Favorites

One of my (Jaimie) favorite parts of the day, and there were MANY, was driving to and from UCBC, because there were people everywhere. Sometimes, we used our rental van as a resource to bring one of the students, who was 8 months pregnant, to school in the mornings. Would you believe many of the students walk at least 6 miles a day just to get to the university? (Please pray that God will give them a bus to help with this. It is a terrible, dangerous trip to travel on the only road in Beni. The drivers are fast and the dust from the vehicles is horrendous!)

Anyway, the "streets" are full of people all day long. Most carry a load on their heads, consisting of bananas, branches for fences, leaves, fruits, meats, brooms, anything you could imagine. Everything is done as a community, each looking out for the other. We always got stared at, and it brought much joy every time the locals would wave back, smiling as we passed by.

Another favorite was listening to our friends laugh and pray - sometimes separately, sometimes together. Prayer is heartfelt, no matter how light the communication with our Lord. I miss listening to the rich sound of African voices lifting themselves up in holy prayer to God, even in Swahili or French. Singing to the Lord with our spirited brothers and sisters is inexplainable. There is great joy among the sadness from constant death, sickness, and loss of...well, anything you can think of. Many of our students have lost everything they own, more than once, because of the rebel groups and the war. We have learned a lot from our friends here about joy, love, appreciation, and the will to continue on.

We loved walking with the students through the land, experiencing life together in conversation. They were eager to share with us in everything they had, and we felt the same. Every Mzungu, "rich white person", from our group came with a servant's heart to learn and work. Jake and I both helped slash grass, which made some of our friends laugh with joy that a white person would help in this way. We dusted the floors with makeshift brooms, played with the local children, and enjoyed experiencing community with anyone who was willing to share - and they all were. Instantly accepted, loved, cherished, respected. We didn't deserve any of it, but we are honored to be a part of our amazing Congolese friends.