Fabric Shopping

One of the things I love to do is go fabric shopping.
I'm always happy to show new people the market, and I usually find a little something to buy, too.

One of my favorite stores.

Lots of great choices

She found the perfect fabric!

1. Some scraps of fabric make the cast more fun
2. Skirts from fun fabric
3. More scraps become scrub caps.
4. Ian showing how the scrub cap looks when worn

1. Mama Lydie and Mama Chantal in their aprons
2. Stephen in his new shirt

Around the Web

We're glad to have the Samoutous back in Congo!  Before traveling to Impfondo, they were able to visit Dave and Teresa Bill in Ollombo.

From Teresa Bill on Facebook:

Our friends the Samoutous visited us for several days. We used Henri to speak to the kids, SS, youth and Sunday morning. His testimony is wonderful.

If you haven't seen the post 10 Reasons You Should Be a Missionary, be sure to check it out for reasons such as

10. You’ll get to try new things, like typhoid fever and amoebas.

and

3. Fashion rules will no longer apply.

Read all ten reasons here.

There's now a follow up post: More Reasons You Should Be a Missionary.

Included are some funny things and some serious things like:

You might even get to watch a Norwegian guy chase two wild wolves across a Central Asian grassland at 4am in order to take a photograph. You’ll understand why the wolves are running away.

- You’ll experience singing and worshiping God in other languages and you’ll catch a glimpse of what it will be like to worship God around His throne with every tribe, tongue, and nation!

Read the rest of the reasons here.

***********

For more about life in Brazzaville, as well as scripture translation work be sure to check out Life Without a Recipe.

Picture of Santa in Brazzaville from Angi's blog "Life Without a Recipe
He's up year round.

POTD

Another cutie!

Taking a friend and fellow soldier to surgery

A tent to handle overflow of patients.  Right now, it's mostly used for those who are discharged and waiting to go home.  Either they need to pay more on their hospital bill or they are waiting for transportation.

Eye clinic

$4 worth of bananas 

$4 worth of diet coke

Which is the better bargain?

I was trying to get a good picture of the sunset,
and these girls insisted on having their picture taken.
I love the seriousness of their expressions.

With the arrival of the rainy season, our yard has once again become a swamp.

Teaching Local Nurses

Stephen was recently able to combine two of his passions- teaching and community health.

He had the opportunity to teach his "Helping Babies Breathe" class to nurses at a local clinic.

Clinic run by the local church
"Elikia" is the Lingala word for "hope."

Prayer at the closing ceremony

Participants who successfully completed the course received a certificate.

The group involved in the course.
The participants who completed the training are holding certificates.

Thanks to Victoria Myers for the photos.

Global Nomads (TCKs)

Hiking in Glacier National Park in Montana

Our kids have a different childhood from the typical American kid.  There is a term Global Nomad or TCK used to describe this type of  lifestyle.

Third culture kid (TCK, 3CK) is a term used to refer to children who were raised in a culture outside of their parents’ culture for a significant part of their development years.

(from Wikipedia)

At the Pillars of Hercules in Gibralter

Some of it is great, like having new experiences, traveling the world, making friends in many cities, states, and countries.

Some of it is more challenging, like missing family and friends that are scattered in many cities, states, or countries or answering the dreaded question, "Where are you from?"

Celebrating the 4th of July in Congo

As parents, we have enjoyed seeing them grow and mature in so many ways through the process.  We know that in each place, God's hand is on their lives.  That's the most important thing!

Isabelle and Sarah Beth making a heart around Congo with their hands

Some more resources:

3 Ways to Care for the Heart of Your Third Culture Kid

3 Ways to Care for the Heart of Your Missionary Kid

POTD

The medical staff leaving morning chapel and heading to morning report

Corinten arriving for work

Isabelle's birthday- with the two Melanies

Cattle egrets on the hospital compound

Our kerosene burner after the explosion

A young girl carrying wood on her head

A baby monkey in the grass

Sunday School Teacher Training

Dave and Teresa Bill, some of our CMA colleagues working in Congo, came to Impfondo for a Sunday School teacher training seminar.

For three days, they learned about new and creative ways to share the Bible with children in a Sunday School setting.

Teresa teaching the first day.
Over 100 people came, with 26 churches represented.

At the end of the seminar, each church represented received a set of visual aids.  There were five Christmas pictures, and seven Easter pictures that were photocopied, colored, and stapled to card stock for stability.

The coloring sweatshop.
Coloring with medical people is a different experience.
"I need a brown crayon.  Stat!"

Teresa is busy putting some of the sets together.

Dave Bill and Dr. Harvey stop for a photo outside the chapel.

Around the Web

Some of our recent visitors have been blogging.


Millie shares more of her experiences as a nurse as well as some positives and negatives of life here:

Pathway to the Jungle

I am starting to love cold showers, crispy clean clothes right off the line, laughing cow cheese (oddly enough the only form of cheese to make it to northern Congo), jempy (a cheap knock off Nutella sort of spread) and bike rides to work where I dodge street goats, high five kids and say bonjour and mbote more than I can count. I love seeing these amazing patients get better against all odds, I love the nurses at this hospital, the potential they have and the willingness to learn despite very little training or nursing instruction and difficult work situations...

Read more at Nurse Millie Goes to Africa




Ella uses humor to relate some of the things she learned while in Impfondo
How to…

-Avoid being hit by a motorcycle

-Navigate the market

-Ride a bike with no breaks

-Be OK with eating ants

-Moisturize with sunscreen

-Perfume with bugspray

-Play charades for regular communication

Read the rest "Lessons from one 'mondele' to another."

And she has some thought provoking posts, too:

I knelt on the ground and washed the feet of lepers. The task itself was fairly simple, but something about that form of service seemed profound. As I washed the people’s feet and tended to their wounds, I understood Jesus better. He who healed the lepers’ bodies and washed the disciples’ feet is my King. His humility astounds me.

Read the rest Washing the Lepers Feet.  (And more posts by Ella at Grace Recognized)
.

Another new arrival, Faith has a blog called Faith in Congo. I'm looking forward to seeing what she writes!

POTD

Biking with a big load

At the market

Sarah Speer showing Ian and Caleb an interesting caterpillar

Brother and sister: Sarah Beth spent a year here.
Her brother was able to join her for the last month!

Cute little boy

Papa Antoine

Taco Night

 Some of our visitors had the idea for an impromptu taco night.  They needed some things from our kitchen.  I offered just to let them cook here, which worked out great for us!

They did the cooking and the dishes and we enjoyed a delicious meal with great company!