Mary’s Connecting Congo Trip Update

“Finally, we can teach with confidence!” This was said by an individual in the first group of people that my husband and I trained how to use a computer.  David & I just returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo on August 31st after having been there since July 25th.  We spent that time training a group of 22 people, mainly consisting of teachers and a few individuals that had volunteered to help.

This was my first time in Africa and it was definitely life changing. Most of the time, the only information in the media about Congo has to do with war, rebels, starvation, corruption, or kleptocracy.  What I experienced while there for a month was anything but the aforementioned.  I was so warmly welcomed into their community– rich with gratitude, joy, dedication, and perseverance.  They ARE survivors.

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Trip Update – making our way to Nairobi

We are now in Tanzania and are slowly making our way to Nairobi.  We decided to spend a few days here just to rest finally after an even LONGER bus ride than we were expecting.  Instead of being 18 hrs, it ended up being about 20 hours!  WAAAAY too long! 

Greetings from Tanzania!

Hello everyone!

Well, we finally made it to Tanzania!  Today we are in Mbeya and will be leaving for Arusha tomorrow morning at 6:00 am.  It is going to be a VERY long bus ride.  David said that it will take about 18 hrs. :-S  Boy am I going to be ready to stretch my legs when we are done.  The trip to see David's family was amazing! I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to write throughout our journey and send updates. We didn't have any Internet connection until now because we didn't have time.

Connecting Congo is off to a very good start in Moba-Port.  The community's support is INCREDIBLE!  They have been waiting for an opportunity like this for a very long time.  They have volunteered many hours to help fix up the center.  We paid to have electricity officially set up in the center.  We also spent a little over 1 week intensely training them training them on how to use programs like Word, Microsoft Encarta, & Powerpoint.  We also spent one night working on Excel with three of the members so that they would be able to update the sign-in sheet.  The group is starting to train the second group of teachers today.  It was a little bit difficult for us on one of the days.  David had to ask one of the people to leave the center.  He completely crashed one of the computers simply because he would not follow directions.  He was starting to destroy a second computer when one of the students spoke up and told David and I about the classes' concern.  It was really challenging for us at first but we were both very impressed with their amount of dedication to protecting the equipment and making sure to hold one another accountable.  I have no doubts that Connecting Congo will continue to improve the education system even in out absence.  The group proved that to us time and time again.

Well, David and I want to go get some rest before our LONG bus drive of resting tomorrow. hehe I will write again once we reach Arusha.  Please pray for us.  God has definitely been protecting both of us this trip and we feel his presence every single day.  Much love and thanks to all of you! Miss you all!  We will be back in the US on August 31st!

Mary’s Hello from Lubumbashi!

Hello Everyone!*

I apologize in advance for any misspelled words and lack of punctuation. We are using an Internet cafe in Lubumbashi, and I am typing on a French keyboard that has quite a few of the letters rubbed off so I can't tell where some of the keys are. :)  Nevertheless, I am thankful for the Internet connection.

We are both doing amazing! David's family has been so welcoming and encouraging. The food and culture has been amazing as well. Today a police office got out of his car and when he saw us walking to catch a bus at the station, he let me sit in the front seat and had his driver take us to the Internet cafe and then go back to pick him up. I was so surprised! That is not the Congo that the media presents to the public. 

The only problem we have had is that our luggage still has not arrive from Ethiopia. It is not expected to arrive until Thursday now. It is very frustrating since we didn't get to pack anything in our carry-on luggage except the laptops. They are all safe and sound so far. We are very thankful.

We are not sure which day we will be leaving Lubumbashi. For now, much love and thanks are being sent your way.

Mary Manda
Connecting People, Creating Chances, Cultivating Futures

 

*edited for typos & grammar due to the nature of Mary using a French keyboard!