Praising the Lord Together

Every Sunday is different for us. In Lubumbashi, there are 11 Nazarene churches. As we’ve visited each church over the last several months, we have found they are different…in size, in type of building (from brick and cement, to sticks and tarps to under trees), and in ratio of adults, children and youth. But one thing remains the same. Every person that is in attendance is there to worship God. We attend church to learn and hear what God has brought to the preacher’s heart to share. And, as a collective body of believers we come to encourage one another, hold each other accountable and be a part of each other’s lives. 

“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:10-12

When we arrive at church each week, we are always warmly greeted with “Bonjour Baba” and “Jambo Mama”. Men and Women sit on opposite sides of the church and children usually sit in the back. However, our family is usually always seated together at the front of the church. Church begins with Sunday school, where every person in the congregation engages with the teacher to learn about a particular passage of scripture. Prayers are lifted, in unison, for members of the congregation, the community, the city and the International Church of the Nazarene. For me, Jill, this has become one of my most treasured aspects of church. Together, as the Body the Christ, in French, Swahili and English, we lift our voices in praise and requests to God. With loud voices, claps of praise and beats of the drums we sing together in Swahili “Hakuna Rafiki Kama Jesu” (There’s no friend like Jesus), “Hakuna Mungu Kama Wewe” (There is no God like You) to begin the next portion of our service. Each church has different choirs made of children, youth, and adults who sing and dance in each service. Through these times, our hearts are filled with joy and love for our Savior and our brothers and sisters here in the Congo. After another person shares a message from the Lord, the service concludes. The congregation leaves one at a time shaking each person’s hand who left before them as they leave. It ends as a circle of church member’s being blessed by the Pastor to leave.

Praise the Lord for the Church in the DRC! We are blessed to be a part of it.

Happy Birthday Connor!

 Happy 4th Birthday Connor!

Journey to Zambia

This last week our journey took us to Zambia for a great time of relaxation and site seeing as a family. Although our first day in the car was a long one (13 ½ hours), we made it to Lusaka, the capitol city of Zambia. We stayed overnight then continued our journey to Livingstone (only 7 hours), at the very southern border of Zambia to see the famous Victoria Falls. Here are a few highlights from our trip…

 Once in Zambia, we were constantly trying to talk with people in French. When we received blank stares, we were reminded we could speak in English.  Even Connor was constantly greeting people with Bonjour.

Our scenic drive…we love African trees and the small villages we drove through. The roads are drivable and the people are very hospitable.

Victoria Falls…we now understand why it is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It was breathtaking and awe-inspiring. While the hike around the Falls made up for our 2 days in the car, the kids did great. Macy loved the “shower” (the stretch of bridge we walked across and were sprayed by the water falling) and Connor loved seeing the rainbow below us.

Our safari…we were able to take the kids on a drive through a National Game Park. We saw elephants, zebras, baboons, deer, water buffalo, giraffes, warthogs, vultures and from a very long distance what we think we saw hippos in the river. It was a chilly ride once the sun began to set, but great to see the animals.

 

Drinking pasteurized milk…our milk in Lubumbashi is all long-life, shelf stable. We took advantage of this treat and consumed two gallons during the week.

Meeting a couple from England at our hostel that has been cycling since Norway. Their story is amazing about the hospitality of other’s across the world. They have been riding for 14 months and over 22,000 kilometers. From Livingstone they were cycling to Botswana to make their way to Cape Town, South Africa and then fly to Chili and ride through the America’s. They are finishing in Alaska. We really wish them the best of luck and look forward to following their blog and journey.

One day we just hung out around our hostel, which was filled with young college aged students. Gavin and I felt old, but nonetheless, Gavin and the kids played hide and seek and we filled our quiet time by listening to Princess Songs and Name that movie line. The kids definitely have Gavin’s memory. It was a fantastic day of relaxation.

Finding tortillas, salsa, microwave popcorn, packed brown sugar and peanut M&M’s at a grocery store. We were like kids in a candy store!

Gavin finding and purchasing some plants. His green thumb couldn’t help but buy some plants for a great price.