We arrived in Kinshasa late Thursday night, and were welcomed by a blast of warm humid air. All travel went well – the only hiccup was that the travel agency that was supposed to meet us had made an error in their schedule and did not show up. So, that meant we got to find a taxi, but God provided one that could fit all of our luggage, and got us to the guest house in record time - nevermind that it was a scary ride because he was driving so fast and the stop lights appeared to be meaningless!
En-route, we were pleasantly surprised to be randomly selected for a new “expedited line” going through security in Chicago – which meant we did not have to take out laptops, take off shoes, etc. A huge blessing, given how much we were carrying! We didn’t even know that they had started offering such a line, so imagine our delight when they explained how easy it was.
We are staying in Kinshasa briefly, en-route to our home in Kananga, and are trying to adjust to environment that feels so familiar and yet so different. We remembered just in time not to brush our teeth with the water from the tap at the guest house. We spread out the mosquito net over our bed, and realized how different it feels to be warm with just a sheet rather than an electric blanket and 2 quilts! We went to buy tickets yesterday for the flight to Kananga, and got to experience the chaos and gridlock of Kinshasa traffic when a stop light was out. We are grateful for internet access, but it makes us realize how spoiled we were by a fast connection in the U.S.! Getting e-mails is no longer a trivial task. And, of course we laid awake for a few hours last night because of jet lag – just when the alarm went off, our bodies felt ready to go to sleep.
Drivers have to be aggressive as they nudge their way through the intersection
Tomorrow we fly to Kananga. We look forward to reconnecting with friends and colleagues, settling into our apartment, and adjusting to this environment. I’m sure along the way as we get used to taking bucket baths, cooking with charcoal, and shopping in the “interactive” way of Congo, there will be moments of frustration. But we trust God who called us here to also help us through this transition so that we again can feel at home in Congo, embracing people and culture alike as we partner together in God’s work. We welcome your prayers!
I took a walk today to enjoy the tropical birds and flowers at the guest house.
Plumeria (I think, pictured) growing at MPH
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