November 2, 2014 - Shelley

November 2, 2014

I try to write my weekly letter on Sunday afternoon.  I am using this as my journal, so I like to think back over the week to recall the highlights.  Some weeks are same, same, same.  This week, however, was different, different, different!

It started out with a “back door” invi-tation to Family Home Evening at the home of one of the Stake Presidents – President Tshibanda.  He actually only invitied Sister Riendeau, who will be going home tomorrow.  Sister Riendeau and Sister Tshibanda have become good friends in the French class that Sister R. has been teaching.  Since it’s not advised to be out after dark, especially for two single gals, Sister R. asked if it would be okay if she brought us along.  

We drove and it turned out to be a wonderful evening.  Clark and I haven’t been in many homes here – so this was very interesting.  Pres. T. has a good job working with the mines as an engineer.  He owns a car, a home, and a rental home.  He has six children, but also has his mother, a sister, and two nieces who live with his family.  These wonderful people live in a very modest 3 or 4 room home that has a cement floor.  Chickens wandered in and out – but the house was tidy and felt very homey.

We didn’t realize that dinner would be served and it was so touching to see that rather than serve fou fou, which they normally would have eaten, they had bought food that they thought we would like.  They had fruit, French fries, and a variety of salads.  Knowing how expensive food is made it especially meaningful.  

We had two project celebrations this week.  The first was to recognize the church members who had volunteered with Operation Smile.  We met at a church building.  Clark put together a little slide show, a few people shared their thoughts on what the experience had meant to them, we passed out certificates, and had refreshments.

This is my favorite photo of the volunteers.  You can just feel the kindness in their faces.

The next celebration came with the delivery of desks to Bukanda School.  It’s the village school where students had been sitting on bricks.  We bought 130 desks, paint and termite spray for the walls, and chalkboard paint.

This is a long-shot so that you can see the gathering under the trees.  The school is located behind where I’m standing.

This shows the parents on the left and  part of the students.  It was so cute because they had an actual program prepared with skits, choir numbers, and speeches.  We had brought 600 bottles of soda and about that many packages of cookies.  We had a few bottles of soda left over, but not much more.

This brings me to another topic.  We have a new translator.  Flavien has worked with us since we arrived and has been simply wonderful!  He has accepted full-time employment with the church with facilities management.  We are happy for him, but will miss him!  Steve Mutombo is our new translator.  He’s a returned missionary, unmarried, and has a university degree in computer science.  His English isn’t nearly as sophisticated as Flavien’s, but he’s an outstanding young man.  I have started collecting what I’m calling “steve-isms”.  On the way out to Bukanda School, with all of the soda in our truck, Steve wanted to have a soda himself, but didn’t quite know how to put the words together.  So he said, “Can we start celebrating the departing of soda?”  I thought it was so funny!  Maybe you had to be there!  Haha

There was an unexpected death of a counselor in one of the local bishoprics this week.  He was 70 years old.  Sister Anthony and I attended his funeral – mainly just to see what it was like.  We had heard several wild stories, but the service was actually very much like funerals in the United States. . . UNTIL the end.  When the service was over, the casket was carried to the church parking lot and very unceremoniously shoved into the back of a transport!

The main method of transportation here is in white vans called “transports”.  It isn’t unusual to see 25 people pile out of one – they are hugely crowded!  Most people don’t own cars, so this is the way of getting around.  Anyway, after the widow was seated in the front of the same van, everyone else piled in – either to this one or to several other transports in the parking lot – and off they went to the cemetery.  No one thought it was unusual – except us.

I’ve probably blabbed on enough, but I did want to share a couple of “people” pictures from this week.

This little cutie is the daughter of one of our office employees – Emmanuel.  I asked her mother how long it took to do her hair like this (I think it’s just extentions woven into her own hair) – and said it took two hours!  I have had some experience over the years with trying to fix a 3-year old’s hair (I won’t mention any names, EMILY! haha), and I just don’t think it would have worked for me!!!  But she’s sure cute!  Emmanuel and his family are leaving tomorrow to be sealed in the Johannesburg Temple.

I must be feeling partial to little girls this week, but I thought this gal looked so adorable.  The neighborhood where this is taken is where our bridge project is.  It’s a very poor area.  There are hundreds of children who wander from backyard to backyard, playing in the dirt with sticks and rocks and “toys” they’ve made themselves out of nothing.  Life feels very simple and uncomplicated.

I want to express my thanks for your letters and encouragement this week.  We have loved the photos of Halloween costumes and activities!  

Our mission president and two of the other senior couples made a trip up north this week.  It’s the same trip we took in June – to Luputa, Mwene Ditu, and Mbuji-Mayi.  It’s quite an eye-opening experience to actually see into the heart of rural Africa.  Neither of the senior couples had been there before, and they were very ready to get back to civilization by Friday night.  After they had been sitting in the Mbuji-Mayi airport for several hours in the sweltering heat, waiting for their plane home -  it was announced that their plane had decided not to stop in Mbuji-Mayi because of an impending rain storm – so it just flew over without them!  T– I–A!!  (They finally got home 30 hours later!)

Well, the Lord has blessed us beyond measure with a wonderful family and friends. We miss you all, but we love to hear how you are taking care of each other.  I asked Steve if he would move away from Lubumbashi after he got married.  He said that he probably won’t because his mother doesn’t want him to.  He said, “She wants to see me around her.”  Well, I feel the same way about all of you – I want to see you around me!  But for now, this will have to do.  Have a wonderful week.  

Love,  Mom/Soeur Davis