Ever walk into a really nice home and think “what would it be like to live here?”  Last month for one of our usual Tuesday Bible study we got together with another Bible study group (they used to be one group, but split when there were so many people coming) at a gorgeous house here in Kinshasa, lived in by a diplomatic couple.  The visit to this house was especially exciting because (1) we’ve heard wonderful things about this house its residents and (2) we get to HOUSE SIT!  Ya’ll, it’s like a vacation home.  The power doesn’t go out (there is a community generator).  The rooms are all air conditioned.  (Our one working air conditioner died a couple of weeks ago…it’s hot in Africa).  The house is spacious and FANTASTICALLY decorated, in true Southern fashion, for Christmas.  Oh, and the pool.  The pool is super nice.  And, it’s completely fenced, so three- and one-year-old friendly!

The house-sitted are a dog named Shugar, but said like “shu-gah,” because she’s Southern, ya’ll.  And Lillee the cat.  Shugar is a white, miniature bulldog.  I am NOT a dog person, but I already love this dog – she cracks me up.  And she loves kids and spent her first year of life around a three- and one-year-old.  Perfect, yes?

So, we are excited to get a sort of Christmas vacation in a home-away-from-home staying in luxury.

Meanwhile, our good friends Nick and Jocelyn get to move as well…all the way across the street.  This move is so exciting to us because instead of an adorable, but too-tight-for-soon-mobile-baby apartment, they will have a yard, and a living room, and trees.  And a resident chicken!  We are SO excited for them.  Well, maybe us girls are slightly more excited at picking out paint colors…but the guys are excited, too.

But, this Christmas will be an exciting one so far for all of us.  Levi is already to go to the “Christmas House,” as he calls it, though he hasn’t seen it yet.  And the grandparents of our sweet children scored a good deal and got to send some gifts thanks to some generous adopting families who have come.

It will be a busy time of parties, both attended and thrown, and bonne annee, which is the New Year and a far bigger deal here to the Congolese than Christmas, which is seen primarily as a religious holiday.  Our first Christmas in a foreign country…should be yet another adventure!

For clarification and emphasis: WE ARE NOT ADOPTING.  That isn’t a theological statement, a philosophical statement, or even a statement that will remain true past publishing this post, however, I know how quickly internet rumors catch on, so let’s avoid this one for the moment, shall we?

For me, Lisa, the number one question I was asked during deputation (the period of time raising support in the states) was “And what will you be doing there?”  My answer generally followed the guidelines about how I have two small children and would probably find enough to do to keep me busy.  And this is true.  But, as always, people tend to hone in on certain things God has mapped out for them where He has placed them.

I wasn’t too concerned with making sure I was doing something specific and obviously God-glorifying.  Not that I was sitting around eating chocolate while my children fanned me (mostly, because they wouldn’t cooperate), but rather that I kept busy.

I recently signed up to be the bulk food buyer for our MAF team in Kinshasa.  I will make my first trip next week.  It should be exciting.  Pepe will be my guide, so I should be good to go.

I also recently wrote about all of the people in and out of our gate that keep me busy.  At one point this week, I had three separate people come within thirty minutes who all required my attention.

But, beyond that and keeping my home and family content, my children fed, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and myself rested and healthy, I have found a new niche.  Adoptions.

Adoptions here in DR Congo have only been open for less than two years, and since we have been here, it has boomed.  We are at the point now where there are literally two or three American families coming each week to start the process in country.  Some stay for just a few days, some stay for over a month.

I know very little about the adoption process, and it seems that there is not just one way to do it.  I might learn more as I go, but I am so grateful for the ladies and their families that sacrifice so much to bring these kiddos into their forever families.  And, since I’m here, I am someone who understands their culture and has learned a little about this one, I want to be available to help.  I can answer questions (most common one: do we really have to wear long skirts?  Short answer: no.).  I can be one of the few English speakers outside the US Embassy walls.  I don’t have any connections at the Embassy itself, and I have no idea how to help the process, but I have found that sometimes, these ladies just need a day out, a chance to step out of what they are here to do, with their new kiddos, and take them shopping and sometimes even bring them here to relax outside of their hotel.  And Pepe is so good with kids, he always seems to bring them out of their discomfort!

I did this for two families, one with whom we became connected in St. Louis on our epic road trip at the beginning of this year, in July.  It was so fun!  Then, Jocelyn and I were connected with another mom, from another agency, because she lives near MAF HQ and goes to church with someone who works for MAF.  So, I connected and reconnected and connected yet again, thanks to the power of facebook.

Earlier this week, I became part of a Congo adoption group on facebook.  So, I thought, “hey, I’ll post a brief little statement about how I can answer any questions about culture and offer to take someone visiting to go souvenir shopping.”  I didn’t do my research to see how many people were part of this group, or how hungry they are for a local connection.  I thought I would get a few questions here and there, a few more cool connections, and that was it.

Oh. My. Goodness.  Wrong.  But, hey, I now have over 40 new facebook friends and I have spent the last several days answering tons of messages, and emails, about this and that.  It is fun, but sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming!  I think they’re all in on the joke, though, because nearly every message starts out with some variation of “I’m sure you didn’t realize how many of us would respond, but I have a question for you…”

This past Wednesday, I went to the hotel where most of the adopting families stay, which is directly across the street from the Embassy.  I met at least five ladies and their new babies (a few months to a few years old) in the lobby, and took two of them with me.  We had a blast getting fabric, and going to two different shops for souvenirs.  We had an awesome Congolese lunch, outside of a booth made from old wood, corrugated tin, and tarps – super tasty.  Then, I chatted with a bunch of ladies back at the hotel before coming home way too late.

So, I’ll hone my skills, perfect the coordination of our outings, and, my favorite part, get to know all the vendors!  I already know a few and they now know to expect me on Wednesdays.  I will bargain hard for “le bon prix” (the best price) and we will have fun.  I will get to meet these kids who are at such a confusing point in their lives, but it’s the beginning of the best thing for them.  I will get to practice more French and Lingala.  And, hopefully, I will provide a needed service, and make it a ministry, into the lives of these growing families.

But, for now, my kids and I have a chocolate and fanning session to get to…

In most instances, missionaries are isolated and serve only the people native to the area in which God has sent them.  Or, at least that is part of my definition of a “real missionary.”  In reality, missionaries come in every form and serve all sorts of people in every which way God orchestrates.

However, there is another type of person that lives all over the world.  They are ex-pats.  Short for ex-patriots, meaning people that have left their home country to live in someone else’s.  The blanket statement is that these people typically work for either their home country’s government, or they work for an NGO (non-government organization).  Yes, one can get a random job in a different country than their own, but that is pretty rare in countries with stats like DR Congo’s.

In a city like Kinshasa, we have few people here for fun, so many ex-pats tend to run in the same circles.  It’s not that we are trying to keep our cultures separate from the Congolese, but rather, sometimes, the time spent with people with a similar background restores sanity you didn’t know was lost.  It is also relaxing to speak your home language.

So, the Christian circle is even smaller than the generic ex-pat circle here in Kin, but it is big enough that not everyone knows the other.  And we are all here serving a purpose, whether it is as a missionary, or a specific job, so we keep busy enough that we can’t party it up together all the time.

But when we do get together, it is so fun.  The Bible study on Tuesday nights that Matthew and I have been attending has really been one of our favorite non-Congolese experiences thus far.  We’re all about the same age, though most nights Matthew and I have the most number of children and have been married the longest (weird…so weird).  The best part for us is getting to know even more cultures.

At our Bible study Christmas party last week (combining two different Tuesday night groups), we had five countries represented, and the number that the different people, especially the government workers, had lived in would’ve probably numbered into the 30’s.  In our Bible study group alone, there are six or seven Americans, three Canadians, a British couple, and recently a Nederlander.

The British couple (who read this blog…hi Clare!) have been really fun to get to know.  She is preggo with baby #1 and will soon be returning to London, so sad.  But, to sit in a room with Canadians (Nick and Jocelyn, particularly) and Britons, all the same age and same stages in life and discuss things like politics and religion…well, what can be more entertaining than that?  We can compare idioms and strange cultural differences, and yet discuss how living here in the Congo is challenging to our culture’s way of thinking.

Anyway, with all of the posts about our interactions with the wonderful Congolese people, I thought it was only fair to let you know that our horizons are quite broad…and it is so. fun.