but we love the opportunity to bear testimony and it is so good for us to do it in French.
