Wednesday Update From the Team

As you can imagine, communication with members of our Congo team (who are now scattered hither and yon throughout the Ubangi Province) is spotty at best. My best source of information so far is Facebook. Cal tells me that Facebook seems to have the best connectivity for them.

So, basically I am doing the same thing a lot of other Facebook users are doing -- scanning Facebook for updates from our team members. I am also reading Brian's blog. When I find photos and updates, I am transferring them here.

Today I found a few new items -- a Tuesday blog posting for Brian, and a new photo Cal has posted. Remember that Brian is doing youth pastor training, Dave is working at the Elikya Center, and Cal and Amanda and Elissa are at Tandala Hospital, training doctors (Cal in medical stuff and the two ladies are teaching them English).

Brian's Blog Posting: Tuesday Morning in the Congo

The trip has now gotten a little harder for the youth team. We are on our own. All the missionaries from reach global have gone to Tandala. We have been left in Gemena to do our trainings. We have two people from the CECU that are working with us. They both speak English fairly well.

Yesterday we started the first training session. We were supposed to start at 2:00 pm but did not get to the church where the training was being held until 3:30 pm. The driver must have misunderstood the guy who is making all the arrangements for our group. I was driven to the training by motorcycle while the other two guys waited for the truck to pick them up.

While on the motorcycle we drove through the market at Gemena. I saw even more poverty and a little worse than what I had previously seen. I just want to say that if I do not ride on another motorcycle in the Congo, I will be happy. The streets are packed and the roads are horrible. I have no reason to ever complain about the roads we have in the U.S.

Our first training went well. We had 128 people there. We tried to teach them an icebreaker game. I am not sure how it went over. It was funny to watch. We only were able to get through the first part of the training. Today we finish the training.

Please pray that the remainder of the training will go well. Pray that we would speak effectively in a way that the translators can interpret.

Thank you for praying. It is making a difference. Our trip has had very little go wrong. We are not used to waiting around as much as we are, but time is not a big thing in this country.

Photo Posted by Cal

Cal didn't include any caption info with this photo, but I'm assuming it is taken at Tandala Hospital, since he and Amanda and Elissa are among those pictured.

Monday Update & More Photos

Haven't heard much news yet today ... other than last night's message that Elissa and Amanda were feeling better (and playing cards) while Brian still felt lousy.

LaVonne says Dave also had a touch of the bug, but is also feeling better now.

It's the middle of the night in the Congo now, but earlier today (Monday) the team was supposed to  get started on their various assignments. Amanda and Elissa were traveling with Dr. Cal to Tandala Hospital. Brian is beginning his assignment of teaching youth leaders, and Dave is starting his work at the Elikya Center.

Keep praying for the team! Now here are some additional photos:

Team Photos

This ebony carving was presented to the team with the request to give it to President Barack Obama (who is quite popular in Africa)!

A large crowd was present at the grand opening of the Elikya Center in Gemena, Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Congo Team from Elim Evangelical Free Church in Puyallup, Washington, USA, poses on the church steps before its departure. Left to right, front row: Brian Sharpe, Dr. Cal Kierum. Back row: Elissa Hirschfelder, Amanda McCracken, Dave Barnes.

Brian's Facebook Group

And here's another update Brian made earlier, upon arrival in the Central African Public, which hasn't been posted in this space yet. It will get you caught up:

Welcome from Central African Republic. We wanted to give you an update on our trip so far. We are all pretty tired -- we are running on fumes. Sleep has been hard to come by.

The layover in Paris was a good time. We got to see Notre Dome, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triumphe. We even got to see statues of Saint Denis, the "Headless Saint" (ask more when we get back).

Today we arrived in Bangui, and are now staying at the Grace Brethren Mission. We got to lay in a bed today for the first time in over 48 hours – what a relief!

This afternoon we went to the Bangui Evangelical Theological Seminary (FATAB in French) where we received a tour of the seminary, which is the highest level Protestant seminary in French-speaking Africa. There we got to meet Dr. Nupongo from the Free Church of Congo (CECU), who is also the dean (president) of the seminary. He was in the African movie Polendo, and has helped write the African Biblical Commentary.

For our first authentic African meal, Nupongo’s wife Angel served us fuku bread, rice, river fish, chicken, dunda (spinach-like greens), carmelized onions, with pineapple for dessert. We kept commenting on how wonderful the food was until finally our host pointed out that it is not about the food, it is about spending time together. Then Nupongo and his son Daniel gave us a tour of the school. We were able to see the women’s schoolroom, the open-air classroom for English teaching, as well as the basic classrooms for all of the men.

All in all, this trip has been a mixture of stress, relief, humidity, heat, and the wonderful knowledge that God is walking with us, providing for us, and binding our hearts together with the African people. Please keep us in your prayers. Tomorrow is going to be a 14-hour travel day on bumpy roads and crowded cars.

Sunday Updates From the Team ... Photos!

Sunday the team spent with 1,000 people who gathered for the dedication of the Elikya Center in Gemena, in the Ubangi Province (northwest corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo).

Cal and Brian have sent about a dozen photos which are posted to their Facebook sites, and I am also displaying some of them below. (I will post more later, as I have time, so check back!) Also, below the photos I am posting the content of messages received from Cal and Brian.

A key prayer request is that three members of the team (including Elissa and Amanda, though we aren't sure who the third is) are sick with intestinal problems commonly known as "Traveler's Diarrhea." Fortunately, with Cal on the team, they are in good hands.

(NOTE: We have subsequently been updated that all who were afflicted, which actually include Brian and Dave, are feeling better now. Thank you for praying!)

Team Photos

The entire Congo team gathers at Gemena. Three U.S. churches are represented, plus two of the staff of TouchGlobal, and also Paul Rene Mowa of the Elikya Center. The Congolese appreciated the fact that the team chose yellow for their team shirts, because that is also the color the orphans wear for their graduation uniforms.

Cal poses uphill from where the team entered the Congo after crossing the Ubangi river on huge dugout canoes, visible in the background. Cal said they were not allowed to take photos at the border so they had to wait until up the hill at the local church.

Brian Sharpe at the dedication of the Elikya Center.

Cal visits with Pastor Nubako Selenga's wife, Claudine, and their 12-year-old daughter, Sarah. Sarah and Cal's daughter, Caitlin, are pen pals. Pastor Selenga stayed with the Kierums during his visit to Washington a few weeks ago.

Pastor Deolo (far right), who is in charge of HIV ministries for the Evangelical Free denomination, introduced Cal to these students, who are officers in a group called UPPLA. This group is for people living with AIDS; either they themselves have the disease, or have family members with it. The church has realized that the children in these situations have special needs so they have formed a subgroup within the UPPLA for youth and children. Cal says it was a blessing to meet these young leaders.

Earlier Message From Cal

Hi all,

I will try to catch you up a little.

We arrived in Gemena, DRC, late last night. Getting there was interesting.

We woke up in Bangui, CAR, Friday morning and crossed the Ubangi river in two large dugout canoes. That was all of our baggage (praise God, it all arrived) plus 12 travelers. We were greeted on the Congo side by a Port Policeman dressed in a cap, blue uniform, and pink fuzzy gloves. Then we took a couple of hours to clear customs/immigration and started the 12-hour drive to Gemena. This was broken into segments due to a planned stop at Bau, DRC, for a visit and tour of the hospital and Bible Institute there. I was asked to examine and consult on a couple of malnourished kids. We prayed for them before leaving. There were also three flat tires on the other vehicle that had to be changed and one stop at a checkpoint in Bari, DRC. We got lots of time to visit with the locals at each stop so these were good things.

We got into Gemena pretty late so the welcome was from the president and vice president of the denomination only. They had a nice meal ready for us also. This morning the Pres. had us over for breakfast.

It has been a great trip so far. One of the best parts is that the language is coming back to me and people still remember me. That makes it much easier. I miss Stacie and the children greatly. Of all the hardships of this trip, this is the most difficult. Thankfully I am still with friends both from America and from the Congo so not completely lonely.

For those of you who have Facebook or Skype, check from time to time to see if I am online. We have internet service 24 hours a day here in Gemena, so I could be on anytime. We are 8 hours ahead of the West Coast as far as time goes.

If I get time, I will try to send some pictures soon.

Blessings,

Cal

This Morning's Message From Cal

I am waiting to go to church this morning. It is the dedication of the Elikya Center and they expect over 1,000 to attend from all over the Ubangi. They made an open air meeting place with posts and palm branches for shade. I am looking forward to it.

Three of the team are sick with vomiting and diarrhea. Probably just "traveler's diarrhea" and should pass soon. They will stay back at the headquarters and rest today. Amanda and Elissa are among the afflicted, so please lift their health, and the health of the entire team, up in prayer today.

Blessings,

Cal

Brian's Blog Posting

You can read Brian's reflections on his blog.

Do you have any questions or thoughts to express to the Congo team? Click the "Comments" link below and post your comments, and we will make sure they get the attention of the team at their earliest opportunity.

- Larry

ARRIVAL IN GEMENA: First Update from the Congo Team

The Elim team to the Congo's Ubangi Province has arrived to Gemena, Congo, via Paris and the Central African Republic! They made it safely across the Ubangi River in dugout canoes with all their equipment. All team members are physically well, enjoying the time, and no luggage or supplies have been lost. The 5 team members are:

Cal Kierum, Pastor Brian Sharpe, Dave Barnes, Amanda McCracken, Elissa Hirschfelder

Cal said when they arrived on the Congo side of the River, a single officer was waiting for them in green military fatigues, with fuzzy pink gloves. Aside from that, they've only had to deal with one or two checkpoints during the journey, which entailed only a brief wait and the chance to visit with locals.

I've chatted (on Facebook) with both Cal and Brian this morning, about 11:30 our time (8:30 p.m. their time). They were getting ready to go into a team debrief at 9 p.m. Brian said it was very warm there and he was sweating as he typed. Cal said a storm was coming (hopefully rain will cool things down some).

But of course after it rains that means the mosquitoes come out. Pray that everyone on our team is kept safe from malaria on World Malaria Day!

Tomorrow (Sunday, which starts tonight our time), the dedication celebration at the Elikya Center begins. They are expecting 1,000 guests! Brian said he is grateful that he doesn't have to preach. He is also concerned about his ability to effectively communicate with youth leaders, given the cultural differences and the large numbers of leaders he is going to be teaching. He covets your prayers.

Cal said Dave is a little bit bored and can't wait to sink his teeth into the real work of training Elikya Center residents how to make and use the tools they will need for building up and maintaining the facilities there.

Cal says both Amanda and Elissa are very excited to be there. Amanda is already talking about a return trip and taking lots of photos. (Bandwidth is fairly tight, so thus far they haven't been able to upload any. But as soon as they do, we will post some here.)

The best way to chat with the team right now is on Facebook chat, it seems to have the best connectivity thus far. Cal said right now they have 24x7 access at Gemena, so if you are friends with any of the team members on Facebook, check your list of friends online and send them greetings if you see them online. (Also, if you do get updates, please post them to this blog as "comments" using the link at the bottom of this blog posting!)

On Monday, after the Sunday dedication of the Elikya Center, Cal and the two ladies will head to Tandala Hospital where they will begin their work there. Amanda and Elissa will be teaching English to the staff, and Cal will be working with the doctors. He has already had the opportunity to consult on some difficult malnutrition cases.

Thank you for keeping the team in prayer! We'll post updates here as we get them, so check back frequently.

- Larry