The good, The Bad and the Ugly

What a day it has been! Today is Brent’s birthday and it will not be one that we will ever forget! It was sad for me that I had not thought ahead to get Brent a gift and here it wasn’t possible. But he came out with a shirt, tie and pants that he had not worn today and called it his new Birthday clothes. What a sweet guy!

We started off the day with a wonderful experience. We had a zone conference with 16 fantastic missionaries. They are the light of our mission and we are so honored to be able to serve with them. They have amazing faith and testimony and they are working hard. They don’t have to work hard to find people to teach. They have to work hard to keep up with the people who want to be taught. One elder, who just went home when we got here, personally taught and baptized 300 people. I think that is the mission record, but I'm not sure. It’s staggering how many people are being taught. We went to the grocery store two days ago and a bagger saw our name tags and asked if we were Mormon missionaries. When we said yes, he said that he loves the Bible and reads it every day and he understood that we had another book about Jesus and how could he get one. We took his number (everybody has cell phones) and told him we’d see that he got one. Today we went to the store to get some things for the zone conference and he came racing through the store to catch us to see when he could get his book. Can hardly believe it. At the church during zone conference two young men came in to see if somebody would teach them about the church. It's just crazy! But our missionaries are as good as any missionaries in the world. Many have served as ward and branch missionaries before. They have gone to the temple and to the MTC. Here they are.

We just love them. During the conference they get to have KFC and they love it. However, it’s not the Colonels. It’s KATANGA FRIED CHICKEN.

Elder Mpoi, whose head is on the right and who has taught me three phrases in Swahili, thought I was funny to want a picture of chicken. It’s a little box with chicken , fries and a little coleslaw wrapped up in foil. We didn’t eat it, but it didn’t look all that bad. After they ate they found out that it was Brent’s birthday and so they sang to him, twice—once in French and then again in English. So cute! The second missionary on the right, Elder Yongoi, is the one who got seat for another elder on the plane. Next to him is Elder Kapele (with glasses), He carried my bags all the way from Kinshasa. Remember him for later.

After At the conference Elder Kapele came up and asked me if he could have a bottle of water. Not want wanting to set a precedence, I asked why. The answer was that they had not had water at their apartment for three days. We talked to the President and decided we should to see this place. So we went. I didn’t take the camera and was sorry, but now I’m glad. It would make you cry to see this place. It was horrible. It was far out on a dirt road with ditches of raw sewage in front of it. Inside it was a cement box with two rooms and no windows and no furniture, but a table and four chairs. Four elders live here. There was no water, no electricity and only a hole for a toilet. They cook on a charcoal fire on the floor of one of the rooms. Up the shaky metal stairs were two bedrooms with a small dresser in each and mattress on the floor. These sweet elders had not had power for three months and no running water and no water delivery for three days. It broke my heart. I tried to talk to them, but I could not talk and hold back the tears. So, Brent just told them how sad I was for them and we would change things as soon as we could. We gave them money to get three days worth of water. I hated to leave them there, but had no choice. Then we went to the zone leaders place to see it. It was much better, but still not a place we would want anybody we liked to live. They had room and electricity, no running water, but deliveries of water. had n , but no place to clean up except outside with a pan. The same dish pan is used for bathing, and washing clothes. We went home very sad and determined to change things. Pres. Headlee thought that we could move them to the old servants quarters on in our compound until we found a new place. These are pictures of it and it’s a giant step up. They are cement with no water, but they do have electricity. The two little outside rooms are a toilet and a shower. There is a tap with water outside. Most of the elders buy water by the barrel. They would cook outside on a brassier using charcoal. This would be a pretty good place to stay compared to what they have.

This is the "toilet". It's just a hole in the ground.

This is the "shower"

In the evening we went to one of the nicest restaurants in town with the Headlees, Bro. and Sister Monga, and Desiree and his wife. It was a wonderful evening. We talked and laughed and had a good time. There two men are the ones who have helped us to get settled and will be our main support. Monga was the first Congolese ever to go to the Temple. That was in 1993. Desiree and his wife were married in JoBurg Temple, but all alone. No money for family to go to be with them.These are devoted, wonderful members and we are so grateful to know and love them.

Brother and Sister Monga gave Dad a birthday present. It’s to make a Congolese shirt for Dad and a dress for me. It was so sweet of them. Can’t wait to find a dressmaker and get them done.This is how the Congo is. There are some things that are so good, Some that are pretty bad and then there are those things that are just darn ugly! We just look for and enjoy the good and try not to focus on the rest.