Time to sing

We got through another busy week. Opened another new apartment and finished moving elders and sisters around (both due to the new apartment and finishing the transfers). We also prepared an apartment for the Atkinsons, the missionary couple who have been working in Likasi (Brother Atkinson has been teaching locals return missionaries construction techniques, while aiding in building two new church buildings in Likasi); who are now moving to Lubumbashi.

We had planned to travel to Likasi to take up some furniture and aid the Atkinsons in their move, but to our surprise the road was closed due to a bicycle race. It made a mess of the roads from Likasi to Lubumbashi. Instead, I ended up traveling to Kipushi to take the Zone Leaders there, as well as two new beds.

Here we are waiting at the entrance to the main road to Likasi. They eventually told us to turn around and go home! Last year at this time we were traveling to Likasi during this race, and remember passing all the cyclists. This year they decided to close the road completely.

While traveling to see a sick missionary, we stopped at the Lubumbashi Stake center and found the missionaries preparing for a singing concert to be held on Saturday. I remember this from last year, and we look forward to seeing it again.

 

Elders and sisters practicing for the concert

Here is something amusing for you–to show how USA only focused we are: this is a local church bulletin board, which normal church announcements… all dutifully put up as directed by Salt Lake, and all in English! They only speak French or Swahili here… hmmm

While taking the Atkinsons grocery shopping to fill their empty cupboards, we discovered maple syrup! Havn’t seen that here before! So this morning we actually had French Toast for breakfast. Wow!

It is so cold here, you cannot believe it! You could actually see your breath this morning! This is AFRICA for heavens sake! It is winter here (we are below the equator), but we are not that far south of the equator! Oh well…there aren’t any African animals here either… one has to go to the local zoo to see any animals that we thought we should see while driving into the Netherlands here; yet even traveling to Luputa or Lusuku one will never see any animal other than an occasional chicken, pig, or goat.

But, then again, we are not here to sight-see are we? So it is back to work!