October
29, 2011, Saturday.
I
have been in Kinshasa now about 3 weeks.
I am staying at a guest house which is also a convent, called l’Usuma…
the foundress was murdered after she had taken her vows and she refused to
marry an insistent fellow. The room is
big enough, bed, table and chair and… for anyone who has ever visited Africa…
there is a sink and shower with running water that works.
The
convent is in between two schools so at 6:30 each morning the air rings with
the sounds of kids getting ready for a day of school. Very cool.
Saturday is included in the school week which works well here. St. Raphael’s Roman Catholic Church, primary
and secondary and university occupy a big campus locally. Roman Catholicism plays a large role in the
life of the 9 million people in the city of Kinshasa. Anglicans have their work cut out for
them/us.
The
Protestants, no slackers here, have a huge cathedral close by. I wound up there yesterday with Rev. Etsa,
Anglican parish priest. We thought we
were going to see an apartment. We
walked into a huge Celebration of the Women of the Church of Christ in
Congo. There had to be 600 – 700 women there, singing, listening to
speakers, singing, praying. It was
pretty amazing. Imagine if the women of
the Episcopal church (ALL of the women) came together in one place to celebrate
their work of mercy and compassion. It
turns out that Olive Kabila, wife of the country’s president, Joseph Kabila
spoke. Two hours well spent. We never did get to see the apartment.
My
work is connecting by Internet with Mission Partners in different dioceses in
the USA and possibly in the UK. David
Copley, director of Mission Partners, suggested I build a Facebook page for the
Anglican Church in Congo with links to the different dioceses. I’ll begin work on that on Monday,
Hallowe’en. There is no observance of
Hallowe’en here; I imagine people have enough to do with getting by, day by
day.
There
are four parishes in the Diocese of Kinshasa and I am visiting each one with
the Archbishop and his family to see where I can fit in to do ministry. While Internet work is a ministry, parish
ministry is where I’d like to be.
The
Presidential elections take place on Nov. 28th. and there are 11
candidates for president and 19,000 for 500 senate positions. There is concern that the country is fragile
and order could break down after the election results are announced. I believe that is true of any election held
in North Africa after the Arab spring. I will be safely tucked away in
Uganda, unless some anonymous donor wants to send me to Rome for 10 days….
I
am getting acclimated to… well, the climate.
Its 81 most days. It can rain
amazing amounts and the ground sucks it right up, except for the roads. The mud that comes with the rain is a force
to be contended with, on foot or by car.
Keep
the prayers coming and I will pray for you as well.
Peace,
Pam
