It is 7:10 am on my fifth day in the DRC; I was up a little after 5:00 having had my best night’s sleep thus far.  When you travel through so many time zones your poor body does not know when to sleep and when to eat.  I would go to bed early feeling so exhausted and then wake up to miss several hours of sleep, go back to sleep to wake up and find the sun shining. This morning I watched the sun rise in Africa.  It is so beautiful. You are right, yes there is no place I would rather be than in The Congo.

This morning I was up a little after 5:00 am, fixed a cup of Via—Starbucks instant coffee. While a gallon of bath water was heating I had breakfast: a maple flavored sausage patty, a large cracker and half an orange.  I cannot tell you how nice it is to have a camp stove and water filter in the guest house.  What a blessing to be able to have hot water and drinkable water at my disposal. A year ago I was dependent upon someone else to heat my coffee water over charcoal and my bath water was solar heated so I could only take a bath in the evening.

Yesterday was a busy day, we left the mission station at 1:30 pm to travel to Church Three which Didier pastors. The church has experienced dynamic growth so new benches were being built to accommodate the congregation.  Didier wanted to be there to oversee the project and we had Services starting about 4:30 pm.  The Service begins with at least an hour of singing interspersed with passionate prayers. Following that is at least an hour (minimum) of preaching.  I think we went more like an hour and 45 minutes. Tyler and I shared the pulpit.  If I could understand French and or Swahili then I would tell you what follows.  I think there is fervent exhortation based on the sermon for at least another ten minutes. Following this there is recognition of visitors and some sharing from the congregation plus more prayers.  Then choir practice; the choir sounds like angels when they sing.  Wow! At least what I would imagine Angeles would sound like.  Indescribably beautiful.

On the way home I was sitting in the front seat as Didier drove I felt a small hand touch my upper arm and then it settled there to stay. Before long another small hand was partially over it resting on my arm so I reached over my chest placed my left hand over the two hands to hold hands with two children the rest the trip home. The best part of the day.

I just stepped out on the breezeway three orphans upon seeing me ran as fast as they could to body slam me and throw their arms around my waist.  Wonder why I feel so spoiled when I am here?