How to comment on blog posts

Several people have told David that they are not sure how to add a comment to a blog posting they read online. So below are two ways to add a comment to a blog posting:

Method 1: Go to the posting's separate page.

1. Click on the title of the blog post, as in the figure below:
This takes you to a separate page for just that blog posting.
2. When the new page appears, scroll down until you see the "Post a Comment" area, as in the figure below:

Method 2: Select the "comments" link at the bottom of a blog posting.

1. Scroll down in the blog until you see the "comments" link at the bottom of the posting to which you want to add a comment. The link shows how many comments have been added to the blog posting so far. Feel free to comment. That's one of the great things -- communicate with the Persons right through blog postings.
2. Click on the comments link to immediately go to the "Post a Comment" area (see the image above) of the separate blog post page.

Mulungwishi wrap-up

Back Stateside?

Too many days have flown by and you are asking what is happening. Believe it or not we are back in the States for two months. Bishop Max Whitfield invited us to speak in churches in the New Mexico and North West Texas Annual Conferences in order to promote the partnership between these Annual Conferences and the Southern Congo Episcopal Area under Bishop Katembo Kainda. We are traveling in New Mexico and some in Texas through October and November. We are trying to plan some family time at Thanksgiving and then back to Congo in December.

Small generator helps a bit

August and September still found us struggling with no electricity. It was a balance act to keep the fridges somewhat cold and secretarial work for the university offices, plus minutes here and there for Internet! A small generator was set up at the Clinic to help with the lab and at night. With one generator for the University, we had "an outside office" with people, computers, printers, etc. in our payot (the African version of a gazebo) working off the generator in the garage!

Lori: Sew sew

Lori worked on sewing projects with the women, especially quilting, as we had received special quilting things in the container! Yea! Another session of the Christian Leadership was held in Lubumbashi. Then we had a quick time in Zambia.

Volunteer teams paint classrooms

We arrived back in Mulungwishi to help host a work team from the New Mexico Annual Conference under the leadership of Rev. Jeanie Riley. In the tradition of the great VIM teams that have come out, wonderful relationships were created with the Congolese on the station. The focus of their work was refurbishing and painting the preschool and kindergarten classrooms and nursing at the dispensary. The children of the preschool were so excited to have a newly painted classroom with pictures of Noah’s ark and animals on the walls. The children kept looking in the windows as the paintings appeared and they could not wait to come inside and show their parents!

Lori's KU reunion

Lori left at the end of September in order to join her friends in Kansas City for the 40th anniversary of her nursing class at Kansas University. It was worth the four days of flying to be with wonderful friends and catch up on our lives and memories. Go Jay Hawks!

Another first

David stayed on at Mulungwishi to help bring to a conclusion our first class of the Masters of Organizational Leadership & Management by extension. Eight candidates defended their thesis in public session and graduation was held on October 5th. Dennis and Jeanette Fulton from Development Associates International (DAI), our partner organization in the Masters of Leadership Program, were present for this first graduation for French speaking Africa.

Small power transformer helps

The good news is, two days before David left Mulungwishi, the railroad company put in a small transformer (because they still have not been able to fix our old one ) and Mulungwishi is back in the "light"! This brings a big sigh of relief, as the cost of using the generators was terrible! We are still hoping to have the bigger transformer fixed.

Cross Hill status

We have also been working with the Bishops and officials about the mining of the Cross hill. So far no sale has been registered with the government and it looks like a private deal with the local chief. We are putting together a dossier of the property boundaries of the mission station to present to the governor. Please keep praying!

Continue to pray for:

• The Leadership program
• The beginning of a new academic year at Mulungwishi
• The itineration and travel in New Mexico

In the headlines

While you can always read news by using the "News, weather ..." links at the right side of this blog, below are selected links to recent news -- mostly bad news for the Congolese people.

• Thousands in Lumbumbashi protest rebel fighting
• Congo rebel plans to expand conflict
• Thousands flee Ugandan Rebels
• Fighters loot health clinics
• AIDS has been around for 100 years

August to October in Mulungwishi

[This is a catch-up posting, which explains the title.]

Difficult months

The last two months have been amongst the most difficult of our missionary life. The continued lack of electricity, lack of communications, colleagues disappointing us, the local chief selling the cross hill, suffering children coming to the nutrition clinic, miners from other countries (particularly China) taking Congo’s mineral wealth and leaving nothing for the Congolese, corrupt politicians selling the country, and David’s shingles. Sometimes you wonder where God is in all of this. Well, He is right there inspiring you to pray. It is such a comfort to know how you are keeping us before the throne of grace and petitioning the Lord on our behalf and also on behalf of the Congolese people.

Pray for Cross Hill, electricity

On the political side and also with the cross hill, it will take time to work out and we need to continue to pray. We hope that the electricity will soon be back. Definitely David’s shingles have been very minor and have not moved. The rash is drying up nicely and he has had very little pain. He still gets tired quickly. Thank you for those prayers.

Servant leaders

Last week, we spent in Lubumbashi as part of a team giving seminars in the Master’s of Leadership program. It was exciting to see leaders from the different denominations; Para church organizations and the secular world realize that Jesus has given us a new paradigm of leadership, being servant-leaders. This is a huge revelation to them since the only models they have had was that of a big boss (colonizers, village chiefs and military dictatorships). God is good at challenging our preconceptions and call us to live a different life style in His Kingdom.

A graduating student couple

Our graduating students are gradually leaving to take their appointments as the Annual conferences are taking place. One such couple is Robert Kalau and his wife Umba. We wrote about them a few years ago when they had just entered the ministry. During the last two years they have been in the masters program at the seminary. We shared together and prayed before they left. Robert and Umba shared part of their ministry with us.

This couple had been in an area that had had been heavily influenced by the violence of war, the Mai Mai militias, and countless atrocities including cannibalism and witchcraft. In the midst of this they brought the light and good news of the Jesus Christ and the love, forgiveness and freedom He brings to His children. They sometimes had to travel by foot, bicycle and canoe to reach villages where they started churches. In one village, a former Mai Mai rebel is now the lay leader.

Isn’t this what it is all about. God’s love reaching down and touching people. Sure we get tired, depressed and just plain fed up. Guess what, the Lord is still at work. It is by His Spirit that these things are done. To Him be the glory!

Thanks for being there for us.

October Prayers

During October, pray for the Development and Agriculture Program. Pray for Director Mwenze, the staff, and local farmers.

The Agriculture and Development Program helps local farmers improve their farming skills.