Mwenga from the front porch......

Mwenga from the front porch......

And Back to Bukavu....

The trip home took a little longer. We arrived back in the city after 4 hours driving. We were all exhausted! I slept off and on, waking only for the highlights.....like stopping at a roadside market. After a few purchases, we began to pull out onto the roadway again, but a woman from the market ran after us calling out to us. As it happens, she had not yet given the full amount of change!

So desperately poor, but faithfully honest!

When we arrived in Bukavu, we were so happy to see home! I entered the house and headed for a chair in the sitting room. 

Eunice came to talk to me.....”Grandma, I just have one thing to say.....DON’T look in the mirror! Your hair...ie yie yie.....just don’t even look in the mirror”!

Apparently the journey had taken it’s toll! (I did not look in the mirror!)

I hope you enjoyed the road trip. I will post this when I get home again, and we have internet.

(it is 2:30am here, but WE HAVE INTERNET & POWER!)

And Back to Bukavu....

The trip home took a little longer. We arrived back in the city after 4 hours driving. We were all exhausted! I slept off and on, waking only for the highlights.....like stopping at a roadside market. After a few purchases, we began to pull out onto the roadway again, but a woman from the market ran after us calling out to us. As it happens, she had not yet given the full amount of change!

So desperately poor, but faithfully honest!

When we arrived in Bukavu, we were so happy to see home! I entered the house and headed for a chair in the sitting room. 

Eunice came to talk to me.....”Grandma, I just have one thing to say.....DON’T look in the mirror! Your hair...ie yie yie.....just don’t even look in the mirror”!

Apparently the journey had taken it’s toll! (I did not look in the mirror!)

I hope you enjoyed the road trip. I will post this when I get home again, and we have internet.

(it is 2:30am here, but WE HAVE INTERNET & POWER!)

Mwenga Safari

Our journey to Mwenga was scheduled to begin at 7:00am. The weather was perfect as we left the city at 8:30. Thankfully we were to take a “good road” today, so no worries. This was my first trip into the interior of Congo and I was looking forward to the experience.

Our “good road” was not paved, but a well travelled dirt road with many villages. We met other vehicles so I assumed we were not far off the beaten trail.

In every village, I think there is a young child designated to cry out for the benefit of ENTIRE village.......”MUZUNGU” (white person) so that all villagers can properly observe the progress of this unusual entity through their community! 

As the morning wore on, our road got narrower and the ruts got deeper. Approximately 2/3 of our trip was uphill.....you need to understand my aversion to heights!

Then we arrived at the turnoff road to Mwenga....

This road seemed to have had it’s own special rainfall? I just kept in mind that “this is a good road”! When the edge of the road suddenly became a sheer drop down the mountain....”this is a good road”......when the 4X4 slithered sideways seeking traction....”this is a good road”.....In truth, I have been on worse roads, but this one will remain memorable!

We continued our trek with single mindedness, past the motorcycle, parked in the middle of the road, to cast aside the surplus parts that had fallen off......on and on....

Our expedition was beginning to seem endless, when we arrived in Mwenga! What a beautiful place. (Thanks to my intolerance for high temperatures, the church board is careful to book only cold places for me to teach in.)  Mwenga is situated between 2 mountains, and certainly qualifies. Not a happy condition for those with the courage to accompany me!

The safari took 3 1/2 hours and covered 90K.

Mwenga - day 2

When we arrived at our accommodation, an old missionary house (the house is old, not the missionary) The cook stove is a miniature wood stove, with no chimney! The window and door in the kitchen were kept open, to no avail. Smoke filled the kitchen and the house, leaving the locals to assume that all mzungu have pink eyes. We had two options, stand outside in the cold windy night, or inside with the smoke. We took both options in brief intervals.

Then next morning, when heavy fog billowed into the classroom windows, I thought we had left the stove burning!

Had a great class time! I asked them how many had travelled more that 5K?.....most of them! 10K?....still a large number....I got as far as 20K before someone stood up to explain that they had walked very far, even 40K, to attend! WOW!

OK, the day after we topped that with 50K+ ! The commitment of these pastors is unequaled in my experience. On Saturday, the last class, the lead pastor requested that we pray for a pastor friend of theirs. The poor man’s wife had died, suddenly, 2 days earlier. As I prepared to pray, a man came forward to kneel at the front.....it was his wife and he was here in class......in fact, I don’t think he missed a day!!!

I have no words....

Mwenga - day 2

When we arrived at our accommodation, an old missionary house (the house is old, not the missionary) The cook stove is a miniature wood stove, with no chimney! The window and door in the kitchen were kept open, to no avail. Smoke filled the kitchen and the house, leaving the locals to assume that all mzungu have pink eyes. We had two options, stand outside in the cold windy night, or inside with the smoke. We took both options in brief intervals.

Then next morning, when heavy fog billowed into the classroom windows, I thought we had left the stove burning!

Had a great class time! I asked them how many had travelled more that 5K?.....most of them! 10K?....still a large number....I got as far as 20K before someone stood up to explain that they had walked very far, even 40K, to attend! WOW!

OK, the day after we topped that with 50K+ ! The commitment of these pastors is unequaled in my experience. On Saturday, the last class, the lead pastor requested that we pray for a pastor friend of theirs. The poor man’s wife had died, suddenly, 2 days earlier. As I prepared to pray, a man came forward to kneel at the front.....it was his wife and he was here in class......in fact, I don’t think he missed a day!!!

I have no words....

Mwenga Safari

Our journey to Mwenga was scheduled to begin at 7:00am. The weather was perfect as we left the city at 8:30. Thankfully we were to take a “good road” today, so no worries. This was my first trip into the interior of Congo and I was looking forward to the experience.

Our “good road” was not paved, but a well travelled dirt road with many villages. We met other vehicles so I assumed we were not far off the beaten trail.

In every village, I think there is a young child designated to cry out for the benefit of ENTIRE village.......”MUZUNGU” (white person) so that all villagers can properly observe the progress of this unusual entity through their community! 

As the morning wore on, our road got narrower and the ruts got deeper. Approximately 2/3 of our trip was uphill.....you need to understand my aversion to heights!

Then we arrived at the turnoff road to Mwenga....

This road seemed to have had it’s own special rainfall? I just kept in mind that “this is a good road”! When the edge of the road suddenly became a sheer drop down the mountain....”this is a good road”......when the 4X4 slithered sideways seeking traction....”this is a good road”.....In truth, I have been on worse roads, but this one will remain memorable!

We continued our trek with single mindedness, past the motorcycle, parked in the middle of the road, to cast aside the surplus parts that had fallen off......on and on....

Our expedition was beginning to seem endless, when we arrived in Mwenga! What a beautiful place. (Thanks to my intolerance for high temperatures, the church board is careful to book only cold places for me to teach in.)  Mwenga is situated between 2 mountains, and certainly qualifies. Not a happy condition for those with the courage to accompany me!

The safari took 3 1/2 hours and covered 90K.