A New Year 2015

     January 2015 brought again turmoil and riots in Kinshasa! The president of DRC was wanting to do a city wide census before his election next year.  All the Congolese knew this was just a ploy to prolong the election so he could stay in longer.  Their constitution says that he cannot run again for president. We have heard that it isn't Kabila so much that wants to stay in as president but it's those that work for him that want to keep their jobs and positions.  So the Parliament was meeting the first part of January to decide on this census.  Many people were demonstrating which quickly changed into rioting when the police get involved.  So for us and the missionaries we were to stay in our apartments.  It lasted four straight days that the mission was to stay in.  Hoping that the missionaries had their extra food supply teaching them THIS IS WHY WE STORE EXTRA FOOD!  It's so easy for them to eat their food supply and not save !  The parliament met and voted against the census and life went on!  January brought a new experience for Bryce and I.  We were able to attend the dedication of one of the water wells that our Humanitarian missionaries the Johnsons work on.  This was such a neat thing to see how the church goes into these sectors or neighborhoods and digs a well and provides clean water at a small fee (to help play for repairs).  The whole sector comes out for these dedication of the wells.  When the ribbon was cut by the govt official and the church representive they pump the well and every one is given a glass of clean water.  I never appreciated clean water until now. How blessed we are!  The next week President Cook flooded the sector with missionaries to contact those about the church which they all knew us because of the well and many receive the missionaries and baptismal dates were set.

We got together with the few couples that are left here in Kinshasa for a New Year party at Delises!  We had wonderful food and played games.  We played this game that you had to bend down and pick up a bag up with your mouth or teeth and each round the bag was cut shorter and shorter until you were finally doing the splits.  Of course Sister Johnson who's 70 yrs young won with her finishing off doing the Chinese splits yikes!!! Unbelievable!!

We said good bye to Elder Mark and Sister Elaine Smith from Provo. They have been working with the PEF program for the last 18 months. They did such a good job they were able to train a local man to do their job so no one is coming to replace them.  We love them and appreciate all they did here in Kinshasa!  

I thought I would show you some pictures that we witness everyday in traffic.  I'm constantly squeeking  and squeeling as the President is driving!  Praying each morning to bless us with safety in driving has taken on a new meaning here!!! The first photo is Kinshasas local art work.  Actually these are mufflers and tail pipes that someone is advertising that he has! Haha

Here we are in traffic at a terrible roundabout or intersection. Those are the taxi buses that the people use for transportation.  They cram people into them!

January took us to Kisangani President Cook was hoping on this trip to organize the first branch there but there were still some things that had to be done by Temporal Affairs before we could organize it.  So we went to meet with the members and taught them about the organizations of the Church!  It was so interesting to me how much the Church has on LDS.org to show exactly how the organizations run.  We sent 4 missionaries to Kisingani for the first time what a blessing this will be to the saints there and the whole community.  There are not many vehicles in Kisangani so motorcycles or bikes are the main transportation.  We have seen a family of four plus the driver on one of these motor taxis before!!

Here is a pous-pous ( like a big wheelbarrow ) moving furniture.  They use these to move everything !

Brother and Sister Logo took us around to visit some of the new members. This Sister lives out in the village.

They also showed us a new school that the Chinese had built in Kisingani out in the village. Which was very nice for the local children compared to what they had before!

Here is where the school was before!

We were definitely in the village here! Here is one of their homes! It's made with Adobe brick and mud.

Showing how they even dry their clothes

We were a real novelty here the children weren't real sure if they wanted to come by me to have a picture taken.

 From here we went to the river to see what Kisingani is famous for!  They build a scaffolding across the river where the falls are and each family places a large basket on the scaffolding to catch fish. It really is quit ingenuous if I don't say so myself.  Here one man is checking his basket to see if there are any fish in it!

 Here are some of the members and fishermen that met us at the Falls.

It was so nice to visit some of the sites in Kisangani. When we come next time President will start the new branch!!

Christmas 2014

We started our Christmas Devotional with meeting everyone in the S and I building.  Each Zone was to perform a Christmas song.  It was wonderful and put us right into the Christmas season!

We then watched the First Presidency' Christmas Message.

This

is always a treat to see and hear the First Presidency and the Tabernacle Choir.  We then had the missionaries that were going home bare their testimonies.  We served a nice chicken and fries dinner and watched the DVD that the AP's had put together of pictures of all the Elders and Sisters serving in our mission.  We are giving each one of them a copy of this for Christmas. Here are some of the Elders who were going home helping with Sister Jacky wrapping up the socks and ties for the missionaries from our Stake back home!

Merry Christmas to All from the missionaries from the Kinshasa DRC Mission

Mission Tour with Hamiltons

We started our mission tour the last week of November and the second week in December.  We had to split it up because of Hamiltons schedule. So we started in Kinshasa with the seven zones combining the smaller zones so that it only took 4 days! Here are some of the Zones in Kinshasa 

II started Zone conference first. I had decided to do a silent lesson ( which was good for me since it couldn't do it in french)!!!  I wanted to talk about time management and how to utilize every moment on our mission.  I showed a glass jar that represented one day in our life. I had 7-8 larger rocks that I placed inside the jar each rock representing things that are important that have to be done everyday in the life of a missionary. Bryce helped me by holding the signs that explained the lesson. I then held a card up that asked" Is the jar full?"  Many missionaries shook their heads yes.  I then brought out a jar filled with small pebbles and said they represent the smaller things that they do that have a powerful effect on our mission work. I then poured the pebbles in the jar. The pebbles fell into the jar and filled in the holes the rocks had left. Then asked if the jar was full?  I then had sand that I pour into the jar that filled all the spaces still left open. The sand represents the little things of service that you do for your companion, for your investagors !  Then I asked if the jar was full?  I told them time is our Hevenly Father's gift to us. Is their jars full? It turned out really good. They got the message!

Elder and Sister Hamilton taught us well.  Elder Hamilton taught how to ask Inspired Question. And Sister Hamilton talked on Christlike Attributes.

President Cook taught about pick out one of their investagators in their Area Book and go back and teach them.  After being in Kinshasa we flew to Kisingani. Pres. Hamilton wanted to see the Group that was meeting up there to see if they are ready for a branch there.  I loved being with Sister Hamilton she reminds me so much of my friend Michele Brown. It just helps to do these tours with some else who speaks English!

Here is such a good photo of Elder and Sister Hamilton that I need to share we love and appreciate all they taught us on this Mission Tour!

Here's how they carry the charcoal that the people cook their dinners over in their burners.  Amazing!!

When we are waiting for the airplane in Kisingani I thought you would like to see the room we wait in. We call it the red room.  That is fabric on the walls and ceiling ! Haha. Pretty fancy huh?

Then it was off to Kananga to see our 26 Elders there and visit the Stake.  It was close to Christmas so we had alittle Christmas program after Zone Conference.

 These are the socks and ties our Stake at home gave the Missionaries.  We had a wonderful time on our Mission 

Tour with Hamiltons.

The Mission Home

I thought it might be fun for all of you to see the mission home in Kinshasa!  You will see that it is a lovely retreat from the outside world of Kinshasa!  We are in a building with the mission office, other apartments and the local telephone provider Vodacom.  It is a high rise of about 12 stories and we have windows that go from ceiling to floor to look out on the busy street of 30 June. Yes that is the name of the road.  Some of their roads are named after significant days in history. Here is the view of our building driving up to it on 30 June.

This is the view out of our apartment window looking down on 30 Juin.

There are accidents at this intersection almost daily.  This is what it use to look like before they put in the new road! Total confusion!! So thank you to the Chinese who have been building the new roads!

This is the living room / dining room. This is where we have zone meetings (sometimes) and entertain guests.

Isn't it lovely?!! Next is the kitchen! The next most important room!  It has a real stove and oven!!

The bedroom is next. I love the mattress on this bed almost as much as mine at home! 

II need to show the sewing machine that I was sent to the mission home when we arrived! It says Sew Zebra only in Africa !!

There is a back porch where we keep an extra frig and freezer and washer and dryer!  All the comforts of home!!

Thanks to President and Sister Jameson our front balcony has a wonderful Bar-b-que grill!

Thank you to all former Mission Presidents for adding their touch to the mission home!