Coopers in the Congo: Preparing for Christmas in Congo

December 16, 2019

Women of Centre Medicale Evangelique (CME) Farming Project

Preparing for Christmas

Wishing you a Happy Advent season! Time flies by as it often does. Thanks so much for you’re the Holiday greetings we have received. Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation, of re-connecting with family and friends. It is one of my favorite times of the year. We have been reading from the book of Isaiah this past week which has inspired me. There are several preceeding chapters in Isaiah which talk about a beloved servant of God being prepared to bring justice to the nations, and good news. Then this passage gives the promised to restore the tribes of Jacob, and even more to bring salvation to earth:

“And now the Lord says-he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength. He says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may ring my salvation to the ends of the earth” Isaiah 49:5-6.

How amazing that there was such a BIG plan for Jesus, by the Prophets. I think Emmanuel has finally understood what Christmas is all about…he loves birthday parties so it really is the ultimate birthday party! He is understanding that many other newborns did not survive due to King Herod’s edict. He is sorting it all out.

School activities-making Christmas trees

Working with Ms. Nancy, our favorite teacher

Sam our favorite goat has fully recovered from his illness

Village Activities

There are many choirs here in the village. It really is a BIG part of Congolese culture, that of

celebrating/mourning together in song. It is fun to hear the story of Emmanuel, God with us, in story form in Swahili. It is like discovering new carols that I have never heard-what richness. It seems like every moment of the day there is a choir practicing in some empty building, mostly accapella. It is common to see someone playing guitar while walking down the street on his way to choir practice.

It has also been a time of extreme emotions for many Bira here in the village. There have been some unknown threats and unexplained deaths in our community. There is more gold mining in our area which raised tensions between groups As a result young people take up arms. It has brought all of us to our knees, and many village meetings have occurred to try to educate the community that violence is never the answer. These people have experienced so much suffering in their lives, more than anyone ever should. Have you ever had to leave your former life behind and walk for weeks to safety? Then if that wasn’t enough, you live in tents and survive from community/NGO support for months and years even. This is what happened to the Bira living through the war, specifically the conflict here in 2002. Seventeen years may have passed, but everyone remembers this.

We are hopeful and at the same time prayerful, as people seek reconciliation and discussion. There will always be a deep wound in this community, and we need to work at reconciliation to not make the same mistakes as the past.

Teaching and Medical Ministry

I, Lindsey, am doing more teaching than I have done in the past. I have time to prepare talks for the doctors and think about pediatric curriculum. There is a shortage of teachers at the nursing school to teach pediatrics. I have been able to fill in some of the teaching gaps on pediatric emergencies and infectious diseases.

December is a quieter time in the hospital. There are less consults and surgeries, but Warren manages to stay busy between fixing things at home and doing cases. In one week there were 3 patients who came in with large sections of necrotic large bowel. An unusual finding, but often cases come in groups of 3!

Warren has been figuring out and modifying a walking tractor for use by the hospital. It

looks like a “souped up” rototiller. It has been a steep learning curve, but should greatly benefit the hospital. The women of CME will begin farming a large section of land, about 8 acres. We are busy preparing a farming road, a barn for storage of equipment, and tilling the soil. It is exciting to see the women excited about this prospect, taking courage to work with their hands together. The benefits will serve our nutrition program as well as women’s ministry and benevolent activities. I am excited as well to learn more about farming and participate in planting and harvest of essential crops like peanuts, beans, soybeans, corn, etc…We are hopeful that this will open doors for spiritual discussions with the community, and deepen relationships between the women.

Mama Ruth and Esperance and the new pressure cooker

Trip to Uganda and our friends the Spencer's Visit

We recently returned from a trip to Uganda. We really enjoyed our time together and stayed

in our first Airbnb. It is nice to eat out in restaurants, swim in pools, and relax…we wish Kampala didn’t have so much traffic though. Everything takes longer than you think! We were able to make several purchases for the hospital and our home. On the way home we camped and explored one of our favorite places-Murchison Falls National Park. What an amazing view from on top of the LandCruiser of elephant tracks in the sand, troops of giraffe…We are so fortunate to be able to do safari within a days’ drive of our home and use our own vehicle. One of the great things about living in Africa!

It has been an honor to have our friends, Drs. Bob and Linda Spencer with us for the past

couple of weeks. Dr. Bob has shown interest in teaching the residents and in seeing cardiology patients alongside them. It was an encouragement to Warren to have Bob's help on many projects around the house. Every evening after work they could be found welding or fixing something together. Bob's advice helped Warren troubleshoot a new rocket stove water heating system. Warren promises me that it is almost done (after at least 2months of effort)! We were every encouraged by their visit to us.