18-9-2012

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I wrote something here. My apologies

Well, I've been back in Kinshasa since a month. We encountered some surprises since then. For example the news that SADR, the company which let us stay in and use their facilities in the bush, closed their farm and pretty much took everything that was loose and had value to Tshikapa. The buildings we can still use and as a bonus also some farm land from which we can harvest and sell the produce, that is, if there is anything left by the time we get back there.

The construction of the school was halted because the truck that was used to transport the briques from the furnace to the school was rendered useless. We first thought of getting it running again but opted for the use of a push-push, a two wheeled cart with big handles on both sides which is widely used here.

Because our living quarters there are temporary, we have to start looking into building our own. We will do this on the land that was acquired. All the stored furniture, beds etc. from the place where John and Kaylee lived before will come in handy, but will all have to be transported to Mushapo. Thank God we met someone who wants to help with this.

 

 

http://data0.eklablog.com/mark-m/mod_article46142733_4fa28ad2b8535.pdf http://data0.eklablog.com/mark-m/mod_article46142733_4fa28dcae3aaa.pdf http://data0.eklablog.com/mark-m/mod_article46142733_4fa290802a030.png

 

 

 

Field with young cassava. It takes about a year for the cassava root, manioc, to be ready to be harvested. It takes less time for the leaves to be harvested and eaten. They are the main vegetable that is eaten.

 

 

 

 

 

Peeling of the cassava. There are about 40 women working here on the farm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The women get to keep  1/6th of what they harvest as their payment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After they have been peeled they need to stay 3 days in the water to get the acid out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After having soaked for 3 days the cassava is put on racks to dry in the sun which takes care of some more acid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the cassava is dry it is collected again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides taking home their part some women also buy more cassava to sell in the village.

This girl is maybe 14 0r 15 but she also carries 30-35 kg on her head.

At home the cassava is ground up and boiled. In Mushapa they mix them with corn flour. They shape them into balls which weigh @ 250 gr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 14, 2012

Here a picture of a DIY tetrahedron chair we see quite often.

Beautiful simplicity!

Here some pics from the chief (with hat) in front of his "Palace" as you can read on the wall and the trenches with Jean the overseer, I talked about on  April 7

April 11, 2012

Here a picture of me helping a young man improve his reading skills because he could not afford to go anymore to school at the age of 11 when his father died. He is one of the cooks here

April 10, 2012

Yummy papaya. we're told the seeds (in moderation) are good against parasites and can prevent malaria (doubtful).

April 8, 2012 Easter

Christ is risen, Christ is risen
E=MC² surpassing
No more bound by space or time
Nor by matter or corruption
Into everlasting glory
Where He reigns sublime.
Let us hold fast to His promise
That one day we'll be like Him
And till then proclaim the message
Brother you can rise again.

April 7, 2012

This morning someone found a viper close to the kitchen. It was killed and taken away by a local who said it was a delicatesse.

Later in the day we visited the school grounds where they dug the trenches for the foundation. Then we went to see one of the chiefs of Mushapo

April 5, 2012

Yesterday and today we again went through the list of children as some had not showed up before. Passing out some presents has become more complicated as they all show up again mixing with the ones who had not gotten anything yet.

I am almost over conjunctivitis after prayer and rinsing my eye with a very mild vinager in water solution.

Tonight the full moon was pretty much right above us, beautiful!

Here a picture of how how travelling salesman transport their things as they go from hamlet to hamlet.

April 3, 2012

Today we met the children who will be attending the school. We also had a little present for each of the kids which resulted of course in a lot of pushing and shoving. Then trying to pair up the names and pictures of the kids from last year with the pictures we took now is a major headache and we have to wait for tomorrow for some people who know all the kids who can help us with that.

There was a shortcut and small fire which, thank God, was discovered just in time and put out.

All in all progress.  

 

 

 

These are my first steps int o blogging, so please bear with me.

March 13, 2012

Update on Congo

Still in Kinshasa. Because of different d elays my visa will run out before we have a chance to go to Mushapo so we have to apply for an extension. However I cannot apply for one earlier than 7 days before my visa runs out on the 27^th of March. So leaving some time between the application and getting it back in my  hands means, the earliest we’ll fly out of here will be the 24^th. This will give us only 3 weeks in Mushapo instead of the 4 weeks or more we had anticipated.

 

I got a miracle 6 month s  extension to my visa.

Have to rebook my ticket.

March 26

Flew from Kinshasa to Tshikapa, then  drove to Mushapo over narrow sand roads partly in the dark. John’s bag missing.

Stars, quiet.

March 27

Took a walk around the fields, farm is getting smaller.

March 28, 2012 Mushapo

Cloudy, fresh

March 29, 2012  Went for a walk on the airstrip meeting many young men returning from diamond seeking. They dig deep holes, sometimes 14 m deep, to find a layer with gravel or so among which they find some diamonds. One of them showed us some, tiny little things, but they said it was a good day.

March 30 Mushapo. Today we went by 4x4 to a nearby village, well almost, we had to cross the river by foot and then walk on to the

village. A collection of mud huts and a main street of little stalls among which a few diamond places. Kids, kids everywhere. We visited 2 schools, presenting them with a FML set and Jesus and me booklet.

 

Some school rooms were 3 by 5 meter for 45 kids who sit on the bare floor, unbelievable. The church looked better. We’re told that sometimes when the men find some diamonds they get another wife.

 

You have to be careful where you walk. Sometime right at the edge of the path there are still these big holes, the edges covered with grass. Nobody seems to care that someone could fall in.

 

In the evening an incredible thunderstorm very, very close and rain, rain, rain.

March 31, Mushapo Today we had a meeting with the “school committee” to whom we explained the situation. They were cooperative and thankful. Today we heard John’s luggage had finally arrived.