May 18, 2014 - Clark

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Every day is a new adventure.  We certainly know we have been completely indulged in our creature comforts but this experience is a rude awakening to the plight of much of the world’s population.  We sleep under mosquito nets to reduce the risk of malaria and take doxycycline every day to combat malaria.  Our water all has to be filtered before drinking, washing dishes or brushing your teeth.  All vegetable and fruits have to be washed in a chlorine solution before consumption.  The power is spotty and is on and off regularly. The refrigerator goes off when the electricity goes off and the freezer has never worked.  You have to keep backup water to flush the toilets and the filter in the event the electricity is off because the pump for water pressure doesn’t work. You have to keep a flashlight near buy to find the battery backup, if the battery backup works.  Those are just for starters on my first day but I’m sure the list will grow.

Church was again a highlight of our week.  We attended a new ward at a new meetinghouse about 15 minutes away.  The facility was built to Utah standards in the DRC and probably cost 10 times the local construction cost because everything was imported and they used materials the locals were not used to working with.  This is according to Kevin Clawson, the other senior couple.  He takes care of locating all missionary apartments and providing water and power to all the missionaries.  

None the less, the facilities were nice but a few things were unique:

1.   They have their baptismal fount outside though covered.  They had a baptism today and the water wasn’t working, so they hauled water in trash cans from the cistern nearby to fill the baptismal font.  Four people were baptized and we sang at least a dozen hymns before and after the baptism.  The font was barely deep enough to completely immerse the candidates, so the person performing the baptisms had to push them down to complete the job.  
2.   Another unique thing is the church is located immediately next to another local church where the atmosphere was more revival in nature.  The neighbor’s singing drowned out the instructions lesson presentation.  All classrooms are open louvered windows similar to Hawaii.  
3. The men are more faithful than the women.  Priesthood was first and we had a full room of priesthood but there were only 4 sisters to start Relief Society.
4. Their scriptures were extremely well worn.  They had turned to those pages many times.
5. Everyone had a cell phone regardless of poverty status, the cell phone unites people.
6. White and bright colors contrast well with black.
7. Young mothers were nursing openly during any meeting.

On the way to church, it looked to me like we could have had a humanitarian project on every street.  The people were bathing in their front yards with latrine-like drainage along the small frontage of their property.  Yet with backdrop, Sister Clawson said, “I see no humanitarian projects here, this is not the poor sector of town and these people have everything they need.”  They have chosen a simply lifestyle that is thousands of years older than our society and they are happy with their simple life.  Finding food and water every day is the first priority and then a place to sleep.  Many of them live outside and only use their hut or residence to escape.  

The lesson in Priesthood was “Leglise et le Roujaume de Dieu” (The Church and Kingdom of God)There were several young missionaries at the meetings, but a young 12-year old deacon was the one who sat next to me and fellowshipped me as a newcomer.  After sitting through a 3-hour block of meetings conducted in French and the French baptismal service, I was searching for “How can  my experience benefit the DR Congo?”  I’m  sure it is not going to be through mastery of the language and the young missionaries are doing such a fabulous job with prospects who are plentiful.  When they had the open house for the new chapel, there were 2,000 people who came and 500 referrals of people who wanted to know more about the Church.  Others have told me that you want to search your entire mission for your specific calling where you can have an impact.  The search begins.  The lesson was number 18 from Joseph F. Smith.  It has a quote from David O. McKay to Harold B. Lee that I just love and needed today:

“The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.  I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead.  Then came to lesson of a lifetime ‘You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you’”  

Another thought from Ezra Taft Benson is worth recording.  He said that two principles are essential for security and peace: “First, trust in god; and second, a determination to keep the commandments, to serve the Lord, to do that which is right. … The Lord has made it very clear in the revelations that even though times become perilous, even though we be surrounded by temptation and sin, even though there be a feeling of insecurity, even though men’s hearts may fail them and anxiety fill their souls, if we only trust in God and keep his commandments we need have no fear”

I had to sit on the stand in sacrament meeting and bear my testimony.  They provided a translator and I used him.  My testimony included:

1. Your families are beautiful
2. You fellowship newcomers even the Aaronic priesthood, a deacon of 12 made me feel welcome
3. The reverence was commendable even with babies crying, of such is the kingdom of God
4. I told  them I wanted their help in learning their language so I could become part of them and no longer viewed as only a visitor.
5. I know I have much to learn from these people and am happy to be part of “hastening the Work of Salvation” here in DR Congo.
6. I then bore my testimony from the orange flash cards.

Mom didn’t have to share her talk yet but she is ready.

When the Clawson’s brought us home from Church we hadn’t had our filtering system working  yet and hadn’t eaten when it was already 3:00.  Mom dived in and cleaned the kitchen and got the filtration system going with Elder Clawson’s  help.  We were dropped off without wheels and no communication capabilities.  We decided to go for a long walk around the neighborhood and upon returning we sat on the patio outside our flat.  An older gentleman came to visit the guard.  We found out his name was Nicholi and the guard’s name was Peppy.  We talked for 45 minutes on the patio.  He came to charge his new phone and while it was charging he worked on   his English.  We had quite a nice visit while he charged his phone outside.  We asked about his family and shared with him pictures of our family photos.  He left after charging and we provide some fruit to the guard before having dinner.

We’re definitely a few steps into the dark but we’re relying on the promise that, ‘the light will appear to show us the way.’