World Vision/Covenant Partnership in Congo

A few weeks ago at the Midwinter Conference there was a partnership announced that will have an enormous impact on the Northwest region of Congo, where I will be serving.  Please check out this link, and click on the video to see images and hear stories of the region, and some of the other missionaries that I will be serving alongside.

http://www.covchurch.org/covenantkidscongo/#!prettyPhoto

Pray over this! It's too big for us to take on alone, but I believe with all my heart that when we come together as the body of Christ to make right what is unjust in our world, we become part of a plan much bigger than ourselves.  This partnership is centered on the principles of sustainable development and empowerment of people. God has opened a door, it's on us to walk through it.

all the single ladies

This past month and a half I have had the unique opportunity of sharing life with men and women who have made vows of chastity and poverty to better serve the God they love.  The Catholic church is structured to welcome the service of single women and men, and to support them in their chosen lifestyle through forming communities of work and support.  The nuns I work with share everything with their fellow sisters - work, chores of daily life, organization of daily liturgies and service to their neighbors.

I have always been drawn to the idea of living a monastic lifestyle, and I found other outlets of community living though places like Covenant Bible College in Ecuador, and Reba Place Fellowship in Evanston. My international family here has been a glimpse of heaven in many ways - people from 18 different nations coming together to live, to work, to learn with the end goal to serve the people of God and see the Kingdom come.

I appreciate the structure that supports my single Catholic brothers and sisters.  The Covenant Church does not have the size or capacity to have the same kind of structure, but it is something I have been reflecting on as I embark on the next stage of my life as a single missionary.  Our church culture welcomes married couples and singles alike into ministry, but I sometimes wonder if there could be an improved support system for single men and women in ministry?  We don't have spouses and families to fall back on in times of need, we are utterly reliant on the church community to fill that place in our lives.  It can be a beautiful thing to be humbled and vulnerable, but scary too.  We have to keep faith that God will bring individuals into our lives to keep us accountable, to challenge us and to encourage us during those moments when we start to lose sight of our hope and purpose.

I recognize the many blessings that go with me during my time here and France, and that will follow me as I begin work in Congo this spring.  I am not alone because I have a cloud of witnesses cheering me on and covering me in prayer.  If you're reading this, you are probably one of that family.  When I don't have a family to turn to, I remember that you are lifting me up with love, in prayer.  So, thank you, and remember that your partnership with me on this journey is not only welcomed, it's essential for me in overcoming doubts and fears of working as a single woman in the Congo.

market day

Before it snowed, I enjoyed going to the open market in Angers every Saturday morning in Centre Ville.  The vendors offer clothing, purses, shoes, antiques, food and more! I have posted a few pics of the food section of the market.  They have everything from seafood still squirming in the box to cheese the age of my grandmother.  These open markets are known for having the best local food at reasonable prices.

goodbye friends, hello snow

This weekend marks the end of my first session at Mission-Langues! The time is flying by.  We said good-bye to 7 of my classmates and have welcomed 8 new students from Colombia, Brazil, Japan, Poland and the Philippines.  There is a little "fete', or party, every time a session ends so we have a chance to celebrate and say good-bye to the people we have shared life with for the past month.

This was our class for the first session, including our professor, Nathalie.  We said good-bye to Marlene (standing next to me).  Her community is in Quimpir, another town in Western France.  

Rita, from Brazil grew to be a close friend.  I didn't think I would be sad to say good-bye after only four weeks, but it's amazing the bond that is built in such a short time.  In a sense, we are all children growing up together in the French language.  There is something about being so vulnerable and sharing  many mistakes and triumphs together that imprints people on your heart.  

The good-bye dinner.  I am sitting across the table from Nikola and Hazel, the only other North Americans in the program (both from Canada).  They will not be returning for the next session, so now I am the only North American remaining!  I appreciated having people here who understood my home culture for my first month of transition.

For the good-bye celebration some of us dressed up and shared dances from our home culture.  Dora, one of my favorites, danced for us in this beautiful sari from Bangladesh.

The day after our friends left, it snowed!! This is very rare for Angers to have snow like this.  Usually, if  it snows at all in the winter, the snow doesn't even stick overnight because of the warm temperatures.  It has been 10 years since Angers has seen snow like this! Lucky me.  But fun for my southern hemisphere friends.  This is Prudence from Central African Republic, enjoying the cold.

And Ernesto, a Priest from Colombia working in Chad.  This was the first time he has ever seen snow in his life! 

I appreciate my friends here.  Ernesto and Prudence have excellent French, so it's fun to talk with them and be able to learn so much at the same time.  I am thankful they are patient with my mistakes.  One thing I have learned well here is to laugh at myself!  I have a tendency to be sensitive, but I'm finding that's not an option when you're learning a new language.  

A snowman named "Monsieur Ernesto" made by Theresa, Dora and Prudence.  This is the baby, we'll work on making the papa snowman when we get a few more inches.

We also went to visit the chateau in Angers today because it's free the first Sunday of every month.  Unfortunately, it was closed due to potentially dangerous conditions of falling snow and ice.  Maybe next month we'll have better weather.  

Bon Hiver!

Everybody Dance!

Last weekend we had a little party, as nuns do, and we danced! A few pictures to capture the evening:

This was really funny to me - Myself and the Belgian were showing everyone how to salsa! Note that there were Venezuelans and Mexicans in the group watching.  Weird to say the least.  

My North American contribution to the evening was teaching the dance for "Cotton-Eyed Joe".  Does anybody remember that song?! I perfected the dance at the many bar/bat mitzvahs I have the privilege of attending in junior high.  I am showing my friend Bea Therese, from Madagascar, the moves.  

A picture of everybody who stayed to the end of our party! From the Left: Dora from Bangladesh, Prudence from Central African Republic (CAR), Rebekah from India, Emmanuela from Italy, Josephine from Nigeria, Ernesto from Colombia, Bea Therese from Madagascar, Rita from Brazil, Sandrine from Madagascar, Sobas from India, Me and Rosine from CAR.

Class-y

Here are some pics of my daily life these past few weeks.  I have a LOT of time in the classroom! While that isn't necessarily my favorite place to be, I have lots of encouraging study buddies and professors who are patient and willing to answer my many questions (and make lots of corrections).

We start our day with different groups depending on our french level.  Essentially the mornings are filled with lots of speaking practice and group work.  After lunch we start the afternoon sessions in a listening lab.  We have to repeat and respond to the questions we hear and our professors correct our grammar, articulation and accents.  Some students refer to this as the "torture lab" but I actually like it! Probably because my accent isn't entirely atrocious, only a little bit:)

After Listening Lab we have individual study time.  Usually I am working on an expose - we have to write, memorize and present two expositions per week.  My subjects have covered growing Moringa (the plant I'm really excited about to fight malnutrition in Congo) and the varied meanings of the term "missionary".  It's amazing how difficult it is to explain a complicated topic with minimal vocabulary in a new language.  Huph-la.  My French professors say that a lot.  I'm not sure exactly what it means, but it seems to fit in this context.

Our professors are available for questions and corrections as we work individually in the afternoons.  On the left in the brown/gray sweater is Sebastian, one of my professors.  He is a native of Angers.

And my other professor, Nathalie, working here with my classmate Teresa from Vietnam.  I love Nathalie's class.  She speaks clearly so we can understand, and is patient with our many and varied grammatical errors.

This is everyone in my morning class! I am really lucky to be in a class with only three students.  Most of the classes have at least 5 or 6 students.  Mission-Langues makes a point to have no more than 8 students in one class for optimal speaking practice.

the hills are alive

It's nearly the end of week two in France and it's amazing to reflect on the life changes I have undergone in such a short period of time.  One thing that I have really enjoyed is the rhythm of life here.  We have prayers in the mornings and evenings, before breakfast and dinner respectively, and while at first I thought it too formal and cold, I have come to really enjoy the times of silence, taize prayers, and lectionary readings.  I am inspired by the diligence and hearts of service of my Catholic brothers and sisters here.  Some of them dress very traditionally, which I was initially put off by, but I have come to understand that they are trying to honor their beliefs in every single part of their lives, including the way the dress.  Last week-end some of my new friends and I explored Angers together.

This is Valeria, Ana, Me and Angelica.  Valeria and Angelica are from Venezuela and Ana is from Spain.  They are learning French as preparation to serve in a school in Benin.  Angelica is one of the funniest people at the school and Ana has the best french! I've learned a lot from her.

The girls told me that they have had a harder time in France wearing their habits around - kids in Paris shouted at them in the streets.  I imagine it is difficult for them to look like they are from a different time.  They run in their habits, swim, bike and more! Angelica likes to play basketball particularly.  She said it's actually freeing because there is little movement restriction.  Not sure if I will try it anytime soon, but your never know...