June 24, 2014
Dear Ones,
Well, we are back from our trip! People told us that we would forever be changed and I can certainly see what they were talking about. We have seen a side of life that I have never seen before. When we were walking through one village looking at their water project, a little boy – maybe two years old or so - saw me and acted as though he had seen a ghost! He started screaming and shaking. His wise mother held him close and stretched out his hand to mine. I stroked his little cheek with my finger and he settled down quickly. I’m sure we were the first white people he had ever seen. The only other white people we saw in our 10 day trip were two black albinos.
Your letters and messages have been so encouraging to us! After being without an internet connection for a week and a half, we were starved for news from home. Hearing about your summer activities – fun vacations, swimming lessons, play days, etc. – were just what we needed to feel like our old selves again. I apologize to any missionary that I have failed to write to because I can certainly see how important it is to keep in touch. I have even loved looking at Facebook to see what everyday things are happening – even to people I don’t know! haha
The main purpose of our trip with President and Sister McMullin was for them to do zone conferences one last time before they go home next week. We spent time in three different cities – Luputa, Mwene Ditu, and Mbuji-Mayi. Our city of Lubumbashi is quite high in altitude, and the climate is just about perfect – not too hot, not too cold, and not humid. Well, the interior of the country is very different. Very hot and humid!!
We learned some very valuable life lessons. One of them, of course, is that water is extremely important!! We take so much for granted when we can run to the tap and get hot or cold water anytime of the day or night. For everyone we saw, water is like liquid gold. Water is carried for long distances – mostly on women’s heads – every single day. And everyday is laundry day. Clothes are washed and then dried as they hang from bushes or the tops of thatched roofs. It was a National Geographic type of trip.
We saw many remote villages where the people have very little as far as physical accumulations go but they seemed happy. It’s hard to judge by our standards because one wants to say “I feel so sorry for them. They have nothing. I wouldn’t want to live like this.” And yet, they don’t appear to be suffering. There are lots and lots of children running around and playing – none with gaunt, starving appearances. They live what I would call a day-to-day existence. It’s a simple life, but they seem okay with it.
I helped Sister McMullin with a women’s meeting in one of the larger cities, Mbuji-Mayi. It was a part of their zone conference. She was expecting about 40 women – and 140 came!!! The church doesn’t own a building there – they just rent some rooms in an old Belgian complex that must have been beautiful in its day. It even has a huge swimming pool with slides – but, of course, the pool is dry and cracked and hasn’t seen any swimming in half a century. Sister McMullin speaks French, so some of the ladies understood her, but most of them speak Tshiluba. So an interpreter translated her talk. Well, when it was my turn, Sister Riendeau translated it into French, then the other gal translated it into Tshiluba. A five minute talk took 15 minutes!!!
Zone conference the next day was held in the same complex but in a very large auditorium. It looks like at one time (50 years ago) they held plays there or movies. Anyway, we thought we were being so prompt to get to the meeting 45 minutes early – especially when we saw no cars in the parking lot and there was no noise. Well, when we walked into the auditorium, it was completely full! The children were sitting separately in little chairs (we talking about 100 or more kids) – perfectly quiet. Other people were seated outside in an overflow area. It was pretty embarrassing to walk clear to the front where they had saved our seats. Of course, we were the only white people. It’s very, very humbling!!!
Another humbling lesson I learned in Mbuji-Mayi was at the hotel where we stayed. It was the nicest in town, but still only had electricity for a few hours each day – and no running water! We each were given 2 buckets of water each day – one for bathing and one to make the toilet flush (kind of flush – it doesn’t work very well). Well, our room was on the third floor. The buckets were heavy enough that I had a hard time lifting one from the floor into the bathtub. BUT – the gal who brought the water to us (up to the third floor) was at least 50 years old. She not only carried one bucket in her hand, but she carried the other one on her HEAD!!!! I have led a very sheltered life!
Well, I love you all. Next week on the 4th of July, remember to count as one of your greatest blessings the fact that you were born in America. Where much is given, much is expected. It’s a responsibility we all share. Have a great, great week!
Much love, Mom
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