Back in Congo

We arrived safely in Congo on Thursday! The trip went smoothly and we made it in just 9 hours which is great time! The roads have dried up and although they are still very bad and full of deep pits we had to drive through, they are not mud and that makes a huge difference.

We are reconnecting with the Hospitality Team and started teaching English again this week. We will take next week off from English class, but we still have a lot of work to do to prepare for a team that is coming in January. We would greatly appreciate prayer as we tackle all this work. Continue to pray for peace in Congo, too. We are happy that there is peace here in Gemena, but there are still some uncertainties surrounding the presidential elections.

It is hard to believe it is Christmas time right now since it is blazing hot and we are not near our families. But we are listening to Christmas music, wrapping gifts with any decorative paper we can find and even made hot chocolate the other night. We are certainly trying to get in the spirit!

Joseph Kabilla Re-elected

The election results were finally announced last night! Joseph Kabilla was re-elected and there continues to be much controversy. This article has the most recent news. Tshisekedi has proclaimed himself as president despite the official results and this could cause a lot of problems.

Sam spoke with the CECU president, Bosokpale, this morning and he reported that things are still peaceful in Gemena, but people remain anxious. Our original plan was to return to Gemena on Sunday. But since the results were just announced yesterday we and Bosokpale have decided to tentatively plan to return on Wednesday. We are grateful that there is peace at the moment, but we know that the next couple days will give us a better idea of the safety in Congo. We want to return to our home, work and friends, but we feel it is wise to wait a little more. We trust the CECU leadership to give us the "go-ahead" at the right time.

Michelle's dad arrived safely in Bangui after traveling for 60 hours. He got to meet his grandaughter, Soleil, for the first time and he will be visiting until January 3rd. One of his bags did not arrive when he did, so please pray that it is returned to him quickly. It was the bag containing all of his clothes.

We are still enjoying our time in Bangui. Between the four of us, we have gotten a decent amount of work done and plenty of relaxing. It has been enjoyable to fellowship with other missionaries in Bangui and meet some other young families. At the same time, we are becoming antsy. Bangui is not our home or our place of work and ministry. So we look forward to being in Gemena again.

We appreciate your prayers!

48 Hour Delay

The results of the DRC presidential election were supposed to be announced yesterday, December 6th, at midnight. That did not happen. The announcement has been delayed 48 hours which should be on Thursday at midnight. This NPR article describes the situation better than we can at this time.

So...we continue to wait and wonder and pray. Please keep praying with us. We are happy to report that things are peaceful in Gemena. We have heard news from our friends there who are anxiously waiting to hear the results.

A call to prayer

The Democratic Republic of Congo presidential elections will take place on November 28^th –this Monday. This will be only the third presidential election that has been held in the DRC and so far, none of the elections have been peaceful. In the past few months there have been some political demonstrations in the capital city, Kinshasa, that have turned violent. Gemena, the city we live in, has been peaceful during this time. However, the local church leadership decided that they feel more comfortable sending us and the Larsens to Central African Republic during this time. We are grateful for the local church leadership that we work alongside and we respect their decision to send us to Bangui. So, the six of us have been in Bangui, CAR since last Saturday. Our journey here was, well…it would take a lot to describe it. Basically, a truck trip that should have taken 12 hours at the most took us 28 hours. I will spare you all of the excruciating details. Just know that we arrived safely and we would appreciate your prayers for when we do return to Gemena. Michelle’s dad is coming to visit the Larsens on December 9^th and he will fly into Bangui. Our plan is to wait for him to arrive and then we will all return to Gemena on December 11^th if there is peace in Congo.

We have been using our time in Bangui for an end of the year evaluation and to plan for the New Year as a team. We are also working on some projects for the Elikya Center. Bangui is a good place to find rest as well. We are staying in a guest house with 24/7 electricity and running water. There are also grocery stores and restaurants in the city. This is a good opportunity for all of us to get some extra rest and family time. At the same time, we are sad to have left our friends and home for this time. Please pray for us as we are away during this time. We do not feel fearful and we are praying for a peaceful election. Please pray with us for a peaceful election in Congo and that God will use His church to be a light during this time of uncertainty.

If you are interested in reading some articles about the DRC election and previous history please check these out

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15904203

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/25/joseph-kabila-congo-elections

And here are a few photos from the last week…

Stranded on the road when our jeep broke down for 9 hours. Definitely one of the lowest points in our lives

Since we are in the CAR capital, we were invited to eat Thanksgiving dinner at the US Ambassador's home along with about 50 other Americans. It was a fun party at a beautiful home and we met several interesting people living in Bangui

The Ambassador's househas a swimming pool that is open to Americans every afternoon. We love taking the babies to the pool to cool down in this hot weather!

E- Team Update

We made an update video for the churches in the Congo Consortium for their meeting last week. Now that we have faster internet at home, we are more than pleased to share it with you. It is definitely worth watching. Click here to watch our update video.

Hannah's Coming Out Party

Here in Congo, moms are supposed to stay home with their new babies for the first three months after the baby is born. Part of the reasoning behind this is to help keep new babies healthy. There is even a specific word they call a mother the first three months after her baby is born—bwakele. So, the last three months Hannah and I have mostly been hanging out at home. We have gone out a handful of times out of necessity, such as to visit Mowa in his final weeks and to get Hannah’s vaccinations. But we have mostly been at home just waiting for Hannah to turn three months old so we could hit the town…well, kind of.

After a baby turns three months old, the parents have an official “coming out” service/party at their home. They invite close friends and their pastor leads the service. It is called a service to kobimisa mwana. Basically it is a baby dedication except that it is personal for just one baby at their home.

On Friday, the 28^th (a few days before Hannah officially turns 3 months), we had her coming out party. The service went a little something like this: We sang some worship songs; Sam, Hannah and I went into the house with a few people the pastor selected; the people surrounded us as we sang and then a couple people prayed over us; one of our guests (a pastor’s wife) carried Hannah out of the house while the rest of us followed and everyone was singing; the CECU Vice President held Hannah and prayed over her and then handed Hannah to Sam who then handed Hannah to me; Sam shared a brief testimony about Hannah’s birth and the gift that she is to us; Vice President Badi gave a short teaching and charged us to raise Hannah in Christ the way that our parents raised us; then a couple more people prayed; we sang some more, prayed again and drank tea together.

Now it is official…Hannah can leave the house.

Praying inside of our house

All of us coming out of the house singing.

The Vice President and Pastor Passi praying for Hannah

Our little family

The party wiped her out!

It is a blessing to be a part of this community that is so willing to surround us and support us as we raise our daughter. We are very far away from our family and close friends, but we have friends here who have added Hannah into their own families.

Mowa

On Thursday morning, the 20^th, we received news that Mowa, the first director of the Elikya Center and a dear friend of ours, had died. He had been battling an illness for a long time and his body could not keep it up. We had the opportunity to visit with him a few times in the weeks leading up to his death and we could tell that his health was diminishing. Although we had been praying fervently for a miraculous recovery, the Lord had other plans. We are relieved to know that Mowa is no longer suffering and that he is with the Lord but he also leaves behind a very heavy burden for his wife, Luta, and his children.

Luta now has seven of Mowa’s biological children to care for as well as a couple others that they have taken in. Please be praying with us for them in the days to come; that God would provide everything that they need and that He would be with them in their grief since losing a husband and a father.

Over the past several days, since Mowa’s death, we’ve been reflecting on our relationship with him both as a friend and a co-worker. He was a very kind, gentle person who truly cared for widows and orphans and even before taking on the responsibility of Director of the Elikya Center he had been taking them into his home and caring for them. Some of our favorite moments spent with Mowa were when we had opportunities to sit and talk and just enjoy each other’s company. He had a contagious laugh and when he really found something funny, he had a hard time stopping his laughter. Even though we didn’t always understand his Congolese sense of humor, we thoroughly enjoyed laughing with him.

All of this has been very difficult for us and we also need your prayers:

-          For guidance and wisdom from the Lord as we try to help and encourage Luta and their children.

-          For the Lord’s peace upon us and we grieve for our friend.

Mowa in July 2009 in front of the Elikya Center entrance sign

All of us with Mowa in July 2010, shortly after arriving at the Elikya Center

Mowa speaking at last year's Elikya graduation

Mowa and Luta meeting Hannah for the first time

October Update

Our October update letter is ready to be read. Please click on the link October 2011 to read all about it. And enjoy this recent photo of Hannah.

Containers

Today the remaining contents of two shipping containers arrived at the Elikya Center. The first of these two containers arrived about a month ago. The contents of the containers were supplied by churches and individuals back in the States and are for several different CECU ministries here in Congo. Some are for the Tandala Hospital, some for PEASIT and Global Fingerprints and some for the Elikya Center. The arrival of these containers is a huge answer to prayer because they were held up in customs in Kinshasa for a very long time and then were held up on the river because of a lack of rain. They were shipped about 2 years ago and we’re very excited to finally see them here!

Trip down memory lane

When I was here in Congo (then called Zaire) as a kid, I spent most of my time in Karawa. Karawa is a town about 70 km East of Gemena and is traditionally a Covenant Church mission station but it was also where a missionary boarding school had been installed. MKs from all over the area came to school there and would live there, in a dormitory, while attending classes. I have many, many memories of Karawa and UBAC (Ubangi Academy), most of them very fond. Three weeks ago, Sarah, Hannah and I, along with Aaron, Michelle and Soleil had a chance to visit Karawa and I took lots of pictures. It was interesting to see how many things have changed but how other things are right where and how they used to be.

The "back yard" of the dormitory.

Elementary School

Front yard of the dormitory

I had Geography & Pre-Algebra in this room.

Junior High & High School

Aaron & I in the room we shared as kids.

View from the front porch of the dorm.

Hannah's Homecoming

We returned to Gemena, DRC on August 23^rd and were welcomed at the airport by many friends. Unfortunately Hannah had puked up her lunch on the plane just before we landed…so her adorable, pink dress smelled terrible as she was passed around from person to person. We were excited to see Aaron, Michelle and Soleil again. The past few days have been full of many visitors coming by the house to meet the newest member of the Elikya family. It is a joy to introduce our friends here to Hannah. So many people have been praying for us over the past several months of pregnancy and while we were in CAR. Now Hannah is finally here to meet all of those people who prayed for her.

Hannah meets Simplice, Bebe and Pastor Elangha

Mama Francoise...Hannah's Congolese grandma

The ELikya Center babies, Hannah and Soleil

Hannah officially has three names now: Hannah (English), Hana (French) and Ana (Lingala). They all sound similar enough that she should learn to respond to all names.

A few things have changed around the Elikya Center that will make living here much easier for us. While we were in Gamboula the internet tower and wireless internet were finally set up. We have internet access at our house!! This is monumental. It is relatively fast internet, too. It only runs at night between 6(ish) and 10(ish) when the generator is running but that is a huge advantage to us. We actually have access every day and do not have to walk 3 kilometers to check our emails. The other exciting change is that we have a 4-wheeler we are now renting for transportation. So, if we do have to go 3 kilometers or so to get somewhere, we can hop on the 4-wheeler instead of walking. These two changes are huge blessings that will make our daily life and work much more manageable.

Hannah meets Papa Jim and Mama Luta

On August 11^th we left Gamboula, CAR and flew to Bangui, CAR—the city capital. Waiting for us at the airport was Sam’s dad who came all the way from Illinois to meet Hannah. Of course, Sam’s mom couldn’t stay home knowing there was a brand new granddaughter for her to meet so she also made the trek to Africa. We spent 7 days with “Papa Jim” and”Mama Luta” in Bangui and they soaked up every minute they had with Hannah. We thoroughly enjoyed having family around and were delighted to introduce our daughter to her grandparents.

We enjoyed eating out at a few restaurants while in Bangui and even left Hannah with Mama Luta and Papa Jim one evening so we could have a belated 3^rd year anniversary date.

3rd anniversary date night

Our purpose for going to Bangui was to apply for Hannah’s US passport through the US Embassy. One of the hardest parts of getting a passport for an infant is getting a good enough passport photo.

Attempting to snap the perfect passport photo

Papa Jim and Mama Luta left us in Bangui to visit Congo for a few days while we stayed and got everything in order for Hannah’s passport and prepared to return to Gemena. Unfortunately, Sarah got an infection and Malaria during this time so our last few days in Bangui were not exactly restful. But, now we are back in Gemena at the Elikya Center and we will tell you more about it in the next post…

Welcoming Hannah

As you can imagine, the last week or so we have been quite occupied with the newest member of our family. We are now finding the time to tell you about our new baby girl, how she arrived and how we are adjusting to parenthood.


I started showing early labor signs on Saturday morning the 30th, which happened to be Sam’s birthday. We went about our day and watched a movie and made a tasty steak dinner and squash pie to celebrate Sam’s birthday. By the time dinner was over, my contractions were 5-10 minutes apart so Sam went to Dr. Tim’s house (about 300 feet from the guest house) and Dr. Tim came by and confirmed that I was in early labor and that we were in for a long night.

Labor progressed smoothly throughout the whole night and we stayed in the guest house. I lay on the bed the rest of the night and Sam pulled up a chair next to me and watched my every move, timed my contractions, coached me through relaxation and breathing exercises and was overall the most amazing coach and support a laboring woman could ask for! We knew that we might be able to deliver the baby right in the guest house if everything progressed well, but I was mostly prepared to go down to the hospital (about 300 feet from the guest house) when it came time to push. After an hour or so of some very intense contractions, Dr. Tim checked me at 5:30am and, with some surprise, announced that I was ready to start pushing. He rushed off to get his delivery team (his wife Ann, Jan Cone another missionary and nurse, and Julianne an African maternity nurse) and we got ready to deliver our baby right in the bedroom. After some reposition and a little preparation, I pushed through about four contractions and then Hannah Margaret appeared!

Our very first family photo

Hannah's first check up with Dr. Tim Wester

We couldn’t be more delighted with our baby girl right now. We have survived our first week of parenting and Hannah is eating well and sleeping well for the most part. We are tired, of course, but we are starting to get into a good routine with her. We will leave Gamboula on August 11^th and stay in Bangui for about two weeks getting paperwork together for Hannah’s passport. And….Sam’s parents Jim and Ruth Snyder will be meeting us in Bangui and visiting for a week. We are so excited for “Pa” and Mama Luta” to meet their granddaughter!

Hannah and her daddy

Cuddling with mommy



First bath



Tummy time






Birth Announcement!

Hannah Margaret Snyder

Born: July 31st @ 6:40AM

7lbs 13oz

19 3/4 in

Happy Anniversary!

A year ago today we arrived in Gemena, DRC…our new home. It is hard to believe that our whole first year has passed by already. Gemena definitely feels like home now even though we often long for our home in the states. Now that we are in CAR we are thinking about how things are going back at home with our friends and work at the Elikya Center. Who knew that a year later we would be here waiting for our first child? (We are still waiting, by the way)


If you want a reminder of what we were doing a year ago, read this post.

Parents in Waiting

Not many parents pick up and leave their homes a month before their baby is due to live in a different country and simply wait for their baby to be born. But, that is what we are doing. In the final month of pregnancy most parents are still working at their jobs and finishing the final preparations for their baby. We spent the month of June wrapping up most of our work and getting everything in our house ready for our baby so there would be nothing to do in the last month of pregnancy. So…we don’t have anything to do in this final month of pregnancy—except wait. Waiting is not exactly an easy thing to do; especially when you are staying in a country where the people speak languages you don’t speak.


Below is photo documentation of what we have been doing the past 2 ½ weeks to occupy our time while we wait to meet our firstborn.



Watching TV shows and movies on DVDs we borrow from the other couples living here



Playing cards



Skinning peanuts to make peanut butter

Baking delicious, funny-shaped treats

Reading

Being entertained by the funny animals that hang out by our back door

There are a few other things we have been doing too such as walking to the market, helping sort clothes for the hospital, strolling through the Garden of Eden (a large garden here that is part of an agricultural project and has a huge variety of plants, trees and interesting fruits) and checking FaceBook.


Hopefully we don’t have to wait much longer!

We have arrived

We left Gemena on Tuesday in a small SIL plane and arrived safely in Gamboula, Central African Republic that afternoon around 3pm. Everything went smoothly and all that is left to do is have a baby.


We are staying at the Gamboula Mission Hospital in a very nice guest house with running water, 24 hour electricity and an indoor kitchen. This definitely feels like a vacation. There are two other ReachGlobal missionary couples living here right now and they are doing a great job taking care of us. Sarah had an appointment with Dr. Tim on Wednesday and the baby looks good. We can’t wait to meet him or her…hopefully soon!

The plane we took from Gemena to Gamboula


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We were excited to get this view of the Elikya Center when we were flying out of Gemena

 Will you please join us in prayer for Mowa, the director of the Elikya Center? He has been very ill the past month and on and off for about a year. In response to the medical advice of the doctors in Congo, Mowa is here with us in Gamboula to get rest and medical care. At this time he is being cared for by Dr. Tim Wester and staying at the mission down the road from where we are staying. He is very weak right now and we are asking God for miraculous healing. His wife, Luta, and 3-year-old son have been traveling to Gamboula by motorcycle and truck this past week and hope to arrive Monday or Tuesday. Please pray that they arrive safely, Dr. Tim has wisdom in treating Mowa and that Mowa and his family will be encouraged by the Holy Spirit during this difficult time. We greatly appreciate your prayers for our friend!

June in Review

A short-term team arrived June 4^th and stayed until the 15^th to work with 3 different projects alongside the Congolese church. Read one of the previous posts to find out what those three projects were. We hosted 4 women and 4 teenage girls. Sam’s dad and aunt were also here during that time and were involved in some of the projects. This is the largest team we have hosted so far and it was hard work! It was exciting to have the ladies here and to use the time to work one-on-one with members of the Hospitality Team while an American team was here. Our days usually began at about 5:30AM when we got up to start breakfast for the team and ended around 8PM when dinner was cleaned up or all our meetings were finished. Whew!

Sam and Bebe cooking scrambled eggs early in the morning

Because there were three different projects going on, Sam, Aaron, Michelle and I were often going three different directions to help translate, cook, arrange transportation, etc. Since one of the projects was beginning the plans for an Elikya Center restaurant, we took the team out to eat at two local restaurants and ate meals at many people’s homes so they could experience a variety of local foods and atmospheres. We particularly enjoyed all the special and delicious meals we got to eat.

Out on the "town" with the team



On the last day of planning meetings for the Elikya Center restaurant, the team set up a mock restaurant. They spent all day cooking and transforming one of the classrooms into a restaurant. That evening they invited all of the Congolese people who had been involved in the planning meetings (and will continue to work with planning the restaurant in the future) and members of the Hospitality Team. They did an amazing job decorating and cooking a delicious meal using only local ingredients. It was definitely a night out. We felt like we were in the city hanging out with friends over a good meal, not in our English classroom right next door to our house.



Some of the guests at "Restaurant na Esengo"



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The teenage girls who were here spent a lot of time with orphans in the Global Fingerprints sponsorship program. They spent a few days at a local church helping with a program for orphans. They shared their testimonies, the gospel and memory verses with the orphans. Some of the older orphans were also involved in running the program.

Sarah translating Anna's testimony

The girls meeting some of the orphans

It was a very busy 11 days for all of us. Sam and I are ready now to rest in Central African Republic and wait for the arrival of Baby Snyder, who will make our lives even busier. We leave on June 28^th.