weiner fingers

...the nickname we have dubbed for one very cute Kalembe boy who seems to always have his hands down his pants...
but we'll get to Kalembe later...

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted... seems like we have been EXTREMELY busy the past few weeks.
We put on a conference for the youth... ages 13 to 24ish. They are on break from school for 2 weeks so we had them for 3 days. It was super fun, they even spent the night the whole time so it was a for real retreat!
We did lessons all day and then had fun the rest of the night. But it was incredible! Kyle taught on grace and how we are all righteous; we are no longer sinners. and it was such a BREAKTHROUGH for them! they were blown away and so excited! They said, "This good news really is GOOOD NEWS!" haha. The mindsets here are that God wants to punish us, that we are sinners, and that we have to be literally perfect to get into heaven. Even pastors tell their congregation that they are unsure if they themselves will get into heaven. So for them to hear such mindbreaking information and really receive it is such a blessing. I taught on God's character and how he is a LOVING God. He does not want to punish you, He is your father and just wants to lavish and love on his children. This too is so huge for them to really understand. We also did lessons on hearing the voice of God, and bringing heaven to earth. We even sent them out on a treasure hunt which is completely new for them... and we had such amazing results! So overall... the retreat was a SUCCESS. We want to try to meet with this group weekly to really be able to disciple and pour into them. Hearing God's voice is something that is so new to them, that they really need to practice as often as they can.
Plus we played the game Ultimate Ninja with them... which is pretty much the best thing ever. And so hilarious to watch them play.

We also went to Kalembe (the bush)! It was our first time and so AMAZING. The ride getting there is another story... 6 hours of being jerked and bumped around. It was awful. haha. But completely worth it. Kalembe is stereotypical Africa. Mud huts, naked babies everywhere, trees and vegetation, rolling hills, it was beautiful! It was a completely new experience for us... going to the bathroom in the latrine the whole time, sleeping on the ground with rats, getting bit by an insane amount of bugs... if I told you how many bug bites I now have I would frighten you. But still the most incredible trip. I absolutely fell in love with all of the children and the people. They have absolutely so little, but are the sweetest most joyful people around. Seeing Mama Louiza jump for joy and shout SANDRA SANDRA SANDRA when our car pulled up was amazing. They literally LOVE that we come out there and love on them.
We got to see the new school that Cassandra and Daniel built out there. It's almost finished and will be open for students this September! Keeping the children in school gives them the option of another life other than joining the rebel soldiers. Which obviously... is huge. All you hear from the kids there is, "I want to go to school. I want to go to school." And we have now provided them with an opportunity to do so!
We held a 2 day conference at our school for anyone who wanted to attend. It was again... AMAZING. haha. (sorry for lack of adjectives). We taught again on grace, God's heart, and the Kingdom. What was amazing was hearing that they really understood and received it. A few people got saved, and a few other people got healed! Which we empowered them to do.... we had them praying over eachother's illnesses to let them know that it is within them not just us. The mamas and babas (women and men) are the most precious, sweet, honoring people ever!
Always in Africa, you will see mamas hunched over carrying HUGE loads on their back. One day when we were walking the 2 kilometer walk back home from our school, Kyle asked a mama if he could carry her bag. She was completely shocked but agreed. Kyle carried this woman's 70 pound bag all the way to the mama's house... so probably a kilometer total. He was completely exhausted. He was sweating profusely, had to stop multiple times, it was HARD. But what is amazing is EVERY SINGLE person we passed by stopped and stared at him. They were in disbelief that a muzungu, and a MAN, would carry a mama's load. This is unheard of. Our pastor said that the mama would never forget this for as long as she lived. She would tell this story forever. Other people told us that, "it was true love. Him carrying her bag." So WOW what an incredible way to show love. We didn't have to say a word.... they experienced love. What's crazy is that the mama was carrying the load of casava root for many many miles before we saw her, and she does this every single day. The mama was probably 50 years old, and this is her life. It is injustice.
Kalembe is a village in an area, where every single war or conflict that has ever occurred in Congo  has originated from. This is insane. Currently, rebel soldiers often raid villages stealing belongings, raping women, taking children, and killing innocent people. While we were there we were completely safe; however, the last night was a little scary. That day the government troops who "protect" the village left for Kitchanga and replacements were supossed to come. However, no replacement soldiers arrived. This put the village in a frenzy; they were all frightened that because there was no protection, the rebels would come. The chief we were staying with was particulary afraid for our safety. So we got in our car and drove up to the UN base in the village that night and asked them what we should do. Should we stay in their camp for the night, or have one of their soldiers come to our house? But their leader assured us we were fine, and if anything should happen they would send people to come get us. So we went back home and went to sleep. We woke up the next day, everything was fine. No problems. However; the village only 7 kilometers away from us was raided that night. It is hard to thank God that we were protected that night, but know that other people were not so fortunate. It is even harder to be able to leave the village, knowing people you love cannot. That this is their reality every single night. That every single night they sleep in fear that the rebels could come at any moment. After meeting Moese (Weiner Fingers) haha, the most precious, sweetest, 9 year old boy ever, and then leaving him to this fear that he could be captured and taken as a soldier is not ok. This is injustice. It needs to end. I tell you this story not to frighten you, but to inform you of what is hapenning in the world. Pray for these people!! Pray for peace to invade the land, the village, the people. Pray for the soldiers to encounter the love of God. Pray for the war to end! Pray for restoration!!!