FAUNA AND CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM GRADUATION

Found this dead on the stairwell. 

Underside of foundling.

One of the frequent visitors to our feeder, through our soiled window.

Encountered this skink upon leaving the Mission office.

Audience at the Construction Course graduation.

Graduate, Elder Cook, Elder Billings (Professor) Eric, head of the construction program in DRC. He is French, and I cannot spell his Flemish last name.

 AWoman graduate receiving diplomas. Several women participate.

Elder Billings loves his students. There were graduates from the Electrical, Plumbing, Masonry, and Construction Principles programs. Elder Billings teaches the Construction Principles course. His first graduating class of 10 students has just formed their own construction company, and they  named it Billings-1. Elder billings predicted that in two years there will be no need for missionary instructors. A few graduates have been trained to be trainers and will go with the Billings when they set up the program in Likasi and Kananga in the next six months. Then the program will be spread throughout the areas of the world missions where it is needed.

There were numerous graduates. Georges Bonnet is at the podium, who is the overall director for Africa East region.

I though you might like a skyline at Sunset from our roof top observation deck on the 10th floor.

BINZA STAKE CONFERENCE & RETURNED MISSIONARY REUNION

Moons and Billings at the Missionary Reunion, Sunday 18h00 GB Seminary and Institute Building.  At this meeting a talk was given about the Construction Education program taught by Elder Billings, for returned missionaries, and the requirements to enter the program.

Returned missionary gathering. After the main instruction everyone has fun meeting the newly weds since the last meeting, the engaged couples, the latest babies, and the election of new officers. There is a lot of joking and happy conversation. Much of the humor goes over my head, mainly because I can't hear it over the din, and laughter.

New officer election results, counting ballots. Sister in the middle 80 year old and is here with her daughter and son-in-law who is in charge of the construction department at LDS Temporal Affairs. Man on the left is our Bishop Aime Ngoy. Man on the right is Tomy who also works at Temporal Affairs, and is a counselor in the Stake Presidency, who has been serving as president of the returned missionary association.

The buffet spread after the two hour meeting. Barbecued chicken,  salted fish, sausage, beef shiskebob, amaranth, cabbage coleslaw, french fries, plantains, manioc, cake, and drinks.

Area 70 Kiungu and wife to the left of the Stake President, Russell Mbaya, choir to the far left, The area 70 is head of CES. He delivers a powerful message and his wife bore a touching testimony.

Congregation. After the meeting we were invited to attend a short question and answer session with invited local officials and new members within the last year. Binza Stake's was recently created and this is their first conference. A recent convert said isn't this an American Church and  asked when an African will be called to be an apostle. Elder Kiungu said the Lord chooses whom he will, The Church is young in Africa. It may be a generation or two. He is a general authority, member of the quorum of the 70 who do the work at the bidding of the twelve apostles who cannot be everywhere. Then he asked if they could name a white Bishop, or Stake President in the Congo. There are none. 

Congregation and choir. You should hear them sing. We are barely visible, the only anglos, front row left.

Our guide and mentor, Olivier. We really love him.

Before the meeting started.

A young boy curious about my Ipad. I took his picture with it and showed it to him. Like many children everywhere, they love to have their picture taken. Often members will ask us to pose with them while they have someone take a picture of them with us. 

HAIRCUT & MISCELLANEOUS

First squash flower on my vine. Hope fruit will form someday.

The quantity of seeds from one grapefruit, count them.

Great loaf of home made bread from the bread making machine.

Les arachides, which are the individual grains. In the shell they are cacahouette. We buy a kilo and roast them for snacks. We keep a container on the sink.

An interesting flower in the TA garden.

Elder Moon leaving the TA building through the security gates.

Elder Smith wearing a mask and holding up a raffia rug that Sister Smith bought from a vendor today.

Coiffeur cutting Sue's hair. He studied in Belgium.

Progress.

Looking good.

Done, side view.

Done, front and back.

SUNGLASSES ANYONE - MONDAY

Street vendors sell everything. We see sunglasses salesmen everywhere. The display is a large sheet of foam into which the glasses are stuck and carried about the city. Just before this man a man with a live snake passed our window, but we did not have the camera at the ready. They often sell puppies which they hold out as the cars pass. Rumor has it that they are taken from stray females around the city. We have purchased maps, pillows, and fruit from these vendors. They watch carefully, and if your eyes stray toward their merchandise they see it instantly and approach with intensity. So keep your eyes forward unless you are in the market. The street is you mall, especially during rush hour when you are at a standstill, or creeping along. We see them running beside slow moving cars conducting business. 

CONFERENCE SUNDAY

A young bird fledged today. The birds nest in the plants hanging from the planters on the apartment balconies above us. The wind occasionally blows a nest from above to our roof deck. We hope a crow doesn't get this one as was the fate of another chick a few weeks ago.

The baked bread brick from flour we bought. Sue threw together a loaf of bread and put it in the bread-maker. It came out like a brick doorstop. We bought new flour last week. Because the last batch of flour seemed like it was unbleached, not whole wheat, Elder Moon told the miller he wanted flour with more bran. I think his request lost something in the translation, speaking English to a native Lebanese who supposedly speaks English, he relaying the request to a Lingala speaking African in non-native French, the result being what looks to me to be about 75 percent bran, hence the baked brick. It tastes good slathered with butter and honey. But what do you do with 100 lbs of bran flour? I will be there next time to clarify what we want, whole grain, nothing added, nothing taken away!

Take a look at that mie, umbilical still in place. We tasted it straight, toasted it, baked it at low temp to dry it to see if it was better as a cracker, broke it up and threw it on the deck for the crows to see if they will eat it.

PASTRIES AND COOKIES

The locals. You should be familiar with them all by now. L-R, Bybees, Moons, Billings, Smiths.

Cookies Sue baked for the cookie gathering. We forgot to photograph each batch of cookies which others brought. They were all delicious.

French pastries purchased to day at two different Patisserie shops. L-R, Couque Suisse (raison roll), Apple turnover, apple tarte, oval apple tarte, coconut tartelette.

Boxes from the two patisserie shops.

We have cards, so we exist. It is a miracle that only one typo exists, but it is sad it is in the second email address, only one "f" where there should be two.

FLOUR MILL AND MICRO FINANCE

Tow truck picking up illegally parked car blocking traffic. I don't know how they decide who is or is not parked illegally. Cars park anywhere they please, it appears to me.

Elder Moon ordering flour from the Lebanese manager at the entrance to the warehouse where the flour is milled.

Iphone photo, we were in a rainstorm and I bobbled the phone. This is a very narrow spiral staircase leading to one of the micro-finance offices. Sue was very silent and cautious because open rail and stairs giver her vertigo. We descended by a different non-spiral staircase. 

Director of MUFESAKIN micro-finance company and Sue and I.

Entrance to the micro-finance offices. The acronym is expanded below it. Savings and Credit Union of the Wise Women of  Kinshasa.

This is a large institutional bank that has a micro-credit department. It was very crowded inside. We gave the armed guards our ID in exchange for a visitor tag to enter. We met with the manager in charge of Micro-Credit. At each of the three stops we took a moment to explain the humanitarian projects of the Church in the area and that we will be building a temple here. We left a copy of the Liahona Temple issue so they could read about our temples around the world. We left a B of M also at two of the places and a brochure on the family.

Semi-truck being loaded with 100 lb flour sacks for delivery at the mill where we purchased ours.