Today....

Thank you for your prayers!

There was shooting on each side of us this morning. Some automatic weapons could also be heard. It began at 5:15 a.m., and lasted for a while. The first shots heard were about 40 ft. away and seemed to be in the compound itself! The mission compound was put in lock down for safety. 

Being awakened by 2 sounds at once....  shooting, and the crowing of the rooster.... I, of course put 2 and 2 together and came up with ‘someone must be shooting chickens’!

Before very long, it was all over and people returned to their responsibilities smiling at how frightened they were (also perhaps a ‘safety mechanism’?)......revealing, once again, a courageous and resilient people!

The first casualty of conflict is truth, therefore, we may never know for sure what was happening. There are no known injuries at this time.

Today....

Thank you for your prayers!

There was shooting on each side of us this morning. Some automatic weapons could also be heard. It began at 5:15 a.m., and lasted for a while. The first shots heard were about 40 ft. away and seemed to be in the compound itself! The mission compound was put in lock down for safety. 

Being awakened by 2 sounds at once....  shooting, and the crowing of the rooster.... I, of course put 2 and 2 together and came up with ‘someone must be shooting chickens’!

Before very long, it was all over and people returned to their responsibilities smiling at how frightened they were (also perhaps a ‘safety mechanism’?)......revealing, once again, a courageous and resilient people!

The first casualty of conflict is truth, therefore, we may never know for sure what was happening. There are no known injuries at this time.

I'M BACK!!!

It was an interesting journey with my 9 checked bags! I think I was reading faces correctly, they were thinking....."Someone needs to teach that woman how to pack!!!"
(Is it my fault that others forget to bring their soccer balls???! I'm just sayin'.....)
We arrived in Kigali to a beautiful evening, all my bags arrived also.....brain?........nope! I expect it next week. It usually seems to straggle ............ somewhere over the ocean I think.....that seems to be the location of my last coherent thought! Funny......I'm not missing it!!
Anyway, Pastor Raha met me and by default his brain took over....thankfully!
On Friday, we went to the airport at 4:00 a.m. (I didn't know there WAS a 4:00 a.m.!) We flew to Kamembe and drove to the D.R. Congo border. There were signs of progress everywhere. New construction, and road improvements. Yes, really! They have been quite forward thinking......they are constructing 'speed bumps' through the towns. It creates a better rhythm for the tires as they rock and roll through the eroded pavement and crater sized potholes, now the smoother sections have a little something to offer to the cadence!
Now I am back home in the DRC. Some of my friends came to the border to welcome me, and followed us home where there were more friends. It was WONDERFUL to see them! They sang for me (they know my favorite song) , we prayed together, and then we slept......no .......wait........that was just me......ok, so I slept, and I guess they left?.....because later, when I finished what I had been sharing with them, there was no one there!
Today, I'm just.........
                             .................fine
                                            ...................
                                                              zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'M BACK!!!

It was an interesting journey with my 9 checked bags! I think I was reading faces correctly, they were thinking....."Someone needs to teach that woman how to pack!!!"
(Is it my fault that others forget to bring their soccer balls???! I'm just sayin'.....)
We arrived in Kigali to a beautiful evening, all my bags arrived also.....brain?........nope! I expect it next week. It usually seems to straggle ............ somewhere over the ocean I think.....that seems to be the location of my last coherent thought! Funny......I'm not missing it!!
Anyway, Pastor Raha met me and by default his brain took over....thankfully!
On Friday, we went to the airport at 4:00 a.m. (I didn't know there WAS a 4:00 a.m.!) We flew to Kamembe and drove to the D.R. Congo border. There were signs of progress everywhere. New construction, and road improvements. Yes, really! They have been quite forward thinking......they are constructing 'speed bumps' through the towns. It creates a better rhythm for the tires as they rock and roll through the eroded pavement and crater sized potholes, now the smoother sections have a little something to offer to the cadence!
Now I am back home in the DRC. Some of my friends came to the border to welcome me, and followed us home where there were more friends. It was WONDERFUL to see them! They sang for me (they know my favorite song) , we prayed together, and then we slept......no .......wait........that was just me......ok, so I slept, and I guess they left?.....because later, when I finished what I had been sharing with them, there was no one there!
Today, I'm just.........
                             .................fine
                                            ...................
                                                              zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

the beginning......

- Today, tonight and tomorrow;
Winnipeg to Calgary
Calgary to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to Uganda
Uganda to Kigali

- Thursday;
a day in Kigali


- Friday;
fly to the edge of Rwanda
taxi to the border
cross into DRC
one last customs office

REUNITED WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY!!

The extraordinary realities of travel in this age.....

Last Sunday I spoke at a church in Manitoba, and the very next Sunday I will be speaking in a Church in the D.R. Congo!
Today, I showered in Winnipeg.....next shower in Rwanda!
Today I am surrounded by English language, tomorrow....Dutch.....the day after.... Swahili and French!
Everything changes after this morning......sights, smells, sounds, customs, and sometimes my equilibrium......
When I post again, it will be from the other side of the globe!

Oh, and one more thing.......today -30 with a wind chill factor of -49.......in a few days?...........the sky's the limit!!

Now, isn't THAT crazy??!  :)

the beginning......

- Today, tonight and tomorrow;
Winnipeg to Calgary
Calgary to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to Uganda
Uganda to Kigali

- Thursday;
a day in Kigali


- Friday;
fly to the edge of Rwanda
taxi to the border
cross into DRC
one last customs office

REUNITED WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY!!

The extraordinary realities of travel in this age.....

Last Sunday I spoke at a church in Manitoba, and the very next Sunday I will be speaking in a Church in the D.R. Congo!
Today, I showered in Winnipeg.....next shower in Rwanda!
Today I am surrounded by English language, tomorrow....Dutch.....the day after.... Swahili and French!
Everything changes after this morning......sights, smells, sounds, customs, and sometimes my equilibrium......
When I post again, it will be from the other side of the globe!

Oh, and one more thing.......today -30 with a wind chill factor of -49.......in a few days?...........the sky's the limit!!

Now, isn't THAT crazy??!  :)

OK, here's how it went down....

We packed all the bags.....totalling 450 lbs.!......(which incidentally fly cheaper per pound than I do!!)......then I loaded the dishwasher.......swept the floors down the hall towards the door.......noticed the dust on the coffee tables..........oh, forget it!......it will be there when I return :)
So here we are in Winnipeg......on the way in, my husband and I planned to have lunch in the eating area. We went to the shopping mall, shopped, got tired, he went to the car...I phone him...."you know why we are here?"........"to have lunch!" Response...."Oh ya....I'll meet you there!"
We're no stressed.....nope, not us!