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.