August 9, 2015 - Shelley

August 9, 2015

It’s 5:58 a.m. on Sunday morning.  I awoke a few minutes ago to what sounded like a parade outside our compound –  LOUD pounding of drums and chanting.  The “music” has been continuous for the last 30 minutes and I wish I weren’t sitting here in my pajamas with a “bed head” so I could go investigate.

Yesterday began with something we’ve never done – a compound breakfast.

Sisters Cook and Vance brought a tasty fruit salad.

Dr. and Sister Mikesell scrambled three dozen eggs.  President and Sister Thomas brought a most fitting addition

to the meal:  Canadian bacon (they

are from Calgary!).

The Drapers made hashbrowns that had a definite kick to them.

And Clark has become famous among this group for the sweet rolls he makes and shares every Sunday.

It was a fun Saturday morning!  We’re still looking for a replacement couple.  Anyone would really enjoy this great group of people!  ☺

I’ve shared stories from Lubumbashi about people who have shown courage and strength, but I’d like to share one from home today.  I don’t think I’m alone when I say that my pride makes it difficult for me to accept help sometimes.  I have been taught a great lesson in humility and courage from a dear friend who has had to have help doing even the simplest things for the last several years.  A rare disease robbed her of her abilities way too early in her life.  I’m sure that she experienced private moments of despair, but she displayed dignity and grace to those around her.  Fortunately for her, she has been supported by a wonderful, loving family and many friends.  Sharon Sperry was smart, creative, loving, funny, kind – and was a teacher who truly loved children.  My life is better for having known her, and my heart has definitely been at home this week after hearing of her passing.

Every mission has its own issues, but one of the issues here is that the vast majority of missionaries come from within the country because of visa problems.  Basically, the two major cities in the DRCongo – Kinshasa and Lubumbashi – just trade young men and women to serve as missionaries.  It might be like Provo and Salt Lake trading missionaries.  There are already alliances with people from the same high schools, etc., and sometimes foreign missionaries struggle to fit in.  Two young men from Cameroon – Elder

Batoum and Elder Eboule – finished their missions this week and returned home.  They have been the exceptions to the rule and have been such great leaders within the mission.  Many tears were shed!

We held the second of three sewing clinics this week for the Days for Girls project.  These gals know what they’re doing when it comes to sewing – so we’re just basically providing the idea and the materials.  The other senior sisters have gone with me and have been such a big help.  The lady with the baby on her back was such a whiz!  She did her project and then helped others – all while caring her baby on her back!

And when she wasn’t on her mother’s back, this little cutie had a grand old time with the sewing machine box!  It so reminded me of a children’s book I have at home about a girl whose mother got a new refrigerator and she spent a week having different adventures with the refrigerator box.  I guess kids are the same everywhere!

And just when we thought the country was running out of plastic chairs (just kidding), look what rolled into town.  Those blue objects on top of this semi are plastic chairs stacked together.  Whoever has the chair business here is making a fortune!

I almost hate to say this because I don’t want to place a curse on it, but the Regideso project actually started this week!  

The cement mixer is shown above, and

the masons are using the cement to secure the bricks in what will become a water station with taps.  The members of each community that has a new water station will then dig the trenches from an existing Regideso water line to the water station.  We’ll see how it goes!  At least we’ve finally started!

Here’s a little family of five (plus the driver) on the way to church riding on a moto!  I’m not sure where mom is.

With the starting of school coming up, I thought I would share a “natural consequence” punishment that I saw last year at a local secondary school.

This is Kamweneja School where we have been replacing the roof.  One day I saw a school girl walking in her white socks over this dirt playground area.  She was following a teacher who was carrying the girl’s shoes.  Apparently, she was tardy and walking through the dirt was her punishment.  The idea is that when she got home, her mother would see those dirty socks and know that her daughter was late.  Pretty clever, I thought, to let mom take care of the punishment.  All laundry is done by hand, so it might take quite a bit of scrubbing from the girl to get her socks clean!

It’s been a good week!  We have been reminded of how blessed we are and how fragile life is.  We love you all!

Much love,  Mom/G-ma/Soeur Davis

p.s.  One more cute sewing pic!  I think I need to learn how to tie those head scarves for bad hair days!