April 24 - 30, 2017 - Getting ready for transfers next week

April 24 - Morning Walk

Sunrise

President and Sister Shumard returned home late this afternoon from Kolwezi. We had a working dinner at the mission home from 6:30 - 10:00 p.m.

April 25 - Today was the Lubumbashi Zone Conference at the Lubumbashi Stake Center. We drove over two different times taking items needed by the President for the missionaries.

2 missionaries going home to Kananga had their interviews and dinner tonight. They leave on Friday.

April 26 - All the senior couples had individual interviews with President Shumard this morning. They left at 1 p.m. for Bujumbura. They will be gone until next Tuesday morning.

One of the handymen who work for Church Facilities Management, Vani, is transferring to Mbuji-Mayi. His job here will not be replaced by a full-time church employee, but vendors will be hired just for the specific problem that needs to be fixed. We will miss Vani. He was so good to work with.

April 27 - Elder Peterson and I went to two apartments this morning for inspections - Gecamines 1 and Upemba. The roads to get there are so muddy and rutted.

April 28 - Elder Peterson and I picked up the two Elders at the Kawama apartment and dropped them off at the airport to go home to Kananga.

Things have been pretty quiet here at the mission office this week. Several vendors have come in for payment on the work they have done in some missionary apartments. Electrical and plumbing issues have needed our attention since Emmanuel left for Mbuji-Mayi. We started a Work Order system to keep track of the repairs in each of the apartments.

I entered in all the convert baptism records we have received the past two weeks during this week so that is all caught up. New missionaries arrive next Wednesday. The arrival packets have been finished for a couple of weeks.

This afternoon I put together the supply bags of blanket, towel, sheet, pillow, and pillowcase for the new arrivals. I am ready!!

April 17 - 23, 2017 - Mini Transfer - Arrival of 7 Missionaries from the Ivory Coast

April 17 -  Today would have been my parent's 71st anniversary. What a wonderful childhood I had. They left a great legacy of faith and commitment to the Church. How I love them. I miss them every day. I am blessed to be their daughter.

After the morning walk we saw workers digging a trench on the other side of our street. It is for fiber optic cable. After asking permission, I jumped down into the trench for this picture with the hoe.

In the trench

trench for fiber optics

April 18 - Seven missionaries who have been serving in their home country of the Ivory Coast arrived today. They previously attended the MTC in Ghana but did not have a visa to come to the DRC until now. It is between transfers, so President had to complete a "mini" transfer. They have been serving in their temporary mission for between four and eleven months!

Missionaries from the Ivory Coast

April 21 - A walk on the Golf Course

First cactus we have seen in the DRC

Jean, one of our guards, holding a grasshopper

If your window is broken--just use packing tape. A couple of rolls will do

Not quite the same as the one in Roy

While driving to dinner at Al Basha tonight Elder Eastmond noticed a rainbow ahead of us.

It is hard to see but right above the car on the road in front of us

April 10 - 16, 2017 - Week of Easter

April 10 - We visited the Nyashi apartment today for inspections. Here is a picture with the Elders who live there.

Elder Peterson with the Elders in the Nyashi apartment

April 11 - morning walk

From our compound, the moon seen through smoke

Elders R. Peterson, Eastmond, L. Peterson

Watering the fairway at the golf course

The small "lake" adjacent to the golf course

Sun filtering through

Homes still under construction

Interesting Architecture

Starting to stucco the walls

April 12 - Walking through the grounds of the Karavia Hotel.

Teeter Toter

swing made of bamboo

Swing

We went to the Bongonga and the Kasapa apartments today with the plumber to see exactly what needs to be repaired. The Elders at the Kasapa apartment have an outdoor gym. You can see their barbell and their weight bench. They are very ingenious here to make do with what they have.

Barbell is an old axle

Bench made from 3 water bedons, with a blanket covered board on top

April 13 walk

Field corn growing

Bedons lined up waiting to be filled at the water station

April 14

1 1/2 inch gecko that lives in our living room behind the current converter

April 15 - Elder and Sister Eastmond saw this car last night on their way home. This morning it was still in the intersection.

Car left all night in the 3 way intersection with a flat right front tire

This afternoon we went with Elder and Sister Peterson and Elder and Sister Eastmond to the Lubumbashi Museum. It was very interesting to learn more about this region of the country.

Elder Peterson playing a wooden xylophone

Sister Peterson playing a drum

Our tour guide playing a drum

Elder Peterson trying his hand

Picture of an Okapi - comes from this country only

Picture of a Bonobo - only in this country too

Map showing what minerals are in this area

Color Guide to the Map above and Belo

Kananga and Mbuji-Mayi minerals

Map of the entire country. No minerals in the Kinshasa area. That is why this area is so valuable to the country

Interesting tree not indigenous to the DRC

Net used to catch fish

Mat made from raffia

Underside of the mat. See how the raffia is woven

This is a game. Sister Nancy Peterson's hand gives an indication of the size of the game board

April 16 - Happy Easter!! This day is the most important of all days. Resurrection Day of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Because He lives, we all shall live.

Elder and Sister Davis drove down from Likasi this afternoon. We were all invited to the mission home for a delicious ham dinner Sister Shumard prepared.

President Shumard said 7 missionaries will be arriving on Tuesday. They have been waiting for their visa to enter this country.