Blessed with JOY...

Friday was a wonderful day blessed with JOY! The prior week came with many challenging times, but God answered with a very special day I will always remember. It started with sitting in the ALARM-Congo office working on the internet and spending time reading the Bible. While I was reading and writing, an African choir sang in the distance. The beat of the drums made my heart fill with the love of the land. There is something about the heartbeat of the land in Africa that makes your soul sing. It is not abnormal or rare to hear choirs sing joyfully and sporadically throughout the area which is an aspect of Africa that I wish the US would replicate. Hearing people praise at random hours, wherever they might choose to gather and with whoever chooses to join is just wonderful.

After this terrific morning, we headed out to the ALARM-Congo property that is going to be the site for their Reconciliation Center. I visited this site last January, so it was definitely a treat to see the progress. When we arrived, I was filled with joy! The first building is almost complete and it is a beautiful chapel/conference hall. We sat around talking, laughing and sharing lunch as a family. Then, we finished our time by singing Blessed Assurance, a song which always touches my heart. Standing there and thinking about the future and how this building is going to share the Gospel with so many people to come is amazing. God is good and gives us wonderful moments that are meant to be cherished. This was one of those very special moments. To think that the prior week had been so difficult and the enemy was doing everything in its power to keep me from coming to Congo, I was blessed with a day filled with joy.

We then traveled to a plot of land Marie-Jeanne (Country Director) plans to build on in the future. We had to walk about 15 minutes to the plot of land on a tiny trail over the lava rocks. Yes, no cars permitted because there was no road. It was wonderful to be walking amongst people’s homes and to see firsthand people’s lives here in Goma. I was able to interact with the women and children, who were either working in their gardens or tending to their children. Amazed at how these individuals have adapted their lives around the devastation of the lava flow. They have built homes on top of the lava, with lava rocks, and have also planted gardens amidst the lava...incredible. I was told that lava actually carries a lot of nutrients in turn making the soil very fertile and great for crops. Amazing how a time of immense devastation can blossom with its own set of benefits.

After causing much laughter with the children, some being very skeptical of the muzungu (white person), others being daring and actually shaking my hand, we continued our venture for the day. For the next several hours the day increased insurmountable as we visited each of the staff members’ home. This was incredibly touching and heartfelt! For each of them to open their homes and invite in a person they barely know is a way of them reaching out and embracing me. My heart was singing with joy. This was such a special time and I am so grateful to each of them for being so loving and open. I am feeling incredibly blessed by the warm welcome in DR Congo and am honored to be here. This is truly a special family!

“Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

~Nehemiah 8:10