October 12, 2014 - Clark

Sunday, October 12, 2014

We have missed not being able to watch or listen to all sessions of conference.  Our internet is very poor and streaming is unreliable and downloading takes a long time.  We have since been able to download the conference sessions to watch this weekend and Monica has sent us audio files to listen to the conference messages.  What a lift these words from the prophets can be especially being half a world away from home.  Here they receive DVD’s of conference in French about 4-6 after and then schedule a Sunday to watch the conference as their Sunday service.  We especially loved Elder Holland’s talk on “I am my brother’s brother”.  

We’re sorry to be missing Spencer’s big day of being called to serve in the Bishopric and being ordained a high priest.  He asked Jacey’s step-father, Dave Hess, to ordain him and I’m sure it will be special weekend for them.  Spence has made such an effort to stay connected.  It is probably out of habit because of his extensive travel schedule.  He has made a conscientious effort to skype and FaceTime from everywhere he travels to his family.  Now that we are away, he has included us in that loop.  We’ve visited with him in Ireland and Italy this past month, not to mention Florida and other US locations.  

Since our local area initiatives were shut down the previous week, we have received a few reprimands for complaining, but we have just gone back to work on the potential initiatives that we are working on.  We have three active projects where construction is beginning and will need to be managed.  We visited orphanages this week again to determine exactly what their needs are and to tell them of those selected, we will not be able to help until after the first of the year. Flavien has been in Kinshasa this week on business and we have used another translator, Steve Mutombo.  He is 24, a returned missionary who studies English 2 hours a day because he has no job and is trying to make arrangements to be married.  We are trying to help him save money for marriage.  

Elder and Sister Atkinson went home this week on Tuesday.  I told him we were not unhappy for them just unhappy that we weren’t going with them.  Elder Atkinson has been inspirational to many and I have particularly enjoyed getting to know him.  When Elder Holland talked about his image of President Monson coming home from East Germany in his slippers because he had given everything away, I immediately thought of Elder Atkinson.  When missionaries come they bring 2 suit cases each weighing 50-pounds and a carryon and a laptop.  When Elder Atkinson left, he had given everything away to the poor and he was carrying a half-empty back pack.  He had taught Steve how repair pumps for water wells and when he left, he asked me to deliver the tools he had purchased to Steve.  He said if he can’t use them, he could at least sell them to add to his marriage preparation.  Steve’s response was that I would never sell them, they are “a heritage that Elder Atkinson has left. I will help people if they can pay for the cost of materials, I will charge nothing”.  I’ll try to talk some sense into him, but I hate to corrupt the purity of his thought.

We attended some clinics this past week for dental and eye care that the missionaries receive.  The missionaries all believe they are having eye problems because it is a status symbol to own glasses even if they are unneeded.  We attended with the Mikesells, who have no transportation and no translator, so we provided both and went along for the education.  We were made to feel so welcome at every clinic or hospital we attended.  The eye clinic at St. Bernedette was especially impressive not only because of the services available but because of the number of patients they serve.  They have a wing just to service children and they turn no one away because of the inability to pay.  They have an NGO who funds the children’s service.  As humanitarian missionaries we are instructed not to proselyte.  No Books of Mormon, no tracts or pamphlets, etc. with anyone involved in humanitarian projects.  It was fun to be with Mikesells, who found several opportunities to pass out books and literature during our visits.  

An exciting opportunity we have these coming weeks is to work with Operation Smile.  Since we can’t spend any more money on local area initiatives until January, we looked for ways to do humanitarian work without spending money.  Representative from Operation Smile had contacted us a month ago and we told them we could provide volunteers to assist them.  They had procrastinated getting back in touch with us until this past Thursday.  We attempted to tell them we thought with 3 stakes in Lubumbashi, we could provide most if not all of their volunteers on all days except Sunday.  They will need over 200 volunteers over a 10-day time period.  We are working with the stake presidents and have also asked the mission president to allow the missionaries a chance to serve.  We’ll keep you posted.  They plan on having 250 patients with an escort, who will all be housed at Sendwe Hospital.  Volunteers will participate in registration, translation, serving meals and assisting the medical crews with logistics of transporting patients between rooms and the operating area.  

Our grandson, Joshua Chamberlain, who is in the Mexico City MTC, wrote a letter this past week describing the passage of time as a missionary.  He said, the days seem like weeks and the weeks pass like days.  Because the weather is fairly constant, each day here seems like Groundhog Day, but Joshua’s description is appropriate.  The Clawsons told us when we arrived that next thing you’ll know, it will be your six-month mark.  Well the next thing has arrived, we’ve been serving as missionaries for nearly six months now and it seems like six years or six days, we can’t quite remember.   

We’re having some amazing experiences with people here in the DRCongo.  We are still trying to overcome our anxiety and the loss of our creature comforts, but the people are amazing.  We’ve been scared, away from home, can’t understand the language (neither French nor Swahili), overwhelmed by the poverty and cultural changes, but with all of that, the more time we spend with the people, the more we are learning from them.  Time is of no consequence here, which is good and bad.  They will volunteer for 4 days instead of 4 hours and think nothing of it.  Meetings have no standard start or stop time; it’s not over until they’re done talking.  Means are meant to be shared, not hoarded.  We hope to become more Congolese so their virtues rub off on us.  We do have a hard time blending in and not sticking out.  We know that Our Heavenly Father is mindful of us.  We continue to have tender mercies on a regular basis.  We need to be careful about what we pray for, because they are answered almost immediately.  We’re still frightened but faithful and your emails and calls sustain us.  

Love, Dad (Elder Davis)