the essentials

my neighbor's place

Living in rural Congo means that I have a lot more time to read, or rather just less distractions.  I just finished the book "What is the What" by Dave Eggers (suggested to me by Claire Nelson!) and it was incredibly insightful to find parallels to experiences of the main character, Achak, a Lost Boy from Sudan, and my life here in Congo.  Of course there are many things I cannot relate to at all - running as a refugee day and night with hardly any food or water, eating bugs to survive, risking attacks by lions and crocodiles.  My life is not nearly that frightening.  But I do relate to Achak's experience in a small African town before the war, the simplicity of day to day life that made him happy, the need for family and dependance on friends for every day needs.  He describes the night being blacker than black, and without electricity I don't think I have ever been in such a dark place (except for the depths of the caves in Torotoro with Matt and Elsa Johnson in Bolivia!)  This part of Congo truly feels off the beaten path, and it is changing me, and re-focusing my life priorities, again.  Perhaps that is what has always drawn me back to this continent.  There is always emphasis on the essential, because there is no time or opportunity to distract ourselves with things that don't matter as much.  Here, it all comes down to food, shelter, God, family, community, music and dance.

Achak is relocated to Atlanta, GA after 10 years surviving a refugee camp.  He reflects on the way the extreme wealth of the United States has both a positive and negative impact on the Sudanese refugee community.  There is violence, depression and unrest among the refugees because they struggle to find happiness in their new home, because cultural values differ so greatly from their own.

When I read news from home, I am struck at how difficult it is to remove ourselves from the non-essentials.  Our culture dictates that we be non-stop people, and that there is little value in turning out the lights, listening to the chorus of cicadas at night and reflecting on creation around us.  Achak, and my African friends here in Congo have an inherent sense of the importance of making time for these simple moments.

And sometimes, it takes a more radical move to rediscover the essentials.

Gemena to Karawa and Tropical Fruit

Moved to Karawa, DRC.  Pics from the transition to my new home (for now) and my visit to the farm at Kanana where team member Paul Noren is drying mangosteen fruit as an income generation project to support CEUM development, and a pic of me and my Karawa housemate, Marta Klein, who is a nurse at the hospital here.

Saying good-bye to the Goma family in Gemena.  I had a wonderful time living with them! Merveille, 13, did my hair as a parting gift.  Loved it!

Mama Kikwiti, my tutor, colleague and friend with her daughter Fedora (right) and niece Deborah (left).  These are my first friends in Congo, and I will miss not seeing them everyday.

My new home in Karawa, a 2 hour drive from Gemena.  

My street.

My running path.  I have to go at about 5:30am to beat the heat.

The end of my running route, the air strip in Karawa.  The beauty of this area is stunning, pictures don't do it justice!

I went to Kanana Farm with Paul Noren, my co-worker who has decades of experience with agricultural development here in Congo.  This fruit is a variety of durian, one that Paul introduced.  The taste is good, but texture is a bit slimy for me.

Cactus fruit.  That's right, cactus in the rainforest!  The fruit is fresh and crisp with little black edible seeds.  Yum!

Mangosteens are one of my new favorites.  They have about five sections per fruit and is sweet with  the perfect amount of tangy.

Paul built a fruit dryer and we will be selling dried fruit in Yaounde and for the 75th anniversary celebration coming up in August.

I will bring some of this home with me when I come back.  It would be great in trail mix or as a snack by itself!

Thought I should add a picture of me with my new housemate Marta (left) as we say goodbye to Free church missionary Sarah and her baby Hannah.  Making friends in every new town!  And if you're curious, my hair only lasted 2 days like that.  It gets too itchy.

Congo Kids Update

Personal update soon to come, but in the meantime, read on about how Covenant Churches are supporting the work in my community here in Congo!  Read the story on the Covenant website here.

Sacrificial Giving Yields $50,000 for Congo Kids

By Stan Friedman

MAPLE GROVE, MN (June 12, 2012) –President Gary Walter was stunned Sunday morning when members of Maple Grove Covenant Church presented him with a $50,000 check to benefit Covenant Kids Congo powered by World Vision.

Walter receives check from Erlenborn

“Wow, wow, that’s amazing,” said Walter in a soft voice.

Pastor Chad Erlenborn gave Walter the check while introducing the president, who later brought the morning message.

The money was raised as part of the congregation’s “Do Something” campaign. Erlenborn describes it as a short-term campaign to kick-start a long-term strategy to end extreme poverty.

The underlying theme was that no one person or organization could end poverty, but “we can all do something,” Erlenborn says.

Leaders were inspired by Isaiah 58, in which the prophet calls on Israel to fast for justice and serve the poor. Congregation members completed cards pledging to “fast” from a certain product or activity and donate the savings to the campaign.

“We asked people to give up something good to participate in something great,” Erlenborn says.

Some congregants gave up certain foods, others substituted meals such as beans and rice for their regular dinners. One individual rode a bike to work rather than drive and donated the gas money. Others decided not to go on vacation.

In the beginning, leaders did not know in what specific ways the money would be used. “Nine months ago when we started this, all we knew was we wanted to do something,” says Erlenborn.

Walter speaking to congregation

They believed God wanted them to use the money to support ministry concentrated in one area. When leadership learned of the Covenant Kids Congo project, they thought it was a perfect fit.

The congregation initially hoped to raise $25,000 – that would be matched with money from the church’s mission fund and other special gifts. The church far surpassed its goal and raised $53,000 – before the match.

Rather than just match the $25,000, church leadership decided mission funds would be used to match the entire amount, so the final total was $106,000. They decided to contribute $50,000 to Covenant Kids Congo and then allocate the remaining funds among several ministries.

“The beautiful thing was that it was sacrificial giving,” says Erlenborn.

Before Erlenborn presented Walter the money, he gave him all the pledge cards and asked the president to deliver them to the Congolese when he traveled to the country in August. “It’s not just the check that matters, it’s our heart,” Erlenborn said.

Walter replied that he would read the pledges from the cards, noting, “the gift will be incredibly meaningful to them.”

Erlenborn said Sunday’s worship service “was probably one of my best days I’ve had as a pastor, seeing how the church responded to the need.”

Following the service, Walter said, “I was so heartened by this gift. This is the fruit of a congregation that has really been seeking how to tangibly engage around deep need in the world, particularly Congo. I know there are many other congregations doing the same.”