Church in Kingabua Ward

A few Sundays ago we decided to attend church at a ward about 20 minutes from our apartment. We like to go to different wards to make contact with the leaders and to see and support our missionaries.

As we drove the short distance from our apartment in the city center to the church, just a short distance away, I couldn't help being amazed by the contrast. The change was stunning. I took pictures to try to capture the different looks of the streets. Sundays are respected days and only a few businesses and stands are open, so things were rather quiet, but the pictures still seemed to capture the feeling as you leave the main street and go out into the city of Kinshasa, which is the home of over 10 million Congolese.

Our apartment building is on the left. We live on the main street of Kinshasa, Blvd. Trente Juin

This main street was totally redone after our first visit here in 2009 and is a very nice stretch of wide, well marked and smooth street, lined with big old buildings, some nice new buildings and buildings in construction. They've recently installed traffic lights. They last for 90 seconds and are making for slow moving traffic. If you hit them wrong, it takes 10-15 minutes to go a mile.

After about a mile the roads change.

The farther you go from the center of town, the more the roads change.

After a couple more minutes it looks like this

By the time you get near the church, this is what you're driving on.

All in a little Sunday drive in Kinshasa

We arrived at the the Kingabua Ward just in time for church.

We found an added bonus when we saw our dear friends from our last mission, the Motshikanas, who live in that ward.

The meetings are held in a two different buildings on a rental property. One is used for Y.M. Sacrament meeting, Primary, Priesthood,, and Sunday School. The other building houses the Relief Society and the Y. W. classes. During Sunday School it holds the investigator class.

There's a baptismal font behind the church buildings. It's well built and a really good size. Sometimes they build them like swimming pools. Then getting water to fill them is a concern. This one is just right. It even has stairs to enter the font.

There's a large yard, which is being used as a garden. Our friend, Frere Motshikana, told us that he works the garden for his family and for the needy.

When we arrived, the Relief Society President/teacher was the only sister in Relief Society. She was wiping down chairs. Since there was no glass in the window, she was removing the dust and dirt accumulated during the week. She finished cleaning and then announced the opening song, that I would give the opening prayer and she would give the lesson. She acted as if there was a whole room full of sisters. She gave a wonderful lesson (part in French and part in Lingala) and by the time the meeting was over there was a whole room full of about 25 sisters. There is no schedule for African women. They come when they're ready and if it's just as the closing prayer is said, "Pas de problème!"

During Sunday School, we attended the investigators' class to support our missionaries. There were about 20 people who filled that room too. They participated and you could tell they were serious about learning the gospel. It was really exciting to be with the enthusiastic new members and "friends of the church."

During the Sacrament meeting there were 7 confirmations. Four of them were from a wonderful little family-mother, father, and the two of their 7 children. The other children were all too young for baptism. We've put a lot of emphasis on teaching families. It was a joy to share in the fruits of our good elders' hard work and teaching as we watched this little family being confirmed.

We had a wonderful day in the Kingabua Ward. These are the paydays for missionaries as we see the church growing, improving and bringing the gospel to the people of Africa. It's well worth a trip down any road you have to take to get there.