Itali & Rwebesengo Visits

JAMBO! (Swahili for hello) We got to go visit 2 village churches this week, first Italli, then Rwebesengo. Since it was about a 2 hour drive, we stayed overnight at Italli in tents, which meant that we were introduced to the village bathroom facilities (cho). Below you will see the little toilet that Jeff set up for us Americans to use--thank the Lord! :)





Our day began with a long bumpy ride down the hill (above) into the valley, through tall grass, a stream, and then some off-roading. I was in the middle in the back of the truck, between Andrew and Besisa, so I felt very squished and secured. :) I kind of like the bumpy rides--I feel adventurous and it reminds me of the farm roads I used to go on when I was little. :) Thanks, Dad.



We set up tents, then praised with the Congolese refugees. They are so happy in spite of all the awful things that they have been through. The choir sang for us, although it was a bummer because we were facing their backs the whole time. Andrew and I were impressed with the little ones (5 & 6 year olds) that could remember all the words and choreography. Ronald gave a powerful sermon and I think many people were convicted.

We were served a wonderful meal of rice pilau with fried potatoes, and beef (this was at about 6:00 pm). It was yummy and since most of us had not eaten since breakfast, we loaded up. Well, at about 7:30, the church leader told us that they were preparing dinner for us as well! At least we didn't eat it until 11:00pm -- that made it a little easier to shove some down. But for those of you who know me well, you know that it wasn't all that hard for me--I love to eat! We were up late eating maize (corn on the cob cooked by the fire) and singing with everyone around a campfire. The Congolise stayed up really late shouting and drumming and singing; luckily we still got some rest.



The next morning, we headed down to the river where Jeff baptized 6 people. YEA! Then, we were off to Rwebesengo. We ended up just driving through a creek in order to cut down on time and we arrived in Rwebesengo earlier than planned.
The day in Rwebesengo is kind of a blur to me, as I did not sleep very well in the tent the night before. We were very welcomed there and the choir sang many songs for us. They have some amazingly talented musicians. Even the littlest ones have rhythm. We enjoyed their upbeat singing and all of the smiles. After Jeff spoke, we were offered another meal-and guess what it was? You got it--rice and meat! Gotta love the rice here.



We were finally headed home about 5:00. It took about 2 hours to get home and it was so good to come back to see Cheryl and the kids. And speaking of the Cash family...we are enjoying them so much! We have had many late nights playing Text Twist, watching movies or just chatting. We love the kids too! I actually helped them with baths and getting ready for bed tonight, which was fun for me to do. Right now, Jeff & Andrew are playing with Jeff's flight simulator, and Andrew has already blown up the plane (literally) while trying to pull off some crazy stunt. Boys will be boys... I am never stepping into a plane with him if he's the pilot!

We are having a wonderful time. God is good... all the time!