Lubumbashi Day 2 (Wednesday)

Today was a beautiful day with my husband and a little guy who the legal documents say is now our son! The rainy season has begun here in Lubumbashi. Which makes it a little muggy, but the breeze does not bring the sand storms because the ground is wet. But more on the “our son” part.

We had many things to do today. Didier left early with Matteus to get his passport and visa picture taken. It’s the cutest picture. Didier also needed a picture taken because Didier is applying for a visa also to hopefully come to the states soon. Later, Phil, Didier and I went to see the Judge. It was a very good visit with him. He is the “president” judge over all children cases. It makes him very happy to help us adopt Matteus because most of his other work is very sad. We explained that it is the same in America. At our local court they do adoptions once a month, it is the only happy day that month, the rest of the days are spent on heart breaking cases. He was happy to give us our adoption judgment, and we were very happy for all his help!

Below is our attorney who was also present to sign docs with other required witnesses. Praise the Lord for the favor and kindness He has shown us by these men who are Christians and who want to help these precious fatherless children, which is something so consistent with our Christian religion (James 1:27).

Tomorrow we hope to get our Adoption Deed (Acte d'Adoption), which we need to have by next week for the embassy, and one other document Didier thinks we can complete tomorrow. He will be off to Zambia next week so your prayers that we can get everything done are appreciated.

Today when we were stopped at a red light the police man approached Didier and started talking to him very passionately. Didier laughed, rolled up the window, and drove away. We asked him what was said. He said, “I don’t even know. I think he smoked something because he made no sense. It is a very bad thing when the police are drunk or do drugs at work.” [Phil’s P.S. It was a reminder to us to be thankful of America, as much as Americans complain about authorities over them, we should praise God for the Romans 13 authorities He has ordained. Our government is not perfect, but when you have seen other countries governments as much as I have, what so much of the world is like, you realize how blessed we are and how thankful we should be]

The rest of the day had many stops and errands. I was warned by Phil before I came that everything takes a long time here, and even when you go out to do a quick errand, it is never quick. Virtually everything Didier has done since dawn till after dusk has been to help us with things related to our adoption, and now it is late and he is going out for the 4^th time today to get coal for his family. His is a very faithful tireless servant who does not complain but gives himself fully to the Lord’s work. He told us in Congo if you can do something today, get it done, or it may take too long tomorrow (a different attitude from many of us Americans who always put off for tomorrow what we aren’t doing today. He told us he can sleep peacefully tonight knowing it is all done. He is such a sacrificial others-centered servant, but we are glad he will be getting a break from all this work when we leave Friday (me to the U.S., Phil with Matteus to the capitol of Congo for 10-11 days).

Below is what the coal looks like that they use here (costs them $70-80 a month for cooking). Not the pickup truck you want to tailgate too closely while driving!

The people here work so hard. Mama Angelique, taking care of the children, feeding and bathing them each day. Annie, taking care of her children, us, and everyone else, and running a small business in her home selling things on the side to help make ends meet. The women have to wash everything by hand. No washers, no dryers, no dishwashers (except the human kind) … they don’t even have an oven to cook in. But the food she cooked us for dinner tonight was magnificent. They didn’t kill the fattened calf but we did get the African equivalent, fattened goat in some incredible sauce! Such hospitable people these Congolese Christians are, and such examples to us Americans in their hospitality and kindness. They welcomed us to their chapel service tonight (mid-week prayer and praise with about a half-hour message by Peter, who is very passionate and seems to be a very good pastor and shepherd of these saints). I think Peter was preaching on Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30, which seemed to be a very timely message for these dear saints, in light of the above paragraph:

Come to Me, all who labor [or are weary] and heavy-laden, 
and I will give you rest. 
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 
for I am gentle and humble and lowly in heart, 
and you will find rest for your souls. 
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Peter definitely has a gentle spirit like his Lord. It was a blessing to be around other humble lowly-hearted people who have found rest for their souls in Christ, who has taken the heavy burden of sin. Many of these mothers who labor so hard each day, as they carried their little children to the chapel service and their burdens to Jesus that evening, it seemed we saw this passage fulfilled on their faces that hour, as they were refreshed in the Lord. They greeted us with joy and smiling faces after the service, with the joy of the Lord as their strength. God has yoked these dear believers to a new Master who is gentle and does not give more burden than they can bear. As they take His yoke upon them and learn from Him, we can learn from them as well (and I think we already are).

I told Phil that I am surprised that I have not been stared at more here. In the Philippines people stare, laugh, point, and then call all their friends to come stare, laugh and point. People here will look, but when you look at them they look away. I also expected to be approached more to buy things, but we have been left alone.

We didn’t get to see Matteus until after 4. He was very happy to see us. The kids were given some of the gifts we brought. The jump ropes, light-up balls, and punching balloons were a big hit! (Thanks P’s!!)

After dinner is when we took Matteus to the evening church service where he sat content to play with Phil’s watch and touch Phil’s face and hair. It was a special moment where he touched every part of Phil’s face then his face in the same spot, my facial hair and the hair on his head – almost as if to see that we truly are the same, and he seemed satisfied. Later we tried to sneak out of the orphanage around his bedtime, but he knew what we were up to and started crying. We are planning on keeping him with us 24/7 starting tomorrow night. So, thankful that he already feels attached to us and sad for us to leave him (it was sad for me to leave him too!).

Gabe, Josie, and Stuart… Phil said there has been some home improvements since you were here. There is now a light in the bathroom. Amazing what a light bulb can do for when you need to use the facilities! Thanks to Bob also, Didier is running a wire to his house from the generator thanks to Bob Wheatley’s prompting. Last night when I went in their house the kids were watching a Barbie movie, The Nutcracker, one of our girls favorites. [Phil here: we need to get them some better movies!]

Tonight Phil went to start the generator (they have a generator that they run each night for a few hours of electricity), when he pulled the rope it broke off the pull-handle and the rope spun inside the generator. So Phil and I attempted to fix this ourselves in the dark with no real tools. I found a “rat tail comb” (no, not the mouse in the guest house, for those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s the comb with a pointy end) and Phil found an all purpose tool. We worked at it for a few minutes with no success. Pastor Peter came out saw what we were doing and basically tried the same thing. I then remembered that there was wire hanger in our room. I almost had it when Peter returned with Emory, the handyman, who had the key to the shed with the tools. He had it fixed in less than 5 minutes and here we sit with most of the comforts of the world: a light, a computer, and a refrigerator (until the generator gets turned off). 

We are getting ready for bed, Phil is getting ready to catch the mouse tonight, killing all the bugs around the light with a flip-flop, and trying to find “Jiminy” our bathroom cricket. We are struggling to stay awake… it’s 8:40 pm. 

One of Phil’s posts was called “Last Sunset in Africa … for now.” Here is the sequel to that picture, latest sunset with Jaime and Matteus.