Arrived in Kananga!

On Thursday morning, March 4th, Kristi and I woke up at 5am for our flight from the capital city of Kinshasa to Kananga, the city where we will live for the next three years.  Kristi made the comment early that morning that this trip felt “bigger” than our moving to Congo.  Indeed, this trip did seem ‘bigger’ in the sense that we would soon be arriving in a place where we had never been before, and meeting people whom we will be working closely with for the foreseeable future. 

The drive to the airport through Kinshasa was harrowing!  Our driver weaved in and out from other vehicles, stopping quickly and then accelerating.  We were equipped only with the seatbelts of faith.  The airport was bustling with activity and our “protocol” person, Mukila, helped us navigate through the officials to our waiting lounge.  We flew with Rev. Kazadi whom we met in Kinshasa.  Kazadi is a Presbyterian pastor who pastors a church in Kananga and works with the Evangelism Department of the denomination.  He works in the area of development.  We had fun together on the plane! 

We first stopped in Mbuji-Mayi, the capital city of East Kasai.  We then turned and flew to Kananga, the capital of West Kasai which was our destination.  Because the distance between Mbuji-Mayi and Kananga is relatively short, the plane flew low.  Thus, we were able to admire the undulating hills and valleys of the landscape.  Small (very small) villages were connected with narrow dirt roads.  After 25 minutes, we landed in Kananga.  Outside of the plane was a large constituency of political supporters of the ruling political party here in Congo.  They were all wearing colorful yellow bows (like scarfs) and were singing, chanting and dancing.  They were receiving a top government official; this is standard protocol.  Elections are next year, so even now, politicians and political parties are gearing up. 

As we walked across the tarmac we were greeted by Dr. Mulumba and other leaders of the church.  Dr. Mulumba is the General Secretary of the Presbyterian Community of Congo.  He led us to an air-conditioned waiting room while others went to collect our bags.  Also there to greet us upon our arrival was Rev. Mboyamba, the Director of the Evangelism Department, with whom I (Bob) will be working closely.  After enjoying some casual exchanges and pleasantries in the waiting room, we got into a Land Cruiser with Dr. Mulumba and another leader in the church named Mukulu Ilunga and headed for town.  Lunch was prepared for us at the Protestant Center.  Dr. Mulumba introduced us to the respective leaders present, and then Rev. Bope, the Legal Representative of the Church in West Kasai, gave a prayer of thanksgiving for our arrival.  We enjoyed a wonderful meal of bidia, chicken, beef, makamba (cassava leaves) and fried plantains.  Bidia is a mixture of corn and kasava flour and water.  It is a staple here in Kasai.  One scoops it with one’s hands and uses it almost as a spoon to eat other food items.

We are here!  It is exciting.  Tusakadile Nzambi! (Praise God).     

  The sign welcoming us to Kananga 

Us with pastors and leaders of the Presbyterian Community of Congo (CPC)

Make new friends, and keep the old

We have found that people in Kinshasa are incredibly hospitable! We really enjoyed some significant visits over the weekend, and ate far too much food!

On Friday evening, we were able to visit the family of Leonard Kiswangi, a colleage of Bob’s from AE (African Enterprise). Bob and Leonard met at a celebration in 2002 in South Africa, and had kept in touch but not seen each other since then! We were very excited to be able to meet his family and spend an evening with them.  Since Leonard and Bob both are involved in evangelism, they enjoyed conversing about the church here and Leonard and his wife’s service as chaplains of a nearby university.

It was quite a journey to get there, because unfortunately Leonard’s car broke down on the way to his house. Leonard, Bob, and some helpful policemen pushed the car to the side of the road, then Leonard called his mechanic to come get it started. I wish I could have taken a picture of his mechanic, squatting on the engine in his flip-flops, using his cell-phone for a flashlight in the dark, revving in the engine to determine the problem. He got the car working, and then stayed with the car at Leonard’s house while we visited. What service! Below is a photo of Leonard’s family, including his wife, 2 daughters, his sister, and the son of a friend who lives with them.

 

Saturday evening, we were invited to dinner with the Ntumba family. Bob had met Jana last year when he was in Rwanda, and we reconnected with her last week at church in Kinshasa. Her husband, Georges, is from the Kananga area, and they were having dinner with some of his relatives. They had prepared a feast of classic Congolese food, including some specialties from the Kasai area. It was our first time to try eel. The eels were small, and Bob said that the taste resembled beef jerky! :) We learned a few new Tshiluba words and heard their perspective about cultural differences between Kananga and America.  We are very excited to see Kananga in person. We just got plane tickets today—we will fly on Thursday to our new home!

Congolese cuisine featured above (front center, clockwise):  rice, chicken, yam, biddia (manioc and corn flour mixed with water), matanda (uses leaves from manioc tree), sautéed fish and vegetables, small eel

Excursion to Kinshasa market

Today Kristi and I took a break from the lunch-time meal at MPH (Methodist Presbyterian Hostel) where we are staying.  We walked down a long hill and around the bend and up another small hill to the closest market.  We enjoy the sights and sounds of a large, bustling African city.  We first haggled with a ten year old vendor of kleenex; we eventually agreed on 500 francs (roughly 50 cents) for two kleenex pouches.  He made out with his original selling price!  (good for him to stand his ground).  We were looking to buy “pain” (bread).  A nice Congolese man saw that we were looking for something and led us to the nearest bread/grocery store.  The bagger at the store introduced himself as “Mr. Sony,” and we were able to greet him in Lingala, “Mbote” (hello).  We were also able to say “Zambe aza malamu” (God is good). 

After buying our bread and some juice, we stopped to buy an avacado from some women on the street.  Again we haggled, amidst great laughter and fun.  They out-negotiated us, and we walked away with a ripe, delicious avacado that was still a fraction of what we would pay in the U.S.  On our way home we stopped at a small air-conditioned restaurant and each ordered a coke.  As we threw back our first swig, two Congolese men with guitars entered the restaurant and began serenading us in French.  Lovely!  I (Bob) felt like this was a grand welcoming party, blessing us in our new country.  One of the guitarists even looked like Paul Kagame (the President of Rwanda) with a cowboy hat.  We paid for our cokes, gave a tip to our entertainers, and walked up the big hill to get back to MPH.  We made a futile attempt to find some hard boiled “amagi” (eggs, same word in Lingala as Kinyarwanda) before entering MPH and making our spread for a wonderful lunch. 

Oh yeah…one more thing.  I (Bob) went out to buy some peanut butter from a street side vendor who is positioned just outside our compound.  In my belabored French, I asked for peanut butter for our bread.  Celine, the vendor, pointed at the tub of peanut butter to confirm my desired purchase.  I responded, “yego (Kinyarwanda), “si” (spanish), “yes”….and finally, “Oui!”  I finally got it right after responding in three languages!  Celine laughed and gave us the peanut butter for free.  :) 

A fellow missionary staying at MPH made the off-hand remark this morning at breakfast about the “work ethic” of the Congolese.  He seemed to insinuate they don’t have one.  Our excursion today confirmed the opposite.  These people work very hard, and do the best they can to make it through each day.  They are an inspiration.  Cheers to bread, avocado, and peanut butter for lunch!  Hmmn...hmmn.   

 

Journey to Kinshasa

We made it! Last Friday, we finished our frantic packing and sorting, and left my parents to pick up the pieces from the ‘storm’. It is so much easier to throw or give things away when you know it will not be nearly as important 3 years from now.

  We drove up to Chicago, and only had to do some minor rearranging to make the 50 lb weight limit on our 4 bags.  We went to the gate to settle in, and then realized how strange it was to finally have TIME on our hands! We could read a magazine, or a book, or look at pictures…for fun! We enjoyed a McDonalds ice cream cone as a last American treat. :)

 

 

Our flight to Brussels arrived about 1 1/2 hours later than scheduled, so they announced when we landed “If you are going to Kinshasa, HURRY to gate T72, or you will be stuck here for a few days!”. It was our first time in the Brussels airport, and it was a long hike between gates, but fortunately our connecting flight was delayed also, and we made it with plenty of time. On the flight from Brussels to Kinshasa, we made a brief stop in Duala, Camaroon. We noticed that the mood in the airplane seemed to be a little more ‘relaxed’ when we departed Duala, since there were passengers still standing when we were taxiing on the runway.

 

We were very grateful that we had been forewarned by some friends that the Kinshasa airport is ‘bedlam’. We reminded ourselves to be patient and calm, and to make sure that we got the right stamps in our passports. A security person at the airport had a sign with our names on it, and led us to the person who was picking us up (for a tip, of course!). I stood by the side with our bags while Bob dove into the fray and retrieved the pieces coming off the belt. There seemed to be a lot of young men around the luggage belt, who we did not recognize from the plane. We learned later that they were probably ‘baggagiers’ (people hired to retrieve or carry luggage) or protocol agents. Bob encountered a little animosity when we was retrieving one bag…perhaps because we had not hired someone to do it for us!

Our protocol person was helpful, even dragging some of the heaviest bags out to the car. Our first view of Kinshasa was at about 9pm on Saturday night. The city was still busy with activity, as you can imagine! The vehicle did not seem to us to have any front headlights, but the driver seemed to have found some good adaptations. Yellow and Blue bus-taxis were everywhere—usually with a back door propped open with someone standing in the door recruiting more passengers. We made it to MPH (Methodist Presbyterian Hostel)—our home for the next couple of weeks until we go to Kananga. Whew! We made it! (at least into Congo!)

Bob's Ordination Service

I (Bob) was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA) on Sunday, February 7^th, 2010. It was an incredible day! In the words of two pastor mentor/friends, it was “God’s Divine YES” for me and my ministry. It was wonderful, feeling the warmth and support from so many friends and family members. Thank you! Below are some pictures chronicling the ordination day. Enjoy! Feel free to leave a comment at the end.

It was a beautiful winter day in California

Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (my home church!)

Stained glass in sanctuary

The Administrative Commission of pastors and elders who led us in worship, from left to right (Elder Linda Lee, Rev. Doug Nason, Rev. Karl Shadley, Rev. Debbie Whaley, Elder William Coker, Rev. Rick Langeloh, Rev. Mark Swarner)

The Call to Worship, Menlo Bell Choir

Kristi leads us in prayer from the Kasai (Congo)

Rev. Doug Nason preaches from Isaiah 61 and Luke 4

Elder Linda Lee asks me the constitutional questions

Presentation of symbols and gifts for ministry (robe, stole, annointing oil, Bible) by Rev. Debbie Whaley

Rev. Mark Swarner and my nephew Dylan, with my sister Tiffany, present the stole for service, a gift from Menlo Park Presbyterian Church

Laying on of hands and prayer

Rev. Rick Langeloh gives the charge from John 5

Congregational responsive hymn, "Here I am Lord"

Brief statement and Benediction



Reception

Amazing cake!

Food and flowers

Africa table (headed for Congo!!)

Bob and Kristi with Mom and Dad Rice

Chuck and Joan Brown, Sam Bertolet, Jim and Sherri Bertolet (Kristi's family)

Bob with close friends, Todd Olson and Peter Galbraith

Brother Steve with Todd

with Chris Page, missionary friend from our time in Rwanda

"Come to Me, all who are weary and I will give you rest..."