Kamina

Kamina from Wings of the Morning plane, 2011

You go to London to see the Queen.
You go to Kamina to see the Bishop.
Sometimes the Queen isn't in London.
Sometimes the Bishop isn't in Kamina.

We're here, but the Bishop is still tied up in Lubumbashi.
Don't know how long we will wait for his return. Have a boat to catch in Kizanga.

In God's great fun of making me eat my words, the UMCOR Director of Missions for DRC was in Kamina today, staying in the next room at the guest house. Nice guy. From Kenya. His office is in Lubumbashi and he promised to take me out for a beer when I get back down there. (He's Catholic.) I'll put all this in The Book, but short story: I've made some good friends in the most out of the way places. (Did I ever tell you of the Liberian, whom I first met in Lubumbashi, that I ran into at the Foreign Coorespondents Club in Pnom Penh in 2005 on my birthday?)

It was raining this morning, so we got a late start, but had a full day of visiting in two districts: Kamina Cite and Kaminaville. If you were to drop into Kamina fresh from the U.S., you would be impressed by the needs here. However, coming out of the bush, this place looks pretty good. Most of the projects are what I would call next generation: health centers that desparately need expansion, 20 year old construction that needs renewed, schools that need to be added on to, wells and pumps that need to placed closer to the need. (Kamina has pumps all over the place.) This is the place that threw Dr. Paul, the Minister of the Health Zone in Mulongo, into a rant directed at me. "UMCOR calls us all to Kamina to tell how important good water is and they dig wells all over Kamina, but they don't come to Mulongo!" (Dr. Paul is also a good friend now.)

The great disappointment of the day was that I was told that Kamina Methodist University's distance learning program was operational, so I could Facetime Teri in Plainfield. The wireless guy still needs to set up the wireless. Bumbed beyond belief. Going to go to the Vodacom office Monday and see if they can install some of their software on my Macbook Air.

Tomorrow is Kipendano (United Methodist Women) Day. Therefore, I get to go enjoy a lot of great singing and dancing and expect to hear a good sermon from one of our women leaders. Last year in Mulongo I heard an excellent sermon delivered with passion and humor by an 80 year old woman. BTW I'm paying much more attention to the ancient ones here, the ones who have lived through it all. They didn't know David Livingstone, but many of them remember Bishop Booth. They don't move so fast, but they are a tough as old leather.

Bob
Kamina

UMCOR at Kibula

We're in the village of Kibula, a railroad station community about 75 kilometers from Kamina. It has three cell towers and electricity. UMCOR has been here. There's a well with a pump that is always busy. Children carrying water in all kinds of containers.

I happen to be sleeping in the small brick building (with a metal roof) that houses an UMCOR soy milk project. It is the coolest thing! The machine that turns the soybeans into mash is pedal-powered. The boiler looks a lot like a still. Wonder how much conversion would be required for processing corn mash?

The well is immediately paying off. The soy milk machine may take a little community development to get to being a game changer.

The complaint we hear, though, (at Mulongo, for instance) is that such projects only come to villages like Kibula, easily accessible. There are hundreds of villages not that far from here that will never see an UMCOR project. I'm not saying that UMCOR should or could provide projects like these for every village. They can't and they shouldn't.

What we're trying to lift up is that we do have people in every village around here. They are called United Methodist pastors. We're trying to get this kind of technology into their hands, so that they can drill wells and provide creative nutrition solutions in every village in Katanga.

Just one of the things that I see riding a bicycle.

Bob
Kibula

Next One Up

It's quite a climb out of Bukama, but the mountain top view is stunning. This is not technically rainforest, but I think that we can call this patch "jungle." We can hear the waterfalls, but can't see them through the vine covered canopy. Out in the distance are stands of palm trees that give variety to the forest below. We're on top of Africa.

Not denying the grace that has given us this pure gift, we earned it today. It rained through the night, so was a lot of water in the road, hub high in places. But, the rocks! Up hill and down, rocks. and the heat! Scorching African sun. I shredded a tire on the rocks. It was replaced by a new Kenda Small Block Eight from Bicycle Garage Indy. (shameless product placement, always looking for sponsors.) Elephant changed the tire, while I enjoyed a Coke. (shameless, again) Yes, I can change a bike tire, but as long as Elephant is here, this is his bicycle to maintain.

Speaking of Elephant, he'll be leaving us in Nyembo to head to Mulongo to ready the Indiana and bring it to Bukama, where we will board on our return from Kamina. Next One Up. Local Pastor Kasongo is Elephant's replacement. Younger by a bunch, but just as strong, and just as enthusiastic.

The Colts need to learn from us. We've lost our star quarterback to General Conference pre-conference meetings in Harare, but District Superintendent Mumba has stepped up, and we're still winning games. Now, Elephant is leaving us, and Kasango is stepping up. Joseph Mulongo and Elephant have defined our team, but the next generation is already getting off the bench and into the game. (Mulongo and Elephant will rejoin the team in Bukama.) BTW Who won the Super Bowl?

This year's team roster:
Daniel Mumba, District Superintendent, Tenke District, Team Leader, ZamBike Bicycle.
Junior Banz wa Nbuya, Pator, Tenke District, ZamBike Bicycle.
Bob Walters, Missionary, Cannondale Bicycle.
Jean Kipanga wa Ngoy, Lay Person, Mulongo District, ZamBike Bicycle.
Jean Kabiwe wa Kasongo, Local Pastor, Mulongo District, FPM Motorcycle.
Elephant Ngoy wa Kasongo, Lay Person, Mulongo District, Motorcycle.

The question our team has to deal with in every small village we pass is "Why does the Mzunga ride a bicycle?" The answer that seems to satisfy all curiosity is "We're United Methodists." That explains it.

Bob
Kabondo Dianda

Water for Kisamba

Yesterday's visits of rural villages was going to be so routine, that I was going to blog on the misadventure of crossing the Lualaba (Congo River) on the railroad bridge and trying to ride along the tracks. FYI the steel rail ties have date stamps as early as 1945 and as late 1956.

We were having a normal check-in with the village of Kisamba, with its small, weather-worn, grass-roofed church building, and its neatly stacked brick pile waiting for construction; typical. Then the chief showed up, unexpectently. He invited himself to our meeting. The chief has very little power, except for his powerful presence. He gets things done by holding court. His primary function is to provide for the welfare of the village. He is also the one who assigns land use.

The chief wanted to talk about the need for clean water. Cholera is severe in the Bukama Territory. However, he had very strong opinions on what kind of pump will not work, and what kind is needed. He knew the depth of the water table and could speak the language of an engineer. (Mumba was translating from Kiluba into French for me.)

When he had made his point on the need for a water well, he offered to the United Methodist Church a large land consession on which we could build a new church, parsonage, school, foyer, clinic, etc. (He let us know that he had made the same offer to the Catholics. Chiefs often play the Catholics against the Methodists. There is enough need, that a bit of friendly competition is good for all.)

This is where we want to be: in a place where local leadership owns the problem, has researched it, and makes leadership decisions. When you drop out of the sky with a water well, good things happen imediately. The health and prosperity of the community goes up, so much so, that the population of the village swells. Then the well breaks, and it will break. All the good collapses and the only hope is for someone from outside to return to fix the well. But they're not coming; they've moved on to the next well project.

This is a village ready for a well. And we want that well drilled by a local drilling company who will be there when it breaks. BTW FPM has access to a drilling rig, just sitting in Mulongo waiting to be reconditioned and put to work. It could be transported to Bukama easily on the Indiana.

Bob
Bukama

Bukama

A very quick post from Bukama. No electricity. Running low on battery. Taylor can correct spelling, etc.

First, Bukama is hot. Sitting right now in the "court yard" of a "hotel" the district has put us up in. The "" mean that it's not what you're thinking. Just saying that this is an adventure.

Second, we made the rounds of official visits. Surprise! The territory administrator here is the same person who was the territory administrator in Kabalo last year when we were there. Those who followed last year's expedition know that we had a rough beginning, but a very happy ending. He was delighted today to greet us.

Third, we made a few parish visits. For one visit, we walked across the Congo River on the railroad bridge. Watch for rusted out holes in the walkway! Very cool views of the river, the boats, and the surrounding villages. Also, a bird's eye view of cholera. So many people living in poor sanitation and without clean drinking/washing water. The churches all have the same needs. Cement and roofing. Everyone is building. No one is finishing the building.

Fourth, we had a good walk through the rail yard, the boat yard, and several markets. A lot of commerce moving through Bukama.

Hopefully on our way to Kamina tomorrow. It's a long stretch. Can't make it in one day, so it looks like we'll be pitching tents tomorrow night.

Bob
Bukama

Dust to Dust

FPM member Emily Johnson's thought-provoking reflection on an experience from her visit to Congo last summer has been published in Hippocampus magazine:

http://www.hippocampusmagazine.com/2012/02/dust-to-dust-by-emily-johnson/