Our final outing with our company from South Africa was in the afternoon on Thurs. May 31. Brent and Jeff both had played all they could and had to go back to work in the afternoon, but Marge and I went with the Humanitarian couple to see some other water projects. These were different because the project was to capture water from natural springs and make it usable to the people in the area. So, we headed off again up into the hillsides in an outlying part of Kinshasa.
When we arrived at our destination the first thing we saw was a little bakery that Elder and Sister B. have raved about for some time. They say it's the best bread in all Kinshasa and they've been everywhere. It's made in a brick oven behind the little combination house/bakery/store.
Elder B. bought us each a small loaf to sample on our way down the hill. It was crusty, warm and delicious.
Then we all walked down the path, past their gardens, munching on our freshly baked bread and holding it close to our noses so we could smell it and not the aroma of fertilizer or the latrine that permeated the air. After a short walk we came to the place where they were working to capture the spring.
Someday this big hole will provide clear, pure water for this community. They haven't found a clear opening yet, so they will keep digging. The four men in the picture below are the men in charge of the project., Eric (in the green shirt) is the sight manager, who works for the church. He's a great young man and his story is a sad one. His wife died in child birth, an event all too common here. He had no means and no one to help care for their twins, so he put them in an orphanage, but stayed in close contact with them. Recently they were given the chance to be adopted and go to the US. Eric chose to sacrifice his children in order to give them a better life than he could provide. Life can be very hard in the Congo. The other three men represent the NGO with which we're partnered on this project.
One more stop awaited us just beyond the Rail Road tracks that are used by a train from Matdi to Kinshasa. Matadi has a port and many things are shipped by boat to Matadi and then come by rail to Kinshasa. Matadi is a city on on the border of DRC and Angola where we have a small branch and four missionaries.
We left the dirt road and walked into another small community. Again we saw gardens and homes and people walking the path for about half a mile to the site of the spring.
Although the housing, water and power here are not good, the landscape is much more beautiful than any we see in the closer communities of Kinshasa. It's really a beautiful place. We enjoy the five minute walk to the spring as we saw homes and the beautiful scenery of this little valley.
We saw people going about their daily work, gather cassava, carrying water, and caring for siblings. Fires were going where people were preparing their food. People were tending their crops and sweeping their clearings. They even had a cassava grinder where you could grind your cassava flour without having to do it by hand with a mortar and pestle.
Children learn young to do the tasks required to sustain life in this community.
At the end of this long. narrow path we found the spring. It had been worked on once before by another NGO and is flowing slightly. Our job is to make it flow better and have more convenient access so that getting water isn't such a back-breaking and slow job. Right now it's slow, dirty and hard to get to the water. It will be a great help to them to have the water coming from higher spouts and to have a good drainage system so they don't have to stand in muddy water to get there bidons filled. You can see their pans placed under metal pipes, nearly in the muddy water. They also use 2 lt. bottles cut in half to catch the water and pour into their bidons. The bottom half is used as a container because it fits under the pipes, while the top is used as a funnel. They're amazingly resourceful in using what they have to make things easier.
The Humanitarian services are a great part of the program of the church to bless Heavenly Father's children. Life giving water is one of the major efforts done by our humanitarian missionaries. It is life changing and life saving for the people here. On the way back down the path to the car, Elder Bingham. stopped and talked, through an interpreter, to some women sitting in front of their home. He said, "We want you to know that soon, getting clean water will not be so hard for you. We hope to make life easier for you Mamas. That's why we're here." That simple promise is what it's all about.
1 comment:
We miss you so much.
Your one year mark is coming quickly!!
Tell everyone you all are in our prayers!
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