The Celebration of Clean Water in Luputa

The morning of the Celebration we arrived at the District chapel and found the women had been cooking all night.  They were tired but dinner was ready. 

They would be feeding people at several sites but only the dignitaries as they would not be feeding all those who wanted to come.  There would be thousands at the celebration.

The water tanks were finished and large banners were placed on them ready for the program.

THANK YOU PAPA KABILA

For Peace So The Church of Jesus Christ OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
could complete this project

THANK YOU TO THE CHURCH AND ADIR FOR POTABLE WATER

The crowd was already gathering when we arrived.  It was estimated that 15,000 people were in attendance.  The Youth Church Choir (in white shirts) sang hymns while the dignitaries walked in.

There was standing room only for the crowds coming in from the villages.

Some found special seats, albeit rather precarious but at least they could see something.

As always in Africa there were children everywhere.  they are quite good at mugging for a photo.

How great it was to get all three Humanitarian couples together for this great celebration.  Each of us had our own thoughts and memories but all of us shared a love for Luputa.

Can't have a celebration without a little music, African style.  All instruments are made locally by hand and their sound is distinctively African.

There had been two gazebos erected for the honored guests.  We shared a spot with all our friends from ADIR (the contractor). and the other one held all the Church and government dignitaries.

Before the chiefs of the villages arrived a lady came on to the grounds and danced and chanted.  We weren't sure if she was cleansing the ground prior to the Chiefs coming or warding off evil spirits.

Then the Chiefs of the villages started to arrive.   We recognized them all as we had visited with them in their villages when we first started the water project and many times thereafter.

 They came dressed for the occasion in very interesting, official regalia.

. . .very dignified and very happy to see this day come to fruition.

Beautiful Congolese women were there dressed in their best.

 While waiting to get started we heard a holler of hello from the dignitary  gazebo.  Some one had recognized Elder Barlow.

 They were as happy too see him, as happy as he was that they recognized him.

Everyone was in their places and it was time to get started.  There was a buzz of conversation from every corner of the grounds and many were pushing forward trying to get a place to see the ceremony.  The pressing got pretty dangerous at one point and the police had to push the crowd backwards.  To us it seemed like a disaster waiting to happen but no one else seemed too concerned.

Pres. Willy Binene Sabwe, District president of the 2000 members of the church in Luputa spoke as the local leader for the church

.(Of interest about Luputa and the church is that several years ago some members fleeing violence in the Lubumbashi area came to Luputa to settle.  They taught their neighbors about the gospel and finally petitioned the church to be recognized with a branch.  When the mission came to investigate they found many people wanting to be baptized.  They were made a branch of the church but have never had full time missionaries in their area.  The church has grown there by members teaching their neighbors and friends.  That congregation is now a district with 8 branches.  This district has sent out many young elders on missions to serve all over Africa.  They have returned to the village and have given great strength to the church.  They are dedicated, and have a pure love of Christ in their countenance).

Elder Kola, Area Seventy for the church spoke.

Government dignitaries gave their thoughts on the gift of pure water.
Some looked very official in their dress.

The Minister of Rural Development, Charles Mwando, spoke wearing a big black cowboy hat.

There was a play about the value of clean water and the penalty for misusing the gift.  It was staged by the Hygiene Sanitation Trainers that were teaching in all the villages about proper use of the gift of water.  Training on hygiene and sanitation is always done where ever the church gives a clean water project.

After the speeches we all headed to the water spigots to have a ceremonial turning on of the water.  Just one of the crowd.  Can you find a familiar face?  Kind of like 'Where's Waldo',

 There are dozens of these water taps around the village of Luputa.  Pretty amazing when you think about it, just last month these people were dipping water out of a stream and now they have piped water near their homes.

 Well the ceremony is over and now it was time to do the press interviews and some interviews for the video spots and movie that the church was putting together.

 Hey, what happened to the Minister's big black cowboy hat? 

He told Farrell that he was a member of the church and was taking the missionary lessons. It is true he is taking the missionary lessons but he hasn't been baptized yet. He is very interested in the church and it's doctrine.

 Daniel DeAlmada representing the Church in the DRC and Eustache Ilunga, Kinshasa Stake President, presented the minister with a medallion as a thank you from the church for his support and his efforts in helping the church with the water project.

With all the ceremonial part of the day over we headed back to the District office.  It was time for the long awaited food to be served.  On second thought  . . .
The District compound was to be the site of the celebration feast for all the church dignitaries and their invited guests.

The Chiefs weren't the only ones dressed up for the occasion.

 From the beginning of our trips to Luputa there is one site you would always see.  It was the crowd of children that were always waiting right out side the gate of the District compound.  They are there no matter when you come or when you leave -  we have never been quite sure if they have a built in radar or if they live right there on the porch of the building adjacent to the District compound.- but it is true you will always find the children there ready to greet you.

 Waiting at the compound when we arrived were all the chiefs from the villages.  This was a delight and an unexpected opportunity to speak to each of them.

The Chief of the Chiefs was there, Chief Raymond Binene.  He was happy to see Elder Barlow. 

We had been warned by Bro. Christensen not to try and shake his hand as he does not shake hands.  We were grateful for the heads up and Elder Barlow was able to greet him appropriately.   

 His wife was with him.  She did not speak French so I asked him if I could give her a gift.  He said that it would give him great pleasure if I were to give her a gift.  I gave her a strand of Ugandan beads that I had brought with me.  I am not sure who was more delighted, the Chief or his wife. 

 We all wanted a picture and Chief Binene was very accommodating as long as we would promise toshare the pictures with him.

 Eustache and Daniel didn't want to be left out.  Daniel will return to Luputa in the near future and promised to bring him the pictures on his next trip.

 It was a rather historical moment to have Elder Kola get a picture with Chief Benini.

The Chief does not eat food prepared out side of his village.  Nestor (the site monitor for the cassava project) brought gifts to the Chief, a goat and two cases of soda - a gift from the church in Luputa.  The goat would be taken back to his village and prepared for his meal that evening.

 It's hard entertaining Chiefs.  Nestor had had enough of this very eventful day.

 Ahhhh! Omer, our trusted friend and chauffeur who had driven us to Luputa many times in the past, came dressed up in a suit for the occasion. He had good news for us.  He is getting baptized.  For four years he has been shuttleing the missionaries from Mbuji,Mayi to Luputa.  He has put up with our "Mormon" ways and been preached to many times always accepting and treatiing us with such grace.  We truly love him and now he is going to join the church.  What great news.  We wish we could be there for that event.

 Hey, is that the Ministers cowboy hat?  Seems Bro. Kubingila told the minister that since they were such good friends tht the Minister should give him something to show his friendship.  The Minister gave him his hat. 

Not long after giving up his hat to Bro. Kubingila, he turned to Elder Erickson and said he liked Elder Erickson's hat and the Minister took it and put it on his own head.  That was the last Elder Erickson  saw of his hat.  He told Bro.Kubingila that he thought that the big black hat must belong to him since the Minister had his hat now but Bro. Kubingila would have none of it.

Sorry Elder Erickson but - well, it is the African way.

It had been a great day, a historical day and we got to be a part of it.  Less we forget though this whole celebration and more than three years of effort by many people could not have been possible without the large to small humanitarian donations received by the church.  Thank you to all of you who fiinancially support the church's humanitrian efforts with your generous donations.  This is your project and it has brought clean water to thousands of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo with over 200,000 beneficiaries.

LDS Humanitarian Services

Visit the website and see what good is being done.

Luputa or bust

In April 2007 when we arrived in Kinshasa, DR Congo the Christensens had a wonderful water project ready to submit for the City of Luputa located in the middle of the DR Congo.  It was an ideal water project in that it was spring fed, delivered by gravity and no pumps or parts to wear out.  It was ambitious in that it delivered water 34 kilometers through 4 villages, ending in the city of Luputa.  The project was submitted the day they ended their mission but as usual nothing is that easy in Africa and the project required us to make 6 revisions before it was finally submitted to the First Presidency for approval.  Because the project was contracted over 3 years and was very expensive it took a lot of prayer and discussion to find the right project to move forward with.

We finally got approval for the project in Dec. 2007 and made our first trip to Luputa in January 2008.  Fast forward to Nov. 2010 and we are now in Uganda on another mission and were invited to return to Luputa for the closing ceremony and turnover of this amazing project. 

Elder and Sister Moody had extended their humanitarian mission to finish up this project and what a bang up job they did.

The trip to Luputa was much the same although the roads had been graded in some areas so not so big a potholes to fall in, our puddles that could swallow your car.

The scenery was still pristine country with the heavy laden bikes traveling to the city to take their harvested corn or cassava etc.

 Farrell found it still an adventure and shared some of the near misses of the trip with others.

Sister Moody was glad we made it safely and had dinner waiting, well kindof as everyone had already eaten and we were welcome to the leftover MREs.

 Daniel and Eustache (our traveling companions) loved the MREs and powdered milk.

The Moody's were hosting quite a crowd who they had to find housing for and feed and transport around.  They were on overload as they had extended their mission 3 months and had a lot of logistics to work out.. 

Traveling with us was Daniel (financial officer+ for the DRC) Eustache (CES), Elder and Sister Erickson (public relations for Africa South East Area), Bro Kubangila (public relations for the DRC).  Elder and Sister Renlund (Counselor in the area presidency),where presiding over the occasion and were accompanied by Pres. and Sister Packer (Mission President), Elder Kola (Area Seventy), and Bishop and Sis. _______.  Bro and Sis Christensen (hum. missionaries before us) were also there and had been in the DRC for a month doing a measles project and had come to celebrate with us.

We were to be housed at our favorite inn, the Catholic Monastery.  That was good, we had been there before and knew what we were getting into.  We were with Van and Marie Christensen and Daniel.

Nothing had changed at the Monastery as we still flushed and showered with a bucket.

On Monday we had a chance to go see the project as the celebration would not be till Tuesday.

A second project we had started for Luputa was a Cassava farm and processing plant.  The project had a slow start and was not completed till the Moodys came to the Congo.  From the cuttings of that project new farms were started and the church members now have a very productive cassava business.  You might call it the first welfare farm in Africa as it is feeding many members of the church in this area.

Nestor, project manager for the Cassava Project, Elder Erickson and Elder Barlow

Our next stop was the processing plant.  This is where the cassava roots are taken to be processed for sale.  Having the processing plant allows the growers to prepare the cassava for sale prior to sending to market.  This gives them a much better price and makes the production much more lucrative.

Cassava, although not a lot of food value is still the main staple of food for the Congolese.   They can pull off the leaves of the plant and eat as greens without harming the plant and allowing the edible roots to grow. 

First there is the peeling of the roots with very large knives.

 Then wash the roots before they go into the chipper.

 Notice the back breaking bend that the Congolese do as they work on the roots.

 Then into the chipper where the roots are chipped into shavings almost.

Careful Marie, that is a very large knife.

 Once the chips are cut they will be soaked in the soaking bins to leach out arsenic that comes into the plant from the soil.

 After the soaking - into the press to get the water out so the cassava can be thoroughly dried.

Elder Renlund and Elder Kola tried their hand at the press, it takes some muscle

 .

Daniel and Eustache tried the macho approach.

The press may look archaic but without electricity this is a good tool.

Mamas of Luputa

Third stop for the day would be the water source.  This was rather nostalgic as we had taken this trek a few times in the past.

We found old friends at the source. The owner of the property was there (without his machete this time). He turned over the water rights to the communities so that the water could be diverted down to the villages - a very generous gift.

Another friend came to the site. He is the chief of the first village.  He said he wanted to come to the celebration but had no transportation.  We encouraged him to find a way as we would really like him to be there.

Christensens, chief, land owner, Sister Barlow, Elder Barlow, Elder Moody

January 2008 this picture was taken at the source.  This picture is part of humanitarian service display at the visitors center on Temple Square.  -  nostalgic.

November 2010 we are back and the water is headed down to Luputa.

As we headed back to Luputa we spied another old friend.  There at the Luputa Hotel ( I use that term loosely) was Dominique Sowa, the water contractor.  We love Dominique and the Luputa Water Project was his dream.  He had the dream of this project for 20 years before the church agreed to help him.  Many groups had looked at the project but no one would fund it.  This was a great reunion, one we thought we would never have.

By the time we got  back to the church's District Offices (our headquarters for the week) we had company.  Marie Josee came to greet us.  A dear friend with an orphanage she tries to hold together.  This day she was in tears as she had just lost a 6 yr. old child from starvation.  A brother and a sister were brought to Marie after they were found wandering in the bush.  They were extremely malnourished and Marie was able to save one but the oldest child died.  She was devastated. 

 The day was coming to an end and we all sat around the yard anticipating our MRE meal.  It was a good chance to reminisce a bit with Van Christensen (our hum. predecessor.)

Elder and Sister Renlund were up for anything.  Their adventures never end serving in the Area Presidency.

The  three humanitarian country directors who worked on this project got to share all their frustrations and joys about running the Luputa project.

Elder Moody, Elder Barlow and Elder Christensen

Sister Barlow got to hang out with Elder Kola - he still can't quite figure out that camera.  Elder Kola is a choice humble man.  He has great wisdom and is a pioneer of the church in the Congo.

While we sat there visiting a truck came in and brought a cow, goats and chickens.  Dinner preparations were starting for the Celebration.  The animals were slaughtered and all parts of those animals were cooked right there in the District Office yard.

Incredible to watch (if you stayed away from the slaughtering) as the men and women prepared to cook for 500 people without electricity or modern conveniences.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.  We had no idea what to expect.