Well, Mbandaka! If we wondered how Mbandaka could top Kinshasa, today we found out. My goodness.

The flight up on the Mission Aviation Fellowship 10-seater was lovely. Some clouds much of the way, but as we got closer, the clouds dispersed and we started flying closer to the ground. The river became clear - the outline of individual trees was distinct. So much green, this rain forest, the lungs of the earth. Our excitement grew.

When we landed, we could see people waiting. Pastors in clerical collar. Community President (my counterpart) Eliki Bonanga in purple shirt. A young woman with a bouquet of flowers stepped forward. I (prompted by Sandra) received the flowers and exchanged three kisses to alternating cheeks. We shook hands with the line of church officials and then moved around the corner to the two lines of people singing, clapping, dancing. Jean Robert, head of protocol extraordinaire, pointed us to our places in cars, and we took off on what would be a motorcade parade into town.

Two lines of motorcycles preceded us - church pastors mostly. On at least one motorcycle, an elegantly attired pastor's wife rode side saddle behind, waving flowers. Honking horns, waving, they led us through the streets of Mbandaka. Wow.

Then we came to the Mbandaka III church. Really Wow. So many people. All outside, singing, dancing, smiling, waving. Out in front of the church, lining the drive down to the street. We were told about 3000 people - on a Wednesday afternoon. We were escorted up to the front - of course the singing, drums, choirs in uniform, dancers still celebrating. Words of welcome. Words of response. Wonderful. Overwhelming. Extravagant hospitality. Over the top hospitality.

Which just continued. Next to the guest house: Missionary House. On the table in our room, a picture frame with a picture of me pulled off the web and welcoming words of scripture directed to Rick and me. So personalized and thoughtful.

Here we had our first real view of the Congo River from the ground. From the long veranda, through the mango trees, the traffic of dugout canoes in the strong current, a soothing rhythm. Lunch at the president's house prepared by his wife and other wives of church leaders, a full spread of wonderful food, then a moment of rest followed by a meeting with the regional board to go over the schedule of our visit, to give us a chance to weigh in on it, to make any changes - as if there could possibly have been any single detail not already thought through with magnificent, careful precision.

That night as we met for devotions, we had run out of superlatives to describe the welcome, the hospitality, the thoughtfulness, the amount of preparation that had gone into making this the visit of a lifetime - and we were only half way done. The contrast between our experience so far and the western stereotype of the Congo was beyond striking. The stereotype: "dark continent," impassable jungle, disease, war. Our experience: joy, music, care, thoughtfulness, worship, brilliant leadership. Sobering to imagine what this nation could be, free of centuries of exploitation and pillaging of its resources by the outside world.

The Disciples of Christ in Congo are our partners. A mutual relationship is going to mean advocating for an end to the exploitation and pillage. We owe that to them as family in Christ. Of course in the final analysis it's not just for them. As we sit in the middle of this rain forest - yes, the lungs of the earth - we also realize that our own lives depend on joining with our partners to protect this forest, this nation, this people. The partnership that we have come to formalize is only one example of the global interdependence that we already share - whether we acknowledge it or not.

Thursday, May 22, 2008 »

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