School visits and Stake Conference.

November 12-18, 2012

It has been another great week with lots being accomplished.  With many of the schools starting, we have seen lots of our young people as they need to pay tuition, books and fees.  Even though PEF prefers to pay schools directly using bank transfers, we in the Congo don’t have that luxury.  Even if we can pay some fees directly to the school, we normally have to accompany the student to the school to pay some fees and also pay professors directly for books.  The professors and instructors are not paid well so the schools give them opportunity to sell the specific books and supplies used in their classes thus providing them an additional source of revenue.  It may help the professors, but it makes it so difficult for us because we have so many students going to different schools, and they all have different professors.  We find ourselves trying to schedule one trip to pay for multiple students. 

As we explained before, we rely heavily on our volunteers to make these trips.  They understand the procedures, the systems of the schools, and are just able to find their way around better.  However, I had opportunity to make a couple of visits this week.  We have a student studying to become an agricultural engineer at Institute Supèrieur Agro-Veterinaire.  He is just starting his second year.  By mistake a year ago, PEF made a double payment to the school.  We found some notations in the file, but nothing was ever done.  Therefore, I needed to visit the school to find out if they received the second payment and to see if they would work with us so we won’t suffer a loss.  I went with Pitshou again.  I asked him to drive our truck because as you know I don’t enjoy driving in some of the conditions here.  I am glad he drove.  It gave me opportunity to look around, ask questions, and even take some pictures. 

 

These pictures show what it is like just after you leave the main boulevard through the downtown business district of Kinshasa.  The farther you go the more transports (small bus or taxi) you see because very few people here have cars.  Almost every minivan is a transport.  This is very typical of what you see along side the roads.

 This is a transport that we followed for some distance.  If you look closely you can see how full it is and how uncomfortable is has to be.  As crowded as they are and as hot as it is, it is hard to imagine what is is to ride without airconditioning.

 I took this picture to show the houses on the hillside, but they don't show up very well.  This is very typical.

 We drove past the University of Kinsahasa.  I took this picture at the front gate.

 This shows the kind of roads we travel.

 Even where roads used to be paved, there are many places or disrepair as shown here.  It forces you to drive very slowly and therefore takes a long time to get anywhere.

 And many places the road becomes like this.

 We finally arrived at ISAV.  This is the gate.

 This is the office building where we met with the administrative director.  The middle door was his office.

 These are the main buildings.

 They took us on a tour of the different areas of the university.  It reminds me of the experient farm of UW where they try different methods and crops.  Pitshou is in the tie.

 They showed us the chicken coops.

 This is a picture across one of their fields but also shows the countryside.

 This was in the parking area of the school so I took the picture.  Can you see the cow, ear of corn and tomato.

 On the way back, I took this picture to give a feel of the countryside. It was actually more beautiful than the picture shows

 Typical roadside view with the houses in the back.

 In the middle of it all, we pass a very familiar site.  There really are a lot of chapels thoughout the city.  This is the old stake center of the Mont Ngafula Stake.

 This is another picture of the University of Kinshasa.  The buildings are too far for the camera to pick up details but I found it very interesting.

 

It proved to be much farther, and roads were difficult and slow so it took us much longer than planned.  We had told Laraine that we would be back by 3:00 pm because Pitshou had another appointment.  As it turned out, we barely got to the school by 3:00.  As we finished, I tried to call Laraine to let her know that we would be late, but she didn’t pick up the phone.  Knowing that she would worry, I called Didier because he is in an office next to ours.  He said that he had already left but that he would try and call someone back in the building to let Laraine know.  Apparently, he called one of the students that he knew was still there because the student let Laraine talk to Didier.  We have told you before about how amazing the people are, and we have told you about Didier, but he not only called the student so Laraine would know that we were late, but he called later to check on her and even after we go home that evening, we got a call again just to make sure everything went okay.  What great people who go out of their way to make sure we are safe.

I had a second opportunity to go with Kalonji to pay his tuition at ISC where he is studying business.  The distance was really not too far, but because of traffic around a school where parents were picking up their children, it still took us a little while.  It was interesting to see what a university is like.  I said last week that we wouldn’t compare, but I feel bad for these students.  He showed me one of his classrooms and explained that even though classes have started, the actual sessions have not been too productive.  The open door in into Kalonji's classroom.  The windows and doors are mostly open to allow air circulation because they don't have air conditioning.

I also found it interesting that even though we could not pay the school directly by bank transfer, we actually had to go to a small office of Raw Bank and pay the fees to the bank. Kalonji had made a connection which he said allowed us to make our payment much more quickly than if we had been forced to wait in the sometimes very long lines.  As you can see, the bank teller window is outside.  The two women behind Kalonji are making payment through the window.

 As we walked back to the truck, I took the next two pictures.  The first is looking back to the building we were at and the other two show some of the other buildings.

 

He said professors are not paid well and they aren’t too motivated at the first of the year.  He said they should improve, but it is hard to imagine that at a university, the students don’t get the best education possible because professors are paid so poorly.  I also found it interesting that even though we could not pay the school directly by bank transfer, we actually had to go to a small office of Raw Bank and pay the fees to the bank.  Kalonji had made a connection which he said allowed us to make our payment much more quickly than if we had been forced to wait in the sometimes very long lines.

Since we are talking of how poorly teachers are paid, I had an interview with a student who is renewing his loan for another year.  I was surprised that he was a PEF participant because of his age, but I came to find out that he was one of the first PEF students here and was granted an age exception because of his circumstances.  It is probably good that he was one to help get things started because exceptions are difficult to come by now.  Anyway, as we talked I found that he had studied theology and had been a protestant pastor before joining the church.  He said he met the missionaries and curious to know a little of how their teaching compared to what he knew from all his studies.  He listened all the time being a little skeptical.  He was taught for a while and the missionaries asked him if he would pray about what they were teaching.  He said he hadn’t even thought that this was something he should pray about, but he said okay.  He said even his first prayer was hesitant as he didn’t expect anything to happen, but that is where it all started to come together for him and his family to join the church.  Because he joined the church, he lost everything having to leave being a pastor.  He had to start over taking on multiple little jobs, growing and selling produce and even teaching English.  I don’t know where he teaches because he doesn’t even try to speak English with me, but he said he is only paid $80 a month to teach English which isn’t enough to provide for his family.  As I listened to him, I find that he really has an entrepreneurial attitude in the creative things he comes up with to subsist.  We pray that the education he is getting because of PEF can change things for him and his family. 

We also were invited to President and Sister Jameson’s for family home evening Monday night.  They had just returned from Johannesburg where they attended a conference for all mission presidents in Southeast Africa, and they wanted to share some of what they learned and felt.  They started out by asking what we found different or what surprised us when we arrived in Africa even after we had googled and read about DR Congo, even after we had been in touch with the couples we replaced, and even after we had read some of their blog or the blogs of the other couples.  They just opened it up and let us think and voice our thoughts.  It was amazing how quickly everyone was expressing gratitude for the great people and African culture, for the strength and depth of the members, and for their devotion to the Savior. The traffic or other inconveniences were only mentioned in passing to the things that really matter.  They then took time to go over their notes allowing us to feel the power of being instructed by servants of the Lord.  They concluded by telling a very personal experience as they attended the temple.  All those attending the conference were given the opportunity to go through the temple the last day, but President and Sister Jameson along with the president of the Lubumbashi Mission and his wife were able to attend the sealing of a couple of families from Burundi whom they had known while they served there.  They just happened to be there at the same time and didn’t know that the Jamesons would be there until they walked into the sealing room.  They told of these families, how they were converted, how committed they are to the church, and how they as leaders of the church in Burundi are persecuted by the government because the government is afraid that they might be leading a group that will oppose the current leaders.  Officials have searched their homes and meeting hall looking for propaganda.  They go through so much to follow the Lord but they were there at the temple to be sealed as families.

Yesterday, Laraine worked so hard as we didn’t have family history training because this weekend is stake conference.  She does baking almost every weekend, but yesterday she baked bread.  I don’t think you really realize how hard it is to have hot homemade bread with an aroma filling the apartment knowing that you are only going to eat one slice so you can freeze and save bread for the future.  Laraine said that it isn’t fun to make bread without sharing it so she took a loaf to Elder and Sister Smith who made a big fuss over it. 

 Our Sunday meetings started at 10:00 but we left an 1 ½ hours early because conferences are so well attended and everyone comes early. However when we got there we found out that we were joining all stakes in Southeast and West Africa in a special video conference from Salt Lake City. Because it was a video conference, they broadcast it in various ward building so members would not have to travel so far. We only had four wards attending in our building so we were not fighting for seating.  I had to take this picture while we waited.  It is a young family with seven children all probably under 10.  The children were so cute and were being so reverent, but I got caught as the two on the end saw me clicking the picture.

They were playing talks from last general conference to adjust the picture and sound.  I just have to say that so you know that I didn't take pictures during the meeting.  I took this picture to show how some women do thier hair.  The one in front has braided extensions into her hair.  You see lots of wigs and extensions.

 

  We had our own opening conducted by our state president.  There were 21 sustained to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and be ordained Elders.  Then they started the broadcast from SLC with Elder Conrad of the Seventy conducting.  Elder Conrad, Sister Cook of the YW general presidency, Elder Christofferson of the Twelve, and President Monson all spoke.  Brother Mbiya, a S&I Coordinator that we work with, translated for those wanting headsets to hear in English.  The speakers spoke in English which was translated into French for the broadcast, and Brother Mbiya translated the French back into English.  Laraine said that a few things were lost in so many translations, but it was a great conference.  We will have a special conference next week where Elder Soares will be here to divide 2 stakes into 3 stakes, and then in December there will be another special conference where another new stake will be created.  We are so blessed to be here at such a special time.

 

We are starting to experience the rainy season.  It can really come down in gushers. It rained hard several times this week.  I tried to grab the camera and take a picture fron the front of our building, but I missed the torential rains.  I took this picture and went back in.  A little later it  again poured down.

Last night we received an email:  "Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens:  Heavy fighting in North Kivu Province."  We receive security breifings quite regularly, but this message reminded us that there continues to be political unrest here in DR Congo.  The news said that a cease fire that had been in place for two months was broken last Thursday and that the UN was calling a special meeting of the Security Council to discuss the current situation in DRC.  We understand that DR Congo has the highest concentration of UN forces of anywhere in the world right now.  We see UN vehicles and soldiers everyday here, but the major conflicts are in northeast DRC.  

 

We don't want people to worry because we are far from the active conflict areas of North Kivu, and the church monitors and keeps us posted.

We wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving.  By the weather and as busy as we are, it is hard to realize that it is Thanksgiving.  However when we count our blessing, we truly thank our Heavenly Father for all he gives us and especially for being here.  We do miss you all and send our love and prayers.  Happy Thanksgiving!!!!