Monday, March 28, 2011
i wanna be cute
i have been inspired by a certain someone's ridiculously cute baby blog to write some random, cute going-on's that are in my head. 1. currently, Kyle is drawing out on graph paper our future home that he is going to build for us. He has become consumed with his thoughts and dreams. I love it. He is pacing back and forth, counting square feet, trying to get me to picture what's going on inside his brain, and then saying "nevermind, I can't give you a good enough picture," pausing for maybe 2 seconds, and then attempting again. Standing up, sitting down, drawing, erasing... all wonderful 2. i had a few seconds of feeling proud of myself earlier this afternoon... I sat down with a newly made cheese and avocado sandwich in my hand, and remembered "I used to not like avocado!" And now... oh I adore it. Avocado, cheese, tomato sandwiches are my delight out here in Congo. And then I thought of all the different foods I used to not like before I came here. Wow, my tastebuds are doing so good. Plus... I have actually learned way more cooking skills out here. Kyle and I are actually going to bring back recipes we're making here back home! The team jokes because every night I say, "This is my new favorite meal!" haha. So easy to please. It's a wonderful gift really. food is the way to my heart... 3. I've realized out here how desperately I need to create. I have no sewing machine, no paints, no colored pencils, no silly craft things (buttons, modgepodge, magazines...) that I LOVE to play with. i am such a crafter. One of my main love languages is crafts. And it's severely lacking. Yesterday, I tried sketching in my journal with a pen and surprisingly a somewhat beautiful mama with a baby on her back came out. I am actually very proud. By the end of the 6 months here, I'm going to be a master sketcher yet... just wait. I have been enjoying brainstorming tshirt ideas with the team... we're coming up with GCM Congo wear... YESSS that's right! If you have any ideas feel free to give your input! 4. i want to do something radical with my hair (without removing it's length) and remembering that I am in Congo... practicality is a good thing. I have been reading the magazines friends have sent me and my inward desire to express myself through fashion is coming out... haha. I'm getting a little tired of the pants and tshirt look not gonna lie. I can't wait to get home and look oh so cute again haha. 5. not getting too ahead of ourselves here... but I CANNOT wait to decorate our nursery in all things Africa. They have the CUTEST giant stuffed elephants and giraffes in amazing Africa prints. Check. hanging thing over the crib that I don't know what it's called with different animals in Africa prints. Check. banana leaves artwork. check. yes... dream with me here people. imagine it.... it's gonna be PRESH. our little River will be sleeping in a safari... 6. I have fully mastered the art of moto riding. I can ride through Kigali, Goma, anywhere with No HANDS. With backpack on back, luggage or groceries in hands, and I am fine. Comfortable. I literally almost fell asleep on one earlier today I was so tired. Bomb. I had to write something rugged about myself just now because i realized how girly I was sounding haha.... okdok... well I think I'm good. Got some things off my chest. feel good. Kyle, Daniel, and I are off to Goma again tomorrow morning, which means... goodbye Kigali, goodbye lounging and relaxing, goodbye hamburger, goodbye internet and connection to the world. haha. We'll meet again soon.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
yes we are still alive... and kickin
Sorry for the long delay... For the past 2 weeks we have been hosting a mission team from Bethel. We had 11 students from the school and it was sooo much fun!!! While they were here we had an overloaded schedule, so it was pretty impossible for me to get a minute to get online. But I am so excited to get to share about all the amazingness that hapenned while they were here!
The first few days they were here we took them to our Ndosho School and had them teach the children. They brought all sorts of fun props, costumes, activities, and games that it was so fun to see the children react to all of it. They are definitely not used to things that are staples in the US (colored paper, wall decorations, simple teaching tools) that they were having a blast.
Then they prophesied and encouraged the teachers. The culture in Congo is one that nobody says anything nice about another person unless they're dead. Not even a "You look nice today." It was such a beautiful moment to see some of these teachers crying when the team was loving on them. They had never heard some of these truths about themselves before. It was a great breakthrough moment.
We also went to Heal Africa a couple of times to pray for the sick. It was our group's first time going there as well... and it was AWESOME. The first day we split up into groups of two and went to different wards. I was in the Fistula Ward. There are about 150 women in this ward currently, and they all have broken fistulas. A lot of women get this from bad childbirthing, however, a lot also get this from really severe rapes. It was absolutely heart wrenching going from woman to woman hearing their stories of rape. What was even worse was seeing 12 to 15 year olds in this ward for rapes. The first two women we approached I was just sobbing listening to them. We went around with Pastor Euclide who translated for us, and prayed. It was amazing hearing them say that their pain went away, and seeing their countenance change as before we talked to them they were stone faced and cold, to after we prayed for them and they were smiling and joyful.
The second time we went to the hospital I was in a ward for random injuries. A group of 4 of us went around to pray. We saw a man who was in a full body cast have all of his pain go away, a woman with a bandaged head had been in a car accident, and she couldn't move her neck at all. But after we prayed she was moving her head and neck like crazy! A woman with a tumor on her neck could not breath well, but then she said she felt air coming in clearly! A woman in the fistula ward had heart and stomach problems as well. Her name was Rosetta. The first time she prayed she said she felt no difference, so we prayed again and she just started smiling and screamed that all the pain left. We told all of them not to tell us the pain left just to be nice, and she said "I don't lie!" It was hilarious, and so we had her come with us and she prayed over all the other women in the ward. We saw almost every woman's pain leave. We also saw a woman with malaria healed, plus a lady could not straighten her leg at all. After we prayed she said her leg felt really cold, so we continued to pray, and after a few times she could straighten her leg all the way. It was awesome. These are just a few stories of the amazing things that hapenned in the hospital. Every group had tons of healings. It was fun riding the mutatu home sharing the stories. A man in the hospital even told one of our pastors that they have tons of groups come to pray, but our group was different. Kyle, Cass, Daniel and I are going to continue going to Heal Africa at least once a week.
The Sunday the group was here, we split them up and took them to four different churches. I took a group to Pator Euclide's church. A kid Jeremy preached about healing, and then the last 45 minutes we prayed and healed about 20 or so people. It was super fun. I gave a word of knowledge about shoulders and two men stood up with shoulder pain. We had the church pray for them and their mobility returned to their shoulders! Another girl prayed for people's teeth that were hurting. We then heard that one man could no longer eat meat because it was too painful to chew, but that night he went home and told his wife to cook meat because all the pain was gone. haha.
Basically the whole trip was like that... just fun, miraculous things occurring all the time.
The team also really loved on the four of us... one girl gave me a pedicure and a massage, and brought us candy and slippers. It was so wonderful haha to get so much love! Plus, Kathryn sent me a bunch of PEOPLE magazines through her friend Richelle who was on the trip... so thank you thank you Kathryn, you know me well. Not only did they spoil us, but they brought such a refreshing perspective on Congo. I didn't even realize how just in one month I was starting to get down and have such a low viewpoint on the people here. Nothing major, but still not having God's perspective on this place. So hearing their joyful perspectives really allowed me to refresh my viewpoint. Ahhhh.... so to sum their trip up in one word, it would be... REFRESHING!!!!
The first few days they were here we took them to our Ndosho School and had them teach the children. They brought all sorts of fun props, costumes, activities, and games that it was so fun to see the children react to all of it. They are definitely not used to things that are staples in the US (colored paper, wall decorations, simple teaching tools) that they were having a blast.
Then they prophesied and encouraged the teachers. The culture in Congo is one that nobody says anything nice about another person unless they're dead. Not even a "You look nice today." It was such a beautiful moment to see some of these teachers crying when the team was loving on them. They had never heard some of these truths about themselves before. It was a great breakthrough moment.
We also went to Heal Africa a couple of times to pray for the sick. It was our group's first time going there as well... and it was AWESOME. The first day we split up into groups of two and went to different wards. I was in the Fistula Ward. There are about 150 women in this ward currently, and they all have broken fistulas. A lot of women get this from bad childbirthing, however, a lot also get this from really severe rapes. It was absolutely heart wrenching going from woman to woman hearing their stories of rape. What was even worse was seeing 12 to 15 year olds in this ward for rapes. The first two women we approached I was just sobbing listening to them. We went around with Pastor Euclide who translated for us, and prayed. It was amazing hearing them say that their pain went away, and seeing their countenance change as before we talked to them they were stone faced and cold, to after we prayed for them and they were smiling and joyful.
The second time we went to the hospital I was in a ward for random injuries. A group of 4 of us went around to pray. We saw a man who was in a full body cast have all of his pain go away, a woman with a bandaged head had been in a car accident, and she couldn't move her neck at all. But after we prayed she was moving her head and neck like crazy! A woman with a tumor on her neck could not breath well, but then she said she felt air coming in clearly! A woman in the fistula ward had heart and stomach problems as well. Her name was Rosetta. The first time she prayed she said she felt no difference, so we prayed again and she just started smiling and screamed that all the pain left. We told all of them not to tell us the pain left just to be nice, and she said "I don't lie!" It was hilarious, and so we had her come with us and she prayed over all the other women in the ward. We saw almost every woman's pain leave. We also saw a woman with malaria healed, plus a lady could not straighten her leg at all. After we prayed she said her leg felt really cold, so we continued to pray, and after a few times she could straighten her leg all the way. It was awesome. These are just a few stories of the amazing things that hapenned in the hospital. Every group had tons of healings. It was fun riding the mutatu home sharing the stories. A man in the hospital even told one of our pastors that they have tons of groups come to pray, but our group was different. Kyle, Cass, Daniel and I are going to continue going to Heal Africa at least once a week.
The Sunday the group was here, we split them up and took them to four different churches. I took a group to Pator Euclide's church. A kid Jeremy preached about healing, and then the last 45 minutes we prayed and healed about 20 or so people. It was super fun. I gave a word of knowledge about shoulders and two men stood up with shoulder pain. We had the church pray for them and their mobility returned to their shoulders! Another girl prayed for people's teeth that were hurting. We then heard that one man could no longer eat meat because it was too painful to chew, but that night he went home and told his wife to cook meat because all the pain was gone. haha.
Basically the whole trip was like that... just fun, miraculous things occurring all the time.
The team also really loved on the four of us... one girl gave me a pedicure and a massage, and brought us candy and slippers. It was so wonderful haha to get so much love! Plus, Kathryn sent me a bunch of PEOPLE magazines through her friend Richelle who was on the trip... so thank you thank you Kathryn, you know me well. Not only did they spoil us, but they brought such a refreshing perspective on Congo. I didn't even realize how just in one month I was starting to get down and have such a low viewpoint on the people here. Nothing major, but still not having God's perspective on this place. So hearing their joyful perspectives really allowed me to refresh my viewpoint. Ahhhh.... so to sum their trip up in one word, it would be... REFRESHING!!!!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
3 cups of tea
Not the book...
but it is 11:20 am here currently, and I'm on my 3rd cup of tea. I've always wanted to be a tea drinker, and now I am. Chai is what gets us through the days haha. We don't always have good drinking water, so we boil water and drink it in tea to keep us hydrated. pretty fancy.
Things are going well here in Goma. Yesterday was National Women's Day in Congo!!! Wahooo. A whole day dedicated to the ladies. Pretty shocking coming from the rape capital of the world. But we celebrated by attending our Ndosho schools first ever assembly! It was a lot of fun. We watched traditional dances, as well as some not so traditional dances; there were skits, dramas, poems, singing, games, and a fashion show. Over all, very successful. And all the children were dressed up in their nicest outfits. One little boy had a 3 piece suit on; all of us were commenting on how wonderful he looked... until he bent over, and a HUGE rip revealed a little too much backside. haha. That kind of describes how a lot of the children looked. None the less, they all were beautiful.
Today is the first day we're not going to Ndosho to teach the children and teachers; with Bethel coming this week (hooray) we have a lot of preparations to take care of. However, today will be Kyle and I's first trip to the military barracks. So that's very exciting, and we'll let everyone know how that goes.
Sunday we went to Pastor Euclede's church. He is one of the pastor's our team works with a lot, he is a wonderful man; so welcoming and encouraging, and great at english. wahooo. The church was AMAZING. So different from the church we went to last week, and much more traditionally African. The dance and worship was incredible! We were all working up a sweat dancing to the drums and singing. Kyle and I introduced ourselves to the church, and Kyle was Pastor Kyle for the day and gave the sermon! He spoke wonderfully and really encouraged the people. It was great.
Funny story: After church we were all starving, (church was over 3 hours long) so we went to our favorite restaurant for lunch. (All the restaurants in Goma serve the exact same thing... beans and rice, beans and potatoes, beans and bananas, beans and chipati. Those are your choices.) So we sit down and order what we want, and after much confusion with the language he brings out not what we ordered. And not at all what the food normally looks like. Again, it always looks exactly the same no matter where you order it from. But we didn't bother trying to explain the wrong order so we ate the food. Tried to at least... it was BAD. We joked that it looked like somebody ate the real food, spit it back out, and then let it sit for a day. hahaha (nice I know). So we poked at our food for a bit, swallowed as much as we could, and then decided we were going to have to eat again back home. We got up to leave, and our server said, "Sorry, I could tell you weren't satisfied with the food. It's only because it is Sunday. The cooks didn't want to work today, and I didn't want to turn you away, so I gave you yesterday's food." hahah. so we DID eat yesterday's food. (mind you, there are no fridges) haha. I thought it was hilarious. Only in Goma.
We have quickly learned here... don't think about it too much, just eat it. haha.
So... overall life is good. We have to start out each day in prayer and worship because ... it's hard. haha. We have to constantly see the good in things and in people, and we enjoy the little things. For example, we recently bought a family size bottle of Nutella. Which drastically increased the quality of our breakfasts. haha. Plus, it's about hope. Whenever we leave Ndosho after a lesson, we feel good. Whether it's because of an answer a student gave showing that he understood what we were sharing with them, or if we see a teacher use one of the tactics we taught them, we know we are making a difference. It's small things, but they matter.
Thank you for your prayers and your encouragement! Kyle and I sure do need and appreciate them!
Prayer requests:
health for me... my allergies have gone haywire. haha. I have never had so much snot flow from my nose before. (Too Much Info i'm sure)
Complete peace and trust with protection.
but it is 11:20 am here currently, and I'm on my 3rd cup of tea. I've always wanted to be a tea drinker, and now I am. Chai is what gets us through the days haha. We don't always have good drinking water, so we boil water and drink it in tea to keep us hydrated. pretty fancy.
Things are going well here in Goma. Yesterday was National Women's Day in Congo!!! Wahooo. A whole day dedicated to the ladies. Pretty shocking coming from the rape capital of the world. But we celebrated by attending our Ndosho schools first ever assembly! It was a lot of fun. We watched traditional dances, as well as some not so traditional dances; there were skits, dramas, poems, singing, games, and a fashion show. Over all, very successful. And all the children were dressed up in their nicest outfits. One little boy had a 3 piece suit on; all of us were commenting on how wonderful he looked... until he bent over, and a HUGE rip revealed a little too much backside. haha. That kind of describes how a lot of the children looked. None the less, they all were beautiful.
Today is the first day we're not going to Ndosho to teach the children and teachers; with Bethel coming this week (hooray) we have a lot of preparations to take care of. However, today will be Kyle and I's first trip to the military barracks. So that's very exciting, and we'll let everyone know how that goes.
Sunday we went to Pastor Euclede's church. He is one of the pastor's our team works with a lot, he is a wonderful man; so welcoming and encouraging, and great at english. wahooo. The church was AMAZING. So different from the church we went to last week, and much more traditionally African. The dance and worship was incredible! We were all working up a sweat dancing to the drums and singing. Kyle and I introduced ourselves to the church, and Kyle was Pastor Kyle for the day and gave the sermon! He spoke wonderfully and really encouraged the people. It was great.
Funny story: After church we were all starving, (church was over 3 hours long) so we went to our favorite restaurant for lunch. (All the restaurants in Goma serve the exact same thing... beans and rice, beans and potatoes, beans and bananas, beans and chipati. Those are your choices.) So we sit down and order what we want, and after much confusion with the language he brings out not what we ordered. And not at all what the food normally looks like. Again, it always looks exactly the same no matter where you order it from. But we didn't bother trying to explain the wrong order so we ate the food. Tried to at least... it was BAD. We joked that it looked like somebody ate the real food, spit it back out, and then let it sit for a day. hahaha (nice I know). So we poked at our food for a bit, swallowed as much as we could, and then decided we were going to have to eat again back home. We got up to leave, and our server said, "Sorry, I could tell you weren't satisfied with the food. It's only because it is Sunday. The cooks didn't want to work today, and I didn't want to turn you away, so I gave you yesterday's food." hahah. so we DID eat yesterday's food. (mind you, there are no fridges) haha. I thought it was hilarious. Only in Goma.
We have quickly learned here... don't think about it too much, just eat it. haha.
So... overall life is good. We have to start out each day in prayer and worship because ... it's hard. haha. We have to constantly see the good in things and in people, and we enjoy the little things. For example, we recently bought a family size bottle of Nutella. Which drastically increased the quality of our breakfasts. haha. Plus, it's about hope. Whenever we leave Ndosho after a lesson, we feel good. Whether it's because of an answer a student gave showing that he understood what we were sharing with them, or if we see a teacher use one of the tactics we taught them, we know we are making a difference. It's small things, but they matter.
Thank you for your prayers and your encouragement! Kyle and I sure do need and appreciate them!
Prayer requests:
health for me... my allergies have gone haywire. haha. I have never had so much snot flow from my nose before. (Too Much Info i'm sure)
Complete peace and trust with protection.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
habari gani?
How's it going!? (habari gani)
Kyle and I have made it to GOMA!!! Rejoice!
Cassandra and Daniel warned us many times that Goma looked nothing like Rwanda. They told us it was ugly, ashy, and dirty dirty dirty. But no matter what they said, it didn't prepare us for when we actually crossed the DRC border. I have been to many poverty stricken, 3rd world countries, but I have never seen a place like this. In the natural, it is UGLY haha. There is a volcano in the city... but we're talking a volcano from the dinosaur age. Your stereotypical volcano with smoke constantly puffing out of it. The road is lava rock. The most uneven, bumpy, potholey roads I've ever experienced. Riding around on the motos (pikipikis) and mutatas (buses) are quite an experience haha. I'll video tape a ride so everyone can understand. And again... volcano.... so theres ash and dust everywhere.
However, despite the ugliness of Goma, Kyle and I are loving it here! It took a couple days to feel this way... but it's true. We have been riding motos everyday into Ndosho, where we have a school. We teach simple but meaty lessons to the children ranging from age 3 to 13. Plus, we meet with the teachers of the school, and give them lessons on how to develop their teaching methods. I absolutely LOVE these people. The first day we arrived, the kids saw us coming on our motos, and all 300 of them flooded the street screaming, yelling and jumping on us. It was the funniest most joyful event. They didn't know us yet, but that didn't matter. Cassandra is known as Sandra to the Africans, and sometimes the kids still get confused and think that Sandra means white person. So when any white person goes by they'll yell jambo Sandra! haha it's cute.
our living situation is actually super nice. The four of us rent out a house that is actually quite large, and very safe. It's comfortable, and has already become home to us. Unfortunately, we're moving again tomorrow into an even bigger house to prepare for the mission team from Bethel who arrives in about 2 weeks. We're excited about them coming!!!! Kyle and I are just ready to be in one place for a bit. ha.
Anyways, I have to go. We're off to Ndosho soon. I will continue to update whenever I can.
love you all
Katrina and Kyle
Kyle and I have made it to GOMA!!! Rejoice!
Cassandra and Daniel warned us many times that Goma looked nothing like Rwanda. They told us it was ugly, ashy, and dirty dirty dirty. But no matter what they said, it didn't prepare us for when we actually crossed the DRC border. I have been to many poverty stricken, 3rd world countries, but I have never seen a place like this. In the natural, it is UGLY haha. There is a volcano in the city... but we're talking a volcano from the dinosaur age. Your stereotypical volcano with smoke constantly puffing out of it. The road is lava rock. The most uneven, bumpy, potholey roads I've ever experienced. Riding around on the motos (pikipikis) and mutatas (buses) are quite an experience haha. I'll video tape a ride so everyone can understand. And again... volcano.... so theres ash and dust everywhere.
However, despite the ugliness of Goma, Kyle and I are loving it here! It took a couple days to feel this way... but it's true. We have been riding motos everyday into Ndosho, where we have a school. We teach simple but meaty lessons to the children ranging from age 3 to 13. Plus, we meet with the teachers of the school, and give them lessons on how to develop their teaching methods. I absolutely LOVE these people. The first day we arrived, the kids saw us coming on our motos, and all 300 of them flooded the street screaming, yelling and jumping on us. It was the funniest most joyful event. They didn't know us yet, but that didn't matter. Cassandra is known as Sandra to the Africans, and sometimes the kids still get confused and think that Sandra means white person. So when any white person goes by they'll yell jambo Sandra! haha it's cute.
our living situation is actually super nice. The four of us rent out a house that is actually quite large, and very safe. It's comfortable, and has already become home to us. Unfortunately, we're moving again tomorrow into an even bigger house to prepare for the mission team from Bethel who arrives in about 2 weeks. We're excited about them coming!!!! Kyle and I are just ready to be in one place for a bit. ha.
Anyways, I have to go. We're off to Ndosho soon. I will continue to update whenever I can.
love you all
Katrina and Kyle
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