PEF and a couple of Firsts for us.

September 23-30, 2012 

               As we said, 23 new loans had been approved.  This means that we have been busy processing the funding of the loans so the students can have their money before their classes start.  We don’t know if things are busier just before the start of each school term or if it will be busy the whole time, but we want to be busy because that means the program is working.  We want to take a minute to help you understand the PEF process.  First of all the Stake President requests and organizes a PEF fireside.  The fireside is under the direction of the Stake President and Bishops but is conducted by the Institute coordinators. We are invited to take part. The fireside is to help the young people realize that they are not stuck in the same difficult life they, their parents, and those around them have been in just trying to subsist because they don’t have the technical skills, the education and the resources to get better work.  It is to help them dream and have hope that they can have a better life.  At the same time, it lets them know that it is not easy.  President Hinckley said it is a program to help ambitious young men and women.  It is not a gift.  It is a loan that they have to pay back, and they have to work while going to school because they have to make payments even while going to school.  They are told that they will have to attend a “Planning for Success” workshop that takes one month and is taught by the Institute coordinators.  They will have homework in putting together a “Work Plan”, an “Education Plan”, and a “Finance Plan”.  They will be asked to attend a “Career Workshop” to help them find out what kind of jobs are available and what they have an aptitude for.  They will be asked to go and visit schools to find out which ones provide the type of training and education they will need and to find out the cost.  Then they have to put together a financial plan to determine how much they and their family can pay for and how much they will need to ask for in a loan from PEF. It is done in a way to help them dream but to let them know that they must be serious and committed to the process.  I only wish everyone who came to the bank for a loan would have done as much prepartation.

               After the fireside, they meet with the bishop and stake president who give their endorsement and verify their need, worthiness, ambition and commitment to succeed.  Then the young adult attends the “Planning for Success” workshop, the “Career Workshop,” visits schools and formulates the three plans.  With that done, they are ready to use all their homework to make application for a PEF loan.  The loan applications are sent to the area PEF committee for review and if deemed satisfactory they are sent to Salt Lake City where final approval for all loans is given.  With final approval the loan papers are signed and we help with the funding of the loan.  We make sure that proceeds go directly to the schools and not to the students.  We follow-up to encourage the student during their studies and training, to make sure they are keeping current with their payments, to make sure they don’t get discouraged and to answer any questions they might have.  It sounds difficult and it probably is but it is an inspired process that helps these young people do things they could never have dreamed about.  You should see the light of hope in their eyes, even when it is just getting the training and certifications to be a painter or auto mechanic or becoming a business student at a university.  It is really a humbling experience for us to be part of.

               We mentioned that Elder and Sister Moon, our humanitarian missionaries, have been working on a wheelchair project.  It has been very enlightening to see how this works and we are sure that we don’t know all that has to happen, but they have been working on getting a cargo container of wheelchairs here to Kinshasa.  They have had to work through all the red tape to get them released.  They also find qualified people and organizations here to distribute the wheelchairs to those who need them.  This is Sister Moon with the Dows.

 

 

 

                Elder and Sister Dow are set apart missionaries who travel to countries in Africa where wheelchairs projects are being done.  They coordinate training of the local clinics, physical therapists, etc. who will be involved in distributing the wheel chairs.  Four other specialists came for this project.  They are professional people including physical therapists or people trained in fitting people to wheelchairs, teaching the proper use of wheel chairs, and even teaching in how to put them together correctly.  We enjoyed having them or to our apartment for dinner Wednesday night.  We find that these are people who give several weeks away from their professional practices to come and help.

               The first part of the project is having the local people from the organizations receiving the wheelchairs come in to be shown from step one of assembling the wheelchairs, to leaning how to adjust them to the size and disabilities of the recipient, to learning how they need to keep records and follow-up if they want to participate in future projects.

 

 

This is Elder Moon with the four volunteers training in the proper use of the wheel chairs.

             

               Then they invite six recipients to come in so they can practice on them.  However, it appears that the six people chosen told others that they were getting free wheelchairs because the day they came many others came thinking they too would get free wheelchairs.  Some actually became very angry when told that they couldn’t receive one.  Some even said that they would not leave until they got one.  It marred what should have been a very happy and inspiring time as these angry and frustrated people staged their protest around the doors of our building.  Despite that situation, it really was amazing to see how such a project is carried out.

               We had our first opportunity to attend a PEF fireside.  It was held in the Kimbanseke stake center which is quite a distance for us to travel and we will say more in a minute.  It was conducted by Brother Mbiya the institute coordinator for that stake.  We were amazed at how many came to the fireside.  Most were first time attenders, but some were already in the program and ready to renew for the second year.  There were probably 50-60 young people there.  If this is indicative of what the firesides in each of the five stakes might be, it shows that this program is poised to keep growing.  Brother Mbiya did a great job.  He tried to encourage but to be realistic as to the commitment needed to succeed and the obligation to repay no matter what happened.  He introduced us and let us say a few words.  I had thought a little about what I would say but also wanted to make comment about some of the things I observed.  Well, it was much like when you stand to bear your testimony and it doesn’t come out exactly like what you were thinking, and French made it even more challenging so I came away with a bit of reality knowing that I still have a lot to learn.

               There are five stakes in Kinshasa now and we understand there will be seven.  As we went to the Kimbanseke stake center, we passed another chapel not far away.  We had just driven past some very poor areas and even where the chapels are located, they definitely stand out because of the style but mostly the quality of construction and care of the facilities. 

 

This is the center court yard for the stake center.

 

This is along the road out to the stake center but definitelly not the poorest area we went through.

We have talked about the traffic and fear of being stopped by the police.  We had our first and second encounter with the police on this trip.  They can stop you for nothing and demand to see your papers.  Then they try and get you into a situation that you will pay them just to be let go.  The first was exactly that.  I won’t go into all the details but they finally wanted $50 which they would pocket.  I told them I didn’t have that much.  I made the mistake of pulling out my Congolese Francs to show them I didn’t have big money.  They still wanted money.  We were watched over because two young Congolese Elders came by, told the police that we didn’t have the money, and convinced them to just take the Francs I had and let us go.  If I hadn’t pulled out the money, the young Elders probably would have been able to convince them to let us go without paying, but we were blessed that they came and helped.  I’ve learned a couple of lessons but we hope we won’t be stopped again.  However, with all the time we have left, we’ll probably have to face it again, but it is now fun.

               Besides all the good things of the week, our dryer stopped working.  It took several days to get someone to come and look at it.  When we found out what was wrong and how much it would cost, we let the mission know, and they determined that because of how old our dryer was, it was better to replace than to fix.  So we got a new dryer, but it was not delivered until Saturday after we got home from the fireside. 

 

 

Remember we mentioned that water to our building was going to be shut off two weeks ago and that we were filling buckets and bottles to be ready.  It didn’t happen, but it happened yesterday without being warned, and we had emptied our buckets.  I guess that is Congolese way.  The water was supposed to be off one day only.  It came back on about 7 pm and we thought we were set and Laraine started to get a load of wash ready.  It went off again.  So we had a new dryer but couldn’t do our wash.  That will be part of our week ahead.  We thought it came on during the night but this morning it was still off so we had to get ready for church without running water.  We are grateful for sponge baths and heating water on the stove in order to shave, but we made it, and water came back on after we ate lunch and we have been able to do two days of dishes.

 

We also wanted to show all the letters, pictures and notes from our family now that they are hung on the wall of our kitchen above the table where we see them every day.  We love our family.

 

This is longer that we thought.  We hope we don’t bore you.  We are blessed to be here and appreciate your love and support.