words fail me.......

words fail me.......

THANK YOU to the young man in our church for making these for children in the Congo! 

For those of you, like me, who have not seen these before......

This is the newest fad with the young set. 

They are rubberized elastics, knitted together to make small bracelets etc. 

They are light and almost weightless, so......easy to transport to the Congo! 

I think the children will be thrilled!

A perfect offering from children in Canada to children in Congo, don't you agree?

This is a common sight. Homes built into the side of hills and mountains. When there are heavy rains, however, poor foundations will not hold the houses. Many lives are lost as houses cascade down the hillside. There were many such tragedies when I was there this year.  

The city homes are even closer and more unstable. Homes are built quickly and often with little or no planning. The goal is to shelter their families as rapidly as possible, whatever it takes. 

The city has gone from a few hundred thousand to over one million in just a few years, and people continue to flood into Bukavu seeking security. The internet tells me that there are more U.N. troops based in Bukavu than any other single location on earth! (The last number I heard was 22,000)

This leads to a two-tiered financial system. Everything has one price for the local people and another for foreigners. There are beautiful homes alongside shacks, expensive cars driving past barefoot people carrying heavy burdens. 

It really makes you think, when those hard working people living in hastily constructed shacks are more gracious, generous, and caring.........

They have taught me much about life and what is important. Hopefully it will change me!

These cooks fed about 65 of us for the week of the seminar. The meals were very good. They worked so hard. This is their kitchen;

I enjoy feeding a crowd (especially family!), but I don't think I could manage it in this kitchen. There are probably more kitchens in the world like this one than there are like mine?

This sign was posted in the hotel washroom, next to the sink. In a country that struggles to have any water, it is a sober caution. It is a reminder of many who have none and how far they travel to have some. Did you know that in certain seasons, the young children will get up at 3:00a.m. to go out and search for water? They hunt around the city until they find some, and then carry home heavy containers on their backs. I am often moved by how young the child and how heavy the load. 

from my window, I watched them dig (by hand) a foundation for a new house. The women carried one heavy bag full of soil at a time to make this large pile that you see. They would hoist each heavy bag up onto their heads, climb up a steep set of stairs, then up to the top of this mound and empty the bag. They would work from early morning, for about 9 hours, with a short 30 minute break for lunch. Instead of complaining, they sing. One day, a man was laughing so hard I went to wee what was going on. He was absolutely squealing and rolling on the ground with laughter! Such happiness in the midst of great trial......I have much to learn......

However, as they dug out the area up to the white plastic fence you see in the background, they weakened the foundation of the large brick fence just behind the while plastic. We experienced heavy rainfall which also washed away needed foundation for the fence. Eventually the fence collapsed onto the roof you see behind it. Imagine the residents' shock to their early morning routines as the earth shook and bricks came crashing through their roof?! Thankfully, there were no injuries. People all around rushed from their homes to offer assistance. It's what you do when there is no '911'.