Building Bukavu

After our extremely unexpected and quick exit from Congo due to border closings, we are sitting at home like so many others.  Ray can’t work yet and I am going overboard on cleaning, sorting, and organizing everything in the house. Personally, I am rather sick of thinking, planning, and preparing food 3 times a day, finding ways to utilize ALL leftovers, even little dabs of this and that, so we waste nothing. Hmmm. Come to think of it, that is exactly how we live in Congo, minus the cleaning and organizing. So, nothing much has changed. Except we have little to no contact with people. Now THAT is a big change! However, I still GREATLY appreciate having water when I turn on the faucet and electricity every single night no matter what time it is! Living back in the States does make us appreciative of the finer things of life we might normally take for granted.

But as we sit here doing little, BIG things are happening in Congo. We have contact and information about Bukavu daily. People are scared and fearful, but particularly of starvation. Never far away, it is increasingly a reality as food supplies are limited there and difficult to buy at higher-than-ever prices. I thank God that ferries are bringing in loads of rice, dried beans, and varieties of flour from bordering countries, none of which is produced in the Congo area.

Just yesterday Brenda and I were able to talk with our co-workers in Bukavu via ZOOM. It wasn’t a great connection, the power went off there, had to wait for the generator to be turned on and gassed up, and we still lost connection a few times. But it was wonderful to see our faces of our friends and talk with them “in person.” Technology may not be my forte but it does have wonderful benefits.

Tracy’s Heart continues to be a center of activity. It has lines of people, women, and children, destitute widows, hungry people who are living on the edge of starvation anyway, waiting patiently at the gate, hoping to get something. They may be handed several kilos of flour or beans, ever so grateful for anything, whatever our co-workers were able to purchase in large quantities. One elderly man sitting by the gate when the supply of food ran out, said he would continue to sit there waiting for another day when more food might arrive!  Whoever is able to give money, small amounts, or large, you need to realize that 100% of what you give is actually feeding starving people and it is celebrated!  

In another sector of town sits the prison.  It is “normal” for prisoners there to die each month due to starvation. I re-emphasize; no food is offered to prisoners, so someone from the outside must bring food to them. Now that it is shut down entirely, they will starve at an alarming rate.  But…NO ONE DIED THIS MONTH!!! Why? Because we were able to send money specifically to buy food for the prison with our co-workers doing all the work entailed with getting it there.

As I’ve written before (see previous blogs, FB posts with photos) the prisoners themselves cook it and pass it out. Keep in mind that many are there because they do not have the money to pay an exorbitant fine, or they did not commit a crime at all.

We now know that $1000 will feed everyone there, nearly 2000 people, for a week! Mind you it is not very much food, 1 small meal a day, and it has to be delivered little by little every day, but it is keeping them alive. I’m humbled and awed that TOGETHER we have such a profound effect on so many!

But that is not all. There has been a HUGE tragedy down south of Bukavu in a place called Uvira. A devastating rainstorm broke an earthen dam and the city was flooded with roaring waters. Thousands of people lost their homes, food caches, and many died.  Sickness and tainted water supplies will not be far behind. Such tragedy heaped upon hardship is so hard to comprehend. So, we are stretching our donations as far as they can go to help. Another $1000 worth of food will soon be brought to the people of Uvira, again by the same co-workers from Tracy’s Heart.

I can’t express highly enough how gracious, godly, caring, and hardworking our co-workers are to be continually thinking and working to help their countrymen in devastating situations. They seem tireless and fearless, yet they are human and vulnerable. Do pray for them as they are on the frontlines in far different and more dangerous circumstances.

We so GREATLY thank you for your donations at such a difficult time!

Under His Wings,

Ray and Jayn

Heart For Central Africa: Tracy’s Heart Foundation and Building Bukavu

For Donations

PayPal c/o buildingbukavu4him@gmail.com                                  

YouTube Tracy’s Heart Foundation                                                                              

Snail Mail: HFCA The Harkemas, PO Box 355, Middleville, MI 49333

“The liberal person shall be enriched and he who waters shall himself be watered.” Prov 11:25 AMP

Life as we knew it, both in the States and in Congo, has certainly changed, hasn’t it? Ray and I stay in our home as requested and are pretty isolated.  However, that allows us time to stay very connected with things going on in Congo. We get text messages, questions, reports, videos and photos every day from people there. Things are extremely difficult in Bukavu. Necessary food staples such as rice, beans, cornflour, oil, etc., everyday food items for the people there, are still available but at skyrocketing prices. They are being told to stay home and have all the same shutdowns we have here. But it is a far different culture and not everything works for people who get their food and water only day by day. Those that are already too poor to eat more than one meal a day or less cannot afford the higher prices and starvation is beginning. 

Tracy’s Heart is closed down. But ladies arrive often to ask for food. Most are on their own, living who knows where, some have small children, and their main meal, often only meal, came in the afternoon at Tracy’s Heart when it was operational. So we continue to send funds to buy the same food supplies. It is then measured out into whatever they can wrap the food in to carry it home. Last week it was cornflour to make a damp bread-like substance that fills up their stomachs and gives some nutrition. As far as we know to date no one else in the city is sharing food. So others, some near starvation and very weak, hearing that Tracy’s Heart has food, line up also, hoping to get something to eat. We turn no one away until the food is gone. It seems impossible to feed the whole city. But we want to get to as many as we can on a somewhat regular basis. As money comes in we will continue to send it to Congo. 

As you may have already read, the Bukavu prison has been closed down entirely to outsiders, with 2 exceptions.  Since the prison operation does NOT provide food for its inmates, the only way they eat is from friends or relatives bringing them something or in a few cases, kind caring strangers. With the shutdown, all that now has stopped.

But I have some very good news! Samuel and his father, co-workers with Tracy’s Heart, and  long time pastors at the prison, are the two people still allowed inside. Because of their long-standing constant caring sharing God’s love, it has produced the prison’s own church inside the prison. Consequently, they are loved and trusted. When they visit they are allowed – gratefully – to bring in food!  

We began by wanting to make sure our friends and co-workers had enough food to store. But, when hearing of the plight of the prisoners. we could not help but include the prison. Tracy’s Heart people then buy the food and pass it out there while a couple of the young men there transport it to the prison. It arrives in 50-kilo sacks, and the prisoners themselves are able to cook it over open fires in HUGE vats and disperse it to all. That means in the prison alone at least 1712 men, 48 women and 40 street boys are getting a meal a day for a week!  That may not sound like much but they otherwise go without food for a week, often much longer. (Yes, many die.) 

How wonderful is that! I have photos but am not allowed to show them on FaceBook or anywhere public.  Suffice it to say there was real rejoicing, singing, dancing, and evident joy this week when they learned a meal was being prepared! Because evidently someone cared, the food carries with it a direct connection to the love of God. 

Brenda, Ray and I are thrilled to see this! It is making a profound, lifesaving effect in the lives of so many people. But…..we know that one meal or even a week’s meals aren’t enough. We are praying to be able to carry this on until the crisis is over. 

• PRAY that the government and/or the wealthier citizens can also see the need and be moved by compassion to share what they have with others.
• PRAY that more and more of the same thing happens here!  Yes, there are countries MUCH worse off than ours. As of now, we have the link and the resources to continue this enormous task. All we need is funds. A little or a lot, it all adds up.
• PRAY for the health of the people involved to stay healthy. To date, we do not believe clinics or hospitals are equipped to handle the problem as it grows. 
• PLEASE pass this on to others who also may care! Thank you.

Gratefully staying deeply…..Under His Wings, 

Ray and Jayn Harkema, 

Heart for Central Africa Mission/Building Bukavu

Ways to Donate & please specify “Relief Fund” 

• Online: tracysheartfoundation.com on Youtube, click on “about”, use the donation button
• PayPal: use Buildingbukavu4him@gmail.com 
  • goes directly to Heart for Central Africa Mission fund
• Snail mail: write checks to HFCA The Harkema’s, PO Box 355, Middleville, MI 49333
  • 100% goes directly  to HFCA mission fund

We had to say goodbye for a while……

If you missed the Facebook photo of us arriving to an empty Grand Rapids airport, we are home! Unplanned, for sure. Yes, for many reasons, it was decided – very quickly and shockingly – that we had to leave the Congo. If Rwanda’s border closed and we couldn’t get out, we would put our co-workers and ourselves in jeopardy. If the virus arrives in Bukavu, medical help is extremely poor at best for any of us.

The trip home was certainly bizarre! Our planes were full of expatriates from many countries, all trying to get home before their borders closed to them. At Amsterdam, they did not allow us to use cash, only credit cards, and machines. No touching allowed between people or products. In Chicago, we were questioned over and over, as to where we had been, where we were going, and why. Many employees had on paper lab coats and helmets that reminded us of hazard suits or worse, aliens! Computers were down so everything was recorded by hand. Yet, I must say it was done pretty efficiently and God, true to His Word, went before us working all the bugs, so to speak. (No pun intended!)

It took us 5 planes and nearly 40 hours to get here, exhausted completely, but we arrived. We are now into day 4 of quarantine. So far, so good.

Thanks to the generosity and thoughtfulness of our children, our pantry and refrig are full to overflowing with all kinds of food, enough to last a month I am sure.  It has made planning meals almost fun, totally unlike when we are in Congo. We are very grateful.

But at the same time, we are cognizant that our co-workers, our second family, are in trouble: we cannot but want to help them as well. So… is this a bad time to ask for money? Maybe. But there ARE people far worse off than we, in spite of the crisis that looms around us.

There are no known cases of Coronavirus in Bukavu at the present time.  However, the government decided to do the same things we and other countries are doing, close down everything. That might seem like a good thing but it also causes grave difficulties. People, there are extremely poor and do not have refrigerators or any way of storing food. It has to be purchased daily from large open markets. So, staying home is not an option. But as of today, the markets are closed for business. Several sources say that no cash currency will be taken, only electronic transactions via phones. That leaves unknown masses of people unable to purchase goods.

We cannot do much to alleviate the negative prospects of such a huge crisis but we can help a few. In spite of how bad we might think we have it right now, there are people MUCH worse off. We are asking help in sending our co-workers money to buy large bags of rice and dried beans that they can readily store in their homes for meals. Though Tracy’s Heart is now closed, we also want to send monies for the same products so that the Zamus (day and night watchmen) can hand out food to any of the women who are already living without any means of support and come by to ask for help.

If you are led to give a little or a lot, it will all be sent to Bukavu immediately and distributed to each of our co-workers. Currently, that constitutes 17 families which means 100+ people.

Prayer, too, is always sought and appreciated! Feel free to share this and thank you for “listening” and praying.

Under His Wings,

Ray and Jayn Harkema, Heart for Central Africa

To use PayPal: buildingbukavu4him@gmail.com

To send a check: HFCA the Harkemas, PO Box 355, Middleville, MI  49333

“Those who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them, and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings will be saturated with favor.” Prov.11:25

Being told about the opportunity to visit the main prison here in Bukavu, and the special baptismal service taking place on Saturday brought many questions to my mind. 30 years ago I participated in a weekly Bible study that took place in the women’s area of this same prison. To say I actually taught them would be an exaggeration, though I tried, and sweat bullets doing so. But I did not have a good grasp of the Shawhili language and found it very difficult.  However, the women had loved it, all the same. Of course, it might have been because we always brought something to eat! Back in those days, the prison had been built for 350 prisoners. It was an ugly, dirty, really scary place to be confined, for even an hour or two! Now, they tell me, there are nearly 1800 people placed there, many for no real reason. I couldn’t imagine how bad it might be today.

So, saying we wanted to attend and being given permission to attend, I asked Samuel if I could bring food of some kind, at least for the men being baptized, considering it was to be a celebration. Yes, I was allowed to bring something for those being baptized. By then it was 3:00 in the afternoon on Friday and we were due to leave for the prison at 9:30 the next morning. But what to bring? People here LOVE bread, not with butter or jam or anything else, just plain bread. But this was very short notice and the 2 foot long soft baguettes I sometimes buy for our coworkers are usually sold out at the bakery by noon. Never-the-less I sent JP to the bakery for 30 loaves, thinking that the guards might like some too. Then I prayed. Answer? He came home with 30 still-warm loaves. At the prison, of course, they were examined and taken to who knows where until they were to be served. 

We each were introduced and to my surprise and dismay, Babunga asked ME to speak a bit, not Brenda, who speaks fluently and is often funny, not Ray who also is really good in Swahili. I was totally unprepared and though I am much better with the language now, I kept it very short. (Some people who know me well might find that hard to believe) It was only later that I learned he had asked me because he remembered I had taught at the prison before and told the audience about it. I guess I was not paying attention! Lesson learned. 

Since that amazing and surprising experience, I have learned quite a bit more about prison life and the inmates there. There are 48 women incarcerated and 40 youth, most of which are street boys, and both groups live in a different area, kept away from the men. So we never saw them. There is a pastor of the little chapel/church inside there and it meets every Sunday plus has various classes 3 days a week. He is a happy man, full of energy and the joy of the Lord. I wondered how he had become the pastor and where was he from? It turned out he is a prisoner himself and has been for more than 10 years! He did something very insignificant, as crimes go, nothing violent, and could have gotten out at any time if he would pay the fine = $800. But neither he nor his family can come up with that much so he remains there. He learned about the Bible from Babunga through many classes he has taken over the years, rising in his knowledge of Biblical Truths and his belief in God, to eventually teach the men himself and become their pastor. I was stunned by this knowledge.  Samuel told me they all believe the hand of God is on him like it was on Joseph in Genesis, who though imprisoned, rose in rank and was blessed, bringing blessing to all those around him and beyond. 

Bringing food to the prison is a project I would dearly LOVE to initiate somehow, through some funding organization or even a business wanting to share its blessings and wealth. (Think of the tax write off!)  The way to accomplish that is already set up with enormous pans and women willing to cook right at the prison. Right now, I know several who do just that once a week but they can only feed a handful of people. These are women who are virtually poverty-stricken themselves but share what little they have like the widow and her mite (pennies) in the Bible. We alone cannot afford to feed nearly 2000 inmates even once a week!  Do pray for answers to this life and death dilemma! 

Under His Wings,

Ray and Jayn Harkema

“The generous soul will be made rich and he who waters will also be watered himself.” Prov.11:25

All donations are tax-deductible – Heart For Central Africa 401(c)3

PayPal – buildingbukavu4him@gmail.com

Snail Mail – HFCA The Harkemas, PO Box 355, Middleville, MI  49333

If you have ever heard or read about the prisons in the Congo you may know they are very dark places, literally and figuratively.  But they are occupied by people, some good, some bad, some innocent, some very bad, even evil. They are overpopulated, unsanitary, unsafe, and no food is offered. A prisoner has to have family or friends to bring him food occasionally. Many simply starve to death. 

So it was with some bravado that I said I wanted to attend a special service there, Brenda and Ray agreeing also. It was only later that I admitted I had some trepidation. But Babunga, who has been ministering there for many years, and his son Samuel, both friends of ours, are the only Christian ministers who visit, teach, counsel, pray with, and care for the prisoners regularly. We support them and their work so we wanted to actually see them in action and the fruits of their labor. Permission to visit was granted by the warden. 

The special service was for 17 prisoners who wanted to express their belief in Jesus Christ by being baptized openly. Amazingly, the prison had agreed some years back to allow a corner in the large open area to have a small triangular pool built to be able to fill with water, big enough to hold 4 people, 2 to do the baptizing, two participants.  

To my surprise, there is a chapel on the premises, large enough to hold several hundred men, an antiquated sound system with microphones, a drum set, an electric guitar and 1 light bulb hanging high in the cement room without windows. It was filled, standing room only. Plastic chairs were brought from somewhere for us to sit on in front of the men while they sat tightly together on rough benches. 

As is ALWAYS the case in Congo, the music begins. Oh, my, such sound! Such joy! Clapping, feet stomping, movement, harmony, they had it all. Because we sat by the only door, we could see outside into the open area where several hundred other men congregated. Some were watching us. As usual, the rains started. I watched as many buckets appeared, catching the rain and were used to wash bodies or clothes, with or without soap, out in the open area.  Still, others hurriedly carried bucket after water-filled bucket on their heads, taking them somewhere we couldn’t see. (It was a gully washer rainstorm) Later, we discovered they were filling the baptismal. We thought the rain had delayed the service but in fact, it had enabled it!

Earlier, I said I had trepidation at the thought of seeing so many men, some innocent, some hardened criminals, all in impossibly difficult situations, some suffering in ways I cannot or do not want to imagine. For instance, there is a medical area but they have no medicines. But I will tell the world that what I saw certainly made me emotional but with joy! These were men who had found love and acceptance, even joy, in that horrible place! They sang with meaning, lifting their voices and heads to praise the One who gave His life for them!  

I noticed one man in the front row. He was so serious, struggling with the emotion of some kind. Samuel had informed us that among the men being baptized, 2 were dangerous thieves and murderers. (In Congo those two occupations go together.) I had my suspicions that he was one of them. When the rain finally let up a bit and the pool was filled, the baptisms began. When it was his turn, I watched his face. We, visitors, were under a tarp that had been erected for us, even a bench to sit on, so we had front row seating. I saw his lips moving, as in prayer, and he became very emotional to the point of tears. I knew he had a great need for God’s love and forgiveness and had received it. That turned out to be true. He is so changed that he is evangelizing throughout the prison! 

Remember the title above?  The two (former) murderers are the two elephants and it is an African idiom that perfectly fits this occasion. There was indeed rejoicing afterward, both in Heaven with the angels and in that chapel! Joyful dancing and singing began with “When I die I’m going to Heaven.” They may remain in prison but in a wonderful way, they have been set free. 

To be continued……..

Under His Wings,

Ray and Jayn Harkema

“He who waters shall himself also be watered.”  Prov 11:25

Correction: there is no such thing as a typical day! Every day brings with it the unexpected, some surprises, and many challenges. Today was no exception. A horrendous rainstorm lasted all night petering out by this morning. Soon after we got a video of the flash flood that went down the main street of the industrial area on the other side of town. People were killed, even an entire family whose house used to be on the side of a mountain. (Actually everything here is built on mountainsides but many are built poorly. without a foundation or even a cement floor.)

We think that because of the rain we did not get electricity last night at all and nothing today, though we never do in the daytime. The thing that concerns us is the frig. 36 hours without electricity and we start to lose foods. Ray ran the generator today for a couple of hours to help keep the freezer as cold as possible. So, of course, the talk centered around our grumbling about it and how we would manage if it continued to stay off. But then, after hearing the effects of the rain, a loss of electricity is nothing to complain about compared to the people who lost their lives or their home! 

Just after they arrived for work, two of our workers (Both ladies who are cousins) got word their Uncle had died. He left 5 children orphaned and their mother had already died some time ago. What to do? Neither of these 2 women’s families can afford to house, clothe, feed, and school all these children plus their own! Nor afford to pay for the funeral. Of course Brenda and we gave them money for what is called a “kilio.” That means they can have a wooden casket made, bury him, and provide simple refreshments (Cokes and bread) to all who would come to the funeral. We pray for the children for their loss and who will not know what will happen to them and for the family to have wisdom in finding a viable solution for all. There are so little options here. 

Then, by 10:00 am, Brenda and I were on the muddy roads bumping along (literally!) to Tracy’s Heart to meet the newest group of ladies and share in their weekly teaching and prayer time. I was introduced and I wanted to make it fun and light so asked each woman to tell me their names and what each name meant. I wrote them all down and I’ll not be able to match each name with a face but I can practice saying their names because some are very difficult. They call me Mama Janie. That’s because every word in the Swahili language HAS to have a noun at the end. Only one person has called me that since I was a child so it feels a bit weird but at my age, it’s also rather fun.

This was a group of about 30 women, the others couldn’t make it because of the rains. They had created so much mud that it was difficult to get anywhere. (The ground is all clay here so when wet it is as slippery as snot!) One ”woman”, a very small person, looked so little and so young that I asked about her later. Turns out she is presently 14 years old. As I suspected, she had been sold into prostitution some time ago (I don’t even want to think about how young she was!) and this program is giving her a way out. She had the biggest smile and seemed so happy to be there. Now I can understand why! This is the fruit that Tracy’s Heart program produces and why I am so committed to helping to keep it running. 

After we returned, we had several visitors: a pastor with more news of an ongoing problem of huge proportions, and all we can do is pray about it. Then after, a local vet who would know of dogs available and suitable for being a new guard dog. The one we have is extremely smart and much loved (but not by visitors or outsiders!) and very good at her job. But she is old, has painful arthritis, plus hearing and seeing problems.  We need to get a new dog soon so the present one can train it before she is gone. 

By 5:30 it was almost dark plus damp and cool, temp was 68 degrees. We ate a delicious bowl of soup from a package Brenda brought, Ray watched a DVD on a little portable player (He is going through the whole Comumbo series AGAIN. Me, I know them all by heart) then went to bed by 9:30, while I am working on my computer. And that, my dear friends, is the rather boring end to a very busy…. typical atypical day in Bukavu!

Under His Wings, Jayn for the Harkemas

We have been asked by those who know us and our story to write about how and where we get our money to live and work in Congo. Most people really don’t know how missions and their funds work, whether they are from a big mission organization or a small independent one, like ours. Some large denominational mission organizations get money from each of their American churches and pay their missionaries that way. Others, both big and small, expect the would-be-missionaries to ask churches and individuals to pledge any amount of money to help them, either on a monthly basis or with a one-time gift.

We are rather a hybrid of the latter. Because of both our age and the immediate need for people and finances to help run Tracy’s Heart Foundation, we did not have the time it often takes to travel from place to place asking churches & individuals to pledge financial support. With prayer and His direction, Ray and I agreed we would finance our own living expenses ourselves with half our monthly retirement funds. The other half goes to keep our home in the States running and any bills paid in our absence. Specifically, that means in Congo we pay our own rent, electricity and water, internet, buy food, pay our workers’ salaries and their family’s medical bills (government-mandated) plus gas for generator and vehicle as well as all necessary legal papers.

But the buck stops there, as they say, and we are not able to do more. We depend on donations from others for our work funds and travel expenses. That means there are projects to accomplish in order to carry on the work of Tracy’s Heart Foundation plus give in other areas of ministry or for the people in many different ways. Consequently, our church and various individuals are presently giving to help us help the people of Congo. For them, we are so very grateful!

What we think is really wonderful about this system is any and all monies given go to projects and the people, not to us. You have the opportunity to directly change lives in this impoverished nation! For example, $200 a month will buy rice and beans (oil & salt) to feed the ladies at Tracy’s Heart for a month. Presently there are 45 “students” in the newest group with another 30 women returning who want to learn more. (Some are doing agricultural projects by learning to grow what they need to eat on the property.) They know how to stretch a dollar!

However, there is so much more to do! There are supplies to buy, sewing machines, computers, and generators to repair, and much needed upkeep on the facilities. We are hopeful more people can catch the vision of being able to make a HUGE difference, maybe even a life and death difference, in the lives of undervalued, often desperate, women of all ages……..and donate to Heart for Central Africa/Building Bukavu.   

FYI

Tracy’s Heart Foundation (THF) is the highly successful faith-based program for marginalized women in the city of Bukavu and outlying areas, where they learn a trade, to run a micro-business, find hope for a better future, and learn of God’s Amazing Grace. That enables them to get off the streets, to eat, have shelter. Many have small children and they hope they can afford to send their children to school. Many are uneducated: they have the opportunity to learn to read and write, too.  Tracy’s Heart operates on a very small budget, even government officials here are amazed at the work they accomplish with so little money! But we could accomplish so much more if we had the funds. Perhaps you’d consider helping? 

PayPal c/o buildingbukavu4him@gmail.com or snail mail HFCA The Harkemas, PO Box 355, Middleville, MI 29333.

• MICHIGAN: Getting all bags packed, then weighed with no more than 50# each, is always a struggle. Pack, weigh, unpack, change things around, leave this out, (I guess I can do without that) weigh again, sort, fill, close up. (But… looks like we’ll have to start another bag because we’ll really need those other things!) And on it goes until we are finally done. 12 bags full.
•  CHICAGO: departure time 4:40 pm, Jan. 9. Some bags were overweight by a pound or 2, but a few were under: so miraculously they all passed!  <whew> We would not know how much they had been inspected and taken apart at customs until we saw them again in Congo while unpacking. (Turns out 2 were opened and the only thing actually taken apart was a wrapped birthday present for Ray! Nothing missing – Hurray!)
• AMSTERDAM: Touchdown, The Netherlands (Jan 10, 3 hr. stopover, had no concept of time, too bleary-eyed from lack of sleep) Needed to walk/stretch because of so many hours in sardine class seats. However, misunderstood gate number. Went to #18, l-o-n-g way, but it was #8, made it in time to board with Brenda being only a little anxious about where we were.  
•  Next plane was roomier, much easier flight.
•  Kigali, RWANDA: greeted at last by Christoff, Iris Guest House manager. (arrived late afternoon local time, Jan 10) Needed 2 Vans to pick us up with all baggage, ours plus Brenda’s = 20 + 7 carry-ons.
• Aaahh, the weather was tropical! Sun shining, warm breezes blowing, abundant profusion of flowers and fauna, friendly faces, warm conversation with guest house staff, dinner Al Fresco on the porch restaurant. (Considering the weather we left behind, it was almost heaven!)
•  Next day – shopping for things not available in Congo. Right away Ray was called from Bukavu to say Brenda’s dryer needed a belt. So off he went to check out the numerous little shops in the hardware area of town but to no avail. He knew a vehicle belt could fill the bill but again no one had the right size. <sigh> This is Africa.  
•  Me, I went to the local Simba, a mini dollar store. But NOTHING is a dollar! Didn’t get much, way too tired to think and plan ahead. Did manage to get 6 large heads of garlic, in Bukavu the market’s garlic is the size of a sliver and several gifts for Tracy’s Heart teachers.
•  Sunday, Jan 12, Ray’s B-day, we hired a bus to take us and our baggage to the border of Congo and Rwanda. It was cheaper than 2 vans and 2 drivers. The 3rd leg of our journey took almost as much time as from Amsterdam to Kigali! It was certainly roomier but there are NO straight stretches of road, NONE, only twists and turns, narrow switch-backs, ups, and downs, through the mountains of Rwanda, known as The Land of a Thousand Hills. (I’m sure there are more than a thousand!) (Happy Birthday, dear one!)
• At last, we arrive at the border and Rwanda’s immigration. The sun has been covered with rain clouds and rain is falling.  In fact, as we walk up to stand in the outdoor line, it pours. O well. We stand in the line to get our passports stamped out of Rwanda and head to the rickety old bridge that separates the two countries.
•  But wait, everything looks different! What! It’s the NEW bridge we are to walk across, made of cement, not broken boards with holes big enough to fall through!  (It’s really not new, been there for years but no one could cross it. The approaches on both sides of the river were only drop-offs, never finished. Word was they ran out of money.)  You can no longer see the rushing water below. Amazing! We are almost to our destination.
• But first, more outdoor lines to stand in to have our passports checked for proper visas, to answer a few questions, and be allowed to enter Congo. All the while we were smiling through the rivulets of water running down our faces. (Well,…trying to smile at Immigration men through steamy glasses) Miraculously, our baggage is not looked at or opened at all, but passed on through to be loaded up and into our vehicle being driven by our trusted friend and coworker, Jean Pierre!  
• We are almost there! Our second home. It’s just a mile away. We are greeted happily by all our co-workers; hugs abounded (though not their culture), smiles, laughter, and several languages explode all at once, even a few tears.  Though hard to explain, even to us at times …….we feel we are at home. 

Normally, Ray and I would already back in Bukavu right now. But circumstances have delayed our return. No, not circumstances in Congo, though there is always news and uproar somewhere in the DRC and our Congolese friends and coworkers are eagerly awaiting our return. However, we have now taken on more responsibilities connected with Tracy’s Heart Foundation, as well as several other compelling opportunities for ministry, which I will write about another time. Simply put, it means we must raise more money. Now, our return is scheduled for the first week in January. It is truly with joy that we look forward to being a part of the work and the people in Bukavu, so it is with some sadness that we find ourselves still here in Michigan. Yet, we get to share in the holiday festivities with our family and friends and that brings us joy as well!

Why Tracy’s Heart?

In the last several years we have seen firsthand the enormous changes Tracy’s Heart makes in the lives of desperate, marginalized women and their children. Most of the women that come to us for help are destitute and/or homeless, abused, victims of rape or sex trafficking, single mothers without means to feed or care for their children. Or worse. We introduce them to the unconditional love of God, feed them, teach them a trade and business practices so they are able to set up micro-businesses. Classes may include nutrition, dietary safety, money management, literacy, simple medical helps, even computer where viable. To see the faces of the women at the end of their year is a most moving experience! There is a real graduation ceremony and party, speeches, and prayer by important people in the area, and the joy of many others who come to celebrate them. Finally, they receive gifts appropriate to whatever trade or craft they specialize in so as to set up and begin their own businesses. For example, if they excelled at sewing and creating clothing they receive a hand-operated sewing machine.

Why more money?

This ministry, started by Ed and Brenda Buell, is very successful and known throughout the Bukavu area and far beyond, often having a waiting list of those who desperately want to attend. It is seen as a place that gives out hope. Consequently, 3 new centers have been opened in outlying areas staffed by local women who have excelled in the program themselves and can teach others. Brenda, founder, and executive director, now a widow, continues the work she and Ed started. She has the competent help of Byabeca, director/teacher extraordinaire, and many other workers dedicated to helping these women. People are always more important and come first. Consequently, what funds come in is not usually enough for needed upkeep on the buildings and grounds. Built in the 50’s, the facilities at Tracy’s Heart are in serious need of repairs, redos and additions; more classroom space, care areas for children, another bathroom (presently only 1 bathroom handles up to 40 women plus children!), a larger covered open area, (Rainy Season lasts for 9 months), long overdue upkeep to replace termite-infested wooden structures, new roof, and turning a street-level garage into a shop for saleable goods the ladies make. I could go on. The need is great: Ray is proficient at getting this kind of work done. Because we have had experience turning the old mission house into a duplex for ourselves, he now knows what is required, how things have to be built there and who to hire for the bigger jobs. Funds are all that’s needed.