September 7, 2014 - Shelley

September 7, 2014

For my family at home, this is the busiest birthday month of the year!  This past week the Congo drums were beating for Ashley, Joseph, Chloe, Mercedes, and Jacob – and for Maggie tomorrow!  We hope your days were as special as you all are!

This is an interesting experience.  Just when I think I’m getting accustomed to everything, something jogs the memory of my “former life”.  This week it was helping our new senior couple, the Drapers, find their way around.  Seeing Lubumbashi for the first time through their eyes caused me to remember how different it is than “home”.  Not bad, just different.  I have gained such a belated appreciation for newcomers to America.  Customs and food we take for granted must be such an adjustment for them!  Much more than I ever realized.

We had an unexpectedly touching visit to a “hospital”.  I call it a hospital, but that is a very loose interpretation of the word.  I always thought our son Nate was born in quite primitive conditions in a “rustic” hospital in Kahuku, Hawaii – but that looked like the Mayo Clinic compare to this!  When we arrived, the medical staff was conducting an immunization clinic for newborn babies.  Also, there were a half dozen or so pregnant ladies sitting on the porch waiting to be seen for their monthly appointment.  This hospital had contacted us with a “wish list” a mile long and we had gone there to make an evaluation.

This shows the immunization room on the left and the 3-room hospital on the right.

This is the delivery room.  It’s in a closet off of the 4-bed maternity room.

These are the nurses of the hospital.  I was very touched at the nurse on the right because she was wearing a Cub Scout leader shirt from the US that she had bought from a clothes bundle because she thought it was so cute.  These are all lovely people – trying to help others with very meager resources themselves.

We are getting approached more and more often by groups with requests such as this.  In order to qualify for humanitarian help, though, the group must show how they are helping themselves before we can do anything.  This group of hospital workers is asking each person from their neighborhood to donate one brick (22,000 + residents) to help build a new hospital room.  We hope to be able to help with new beds, but it’s a very slow process!!!!

These are the mothers and babies waiting for shots inside the small building.  I thought that the hanging scale was interesting.

I couldn’t help but shed a few when I saw the maternity room with four beds next to the delivery closet.  There were two patients – one mother with a new baby and one mother whose baby hadn’t made it.  Both were lying on beds with dirty sheets and mosquito nets. Having delivered children myself, I thought of how clean and sanitary everything has been for me.  It made me recognize my blessings even more.  Did I mention that this facility has neither power nor running water?

It has been a crazy week around the mission home because it is “transfer week”.  Just like other missions, the missionaries switch locations every six weeks.  The DRC is so spread out that this becomes expensive and difficult at times – especially when the airlines don’t cooperate.  There are no roads to connect the northern part of the mission to Lubumbashi so travel has to be done by air.  It’s too long to explain, but a dozen missionaries have been stuck in Mbuji-Mayi for two weeks because the airline discontinued that flight until last night at 11:00!  It’s hard enough to stay awake in church because we don’t understand the language, but after getting home at 1:30 from picking up elders at the airport, today was a killer!  Haha

Our first real project got underway this week.  Bukanda School is in a village about 15 miles from town.  The students have been sitting on bricks because they haven’t had desks, so providing desks is our project.  Before that could happen, the community needed to contribute something.  So we bought the paint, and the parents painted the six classrooms.

This is the parent committee – kind of like the PTA.  They did a great job of painting.  The principal is in the green sweater.

We just went out to see how they were doing – not to paint.

We invited the office sisters to go with us just to get them out of the office for a break.  Sister Riendeau and Sister Anthony are friends from Richland, WA.  I’m the TALL one!!!  (I just want my children to see that I can be tall in some crowds!)

You have to look very carefully to see this, but hanging to the right of the tree trunk is a 3-foot metal bar.  It’s the school bell!

Well, I’d be lying if I didn’t say we’ve been suffering a bit with homesickness this week.  Knowing that it was Peach Days, birthdays, and football season have turned our thoughts to home and family and friends.  Thank heavens for your letters and emails!  Thank heavens for Bishop Taylor and his play-by-play of the Box Elder Bees football games!!!!  Most of all I am thankful for my wonderful companion.  He knew what I was like when we started this journey – and he let me come anyway!  

Since I was unable to bear my testimony today in Swahili, I want to bear it now.  I have a testimony of the Restored Gospel and a living prophet.  I know that the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is for all of us.  Never before in my life have I “heard” the whisperings of the Holy Ghost as loudly as I have here.  Heavenly Father has guided our path and given us help in some of the most unexpected ways – almost always through other people.  It has really helped me realize that people may be waiting for me to answer their prayers, also – and I’d better be doing what I should to be worthy of that inspiration.

Reach out to someone who may need your hug this week.  We love you!

Much love,  Mom/Soeur Davis