Day 1, an introduction to The Congo.

posted by Amy I promised my siblings that I would document my life in Africa with Mom and Dad. I know that each of them would love to be here with them. I will do my best to show you all what a week is like in life as a senior missionary couple. I arrived in the Congo at 7:20 local time. When I exited I went through their version of customs. I was very nervous with many thoughts going through my head of “Not without my Daughter” and it didn’t help that they kept my passport. They had me fill out a paper with my info but it was a quarter sheet of paper and copied with a copier that needed toner badly so I couldn’t read what they wanted me to put down in some of the lines. I filled it out as best as possible and got in line. From the line I could see though the door, Mom and Dad. I felt much better about things. I gave the customs man my passport and that is when he kept it and I panicked just a bit. I then walked a few more steps to the door way that I could see Mom and Dad though and gave another lady my yellow fever shot record. The I went through the door to my parents. It was so great to see them. First reaction when I saw them: Mom is tan and Dad is skinny. Mom has a healthy glow about her with a light bronzed feel to her face. Dad is skinny but smiles all the time. We picked up the bags and went out the door. It was hot…hot…Africa hot! I came from Paris where it was 0 degrees so I had on black long pants. I had to change out of those before I left the airport. I grabbed my Capri’s and headed for the bathroom to change. The door was locked and there was a local ready to open it for me but wanted money I only had my pants in my hand and showed him that I didn’t have any money, just capris and he just opened the door to let me in. We first went to the house to drop off the bags. Then on to run our errands. Everything you do here takes TIME. You need to travel everywhere you go as does everyone else. There are tons of people. When I thought of Africa, I thought of Madagascar with huts. This is more like India with darker skin. 90% of the cars on the streets were taxis painted a fun bright blue. About 5% are buses which are vans also painted the same bright blue. The roads are mostly dirt but select ones are paved. When I say paved roads, don’t think that they have paint lines or that they regular roads. You know in the movie Cars when Lighting fixes the road the first time and it is all bumpy? That would be a nice compared to what they have here. Again, most of the roads are dirt. They get a lot of rain so the dirt roads are more like dune buggy race tracks. There are huge holes and dips everywhere. To call the holes potholes would be kind. They are craters in the roadway. Try to remember if you can the first time going on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. How bumpy that ride was. Let’s just say Disney did a great job recreating how these road feel. Keep in mind, when you ride a scary ride for the first time, once in a while you remind yourself, “This is a ride, it is perfectly safe. I am not going to die here at Disneyland. They wouldn’t have death trap ride here.” You cannot think that here. In fact, you think the opposite. There are no lines on the road to signify which side is yours and which side belongs to the other. There is basicly two lanes one going each way, then there are turns which you kind of use both lanes if you want turn but then if you are using someone else’s lane, they will just go around or on the sidewalk to go where you want to go. There is more to say but I need to figure out the right words to use because death trap doesn’t quite seem to fit but it is close. More things to write about: Push push “fast food” Traffic Market Craft market Appels Unfinished houses Pizza and diet sprite Visa Internet Mom and Dad relationship and interaction Mom and Dad speak French FHE #1 and #2 (That’s right!) Africa food storage BYOS (bring your own spoon) I will talk about all of these in future posts. Right now I need to shower and get ready for study time.

A Few of Kriss’s Extra Assignments

The first month we were here, it seemed like Ed was going to be kept busy taking care of the Elders’ needs, training the priesthood in the two branches, and repairing and maintaining our three apartments and the chapel. But, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. Both the mission president’s wife, and Sister Baxter (my predecessor) said I would figure it out when I got here. I brought along some Kids Are Music CDs and word sheets, and figured I might be able to help in a school, or something. BIG NO! Nobody speaks, or sings, in English. But I have found many things that I can do... Some of these activities will be blogged in detail soon. I am a good “mom” and “grandma” to the Elders. I cook for them...

sew for them, take them to the doctors if they are sick, and help with anything else they need. I spent much of December making each of them beautiful slide shows to send home with one of our Elders, for him to mail off to their families for Christmas. They were a big hit with their families on Christmas Day.

I am in charge of the Distribution Orders for our Branches. Things were really in a mess here as far as orders went. For over a year people kept ordering things on tithing slips, and they never showed up. We figured out that the clerks just thought the orders would be placed from the tithing slips, and didn’t realize that an order had to actually be placed through Distribution in South Africa… where they speak English… not French.

With the help of the two clerks, we compiled the overdue lists, and I took new orders for three weeks… then, six weeks later - Christmas week - we received 28 boxes of books and supplies. I now collect the money, order the products and disperse them.

The members here get a huge discount. They get a hymn book for 40 cents, a Bible for $1.00, garments for 40 cents per piece, and the Liahona (French church magazine) for 15 cents a year. They would never be able to afford any of these items without the discount. When they get their orders, they are thrilled! I have also taken on six piano (keyboard) students. (With another 6 wanting to learn.) The Harman Foundation (As in Harman's Kentucky Fried Chicken) has a program where they will send out six keyboards for teaching interested members how to play, but they have to have a teacher. My own children are probably laughing, because I can’t play well enough to play at church… but my students all think I am musically brilliant, and that is what matters. Right now, we only have one keyboard, but there are six more on the way. Our English classes are going great. Last Saturday, we had over 70 people there. I am the “principal” and the Elders teach the classes. I am in charge of the coordinating and getting all of the copies of the workbook printed up for each lesson. But my most rewarding thing that I have accomplished, is helping to teach the members how the church can best be run, to have it follow the direction that has been established by the leaders of the LDS Church. I quickly realized that the Relief Societies and Primaries are very dysfunctional. The new handbooks that the church have distributed worldwide, with instructions and answers to every question you could have about running a branch or a ward, gave us the perfect excuse to “train” without offending anyone. I have worked with two primary presidents and one of the Relief Societies. More details to come about my experiences in a future blog post. I am now keeping very, very busy and loving the people and the adventure of serving in the Congo!

Our Current Physical Exercise Program

I am married to a 65 year old “jock.” He probably should have been a professional athlete in some sport, or at least a coach. (However, then we couldn’t afford to be on our mission.)

For the first few months that we were here, we walked in the mornings and he played hard basketball with the Elders. However, our most athletic elders went home or were transferred to Cameroon. (The other country in our mission that has North American Elders.)

Ed has so much physical and mental energy, that he keeps thinking up new ways to keep us “going”. The past couple of months our regimen includes the goal to be out of the house by 6:15 a.m. We then drive 5 minutes to the beach for our 2 mile walk, which has now progressed to a jog. He has lengthened his stride, and now runs at least 3 miles in the time that I do 2.
We are usually the only ones on the beach and can see each other at all times.

After the run we do push-ups on the beach. His are Army perfect… straight as a board and fast.
Mine are like a crab crawl, and definitely not Army style.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We drive home and then he has us jump rope. He is up to over 50 fast jumps…
I try.
But it is a wonderful way to start the day and we always feel better if we make the time to do this.

I think the kitchen sink is in there somewhere!

Hello family and friends! As many of you know, I am going to visit my parents in the Congo. I felt that this was a great place to post some of the experiences I have had getting ready for this trip.

I talked to both Jean and Sue about joining me but once I told Jean, “I will let you know what shots you need,” she responded, “I’m out!” Sue had a few other things going on including her wonderful hubby's passing. Love you Sue and miss you Mike.

When I first started talking about going, I wanted to surprise them. I  emailed their Mission President's wife and asked if it was a feasible thing to surprise them. She told me that it was feasible but what would better than the surprise value would be the things I could bring in my bags. Boy was she right.

I ended up telling my parents (or should I say confirming to my parents as my wonderful brother Chuck let the cat out of the bag early) on Christmas morning that I would be joining them for a week in the Congo. I told them that I would be bringing 2 bags of 50 pounds each that they could tell me what to fill it with. I told them that I would not be able to bring more than the 2 bags as I am flying standby and I might need to have my bags with me if I don’t get on a flight, so it needed to be something I could feasibly carry.

The immediate response from Mom and Dad was “Walnuts and Peanut M&M’s.” Batteries were quickly added to the list. Then, 2 Elders on their mission got their cameras stolen, so I was asked to bring those. Then Dad decided he needed a new computer….and what about this and that or the other?

As today is my last day before I leave, I thought it would be fun to list here on their blog what I am packing. It has been funny to go through every item and think, “How much does this weigh?” You would be surprised that 2 tubes of toothpaste weigh over one pound.

Here is the final list in no particular order however the bottom items were added in the past 2 days:

Nutmeg

Morton's nature's seasoning

Lawry's seasoning salt

Med mustard

15 fruit punch kool aid

3 boxes individual Chrystal light

12 big raspberry jello

Maybelline define a lash mascara

4 bottles of mint flavoring

2 bottles of mapleine

1 red food coloring

Shout sticks blue with orange scrubber

Dark chocolate powder

Garlic Salt

Ipod Home base (base)

3 AA batteries packs-COPPER TOP!!!!

2 pkg walnuts

2 large bags of peanut M&M

1 large bag of regular M&M

2 pkg chocolate chips

1 dress shirt long sleeve, no iron 15 1/2-34

6 pairs of costco men's reading glasses 275 or 250

2 Crest toothpaste

Green and yellow sponges

Zip lock gallon

Zip lock quart

Mash Season 3, 8-11

Small French/English Dictionary

Aprons

Kitchen Timer

Visor mirror

Goo-Kum-Putty

Estee Lauder White Linen body powder 4.25

Estee Lauder White Linen Perfume - big size

Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus (black & gold case)

4 HP #21 black

Mac Makeup

Computer

Camera (2)

Home Depot stuff that Dad asked Wayne to get (one is actually called "Sink")

Camera case

Hooks

Spaghetti spoon

Socks for mom

Sard stock

Pencil sharpener

Post-it notes

Paper cutter

Fanny pack (time machine not available)

Cotton shirts

Computer case

Cupcake papers

Crayons

Any movies that you think we might like (this was added last night)

As i have ordered much of the list online, my UPS guy knows my name now. I will update you on my trip when I get there! I am so excited and a tiny bit nervous…Good Times!





Location : 625 Brighton Dr, Richmond, VA 23235,
Posted via the Blogaway app on my Droid X.

Post Script.... to "Every Missionary's Dream"....

Note the Book of Mormon in the forefront of this picture.

This week Dad & I have been studying Chapter 9 (How Do I Find People to Teach?) in Preach My Gospel. It talks about the fact that the Lord prepares people with experiences to help them have softened hearts for when the right time comes to be personally introduced to the gospel. We are excited to realize that perhaps our "Street Experience" was just that.

We are in the process of remodeling a good size building about 2 miles away from the place where we had our opportunity to give out so many books and pamphlets... and it will be the new chapel in Pointe Noire. Perhaps, we softened hundreds of hearts that day, and we will see the fruits of it when we open that area with a chapel!

This is the neighborhood ice cream man who wanted more information on what he had received.

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Missionary's dream featured in Deseret News!

Elder Gates' post entitled "Every Missionaries Dream Come True" was featured on the Deseret News' website for Mormon Times!

Check out the January 17th installment of the "Today in the Bloggernacle" column and scroll down to the section entitled "Missionary Dream."

“Today in the Bloggernacle” is written by Deseret News writer Emily W. Jensen every weekday, as is advertised as covering "the best of what we've seen from the world of LDS-oriented blog sites."

Way to go Dad! Your reporting on your wonderful experience was featured in the Deseret News as the best of what they have seen on LDS blogs! Keep up the hard work as a missionary, but be sure to keep taking photos and posting about your experiences, too.

Every Missionary's "Dream Come True"!

Written by Ed: This week, we had one of those experiences every missionary dreams of having. We had to stop by the one of the elders' apartments to drop off some gas for the generator. Sister Gates's responsibility was to go upstairs to check on the apartment for cleanliness and on two sick elders, who were still asleep. In the garage, I saw a stack of Books of Mormon that had been damaged by rain. I was to get those into the truck to take to the garbage. As I put the 12 books into the back of the truck, a young man asked if he could have one. I said "sure" but I wanted to give him a good one. I went into the garage again and went out and gave him a new one. I tried to explain in my very limited French that I would like him to make a commitment to read it. As I gave him the book, two other gentlemen asked if they could have one. I returned to the garage to get two good Books of Mormon. As I gave those two out, a crowd of about 20 people had already gathered. Everyone wanted a Book of Mormon! I decided that I would give all of them one, and I went back in for a case of undamaged books. When I returned, all the damaged Books of Mormon were gone. I thought about the best way to do this in an orderly manner, and as I thought what to do, the crowd continued to grow. All this happened in a matter of about a minute and a half. I dropped the tailgate of the truck, and jumped into the back of the truck. I am sorry that I don't have a picture of this moment, because it is hard to describe the arms reaching up. I felt a panic attack of anxiety. I started to holler "Kriss, Sister Gates, where are you? I need help NOW!" One of our shyer, less French-fluent elder's came out with her, along with an elder that speaks only French, who is about 4' tall. While our Elder Olai tried to talk to the people in French, I realized that I needed an elder who spoke good English and good French, so I ran upstairs and woke up our zone leader, Elder Healey, who speaks excellent French and is a great interpreter, and told him I really needed his help. I ran back downstairs and climbed back into the truck bed. Kriss was up on top of a high wall, where she felt she could safely watch the action. I wanted to ask her if she “bought a ticket?” I hollered to her to take some pictures, and she hollered back that the cameras were in the front of the truck and that there was no way for her to get through the “MOB” to get to them. I laughed and pushed my way through, unlocked the door, and got the cameras. I climbed back in the truck bed, passed them up to Kriss, and she started taking pictures, therefore, these photos were taken well after the action started. A couple of the Elders were nervous about the “mobs” but Kriss told them, “This is every missionary’s dream come true and start enjoying it!” Elder Healey came down at this time, and even though he was very ill, rose to the occasion and joined in the action. He climbed into the truck with me. I started talking, and he interpreted for me. I explained that the book is a very special book that is a companion to the Bible. It is very sacred to us, and I didn’t just want it thrown away. Most everyone here are Christians, but most cannot afford to buy a Bible. We gave out three cases of Books of Mormon, immediately, to the Mamas & Papas. (I tried to give to the Mamas first, but there is no "Ladies First" in Africa.) There were children and teenagers that were very disappointed that we were hesitant to give them all a free book. We decided to start giving out some of our beautiful pamphlets with a picture of Jesus Christ on the front. They tell about what we believe and encourage the reader to call a number and set up an appointment with the missionaries, to receive a free Book of Mormon. Kriss and the three other elders started writing phone numbers as fast as they could... ... and then we gave out well over 300 pamphlets. I explained to the crowd that if they would read the pamphlet, and call us, we could talk to them. It is hard to explain how I felt both excited and frustrated at the same time! Everyone knew it was a religious book about the Savior, and they all wanted one. They held the pamphlets as if they really treasure it. Every so often, I could see that someone was really wanting a Book of Mormon. I could see one man that seemed especially anxious. He spoke a tiny bit of English and I looked him in the eyes and said “If I give you a book, will you read it?” He sincerely answered “Yes, I will.” I went in and got him a book, and snuck it out to him, so as not to create another pandemonium. For and hour and 15 minutes, we gave out pamphlets and preached as quickly as we could. It was a wonderful experience, and something that I will never forget. The next day, when we had the elders over for dinner, Elder Healey wanted to tell us about something that had happened as a result of our “Street Meeting”. He told us that he had already received a call from one of the men, that works close by. The man said he wanted to talk to the elders. They set up an appointment for that day. When they met with him, he showed them that he had read the pamphlet, which had been underlined, and showed them that he had begun reading the Book of Mormon, which had also been underlined. He related that he had a dream several days before. He dreamed there was a crowd, and someone was giving things out. He knew in the dream that he wanted what they were giving out. A few days after the dream he was walking to work and saw our “action” and he knew, then that he wanted what we had. Through our discussion and looking at the pictures, we realized this was the same man that was so frustrated when we quit giving out the books, because he knew he was supposed to get one. This was the man that I snuck a book to. Thursday, Elder Olai was telling the story to the elders in the other district, and said he had never seen anything like it on his mission. He realized, he was overwhelmed at first, but then he realized what a special opportunity it was. We all felt great about it. I have tried to capture the anxiety and the spirit of this special hour, but I struggle to find the words of such strong feelings. For the following days, Kriss and I kept saying… “That was so much fun!” It will be interesting to see what comes of that special event. ************************* Update #1: This post was featured on the Deseret News' website for Mormon Times as part of their "Today in the Bloggernacle" column. Update #2: Sister Gates has posted two more pictures and a quick update.

Choo! Choo! Ten in a row!

We decided that playing Ticket To Ride (aka Train Game) online is a good way to keep our "aging minds" active. The latest medical advice is that every day you do something that requires some serious concentration... like Sudoku. We think it takes focus to play Train Game, so we try to play one game a night, before we go to sleep. The winner gets a 15 minute massage from the loser. However, we rarely collect because we normally play fairly evenly, and we usually are only up a game or two before the other one of us wins a couple of times.

However, over the past 2 weeks Ed won 10 in a row! A huge record! So, hats off to my very clever husband that has whooped me big time!

Bonne Année

Happy New Year!!!
From the Gates in Pointe Noire, the Republique of Congo

How we spent Christmas Eve & Christmas Day in the Congo

Christmas in the Congo was very different. There was very little in the way of decorations... and few people had trees. Most of the shops and stands were open. But there was a cheerful spirit about everyone that helped us to feel the Christmas spirit. One branch had their Christmas party on Christmas eve, and the other had it on Christmas night. I was asked to help the Relief Society with the dinner for Christmas night. Ed decided as a special service project for our family Christmas Service gifts. He helped make sure that the sisters in our branch, who were called to be the Relief Society Presidency last Sunday, were able to provide dinner for over 200 people the following Saturday, which was Christmas day. We dedicated our Christmas Eve and most of Christmas Day, to helping them to their food, prepare it and transport it to the church, because they don't have cars. They would have had to haul it out to taxis on the main roads (over 3/4 mile) because the taxi's don't go through the big puddles into the neighborhoods. Ed had 17 people plus the food, when he finally drove them to the church.

These are a few photos of what our 2 days went like. This first picture is Ed pulling a bus out of deep puddle.
This is the traffic Ed was stuck in for 3 hours, trying to get to the butcher to buy the chicken.

This is Ed changing his flat tire.
This is the butcher chopping our chicken.
And this is the chicken that we took home to cook (in the oven) for the party.

This is cooking chicken African Style. By the way, Ed baptized this Sister about 3 months ago. She is now the Secretary of our Relief Society.

We had a fun slumber party with the elders and exchanged white elephants.


Sister Headlee, our mission president's wife had African ties made for all the Elders. Ed got first pick when Sister Headlee was here... and then we wrapped the others and did another white elephant exchange with the ties.
We woke up to Christmas Casserole for breakfast (our family's traditional Christmas breakfast)... and then we headed off for a 9:00 am WHITE CHRISTMAS...THE BEST KIND OF ALL!

We hope you all had a Joyeux Noel!

Our Christmas Corn Roast (minus the corn)

As most of you know, in California our family has a tradition of going to the beach for a Corn Roast for special occassions. Well, we tried the corn and it tasted like I would imagine the colored corn that is used for decorations on Thanksgiving would taste like. Totally bland, hard, unchewable kernals. However, we didn't let that stop us. We were losing 3 great elders and decided to have a beach party for Christmas, while they were still with us. We found some interesting hot dogs, and used baguettes for buns... the only marshmallows we have are pink... the chocolate bars don't melt... and we used a cookie for the graham crackers. I guess the Elders didn't think we were serious about going to the beach... because they all showed up in their tracting clothes... but all in all... it was a huge success!


This is a photo of Ed asking who thought the occassion needed a Christmas Tree... They all voted Yes, and he went home and brought our tree to the beach. I love that Man!