58. My Little Brother and "Big Brother" Are Reading My Blogs!

It’s amazing and sort of aggravating! I was just looking on the net to see if by chance I could find OLD pictures of Lubondai -I wanted to compare them to what I will be seeing. Low and Behold! I did find some – the ones I have been posting on my blog! Well duh! “Big Brother Google” has actually put up some of my blog pictures. Gee, I guess nothing is private on this thing. My Grandmother, Bonka, always said,”Don’t write on a piece of paper anything you don’t want read against you in a court of law!” Now, of course it applies to the net.(I always stressed this golden nugget to my students who were forever leaving notes on the floor and in desks and would turn 2 million shades of red when I pulled one out and threatened to read it! Never did- but they got the point!) I am amazed at what key words made my blogs jump to Google’s attention. Oh Well! Now I guess complete strangers can see what a strange sense of humor I have and -Bless Their Pea Pickin’ Little Heart’s -Ken did not even get a chance to apologize to them first!! ;))

The cooks are making a mango cobbler for tonight and I will share my vanilla Birthday ice cream with everyone! (Thanks, Inge! The chocolate is long gone!!) Can’t wait! Had mango sauce last night made by another cook and it was sooo good- they each have their way of making the sauce- the first night one was more like pudding and last night’s was more apple sauce type! Made this time with more greenish ones and that gives it a totally different taste. Memory taste buds had a blast!! Out here as kids- well I got a kid or the cook to get one for me, but Ken and friends would throw another mango to knock down an even better one! Oh, fresh off the tree with the sap sticking to one’s fingers is the best. The mangos were and are so good! We have also been eating them sliced here in the Apartment.

Some emails about Mangoes in response to a note to classmates from Ken:

Hi Ken,

I do love mangoes! We can get them here, but too often they do not have much flavor. If you get to Lubondai, check and see if the Coop shop is still there. If it is still there and you have nothing better to do, go down to the dam and get some lime and give the place a new white wash :). Fond memories. I wonder if the old generator is out back. I suppose the water tower that we put the antenna on is still there. Wasn't there an orchard of some sort back by the generator building? Shannon and I were given plots to work back there for throwing erasers in class - I never worked mine - not sure how I got away with that. Have you felt safe? How are the roads that you travel on? Say Hi to Marcia and Lenore for me.   Love, Harry Bolton

Hey Ken,

As a kid I remember things probably much larger than they really were. Could you take a picture of the water tower at CS if it is still there? I would also like to see the church building in the middle of the station. I have heard that it is in poor repair. I would also like to see any buildings that you take pictures of like around CS and the homes where we used to play. Also maybe the old school rooms and the chapel. I wish I were there with you to see the old stomping grounds. One of the things I remember well was the two of us sitting in the room at the back of the school where the generator used to be and eating cheese. I don't know why I remember this well, but I do. That must have been in the eighth grade. I believe we were the only boys in the class full of girls. I hope you continue to have a good time. Are you planning to be in Montreat any time soon? We are in Montreat now until early November. I haven't had a decent mango or guava sent we left Congo in 1960, 53 years ago. Ann sends her love to you and Lenore. It would be great to spend some time with both of you.     Philip Jung

We began packing today. We will leave most of our stuff here in a storage closet instead of hauling it all to Marcia’s. It is a nice service MPH provides for folks who are on “come and go” trips here in Kinshasa. In the next few days we will move into a room so the apartment can be cleaned. We will then fly the Congo Airways Airline to Kananga on Thursday and then by car the 15ish miles on to Marcia’s. Our flight is at 1 o’clock PM – “maybe” - so we have a pick-up service for the three of us- they want us ready at 5 AM- for the airport to go the 15+ miles. It’s Congo!  We will also take a picnic lunch just in case! Marcia will have taken our luggage to check it in the day before- apparently there is less hassle and bribes this way and is done by most travelers for any airline to avoid the zoo at the airport. We’ve already reserved and paid for the same service to help us with our luggage and take us to the airport for our trip to Brussels.  Extra stuff- baggies we used to secure stuff, unused lotion, suntan lotion, shampoo, Kleenex, envelopes, bug spray, Crystal Lite packets etc. we will leave with Marcia. While she is doing the check in of luggage Ken and I will be doing our last of the grocery shopping trip for MPH and telling all our new ”friends” goodbye.

After 5 months of the same outfits- it’ll be a long time before I wear them again- plus it’ll be cold weather when we get home the end of October. The whites are so stained by the water here that they are a sort of gray-ish color. Marcia says after the trip to her area the whites will also have a red cast. So maybe I’ll just a try a mega Clorox and baking soda treatment  when we get home and if that does not help it’s off to the trash dumpster or the fire pit! Then I have a reason to go lingerie shopping in DFW!!

Ken is listening to 104.3 Radio App from Lubbock. They are talking football -both college and NFL. Oh- it is great to sit here and listen!  Aggies won. Yea!! Thanks for the score updates! USC just fired Lane Kiffin! Wow!!  We are reading on line and the USC folks sound as rabid as the folks at U of Texas do (or “tu” as Aggies call it!) about Mac Brown. Tough way to make a living- especially for families! We use to get amazing messages- from supposedly educated people- left on our answering machine when Tech had a bad season. Had to tell our boys they could not listen to messages until we did!   Geese-Ken was the trainer- never did make any play calls in the 30+ years we were there! I think they just got the Media Guide and called every number! Whew, folks take their football seriously. Never got calls during basketball season. ;))

Ants and centipedes are making themselves at home here at MPH. I don’t dare get out of bed in the dark without my flip flops on. A lot of crunching-as I walk- going on! The cooks say the critters are coming in looking for water. Guess there will be less once we get the daily rains of Rainy Season.

Several questions to answer:

Yes we feel safe. We are always together and have the Chauffeur. I have a death grip on my purse. Most of the security guys now meet us and offer me their arm to help me out of the car! I love being spoiled! Our car has been stopped by the police but they just wanted to see car forms. I know to never give them my passport- just a copy of it. In fact our passports are locked up in the safe and we only go about town with a copy. MPH is in a compound with sentries.

Tires and Roads: Most tires- that I have made a point to look at when we get to lights -have no tread left. Smooth as a baby’s tush! They still use tubes in the tires here and they wear with the sand. And as you said they could also be substandard and patched till there is no where left to patch! The roads are terrible in various parts of the city. What makes one road considered a main city road and therefore sort of paved and the road leading to it not, is beyond me! It‘s Congo. Some of the pot holes- well, one could lose an elephant in them! And they say the holes are worse in Rainy Season! WOW!! And we really haven’t been out in the bush except when we went to see the Bonobos. So no telling what we will see up country. Plus it is already raining up there.

Speaking of red lights- they have a visual countdown of how much longer you have until the light turns green. Not that folks pay attention unless it is at the corner by the UN building and Blvd. 30 Juin. There they’ll stop you for looking funny! The red lights are only on the boulevard. The rest of town has stop signs and Police “looking” at traffic most of the time as opposed to directing it. But to be fair- there is no way to direct this mess. The best way I can describe it is -take I 30,I20,I35 mixmaster in DFW at 5PM and have folks leaving DFW decide- “Hey look the other side coming into Dallas has room….Let’s just drive over there going this direction.”  It’s Congo!

Clothes from the Tailor:

Ken got two scrub shirts that he likes to use as PJ tops and a neat shirt. All custom fitted. He really liked that! Do they do that in the States he asked? I may have created a monster!  I got a lined vest, two skirts, two jackets, pair of pants and a gaudy shirt. “Ten $ for transport, Mama and $135 for all of the rest, is that ok?”  Try that in the USA!

Clint’s Promotion Ceremony:

Yes, I made it through the evening. Jon sent pictures of Clint and all- almost as soon as it was over. He also did a video for us. So have that to look forward to when we get home!! Thanks for your kind comments and patience putting up with my “over brags!” It was a tough thing- for me especially- to miss. Ken was stoic about it. So now Clint needs to make General and we need to live long enough to go to that ceremony!

Your memories of Clint were just heart warming...tear jerking...loving! One could definitely "see" him growing up with his future in his "gut"...right from the start! ….It's just so "Murray" for him to honor Master Sergeant Robles by asking him to give him the Oath! When he went everywhere with tiny soldiers in his pockets, could you ever have imagined Colonel Clinton K. Murray?! Can't imagine how every proud you must be of him! It's so very reassuring to know that our nation is led and protected by such a man! Can you imagine that....the Nation! Oh, Mama! And it was so sweet how you described his girls knowing the difference in his love for his country/job and his love for them! Such a great man needs to feel the love of his loved ones backing him up...and I know Colonel Murray has never had to wonder about that a day in his life! Be safe, my friend! Gail North

Is it still rough out there?

It’s all relative.  Rough- to an American- is an unanswerable question out here. Missionaries are a different breed of cats for sure- or they better be!  We have not been up country yet so I reserve more of that answer until later.

When you get home, you should revert to the 60's and burn your undies...not bras this time...patient panties! BTW, "needy missionary" would have sounded like an oxymoron to me before my extended journey through missionary madness courtesy of your blogs!

Lenore, give us your true opinion of how Congo is now.

I usually tell folks, “If you don’t want to know don’t ask me!” However, with “Big Brother Google” now on the scene, and no telling who all is reading this blog- other than the friends and family I started with-, and the fact that some of you apparently have views angrily different about the past here in Congo from mine, and someone called “Anonymous” is now commenting on my blogs, and Bonka’s “ Don’t ever write anything…” ringing in my ears-- that answer will have to be a face to face conversation depending on who you are, where we are, if I’ve had a Strawberry Daiquiri and how comfortable I feel answering it.  And does my opinion really matter? Nope! ;) So, I guess I will just stick with a Jack Webb’s “Dragnet” approach- “Just the facts, Mam, Just the facts.” – As I see them of course! ;))))) Those of you who really know me have been reading between the lines and already know what my opinion is! Tee Hee!!

Prayers for MPH while we are “alone”.

That is why I am writing an email to you Have you met Wayne and Katherine Niles. They are American Baptist. like myself. and like Glen and Rita Chapman and Ed and Miriam Noyes. Miriam is on her way to the states soon. Anyway, Wayne is a handy man!!!!. If you have an emergency, call or email Wayne.
His email is____, Katherine is ___ I do not have their phone numbers but maybe you could contact them. They live on the Baptist compound. I have not heard you mention any Americans in your blog. I hope you have got to meet David and Ruthie Schaad, Niles, Chapmans, Lowerys, Noyes, etc. I am praying for you as you finish out your 4 month stay. You have been a blessing and a mentor to the cooks and many at MPH. Thanks for being patient. I love the patient panties. Joyfully in Christ, Jeanie Clark Trout, in Congo from 1956-1974, 2008

We have met all of these delightful and helpful folks! Niles are out of town for these three weeks! See a lot of the others at English church and several times here for one of the BBQs.  Miriam has brought gorgeous lettuces from her garden. The Lowerys is/are the preacher- and wife Jill- where we go on Sundays. Have an 8 1/2x11 sheet of paper with all of their phone numbers plus assorted others. Only 2 ½ more days- keep “praying without ceasing”- and then Clay will be here and he “speaks” repairs. Whew!!

So I’ll sign off. Have a great week.
Love Ya! Me