Sat, Sept. 3

Life in Lubumbashi is becoming a familiar routine. Our hosts are some of the most gracious people in the world. They go out of their way to make us feel at home and they are extremely hard working. It is amazing to see the Lord at work in the lives of people who live in such a poor land. I am told that the unemployment rate in DRC is 80%. Most people do not have jobs, and in spite of the low average income the cost of living is more expensive than in the United States. It is a strange economic and political world that we live in. The natural resources of the Congo could make it the wealthiest country in the world and yet it is one of the poorest. It makes you wish you could do something about it. We are left with doing the little bit we can to glorify Christ in our small sphere of influence and trusting in our Sovereign God with the rest of the circumstances that we can’t control.

God through Christ has taken us from rebellion against him and through love for us has made us His children. Interacting with Brandon and Kara gives me insight into the full extent of God’s graciousness toward me. These children obviously want to be loved but they are not sure if they trust their new parents yet. 

Sometimes Kara will avoid me when she sees me coming. Other times she will walk into room and greet me. I’m certain she is tentative about the “unknown” future and having difficulty trusting that we will stay with her and care for her in the future. Each day involves a little inexplicable crying when Josie or I will hold her. I see the same response in myself often in my lack of trust of God. He is able to take care of me, and loves with an infinite love, and promises to do so without end; and yet I sometimes lack the full confidence of His capability and live in fear. As the years go by I pray we will both grow in our trust and love for God.

Today I spent time working on the garden boxes with Emery. He is a local Christian man who works part time at the orphanage. Mixing cement in a pile on the ground and moving bricks were my primary duties as I watched and learned from Emery, the master mason. What a hard working man! It amazes me that he can work almost all day without drinking water, except at lunch. I sweat buckets and drink gallons while he chugs along looking completely dry. He was pleasantly surprised when we doubled his expected daily wage for his strenuous labor. Instead of $10 per day we paid him $20. He was extremely thankful. He is about my age and is engaged to be married but has not yet done so because in this country a man is required to pay a dowry for his wife. The going rate is $600 so he is trying to save money to pay his fiance’s parents. A cultural system that works in people’s lives to prevent marriage and make a woman a purchased entity is a strange one to us indeed. Being here makes me thankful for the influence that the truth of scripture has had historically on our society and our customs. I’m glad I didn’t have to pay for Josie. She’s worth so much I’d still be saving-up to pay her parents.

Brooke, for the US Embassy, came by today for a whirlwind tour. She was a speedy and efficient delegate who saw the orphanage and the land with Didier’s house and the guest house. It is good to develop relationships of trust with the officials that will oversee the future adoptions through this orphanage. Since Didier is working so hard for these children and because of the interest of Christians in the Sacramento area, the number of adopted orphans to the U.S. had seen a significant increase in the last year. This justifiably gives the embassy officials reason to be suspicious, which is why we presume Brooke wanted to visit, but we are glad she did and hope that the established relationship helps future children and prevents future headaches for Didier and everyone else.

We went to dinner at the Bourgemestre’s home. His wife worked her tail off to make us chicken, steak, fish, pasta, salad, and fries. We were served Coke from a glass bottle with real sugar in it. It actually tasted good! (I don’t normally drink soda). We had a great night of international conversation around a big table. We made new friends in the DRC and helped establish one of those essential relationships of trust that will bring favor to Didier’s orphanage and help expedite future adoptions. Josie’s French speaking abilities have been invaluable on this trip as she is able to communicate the subtleties of thought that sometimes get lost in translation. We also met Olga the Bourgemestre’s sister in law who is a bit taller that Josie and really wants to be a pro basketball player in a western country. That made for some lively conversation after dinner.

Josie, with the help of a local worker got the texture and base coat of paint onto a wall of the orphanage in order to prepare it for a mural that is sure to impress, as does all her artwork.

Until next time . . . .