Waiting and Expecting

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. Of course, until 4 years ago, I associated this time of year with cold, the possibility of snow, fires roasting, hot chocolate and snowmen or Santa decorations hitting you in every storefront you entered. Now, in Congo, we find ourselves in this season of hot, the possibility of rain, fans blowing, ice cold drinks and rarely a sighting of Christmas decorations to be found.

In all honesty, I miss a bit of the Christmas atmosphere. Lights glowing outside neighbors homes, families ringing bells together to raise money for the Salvation Army and even carolers harmonizing and reminding us of the joy-filled season. It takes a bit of adjusting, but for us it has been a good thing to step back and remember what this season is all about. Remembering what God did for us through sending His Son, Jesus Christ.  

We find ourselves in this time of Advent, leading up to Christmas. It’s a season of waiting and of expectation. I know the meaning of waiting. Waiting for people to arrive who said they would meet us 2 hours before. Waiting in line for a document because there is only one person who signs and verifies said documents and he happens to be out at the moment. I know the meaning of expectation. I expect my children to behave and obey (and, obviously, they fall short sometimes). I have expectations of pastors to return reports to me so I can do my job and return my reports in to the general Church. But, the season of Advent, where we wait in hopeful expectation of the beautiful gift God sent us, is something else entirely. This waiting is good and beneficial and prepares us for what’s to come. The expectation is set high and exceeds what our imaginations could even think it to be.

So, as we go about our December days in Congo, we focus our minds on what is to come; celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Yes, we decorate our house with the one box of Christmas decorations we stuffed into our crate 4 years ago. But, most importantly, we read scripture that points to the One who God sent. We spend time in prayer. We spend time talking about the birth of Christ and how this changed everything.

May we find time this season to step back and remind ourselves what this season is about. May we all find peace, love and joy through what God has done for us!

A Lesson In Humility

Sometimes, I feel like being a missionary is a lesson in humility.  We struggle to communicate, or to make sense in other cultures.  We don’t seem to know how to accomplish the most basic tasks in our new environments.  Essentially, we fail from time to time.  Luckily, the Lord’s grace allows us to continue.  This is one of those stories. 

In April of 2015, I bought a used Toyota Land Cruiser.  The lack of infrastructure in the DRC can make traveling into the interior quite a challenge.  The Land Cruiser is a no nonsense, off-road machine and was supposed to open up areas for church planting that were previously closed.  And it did.  This truck took us to places that I never thought we’d be able to go.  Or, at least it did for a time.  Used cars can be hit or miss here in Congo, and this one soon became a miss.  I was constantly pouring money into it and so we reluctantly decided to sell it.  After meeting a guy who said his boss was looking to buy our Cruiser, he asked to keep the car for the night and show it to his boss in the morning.  I know what you’re thinking.  It’s like watching a scary movie, and you’re shouting at the TV, “Don’t give him the keys!  What are you thinking?” 

Ok, but in my defense, I went into his office, met his coworkers and we have a mutual friend whom I trust.  He promised me that his boss would buy it the next day at a premium rate if I were to give him the car for the evening so that he could check it over.  I agreed.  From that moment on, my contact became difficult to reach.  To make a long story short, four months later I discovered that my car was four hours away at a garage.  I took a bus a few days later to go investigate.  After finding it and convincing the garage owner that the vehicle belonged to me, it would be another month before it could leave the shop.  The person whom I had left the car with had a small accident, sold pieces of the car, and driven it hard for a long distance.

So, when I got the call Friday evening that the car was ready, I wasted no time.  Saturday morning I woke up before the sun and headed off toward my Cruiser.  It seemed a bit strange but mostly ok to make the trip, except for the tires.  On Saturday afternoon, stores close early and the garage didn’t have any idea where I could purchase new ones.  They started patching the ones that I had and assured me that I would make it home.  After my third flat tire at 9:30 pm, it was clear that the truck was going no further.  It was hard enough changing the first two with no jack and there was nowhere to get it fixed anyway.  I left the truck on the side of the road and walked for 30 minutes before someone stopped to take me the rest of the way into town. 

Luckily, we were only about a 45-minute drive from the house.  In the morning we were able to take half a day and get the tires fixed so that we could bring the truck back to the house.   It had been five months since I had left the car with a guy for the evening.  What a difference one bad choice makes.  And yes, it is embarrassing.  I only share it with you for the purpose of sharing about God’s grace.  We have prayed for this vehicle a number of times, and I truly believe that the only reason we have laid eyes on it again is because the Lord was with us.  If anything, this experience has been a reminder that we are human; that we make mistakes; that we fail.  Thank you Lord for keeping me from becoming too proud!  And thank you Lord for the constant reminders of your provision and your loving care. 

Africa Central Field Conference

For one week in September, we were gathered together in Lubumbashi, DRC. For one week, we worshipped in unison. For one week, we listened to each other's successes, failures and goals for the future. For one week, we ate lots of food (including trying pizza for the first time for many). As District Superintendents, Field leaders, Missionaries and fellow workers on the journey to follow Christ, we had an amazing time in fellowship as a group. Coming from cities all over the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo, our leaders were encouraged and left feeling ready to take on a new year of working for the Lord and leading others to do the same.

We thank God for small opportunities to come together as one Field and persevere together! God is on the move through this country and we continue to seek Him as He leads us all to be His hands and feet.

Stéphane Tibi, our FSC, leading us through morning devotions and prayer

Africa Central Field Leaders wearing our newly printed logos
District Superintendents, NYI Leader, SDMI Leader, Jesus Film Coordinator, Child Sponsorship Coordinator, Congo Mission Coordinators and Field Strategy Coordinator

Rev. Balibanga of Goma leading the National Council Meeting.

Gavin, talking through finances, alabaster offerings and projects for the future.

Sandra and I with the fantastic ladies who prepared lunch each day.
We had fish, chicken, fufu, rice, potatoes, noodles, red sauce, okra or greens each afternoon.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

We've all been someplace where we didn't want to be and had to make choices where either outcome was found to be less than preferable. Don't get me wrong.  We absolutely love living in Congo, even though it's challenging and I often boast that we age double while living here. However, this is a place where I often find myself between a rock and a hard place; or between competing bad choices both begging for me to choose them.

            To be fair, Congo is no different than any other place.  Perhaps these paradoxes present themselves to everyone all the time. In this case, what seems bizarre about the rocks and hard places that I continually find myself between is that they are altogether foreign to our western culture. For instance, have you ever had to choose between taking a bath or washing your dishes?  What about paying a small bribe to customs officials or being refused entry to your country?  I know Connor will judge us harshly in his adult years for the number of times that he has had to choose between going to the bathroom in his pants or in a semi-crowded parking lot.

            Things can get more serious as the complexities of Congo unfold. Recently my boss, Stéphane, and I had planned a trip through Congo to attend five district assemblies. With one assembly down and four to go, news broke of political protests in the capital city. Do we cancel our two assemblies in those affected areas (rock) or do we  risk getting caught up in a lot of unpleasant junk (hard place)?  How does one decide?  We strongly believed that God wanted us in these places and could trust him to see us through with our planned schedule and keep us totally out of the mess. 

            After traveling to Kinshasa and completing our second assembly, we noticed a critical error in the documents sent to us from our leader in Brazzaville, Rep. Of Congo.  Yes, there are two Congos. Suddenly it occurs to us that we would be unable to obtain our visas and leave Kinshasa, DR Congo before the political demonstrations ever take place. We would be right in the heat of it, with 12 million of our closest friends.  After some prayer, we decided to move to a hotel in a more calm part of town and wait out the protests. We were never in any real danger. As we spent the day in prayer and fasting, I could hear distant, steady gunfire on only two occasions. Other parts of town were not so fortunate. Burned cars, sporadic gunfire, barricades, and looting ruled the day in more densely populated areas. The next day, there was little change except that the protesters moved from town to block the road leading up to the airport. Suddenly, every taxi in Kinshasa, the third largest city in Africa, was booked for the next morning.  Or rather, refused to take us to the airport out of a rational fear of their car being torched or excessively pummeled. 

            What do we do now? We have flights to catch.  Should we insist on getting to the airport, by possibly offering ridiculous amounts of cash to convince an advantageous driver?  If not, we would miss our flights and possibly our next two assemblies. You know, real rock and hard place kind of stuff. We didn't force our way, but accepted to miss our flight with the Lord's guidance.  Lucky for us, there was a flight the next day with space for the two of us and we were able to make our two remaining assemblies. 

If living in the DRC has taught us anything, it is that we must rely on the Lord at all times.  Even in the face of difficulty, there can be amazing blessing and growth.  For instance, our bonus day in Kinshasa, after the two days of protests, gave us the chance to catch up with our Hatian Missionary serving in the DRC.  We ate a mixture of Congolese and Hatian foods, laughed, prayed, and heard their story (I will post a link to it in the comments of this post on facebook.)  In Bukavu, we were able to pray with the wife the wife of one of our pastors who has been in the hospital for more than a month.  Besides the Spirit filled assemblies that we took part in, these events were real highlights of the trip.  

In sum, I don't think that we go looking for trouble, but that we trust God to bring us through it.  The book of James says it this way: "² Count it all joy, my brothers,^[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ And let perseverence have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  As we continue to live and minister in Congo, we will certainly face more difficult times, but I am confident that the hard times will give birth to blessing as they did last week.  Lord, give us perseverance and joy so that we may lack nothing in your service.
 

Home Assignment 2016

Home Assignment. Furlough. Deputation. It goes by many names. Whatever you call this time back in your home country after spending multiple months away to raise funds, make new partnerships, catch up with old friends and share about the ways God is moving around the world, I imagine most missionaries will tell you it is loved and not so loved. It is loved because of the time meeting new people. It is loved because we get to share the ways in which we see God moving “over there”. It is loved because we get to see old friends and family. It is loved because we get to enjoy some of our favorite things we may not have access to otherwise. On the other hand, it is not loved because frankly, we live out of a suitcase (and our car) for 2, 3 or even 6 months. It is not loved because we gain weight (if you are a missionary reading this and have a secret, please let us know). It is not loved because we find ourselves in a world of; this is home, but not home scenario.  

Since June, our family has spoken in 5 States and driven over 7,000 miles across many more. We’ve seen vast and different terrain across the United States. We’ve met great new partners with Northeastern and Midwest accents. Do you know what a dooryard is? We learned the correct way to pronounce Nevada (hint: the first “a” is pronounced long, as in dad). Our kids have learned to swim. Macy participated in children’s church camp for the first time. We’ve spent precious time with our families. We’ve shared about our farming initiatives and met many farmers who shared their wealth of experience with great advice. We’ve seen old ministry partners and joined in conversations with others around the world about the future of reaching our cities. We’ve seen friends from college and reconnected like years hadn’t separated our time together. We stayed at a ranch in Texas, run by retired missionaries who served in the DR Congo for 2 separate terms (and despite the already discounted rate for missionaries, refused to let us pay for our time staying in a cabin). We’ve been provided countless meals, gas, offerings, prayers and amazing conversations.

God is great. God is vast. God is everywhere and in everything. We thank Him for his protection, His provision and His people. May we continue to share the ways in which God is moving around us with each other. Through these times, we see what an incredible journey we are on…being His workers in His fields to further His Kingdom.

The Grand Canyon

The kids visiting my Mom at work.

Macy and cousin Lennox at Mid-Atlantic District Family Camp.

Connor and his new group of friends at Mid-Atlantic District Family Camp

Ready for our 4th of July celebration with lots of fireworks

Macy loves swimming

Gavin, Connor and I enjoying a picnic after a long drive in the car

We Are Not The Same

One of our family rituals has become sharing lunch around the table after the kids come home from school. We share a meal and talk about our day. Many times the kids talk about school, about friends, about serious or funny events that have taken place that morning and we love this time in our day together. About two months ago, I noticed our children would frequently talk between English and French. When they would tell us about a conversation or something someone said, they would tell us in French. This change really hit me…we are not the same. When we arrived in the DR Congo 3 ½ years ago, we were babies when it came to speaking French and most of our church services were in Swahili, of which we didn’t know any. Everything was new. Everything was different. A lot of times we felt uncomfortable. We didn’t understand certain cultural nuances. We didn’t know anyone. Life was complicated and a big adjustment for our family. It was hard!

But, 3 ½ years later, we can look back and see how these things, every frustration; every uncomfortable interaction; every loss of money to traffic police, and every period of loneliness has made us different people. Today, we feel comfortable. We understand (mostly) how life flows here. We try hard to think with a “we” mentality. We have friends. We can think on our feet and not become as anxious about annoying everyday commodities that should work, but don’t. We can function well in French. And, we know enough Swahili to make people laugh when we say words or small phrases (which could be a good thing and a bad thing).

This month ends our second term in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We leave for the United States for 2 ½ months before coming back to DR Congo for another 2 years. We’ve been told and have experienced that it takes time to enter a new culture, a new ministry, to understand differences and newness. Language takes even longer. Even now, there are things I know I will never understand about Congolese culture, even though I try. I could hit my head on a wall with frustration or try and see if from a Congolese perspective. These are things we’ve had to learn.

We know we haven’t learned all there is to know. There is still a long road ahead. But, as we come back in September, the Lord has been laying on our hearts new ministries and goals. Through our time in the U.S., we hope to share about God’s faithfulness, about standing firm and being patient, but mostly about obeying God’s call. This is our desire and this is our prayer.

Macy playing with friends at a District event

Jill teaching one of our English classes

Connor at a carnival with his best friends, Agneau and Vasil

Gavin leading the South Katanga District Assembly