The last time I posted from Congo, we had just been so energized by the Archbishop of Canterbury and we were preparing for the visit of our very own Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori. I was asked to translate the history of the Anglican Church in Congo from French into English. The only challenge was that my Mac did not have iWorks, which is comparable to a PC not having a Word program. Problem solved: translation done in email form, a week before Bishop Katherine was about to arrive. I was invited to concelebrate the 10:00 mass with the Archbishop's secretary, a big deal since there are not many, if any women priests in the country. If you can believe it, I left my vestments in the trunk of my car when I came to DRC. The Archbishop gave me a complete set of vestments and stoles as a gift from the Province of the Anglican Church in Congo. Ready to concelebrate when the PB celebrated the following Sunday.
Arrangements were made for a grand accueil (welcome), for meetings with women traumatized by the war, with the Mothers' Union, with parishioners. I hear it was a terrific visit. I returned to the US for the funeral of my son's father two days before her arrival in Congo.
Just a word about the welcome and hospitality of the people of the Anglican Church in Congo. Amazing. People come together, having made the most delicious food, to welcome visitors because there is a cultural imperative, founded in Scripture, to offer hospitality. When the Archbishop of Canterbury arrived, everyone was at the airport ... hundreds of people. When he arrived in Boga, the birthplace of Anglicanism in Congo, people lined the roads for miles, waiting in their best clothes and withering heat, to welcome him. I'll try to upload some pics.
I am really looking forward to going back as soon as possible. Please keep the Congolese people in your prayers. Next post: the fruits of peace.
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