While we were visiting one of the churches, I (Sarah) was surprised and pleased to see Elizabeth, one of the former Elikya Center students. Elizabeth was one of the sewing students in 2009 that we met when we came to Congo to study Lingala for 7 weeks. Michelle and I sat with the women while they sewed on most days and tried to use the Lingala we had learned to converse with them. Even though our Lingala was very broken at the time, we tried hard to build relationships with the women.
During that time, there were two women that we talked with the most...Elizabeth and Mama Lili. They were always willing to teach us new words and they were patient with us. When we came back to Congo in 2010, I couldn't remember which village Elizabeth and Lili lived in. I thought I would probably eventually run into them again. Just a few weeks ago I was thinking about these two women and came to the conclusion that I probably would not see them again because we were leaving Gemena in June and I didn't know where they lived. And then to my total surprise...there was Elizabeth right there at the church in Karawa! I was so excited to see her and she told me that Mama Lili would come the next day to see me. So, yesterday afternoon I sat with Mama Lili, Elizabeth and Elizabeth's 3-year-old daughter, Esther. Esther was only about a year old in 2009 when they were at the Elikya Center and I so enjoyed seeing her now as a little, chubby girl. Mama Lili and Elizabeth were excited to meet Hannah and I told them about Michelle's daughter, Soleil.
I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to see both of these women again. I thought of them often and had given up hope that I would ever see them again. God knew my desire to see them again and he allowed that to happen at just the righ time.
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| Elizabeth and Esther in 2009 |
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| Mama Lili (left) making soap in 2009 |
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| Reunited in Karawa 2012 |
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