A Day in Kinshasa

     Here's what our first day in Kinshasa looked like:

     These photos are only from our breakfast and Lingala lesson this morning. As when we are around town or any public place, it's not a good idea to take photos, especially when there are police men around, like in the airport or the streets.

     Our Lingala teacher and everyone else has been working hard with us to get down this language. Today we worked hard on the alphabet and some simple conjugation and phrases. We also shopped a little bit around town and bought SIM cards for our phones. Later on, we were able to go to the airport to pick up our checked bags and, even though we waited a while, were able to take back every single bag that was delayed. (Thank you for your prayers!) Afterwards, one of our leaders took us out for some delicious pizza.

     Observing the city from a van, the streets and sides are constantly overflowing with people (even at night!). Whether it is people selling odds and ends, to children walking the streets, to women with giant baskets on their heads to rickety vans and crazy drivers (there are no street signs or traffic lights!), Kinshasa is always alive. Whether inside or outside there is always loud music playing somewhere (like our neighbors across the street right now) and the smell of oil (and who knows what else) stays with you and sticks to your clothes. Even so, I will miss this city, but I am excited to finally be going to Gemena tomorrow.

     We leave bright and early in the morning to fly to Gemena, this time with just the three of us (myself, Chloe and Shiloh). However, we will have a group leader taking us to the airport as well as a police man we know at the airport helping us get on our plane. And when we arrive we'll have someone to meet us. However, I do have one prayer request (besides safe travels): My ticket has a different team members name on it somehow, so we will have to get that all sorted out in the morning.

     Again, thank you so much for your prayers!! You probably won't be hearing as much from me from now on as our wifi will be spotty and slow in Gemena.

"...my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.  I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies."

2 Samuel 22:3-4

 

We made it!!

     Yesterday, we asked those back home to pray for “divine appointments on the airplane” (requested by Laura)....and God answered those prayers!

     Right away on our first plane from Minneapolis to Chicago, Shiloh and I sat next to a very sweet lady who asked us about where we were headed and why, and so we told her all about the ministries we’ll be helping with in the DR Congo.

     In the Chicago airport, we had six hours to kill before our next flight, so we explored the food court and ate lunch there. After praying together for our meal, a man came up to us and thanked us for praying publicly.

     From Chicago to Brussels I was a little nervous because I would be sitting by myself (as in not next to any of my team members) for the flight. But, Shiloh encouraged me to be friendly and meet new people. I sat next to a college student going to study abroad in Spain, who happened to be very talkative. Keeping in mind a few techniques I’d learned recently from evangelism training, (like asking questions and the SALT method) soon I was able to ask a few questions that led to spiritual matters and faith. He was very eager to have a “religious conversation” and had a brief background with the church. He even had a few searching questions, himself, and when I couldn’t articulate an answer, I asked my teammates who stepped in and were able to relate well to the situation and explain some of these difficult questions. This was about as far as the conversation went, and while I encouraged him to read the Bible, he still may not. But, we thank God for this opportunity and pray that it puts a “pebble in his shoe” to keep searching for the Truth.

     Also on that plane, Laura met a couple who had their own orphanage in Kinshasa. They were able to connect the couple with our group leaders, and there is a very real possibility that Laura and Hailey could visit that orphanage this summer.

     Finally, on our longest flight from Brussels to Kinshasa, Hailey talked to a business man and was able to tell him about our trip and our purpose for being in Africa.

     Thank God for “divine appointments in the airport” and thank YOU for praying for us. Please continue to pray for the people we encountered and that God was able to touch their lives in a special way yesterday and today.

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After sitting on crowded, stuffy, cold airplanes today for over 20 hours, there are several things we’ve realized we take for granted.



T H I N G S W E T A K E F O R G R A N T E D ::

• Being able to brush our teeth more than once a day (or once in 26 hours)
• People who speak English
• A regular bed to sleep on
• Homecooked meals
• Personal space
• Long showers (or any shower!)

"For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

John 3:17

*** Update since landing in Kinshasa:

     Despite all the worrying that our bags would be overweight, they all ended up being under the allotted amount and made it safely (except for one misplaced bag of almonds).  However, all of our checked bags, including supplies we'll be bringing to Gemena are still in Brussels, so the plan is to pick them up tomorrow evening.  In the meantime, we've been working on our team building skills by sharing what snacks and clothes we had in our carry-on bags or backpacks.  Please pray that our bags make it safely tomorrow!
     The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a whole different world to step into.  We've been realizing more and more how important it will be for us to learn as much of the language (Lingala) as we can as quickly as possible.  Pray that we will be quick learners!

     Team DR Congo will be flying out tomorrow morning, Lord willing!!

     We've prepared, packed, and trained, and now everything else is up to God. (Which is actually more of a comforting thought, isn't it?)

Please pray for:

• Safety in traveling (all in God's will, of course!)
• Calmed nerves
• Smooth travels (we're a little nervous about all of our bags making it through and under the weight limit)
• "Divine appointments in the airport"! (I mean, why not?)
• Thanks everyone for your support!!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too."

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Group Dynamics

   

     Training, day 2. Team building activities, group discussions and teaching sessions have all been geared towards team relationships.
     We've each introduced ourselves to the whole group, and throughout the day we prayed for each of the teams and laid hands on them.
     The most encouraging part is that all of us are here with the same purpose and passion: to serve God in missions and reach the unreached. Hearing each person's story of how God called them to the country they'll be serving in was inspiring. In this way, we all feel a special bond as sisters and brothers in Christ.

     Besides the usual personality tests and team building activities, each team was given a fun challenge: a scavenger hunt in the Mall of America! Here's a few fun moments we captured:

Excited to grow in the Lord and challenge each other across the world!

D-Day!!!!

    

It’s D-day! A.K.A. Departure Day (or Dad’s day since it’s Father’s Day today). This is it! We’ve said our final goodbyes, packed up our bags, and prepared our hearts. There is no going back.


Already I am amazed at the relationships and encounters I’ve had because of this trip. Because my parents like to brag about their daughter going to the Congo to just about everyone they meet, we end up sparking some great conversations.


Also, I just have to thank my church, friends and family who have been overwhelmingly generous, helpful and encouraging to me throughout this process. I can’t even count the amount of times people have come up or written to me to let me know that they are excited for my journey and praying for me. This means the world, thank you.


I find comfort in the fact that this is where God wants me to be, at this time, and at this stage in my life. I just pray He can use me to be a blessing to the people of the Congo, as well as my team and the missionaries there.

Now we’re off to a jump-start on training, where we’ll prepare with the other teams from Trek7 for a couple days, then taking off on the 24th.

(This was written this morning).


(Now for an update since arriving at our hotel in Minneapolis).


    Right now I feel like a bunch of grapes that got thrown in a crate of apples (ok maybe that wasn't a very good analogy). Basically I have mixed feelings right now...mostly good. My parents and I hugged goodbye and I was left in a hotel full of strangers (besides Chloe), completely out of my element.

     Fortunately, Chloe and I met up with the three other girls going to the Congo: Shiloh (going to Gemena with us), Laura and Hailey (going to Kinshasa). We also met one of the team leaders, Jim, and the pastor and his wife who will be flying with us.

(from left: myself, Hailey, Laura, Shiloh, Chloe)

     After a pizza dinner, several rounds of Uno, a trip to Wal-Mart and a "deep talk" on our hotel beds, we're already feeling fairly comfortable with each other, especially since most of us are complete strangers. I can't wait to see what God brings our way and how each of us grow from this adventure!

***Just a little taste of another 'bump along the road': As we were pulling my luggage up to my room, the pull handle on my checked bag completely snapped! Good thing there is still a small handle on the bag. These moments just have to be taken in stride, always trusting in God's higher plan.

"For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your hand and says to you, do you fear; I will help you."

Isaiah 41:13

Testing...1..2..3 #PackingProbs

     Today, I told myself I was going to do some "serious packing."  But almost as soon as I had begun, the situation became plain old impossible.
     It was a large red suitcase.  Large, because I would be spending a long time in a foreign country with no Wal-Mart or Kwik Trip.  Red, to match my personality so that I would be able to find it in a crowd.  Already, I had begun packing and condensing my essentials (minus clothing) so that I could see how I was doing on space.  So far, so good.  Next, came the fun part: rolling up clothing to stuff into vacuum ziploc bags.  (There's a certain satisfaction in laying on top of one of those bags and squeezing the air out of them so that the contents are compressed and packed efficiently).  Then I did the ol' step on the scale and weigh yourself, step off the scale and grab the suitcase and weigh yourself with the suitcase, and then subtract your weight from yours plus the suitcase.  (Need a little laugh? Watch this comedian's take on weighing boxes for UPS).  Everything was going smoothly until I did the math -- I was over the weight limit!

     Whoo, aaaah.  I took a deep breath.  Ok, so the testing and trials didn't just happen in Africa.  After weighing the big red suitcase alone, we (my Mom and I) discovered that it weighed 20 lbs. alone!  So the next step was to find a smaller suitcase.  We hopped in the car right away, and on our way one of the songs on the radio played a song about casting your cares on God.  I smiled and pointed it out to my mom.  How fitting!
     Finally, after hours and several more tries of much re-arranging and even more condensing, we managed to fit all the "necessities" in the allowed amount of luggage and under the weight limit!  God is good.

     I noticed a quote in the new movie "Jurassic World:"  "The key to a happy life is to accept you're never in control."  This can be taken a step further in that Jesus is the only one who is ever in control and when we give up our "control" to Him, we find true peace.

     "The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

Proverbs 16:9

Kende Malamu: Saying "Goodbye"

     "How lucky I am that I have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - Winnie the Pooh

     One of the most difficult transitions on this trek will be leaving my family and friends (all but one) behind.

     I've already said goodbye to my older brother, Ryan, as he went to do God's work as a summer intern in Athletic Training with the international headquarters of Athletes in Action.

We went out for breakfast to talk about our upcoming summer plans.

     Soon, I will be seeing off my younger brother as he attends a servant-leader training camp for two weeks. I took him out for ice cream, and we each challenged each other to one thing this summer. He hit the nail on the head when he challenged me to work on building relationships and be people-focused. This will be difficult as I am a natural introvert. (Thanks, Ethan...)

                                 
     Eventually, I will see farewell to my parents and everyone else.

I had a special early-birthday shopping day with my Mom:

And a movie/coffee & ice cream date with Dad:

     Good friends and close family are often hard to come by, so I am thankful for these relationships. As my Mom has reminded me lately, hard goodbyes are good because they mean that there was something worth saying goodbye to.

     And yet, leaving the familiar means that I will have to branch out and meet new people, forming new relationships while living in a completely different culture. While this can be intimidating, this is also one of the steps I am most looking forward to.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

FAQ

     I've been asked more and more lately if I am excited for my trip.  And the answer is -- of course!
     Africa has been my dream since I was little, and I get to fly (which I haven't done much of), play with lots of kids, work on my photography and writing, meet new people, be challenged, and of course--update this blog!
     Other than the "are you excited?" question, here are a few more Frequently Asked Questions for your indulgence:

FAQ's

1. When are you leaving?  June 21st, after church that morning.  I will be driving (with my parents) to Minneapolis for a couple days of training with a few other teams going to different countries with Trek7.  I won't actually step foot in the Congo until June 25th.
2. How long is your flight?  About one whole day (and a whole lot of time changes and jet-lag).
3. Do you have all your vaccinations/meds?  Yes, yes I do.  (They wouldn't let me in the country without it!)
4. Where will you be staying?  Sometimes in a mission house of sorts, and sometimes in a mud hut!
5. Are you nervous/anxious?  Yes, and no.  I've been realizing more and more lately that I absolutely do not and never ever will like bugs.  Or anything that I can't see that creeps, crawls, flies and bites.  On the positive side, I have never been to Africa.  Therefore, I don't know exactly what to expect, so any 'bumps in the road' will be taken as they come.  Will it be difficult?  Without a doubt.  But will I be able to trust and rely on God in the midst of it?  Always.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10

***Updated prayer request:  I recently went over my flight schedule, and found out that I will go from an 8 hour flight from Chicago to Brussels, and only have 1 hour in between to get to my next flight from Brussels to Kinshasa for another 11 hours.  Please pray that we will be able to sleep on the plane and also that we can make it to where we need to go in that 1 hour.