To Be or Not To Be…Connected
After enjoying one month of very nice
internet service, our internet provider decided it was time to recalibrate the
satellite. This was supposed to
interrupt our service for one hour…but apparently our modem (that was supposed
to recalibrate automatically) didn’t like the new satellite settings and
refused to connect. The only option our
provider would give us was to get the modem all the way back to Kinshasa for a
“repair” that takes 3 minutes. Through a
series of “Praise the Lord” events (more details to come) we were able to get
the modem to Kinshasa, get it reprogramed, and back here…with only 3 ½ weeks
total of lost internet service. (Not too bad for Congo…) We were assured that the satellite
recalibrations are not frequent!
Our apologies to those that were trying to get a hold of us during that time, thank you for your patience. However, as of yesterday, we are connected again…for as long as only the Lord knows…
House!
Yes, we moved into our house! Our first night sleeping in it was July 19th,
exactly 1 year and 5 months after our family’s first night together in Dibaya!
The septic tank is done (complete with
drain field, and vent), power house is built with the solar panels on a pivot
so we can turn them toward the sun (more sun = more power), screens are on the
windows (after some adventures with bats in the house), a few pictures are
hung, and we’re settling in quite nicely!
We did have our “luau”, with a Congo
twist. We roasted the pig in the ground
for 24 hours (and oooooh was it tender, juicy, and good!) and served it with
saka-saka (local greens), pili-pili (spicy red peppers), kwanga (a paste made
from cassava), and sweet tea. We also
gave tours of the new house and enjoyed a game of Baseball and then a game of
soccer. To end the evening, we showed a
short cartoon about termites (very funny and applicable!) and “The Ugly
Dachshund”. Everyone had a great time.
The Flexibility of Missionary Life
Last month,
we told you about a trip that Sparky was planning up river. The section of the prayer letter started out
with “Lord willing”. Apparently, it
wasn’t. Several things came up and we
decided that God was asking Sparky to stay.
Here’s what happened:
On Tuesday,
Dan Grings arrived, with his crew of 6 people: daughters Sarah and Heidi, son
Timothy, nephew Paul, Heidi’s friend Daniel, and Pepe (one of Congo’s best
helpers!). They left on a smaller-than-they-thought-it-would-be
dugout canoe on Wednesday. Just before
they arrived on Tuesday, we got a call from Becky Ward. Two of our “home town kids” from Kuna, Idaho
(now all grown up) were helping the Wards in Kinshasa during the month of July,
and were trying to figure out how to visit us in Dibaya. It worked out that they could get a “cheaper”
flight with MAF here on Friday, and could go back the following Thursday. After some quick praying and searching God’s
will, Sparky canceled his trip up river in order to be here for the young
people. When we saw the canoe loaded on Wednesday, we
knew that it would have been impossible for Sparky and his gear to fit, not to
mention the young man he planned on travelling with him. It was a God thing! We were also able to send Martha down on the
flight back to Kinshasa (the first of our immediate family to fly in an MAF
plane) so she could get some dentist appointments in (she saw him 3 times in 5
days!). We were also able to send the
modem for reprograming and have Martha bring back some supplies. Because of all this, we are not planning any
trips to Kinshasa before we leave for the States in January….Lord Willing!
This is
what the last 2 weeks looked like:
19th:
Move in and Luau day
23rd:
Sparky canceled his trip up river to be here for Luke and Emily’s visit
Dan Grings, and crew, arrived
24th:
Dan Grings, and crew, left on their river trip
26th:
Luke and Emily arrived as Martha left
26th-1st:
“Normal” ministry and life here in Dibaya (but with the help of Luke and Emily) while
Becky Ward took Martha to the dentist 3 times and
got the modem fixed (Big thanks to both Becky and Christine for taking care of our girl for us while she was in Kinshasa!)
1st:
Martha returned; Luke and Emily left
Internet functioning again!
Looking ahead to this weekend:
-Dan Grings
and crew are scheduled to return Saturday evening
-We have a
baptism Sunday morning (we had 10 finish the baptism class!)
Furlough…the countdown
About 5 ½ months
As always,
you can check out our calendar on our blog site. Now that the internet is
functioning again, we will be working on the schedule again. Please continue to pray with us as we look at
dates, contact supporters, and fill in the calendar.
·
Time in Kinshasa