We have money. They don’t. Our daily reality in Nyankunde.

I run to the top of the first ridge of the mountain behind our house almost every morning.  Its super helpful for maintaining perspective and sanity.  Its gorgeous.  I pass multiple Congolese who are on their way to work in their fields, I give them a good laugh!

 We have not had a break from life in DRC since early September, and we’re feeling it.  Maybe that doesn’t seem that long, but some variables tend to make us long for a break every few weeks. We use a car for transport only 1-2x a month. To get anywhere other than the dusty underwhelming town of Bunia we have to travel by plane. And plane flights are very expensive, despite being among the top 10 wealthiest families in our village.   Not being able to get away easily + being the ones that most of our friends come to if they have a financial emergency = fatigue and frequent frustration.  Even as a young child I remember asking God to never make me wealthy, but here I am, an American, one of the wealthiest of people in the world, among Congolese, often the poorest of the poor.  The responsibility that comes with wealth is huge and often overwhelming.  I’ve been shuddering a bit as I read what the Bible say about us, the rich:  “To whom much is given, much is expected”, “It is harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle” and “Go, sell all you have and give it to the poor, then come and follow me (Jesus)”. 

We went Christmas Eve to the hospital and sang carols and handed out cake to every pediatric patient and all the nurses. It was such a joyful time.

Luke and Miriam with some of their friends that we celebrated with at our Christmas Feast

Some days I want to hide in my house when I hear visitors approaching.  Other days I want to flee when I’m at the hospital and I see someone approaching, asking, “When will you be home today, I’d like to come visit you”.  I often feel like I can’t take one more person asking me for monetary help!

In the last 3 days we’ve been confronted with 7 significant situations in need of financial help.  I think it’s worth telling a couple of these stories.  It’s so easy to forget to be grateful for all that God’s given us, but hearing these requests reminds me of the many burdens and hardships I have not had to carry.  They also remind me of how many resources, wealth, knowledge and capacities we’ve been given, not because of our own deservedness, but in order to bless others who are in need.  I don’t think that means that we indiscriminately are to give away all of our resources, but I do think that we are to prayerfully consider the needs that come our way.

1. Benjamin’s son:

Benjamin saw me on the street in front of the hospital, walking home with my kids after visiting some friends.  I don’t know him well, though we do both work at the hospital, but we always greet each other, as is the Congolese standard.  He asked if I might be home later, and we set a time for him to stop by.  When he came, he started with a prayer, then asked if I’d forgive him for disrupting my day off.  He said he had a hard situation in his family and he needs help.  He went on to explain that 1.5 months ago, his son who is in pre-medical school in Bunia, was accused of stealing his friend’s laptop.  His son was promptly thrown in jail.  He’s been there for the last 1.5 months with no plans in sight for just proceedings.  Benjamin teared up as he talked about going to see his son and finding him lying on a cement floor in his own urine, skinny, and covered with wounds where other inmates had beaten him.  He’s heard that he can possibly be released if he buys a replacement computer for his son’s friend (that most think he didn’t even steal!), and if he pays a $500 release fee.  Benjamin probably makes about $150 a month and has six children to support.  I was heart-broken.  I couldn’t believe he had waited for 1.5 months to ask us!  We were grateful to be here so we could help intervene on his son’s behalf. Thanks also to so many of you who has given money that we can use in cases like this.

2. Dieumerci’s friend

The next day a friend from the hospital lab showed up during dinner.  He’d been trying to get Patrick’s attention all day to share a need with him, but Patrick had been too busy.  He shared that one of his best friends in Bunia had recently gotten his girlfriend, an 18 year-old girl, pregnant.  Her tribe and family were so angry with him that they demanded he be taken into custody.  The friend’s family had just received news that the next day their son would be transferred to the national prison system, and once you’re there, you’re pretty much as good as gone apparently.  Dieumerci asked if he could borrow money so he could help the family hire a lawyer, and hopefully stop the prison transfer. We hear these stories and we just can’t believe how unjust this country’s systems are!

3. One of the projects that we’ve focused on has been supporting newborn orphans.  Not infrequently, there are maternal deaths at the hospital.  Shortly after moving here, I heard that one of the pediatric nurses had decided to adopt one of the babies whose mother had recently died in childbirth.  He asked if I’d consider helping him pay for formula for the baby, about $100/month.  His salary was $100/month (if he actually got it!).  He had taken the baby in faith that something would work out.  Soon another request came to help a family care for a newborn orphan, so we decided to formally set up a project.  A few months ago, a young mother died in childbirth, leaving a newly orphaned baby.  Finally the grandmother stepped forward to care for the baby.  Recently, one of the volunteers in the orphan project went to make a follow up visit for this baby and on arriving at the house found that the grandmother had gotten sick and died, and the baby had been sent to Bunia. It was not clear who was caring for the baby.  The volunteer came to me distressed and said that she would not be able to rest until she could find this baby.  Since the formula was no longer being given, it is almost certain the <6 month old baby was being fed porridge and probably becoming increasingly undernourished. A week later, this volunteer was in Bunia for a funeral and noticed a man standing near the church, watching the funeral commotion.  She recognized him as the father of the orphan who was missing!  She was able to regain contact, and start supplying formula again.  But a few days later she received news that the baby was hospitalized, so she called me asking for funds for transport to Bunia so she could check in on the baby.  Her compassion and generosity toward these families caring for orphaned babies encourages and amazes me.  I was recently told that the baby is doing well, and has returned home. 

Another early morning run with an awe inspiring sunrise

Women in my Bible study.  Two of them have recently started university education in Bunia and are missed!

The nursing school's library, slim pickings!  Papa Daniel faithfully guards, protects and lends the library books.

In the distance, the sticks are the structure for a church plant of the larger church we go to.  We were able to provide for a roof for this structure, and now church services are starting here on site.  

The nursing school graduation ceremony was exciting.  Seeing the students I had spent hours with make it to the end of their studies, and get ready to step into their roles of community health leaders was emotion and inspiring.  They and their families all mage huge sacrifices to be in school, and it is finally paying off.  I'm so proud of them.