This is a papaya tree.  People in Congo eat a lot of papaya and it is a very healthy fruit.  

This tree is down the main road from where we live.  We aren't sure, but have been told that these are bird nests, which makes sense because there are lots of birds in the tree.  I need to do some research to find out more about the type of birds.....

The morning sun peeking through some palm trees.

More Pictures of Life in Congo

It is winter in Congo - sometimes we don't even have to use the air conditioner.  Most mornings many people have winter coats and many wear knit hats, sweaters, layers of clothing.  It has probably been in the 80s (maybe cooler) and it still gets kind of hot during the day.  There is a mist sometimes in the morning, along the ocean, and sometimes a little shows up on our truck.

EVERYTHING here is made of cement blocks, and this is how it is done.  You get a pile of sand and a pile of rocks and a pile of cement and then men mix it up in the dirt and make the bricks in these 'forms' and dump them out to dry.  Then they are stacked until they are used - it may be days, weeks, months or years before they are used.

I asked this man if  I could take his picture - he worked here, across the dirt road from our house for several days making bricks.  I think he thought it was funny that I would want a picture of that!

Until a person can afford a brick house, they live in wooden houses.  These are out of town, up the hill from a river.

These children are carrying dishes that need washed, down to the river.  It is quite a steep hill as they get closer to the water.  A man by the river yelled at them to be careful and not fall in the river because it was flowing pretty quickly.

Missionary Haircut!

Missionaries give each other great haircuts!  The elder giving the haircut also cut his own!

Missionaries At Work

Missionaries coming up a lane to visit a new member.  See the little kids watching them in the background?

These two missionaries are receiving a special African greeting - bumping heads.  The women do the French greeting with friends, kissing both cheeks (or rather, touching cheeks and making a kissing sound). 

I didn't time this perfectly, but wanted to get another view of this greeting.  This man has been a member for a few months.  His daughter has joined, and her young son.  They are a wonderful family.  The elders have been doing their follow up visits with this family.  They are active in the branche and are a wonderful addition to the branche.    

Another day in the well at the church!  The baptismal font was filled and it was almost time to start the service and suddenly the water was almost gone..........we are pretty sure one of the kids running around pulled the plug and it only took a few minutes to create a water emergency!  Luckily there were a lot of helping hands and a few buckets and so the bucket brigade began. 

Fast feet and lots of smiles!

Some physical work can be a nice change for an elder, and
 getting a little wet can be very refreshing.

Faun Tchi Tchi

 This is a small view of the busiest outdoor market. It doesn't really show how big it is , but it is the edge of the market.  I have only walked through it once and don't plan on doing it again - it is SO CROWDED!  Some people don't want their picture taken, so I can't figure out how to get a good picture of the markets.  The one in town, that is covered, is so huge that it must have thousands of booths and is crazy crowded. 

Here is the other side of this market - I don't know why it is where all the white sacks are, but they are what the cement comes in and then people re-use them for other things, like putting charcoal in.