Wednesday, September 09, 2009

July-September happenings

Electricity and water!

We arrived back at Mulungwishi on the 4th after a couple of weeks in Zambia. Guess what we found when we arrived back? Electricity and permanent water! The day we left for Zambia, David paid for the transformer that had just come in from South Africa with the funds we had received from the Governor. During our absence, it was installed. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness and your prayers during this two year ordeal. Thank you for being there with us.

Water system for four villages

Throughout the month of July, the Danes were here at Mulungwishi. You remember that they are the ones who rewired our station in 2003 and reworked the water system in 2006. What a blessing they are. This year, they put in a water system for four villages near the station. How excited the population was (particularly the women) to have water faucets a few yards from each house. Prior to this they were walking for over a mile to get to a source of water which may not have been clean. What a tangible expression of God’s love the Danes shared with the Congolese.

400 at VBS

On the heels of the Danes came a team from the Northwest Texas Annual Conference. Children, children everywhere! Some 400 at Vacation Bible School and what a time they had. Also the girls dormitory got a fresh coat of paint.

Catching up on winding down

Mid-August found us in Zambia getting the car fixed, purchasing school supplies for the Women’s School and visiting friends. It is a blessing to be able to share with others who have the same calling you have. We also took much needed time to relax. Lori worked on a quilt and wrote 40 letters while David read a couple of books.

Theological education in Africa

David made a side trip to Kampala, Uganda to take part in a consultation on theological education in Africa. He was joined by representatives from all the Methodist Episcopal Areas of Africa, GBGM, GBHEM and UMCom. Hopefully, this will begin a much needed interchange between the theological schools in Africa.We are now back at Mulungwishi getting ready for the next school year. We are joined by a work team from El Paso, TX. Some were here a couple of years ago and it is a real joy to have them back. They are the ones who put in our ‘flush toilet’. Now that we have water, they can see that it still works. Isn’t great that we can rejoice over such things as a “flush toilet”? We are asking them also to contribute to the blog about their experiences at Mulungwishi.