A Message From Cal
Transmitted through Stacie:
Seventeen people from several states in the USA arrived in Newark, NJ, as planned, for dinner on Wed., July 18. We then flew to Paris, then to Kinshasa (the Democratic Republic of Congo).
A huge answer to prayer is that Cal and another man who didn't have seats into Kinshasa until just before departure, go them. Another answer to prayer is that all of the times through customs have gone very smoothly and the team was very thankful and felt your prayers.
Cal says the entire team would agree that "this is an amazing country with lots of people, lots of poverty, and lots of joy in the churches.
"The Free church here is awesome. They take their faith very seriously. Nobody in the church has asked us to do anything or to give them money. They are incredibly grateful that we have come. They repeatedly thank God in their prayers that we have come to them from such a long distance."
The team has been fed well, cared for well, and treated as very important people. They all have their luggage and are tired, but happy!
The choir at the church services are incredible and they have the team sit in the front in a place of honor. After a service on Thursday, Cal got down on his knees so that the kids could gather around him. It sounded like an experience he will never forget. Most or all of the kids have never seen an American. (Cal tells me often that people just don't go visit the Congo). They attended a church service on Friday out in the country, which consisted of about 50 adults and 20 kids; poles and tarps made up the "building structure."
They asked the team to pray with them for their needs. An unexpected fear they have met a few times already is the large amount of people they meet out in public trying to do things for them without aninvitation in order to get money from them (going from the airport to the car). Another fear is the driving. They will always have drivers wherever they go to try to survive the experience, his suggestion is to "avoid potholes and pedestrians and drive as wild as you can".
Cal said he was happy to have put some effort into learning Lingala because in the car ride from the airport he was able to carry on a conversation with a Congolese man whose job it is to learn English in order to facilitate Americans who go to the Congo and Rachel Martin's niece who knows French.
Next up: Saturday's notes from Cal. Stay tuned!
Seventeen people from several states in the USA arrived in Newark, NJ, as planned, for dinner on Wed., July 18. We then flew to Paris, then to Kinshasa (the Democratic Republic of Congo).
A huge answer to prayer is that Cal and another man who didn't have seats into Kinshasa until just before departure, go them. Another answer to prayer is that all of the times through customs have gone very smoothly and the team was very thankful and felt your prayers.
Cal says the entire team would agree that "this is an amazing country with lots of people, lots of poverty, and lots of joy in the churches.
"The Free church here is awesome. They take their faith very seriously. Nobody in the church has asked us to do anything or to give them money. They are incredibly grateful that we have come. They repeatedly thank God in their prayers that we have come to them from such a long distance."
The team has been fed well, cared for well, and treated as very important people. They all have their luggage and are tired, but happy!
The choir at the church services are incredible and they have the team sit in the front in a place of honor. After a service on Thursday, Cal got down on his knees so that the kids could gather around him. It sounded like an experience he will never forget. Most or all of the kids have never seen an American. (Cal tells me often that people just don't go visit the Congo). They attended a church service on Friday out in the country, which consisted of about 50 adults and 20 kids; poles and tarps made up the "building structure."
They asked the team to pray with them for their needs. An unexpected fear they have met a few times already is the large amount of people they meet out in public trying to do things for them without aninvitation in order to get money from them (going from the airport to the car). Another fear is the driving. They will always have drivers wherever they go to try to survive the experience, his suggestion is to "avoid potholes and pedestrians and drive as wild as you can".
Cal said he was happy to have put some effort into learning Lingala because in the car ride from the airport he was able to carry on a conversation with a Congolese man whose job it is to learn English in order to facilitate Americans who go to the Congo and Rachel Martin's niece who knows French.
Next up: Saturday's notes from Cal. Stay tuned!
posted by Larry Short at 9:01 AM
1 Comments:
Hi Cal:
We had our share of Technical trouble today, but we were ready!
Please let me know about next Sunday and maybe we can try to test it sometime during the week so we know what to expect on Sunday. Hope all is going well and looking forward to talking soon.
Steve Weller
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