Monday, June 22, 2009
I am home. Because of lack of internet access over the past week, I am dropping all my unblogged blogs (aka daily jounaling I did) out there from the past week (newest is at top...oldest is at bottom...so chronologically, the days read from bottom to top). I know it is long, but if you can just read one day, I would ask you to read Thursday, June 18. It is the longest which should be no surprise to those of you who know me :-), but I think it is most central as well. From a high level, the trip went very well. We flew through Amsterdam to Nairobi, Kenya to Kigali, Rwanda and then drove from there to Goma, Congo where we spent most of our time. I have pictures loaded on picasa which can be accesed by clicking on the slidshow picture or going to the following URL... http://picasaweb.google.com/kevindial8675/GomaCongoKD2009 . We are still light on pictures from the pastor conference and pictures with the local ALARM staff, but I will add ASAP. And not surprisingly, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the prison. It is great to be home and I am thankful to everyone who encouraged and supported this trip and our time with pastors, women, children, inmates, orphans, refugees, etc. I believe it is very important. From a cast perspective, the folks that made the trip were Kathryn and Rachel (mom and daughter), Jessica and Amy (Physical Therapists who worked at Heal Africa helping with physical therapy related to trauma primarily to women), Allison, Kelly, Jesse, Nisha, and me. The African ALARM staff include Janvier, Kivy, Esperanz, Theophile, Gaspar, Marijean, Didi, and Rachel who is new to ALARM and joined us from Kenya. If you followed all of that, you may have noticed that I was the only man to make the trip from America. The ladies were all really great to travel with and we had our share of lighter moments. I could not have hoped for it to go any better. Still, it is time to catch up on some guy time and activities…. :-)

Sunday, June 21, 2009
We went to Bourbon Coffee which is a very nice coffee house in Kigali, Rwanda. It has heavy influence from the West and boasts quality coffee products which are one of Kigali’s biggest exports and grown in Rwanda. It was so good to get a good meal in the form that we are used to. All we are missing now is the hot shower and smooth roads. Soon. After coffee, we headed to the airport and began the trip home which will take a little over a day.

Saturday, June 20, 2009
Today, now that conferences are over, we got to go to the orphanages and to see the refugee camps. At all three places, we got a chance to spend time with the children. As well, we spent time at the ALARM offices exchanging gifts with the ALARM staff before departing for Kigali, Rwanda. It was a good time for those going through their first trip to Africa to see some of the other aspects of Goma besides the training room. After that was done, we did the 3-4 hour drive from Goma back to Kigali. Got back barely before dark which is important given the lack of street lights outside the city.

Friday, June 19, 2009
Today was much lighter. We went to the women’s conference for a little while. Then, when a few finished their presentations, we went to the office to release a couple of emails. Time was short and the keyboards and navigation was French. The keyboards rearrange the Q, A, and Z keys for some reason. So, the emails were brief and few. We also got to see some of the material that they sewing classes had created. They were very proud for us to see what they had knitted and sewn. Then, we went to market to pick out some material for the Heal Africa program participants to sew for us. I am getting a shirt for my son, a dress for each of my daughters, and a computer bag for my wife. We will see in a couple of days how well I remembered their measurements. Tomorrow, we go to the refugee camps, an orphanage, then by the ALARM office for a debriefing prior to driving back to Kigali for our flight home which begins on Sunday.

Thursday, June 18, 2009
"There are stories to tell that are not songs" –Bono
This is a story of Theophile and his family. He was the African I spent most of my time with during my last visit here. He took us to the orphanages and prison while the others did their training. He translated for us even though his English is very limited. He has the biggest smile and the gentlest face. I remember hanging out with the children at the orphanage and playing “chicken, chicken, goat” and “ami ami” our African improvised versions of “duck, duck, goose” and “red rover red rover”. He would chase the kids around the circle laughing harder than any of them. He was the one individual from the ALARM staff who remained in Goma during late 2008 when the violence was reaching its most recent peak. He could have left, but his passion for his congregation and people combined with his commitment to peace led him to stay. He is a model of character and courage. We came to Africa thinking that his 3 month old daughter had malaria. This morning, we found out it was not malaria. The healthcare facility unable to diagnose his daughter released her last night to go home knowing they could not help her. Her name is Cherry and she died early this morning. We found out when they came and picked us up from our hotel to transport us to the conference. Our schedule and training remained and it was too apparent that this happens all too frequently. We went to Theophile's home during lunch for the viewing prior to burial later today. When we met him, he smiled big as usual though with tender eyes and welcomed us. There were roughly a hundred people at his home and in his yard singing and offering their support. I was encouraged by the level of community that he and his family had. We stayed on his porch for a while and eventually went into their home. After several had prayed at the service, Theophile spoke over his daughter. Cherry looked so beautiful and peaceful…even asleep. As he spoke, his smile was replaced with soft tears that only someone who has lost a child could understand. He recanted her birth story and how an American was visiting who was scheduled to fly back to America that same day. He told us how they insisted on seeing the new baby before leaving. The woman’s name was Cherry and Theolophile thought so much of her being present that he and his wife named their new daughter after her. When Theophile spoke at the service, he mentioned what a blessing it was to have an American there first to celebrate the birth of his daughter and now to be here to comfort his family in her passing. Most of us who had not already lost it did at that point. For us to be here so infrequently and to be mentioned at all in a service of a tragic death seems completely inappropriate. But, it underscores the hope that we symbolize of a people and a God that has not forgotten and wants to bring love and healing to a country that is tired and wounded. We went back to his house after dinner and were invited into a room with his wife, Demetera, and told that it is customary to offer words of encouragement to a mother when she has lost a child. What does someone say to someone they have never met about something they have never experienced that speaks a different language? I told her that she had a beautiful daughter and that I would never forget her. I also told her that we loved her and her husband and would stand with them and that we would tell the story of Cherry to those in America. I felt so inadequate telling her anything at all. It was a very exhausting day with several intense emotions running through my heart. Anger because I thought this may have been avoided had Cherry received health care anywhere on par with what is offered in the United States. Each day in Africa, 6,500 people die from treatable diseases and it is fully within the ability of the West to help change that. The second emotion was great sadness. Sadness for Theophile and his wife as I could not even imagine going through that with one of my children at that age or any age. That loss is unspeakable. Even with that, there was a persevering spirit of hope. Hope for the next world and the redemption that comes to believers in Christ. All together, it was a sobering day of clarity knowing that we will all be at that place someday where our mortality is evident. I think it is really important to be aware of that fact while we live. If there is work to be done or adjustments to be made, let it be now. For the only thing that is certain in this life is that it will pass. I pray that we would remember that and remember Cherry. While it can seem overwhelming to know where to begin, it does not have to be. Standing together and simply remembering is a first and important step. And it makes a daunting task very managable and possible.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Today went well again. I just had a devotional to present. The rest of it was just watching others present and hanging out with them. We did laundry tonight…in the bath tub. Probably, not the cleanest clothes I will soon wear, but a huge upgrade. Tomorrow, we are off and I should be able to get some emails released and my blog updated. I spoke to Paula today and seem to be settling into a rhythm.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Today went well. I just had to answer questions on the prior day. One question that was difficult was on how they are to care for the poor when they don’t have the resources. That is tough. But, I remembered the story of Mother Teresa as she went from the Convent to Calcutta. She did not have resources, but was committed to giving “the least of these” dignity and respect and love. She did that while trusting God to provide the resources and that is our part today as well. I found the presentations by others on tribal conflict to be very fascinating. On the surface, America does not have any tribes. But when we looked at the characteristics of the tribes, they resembled many affiliations we have in America (i.e. political parties, socio/economic status, etc.). The primary differences are that the stakes are not as high in America as we are not fighting over resources to survive (land, food, water, and medicine). In either country, we could do better to communicate in areas of disagreement with more respect.

Monday, June 15, 2009
I slept much better thanks to a couple of things. First, Ambien :-). Second, I realized that my mattress was a mattress/box spring combination and that it was upside down. That really was not as obvious as it sounds. We began the conferences. We are doing 2 women’s conferences of 2 days each and 1 pastor’s conference of 4 days. I had two presentations. The first was on the “Heart of Obedience” and how our focus needs to be on a trusting heart to God through Christ more than external appearances and behavior. The second part was on sharing the stories of some of the heroes of the faith like Abraham, Paul, Deitrich Bonhoeffer (opposed Hitler in WWII), and Mother Teresa and how their tender faith led them into some very difficult places to share God’s love. They went well and that is the majority of my presentations. Also, I am feeling better and getting some of my appetite back.

Sunday June 14, 2009
This was a really hard day. First, I assumed with the drought in sleep that I would be sufficiently tired to sleep relatively soundly on Saturday night. Wrong. Also, I got sick in the morning and it has taken some time to get my appetite and strength back. The final challenge of it all (that may have contributed to the poor sleep and the getting sick part) was the presentation I was to give to the inmates. We visited a prison with 850 inmates and brought them food; they had not eaten in 2 weeks. In addition to bringing them food, I presented a message to them from Matthew that Matthew intended to encourage the new Jewish Christians in the face of persecution and suffering. I felt ill equipped to counsel them on enduring suffering. I think keeping a tender heart to God in the face of such a broken world with so much suffering is the greatest challenge to faith. And they have seen suffering in areas that I probably never will. Fortunately, “counseling” them on suffering is different than “relating” to their suffering and it is just my part to love them and let God speak to their hearts. It went fine. We also went to see where the volcano blew 6 or 7 years ago that covered 40% of their town with lava (you can see the remnants of that volcano and lava in many of the pictures and they use the lava rock to make everything from stone walls to center blocks for construction). Ironically, seeing the volcano provided some levity and was interesting.

Saturday, June 13, 2009
Today, we arrived in Goma, Congo. There were three highlights. First, we met our Congo folks at the border and I was struck by how much I had missed them when we left them last year at the same place. I have thought of them so much and prayed for them. Last year, when we left I sensed their unspoken request to not forget them. Today, we all knew we hadn’t forgotten. Second, I was humbled by their strength and commitment to their faith and people. They could all leave Goma in lieu of a safer place, but they have such love and commitment to stay. Third, that evening Kivy (one of the translators for the ALARM location in Goma, Congo) told us with great tenderness that our coming is the “expression of God’s love” and a necessary complement to what he “hears” and “reads”. It makes the money, time, and discomfort of it all worth it.