More Kikongo Photos From Easter Break!!!!!

This is a terrific picture of mother and son! We were waiting for our ride in the canoes on the Wamba river and I snapped this pic of them by the water. Grace and Joe and I had such a nice time in the heart of Congo. We are cherishing the days that went by too quickly! We came away from Kikongo with a renewed heart for the Congolese people. All of us were impressed with how strong the people were and how they seemed at peace in a place that doesn't have frills and fluff. They eat rice, beans, a root that they make a starchy food with called fufu, and their greens called pandu. Very few of the people looked malnourished and most looked healthy and happy. The BIG problem is Malaria which affects over 50% of the hospital patients. That is a huge battle that seems very hard to beat. Pray for Congo about that would you?

Okay....if you've ever complained about the athletic equipment that you've ever played with then you need to come over to Congo. This is a picture of the only 'soccer ball' that I saw in the village. They have at least 2 soccer fields and kids play all the time I'm sure.....I'm thinking that they would love our cheap, plastic versions that we despise!!!!! This ball is really one of the most amazing sights I have seen in Congo. It is RAGS wrapped up and tied together in a ball that they, I'm sure, need to repair regularly. The only other 'soccer ball' I saw was unripened papaya that little kids were kicking around. My heart broke over this one!!!!!!!!!!!

This picture is showing our walk on of the many well worn paths around Kikongo. We saw two vehicles in the whole village......so that lets you know that its all about walking.....to the Wamba River, to the water source (a delicious spring near the river), to the small market, to their farming plots, to church...wherever! Everywhere we went on these paths we were greeted so kindly and felt very welcomed by everyone. I hate to say it but, that's NOT how we are treated all the time in the capital city of Kinshasa, sadly!

This is a great picture of some of the kids that followed us all around the village as we took a tour of the Lowrey's ministry spot. We fell in love with the kids and got a great sense of the great impact the mission station has had on these kids and the countless others that have grown up here in Kikongo through the 40 some years the mission station has been open and ministering to the people.