Adjusting to life in Africa

Greetings from Impfondo!

Sunset outside of Bravo 

            I have finally arrived at Hopital Evanelique Le Pioneer. I am very excited to be getting settled in the place where I will be for the rest of the summer. I got up around 6 am this morning to take a small local flight here and it has been a whirlwind of new culture, smells, sights and lots of bugs.

          My time in Brazzaville was mostly filled with relaxing at Bravo (the guest center) and spending time with American missionary, Barb Sorenson and her friend Brice. As a white, American, girl who doesn’t speak French I wasn’t comfortable taking a taxi around the city, by myself so I only left Bravo with her. Even though I was told many times that Brazza is a very safe city, I decided I would rather be someone else at all times. Barb is a missionary with Christian Missionary Alliance who has been working in Africa for over 30 years. Brice is a young Congolese man who is studying English and training to be a missionary. I really enjoyed talking to Brice, hearing his story and how the Lord has transformed his life. I was also able to help him as he learned English. 

The front porch of Bravo

                             Yesterday morning, Barb and Brice picked me up from Bravo and we went to a local orphanage. While they were talking with the Nun who ran it about allowing their kids to be adopted, I got to play with the kids. It was such an overwhelming experience. The minute I walked in 20 dirty kids all under the age of 5 or 6 were surrounding me wanted to be touched or picked up. It broke my heart to see the longing for love and affection that they did not get. I tried to pick up every child once and show them love, but it was hard. Some kids would not let go and others had dirty diapers on that I know had not been changed in a long time and others had bad colds and coughs. Walking into the infant room was even harder. 10-15 kids under the age of 1 or 2 were sitting on the floor or in a crib with flies all over them and an overwhelming smell of sewage . Many were malnourished and looked like they had not been fed recently. I just stood there sad. After leaving the orphanage I expressed to Barb that being there broke my heart. She told me that the orphanage I was at was the best in the city and then she reminded of the truth of the gospel. Even those children, who have no parents to love them and no earthly possessions, have Jesus, who loves them and gives them eternal life. I have been wrestling with that truth for the last day and it is still hard for me to grasp. It just seems so unfair that they live in those conditions even though Jesus loves them. Last night I read over Matthew 19:14 and it brought me a lot of comfort, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  

One of the babies at the orphanage 

    Yesterday, upon arrival in the hospital I was shown around the town of Impfondo. Boy, am I out in the jungle. I got a tour of the hospital and met everyone here. The local people are very kind and the missionaries have been very warm and inviting. I was also able to get settled at “Casablanca” the house will be most likely be staying in for my time here. Getting adjusted is going to take a few days, as I am still not used to the iron smelling showers, the termites that are all over the house and the ants that love to climb on my clothes. Everyone says that part of being in Africa is getting used to the bugs, which is going to be a stretch for me. The food has not been too bad so far. I was treated last night with homemade pizza and guacamole. The cheese was from Brazzaville and we were able to get flour without bugs, what joys! The avocados are fresh from the trees around the hospital, which is so fun. I love avocados and excited for true avocado season here in late July/ August. This morning after my first full nights sleep since arriving in Africa, I did my laundry. When I went to get my dirty clothes I found lots of ants crawling in the dirty clothes bin. I was able to hand wash them, remove all the ants and lay them out to dry. Bug spray has become my best friend as I spray down my room constantly to get rid of the ants and other bugs. As I continue to face the day to day challenges of being in Africa, I am thankful that God is using this time to stretch me and bring me back to what really is important in life. I am also thankful for his safety and provision over my health thus far. On Monday, I will start rounds in the hospital, which will bring about a whole new set of challenges and growth. As I begin my time in Congo, I have the following prayer requests:

The view outside my window 

•        Continual adjustment to the heat, culture, bugs and food
•     That I will establish a daily routine at the hospital starting this week
•         That I will pick up the native language of lingala quickly and effectively
•     That the Lord would give me peace about being in Africa and that his light would shine through me

Thank you all for praying for me. It means so much and brings me great comfort!

Love, 

Lauren 

Washing my clothes 

Where I do my laundry 

My room in Congo 

The maternity buildings of the hospital 

The operating room 

The Chapel at the entrance of the hospital