misc pictures

Debbie with some pygmy girls in Bayanga

Muddy roads on the way out of Bayanga

Cooling off in the stream on Sunday afternoon

A young pygmy girl near Louis's house in the pygmy village

We enjoyed the singing and dancing at the pygmy village sunday night

Nate Zuck: seasoned traveler extraordinaire - (doesn't get carsick like me)

Pygmy kids throwing spears at rolling fruit for practice

rolling the fruit for others to throw spears at

Joanna and friends with matching hand-made necklaces

The guys went hunting one night in Berberati with Josh Danforth - we got a Potto - a type of monkey/lemur thing - and the night watchman enjoyed it for dinner

Super-cool electric guitar in the pygmy church

elephants at the Bayanga elephant reserve - running off trumpeting into the forest for no apparent reason

eating dinner at Bayanga with Louis (the dark skinned guy behind my fair-skinned father)

Another shot of our truck, with the front wheel through the bridgeFilling up the trucks with diesel fuel

gas station where we got fuel - this is the norm here - there probably aren't more than 20 towns with a working gas pump in the whole country (I believe we've only run across 4 so far in our 1,000 km of travel)

Berberati-Bayanga-Bangui

A small bamboo truck and it's proud owner


African boys in Berberati enjoying a bike ride

Madeline Danforth - Josh and Kimia's daughter being carried by Elize

Well it's Jay's turn to update the blog. We're back in Bangui! We had a great time in Bayanga, a few adventures along the way, and another 800 or so kilometers under our belts. We drove down to Bayanga from Berberati on Saturday - the roads have been worked on, so we made much better time than we expected, and ended up having time to go visit the Pygmy village up the road where Nate worked when he was here a few years ago. We hooked up with Louis, an American who has been living with the pygmies for 22 years, and got to talk with him about the situation the pygmies are in (much oppressed by the local tribes in the area) as well as talk about some hope for them. We saw a lot of fruit trees, many that weren't there when Nate was there before, so that was very encouraging.



The next day, we got up and walked back the 2 km to the same village, and enjoyed a church service with the pygmies, and got to listen to some of their music. After the service, we watched a group of pygmy boys practice their spear throwing, by rolling fruit back and forth at each other across a field, and trying to hit it.

Then we all loaded into the landcruiser to go out and visit the elephant at the game reserve - it's got a very unique open field - with salts and minerals that result in the largest gatherings of jungle elephants anywhere in Africa - we saw 45 elephants, but there are up to 100 there at a time. The hike out there was also quite fun - it's a 35 minute walk through the rain forest, and although there were two pymgy guides with us - they didn't carry dart guns. Just a single machette and sticks to throw at feisty elephants. Turns out the sticks were needed. Just as we started to wade across a stream, the lead pygmy stopped turned around and wispered to me "get all the munju's (white people) back - and keep going". One of the bull elphants was standing downstream from us, and he wasn't happy to see us. After 10 minutes of trying to scare him away by slapping the machete on the water (no results, he just kept chasing them further upstream) the pygmies gave up and came back to get some help from the main camp. 5 pygmies then walked up to the elephant, throwing sticks and yelling, and finally he left, allowing us to continue on to the salt field. Lots of excitement!





That night, we had Louis over for dinner, then went with him back to his village to watch the pygmies sing and dance (which is almost a constant activity for them). Their singing is amazing - it really is, and they have an amazing amount of energy - we left around 11pm, and they were still going strong!

Monday morning we left at 6am for the long drive back to Bangui - we took the "4th Parallel" road back, that cuts off about 200km of driving, but takes just as long (or longer) than the more northern route. But the roads were (relatively) good, and we made it in 9-10 hours of actual driving. Relatively is the key word there - the very roads we traveled are mentioned in the below article (which is encouraging by the way)

Interesting article on Roads in CAR

We did have a slight fiasco when the lead truck broke through some planks on a bridge, getting the front drivers side wheel stuck in the bridge - but with two jacks, and lots of loose planks we managed to get it out in about and hour, and were on our way.



We stopped at a Catholic mission along the way, where ICDI has drilled a well - and got to see the work that is being done there to help the pygmies - also very encouraging.

Now we're back in Bangui, and the team just went out to watch ICDI's true love wait's team at one of the TLW clubs - Abe and Lisa were able to share with the group.

Fish Diamond

This is Abe, and I am going to keep this one short because we are getting ready right now for our 3 day trip into to the jungle. We are going to leave tomorrow morning at 5 AM and will not have access to the Internet again until Monday night when we arrive in Bangui. But here's the recap of today.

Nate, Jim Z, and I went to see the Well Repair Team fix up two wells that had broken down here in Beberati. ICDI has two repair teams which visits about 400 wells all over the country and will do any necessary repairs. Each village pays a small amount for this service and it guarantees that they will always have fresh water. The average life of a well before it needs repaired is about 3 years. Some of the wells in high traffic areas break down every few months. It became very apparent to us how important the well repair program is in keeping the promise of fresh water alive and not just becoming another well intentioned organization that makes only a short-term impact.

The girls went to the morning market to look for some African fabric. However, they came back with more than just fabric. They found some ladies to do their hair African style, and Joanna and Lisa have been sitting in the guest house for the last 6 hours having their hair braided! This was a little bit of surprise to me when I came back from the well repairs, but I think it is going to be a good look for wali ti mbi (my wife). You all back home will get to see it next week when we come home, but here is a picture for now.

This afternoon Jim and Nancy Z and I also got more than we bargained for when we went to visit a fish farm of one the ICDI workers, Jean. We thought we were driving to a pond somewhere in town, but we ended up on an hour and a half hike through the bush and rain forest down to a little stream where he has dug small ponds to raise fish. Now let me say that Beberati is somewhat of a diamond rush town. Most of the people come looking for diamonds, and they can find them easily. Jean found a bunch of small diamonds just digging his fish ponds. That is a nice perk! But more exciting than the diamonds, which only bring temporary money, is the business he will have selling his fish and the nutrition it will bring.

Here is a final picture that I am sure the Zuck family will appreciate. =) She was translating the sign to Jim- it was a cute and funny moment, and Nancy was a very good sport about it.

Thanks to everyone who is reading this blog! Your comments are encouraging, and it is good to know that so many of you are thinking of us and praying. Please pray for our safety as we will be traveling until Monday. We love you all and will talk you again in a few days.

- Abe

Thursday August 2

This is now Jim and Nancy's turn to write the blog.
We'll begin by going back to Tuesday morning and visiting the co-op partnership between ICDI and the Catholic organization. It was great to see the vision of ICDI and be part of the team working along side nationals clearing land and planting different crops for food. Jim was reminded of a time around the 1930s when state agricultural colleges and agricultural extension agencies worked hand in hand with local farmers to advice them on what to plant, how to raise and harvest crops.The teen age boys now feel useful [instead of living on the streets] and their self esteem is raised as they learn useful skills. Jim Z. worked with 2 boys approximately 12 and 15 years digging out tree stumps with shovel and machete and then throwing them on the burn pile.
The above won't be possible without the agricultural forest center at ICDI run by Josh. It reminds us of a miniature version of the Ag research at Penn State University only tailored to the CAR. Josh is concentrating on many varieties of banana trees, other fruit trees and bean plants to see what grows best here and can add better nutrition to the diet of the people. One sign of malnutrition is the children occasionally having a copper tint to their hair. Malnutrition is more of an issue than starvation is in this country.
Josh is offering training to the community on Wednesday afternoons. This week he shared for 2 hours on different types of fruit trees to plant and the kind of fruit they yield. Attendance was less due to the many hours of rain earlier in the day, but the ten who did come listened attentively with lively discussion. It reminded Jim of going to meetings at the Ag extension agency for up-dates on the latest farming practices. Before going home, the people can purchase fruit trees.
Today began with everyone on the team getting a tour of the best garage in the CAR - the ICDI garage. The garage takes care of all the maintenance on the ICDI fleet of vehicles [ ?25 ?] including the well driller and 2 support trucks. Maintenance is an understatement: they do much more such as frame off rebuild of vehicles, engine replacements, injection pump rebuilds, outfitting of the vehicle for the rough CAR roads. The capabilities is endless and the skill level of the workers is impressive.
Each morning at the garage begins with Bible study. Currently the men are studying Exodus lead by Alphonse who is the business manager/accountant. He speaks English well and was trained at a Bible School. Many of the men are born-again believers. At the end of the tour we spoke to several of the men who conveyed their great appreciation for us making the long trip , having an interest in what they are doing and they know they have a very poor nation and feel very blessed to have people come from a rich nation. They are willing to sacrifice the six weeks away from their families to provided good water for communities and also try to demonstrate Christ's love while in the villages.
This afternoon everyone except Nate walked 45 minutes to town and shopped. Abe was able to get some medicine for hives. Lisa and Debbie bought several yards of beautiful fabric from Holland from a Muslim merchant. Most of the group heard some drums being played and stopped to listen. They enjoyed this activity.
Nate had stayed back so he could participate in the 4 o'clock daily soccer game. It is played by middle school and older young people. The under 10 year old group of 15 kids played their own games: kick your friend's bottom and laugh, throw newly cut grass, and head-stands. They make their own entertainment.

This evening we had a scrumptious dinner at Kim and Jan Koon's home of shish-ka-bobs, squash casserole, yummy bread and home-made strawberry yogurt popsicles.
Other observations: Fewer bugs than we had expected; cooler temperatures partly due to cloudy weather.
Our time is half over and we are having a wonderful time. We are continually exposed to many new things God is allowing us to see. Written by Jim and Nancy Zuck

Thursday August 2

The Lord Is Good, and is Worthy to Be Praised

Hello friends and family! We are currently spending our second day in Beberati. A good sized town 9 hours in the car away from Bangui. We have lots to share. The enemy has been busy trying to attack us. We are seeing that even though you are so far away, our God is so big that he hears all our prayers, and answers them. Thank you for being with us during this trip, through prayer.

We set out for Bangui early in the morning on Monday. We stopped at a roadside eatery, and had coffee and doughnuts. While eating breakfast, we watched two men butcher half a cow, for the lunch crowd..... mmmm.... Jo and I decided not to watch. It was a great cultural experience, a little different from eating at Bob Evans. We traveled on to Beberati. We decided we were going to stop in a town called Yaloke, where Jim (director of ICDI ) and wife Faye Hocking served for 20 years as missionaries. We were going to stop and see their old home and town. This whole area, including their home was looted during the war after they evacuated. We were 20 minutes outside of Yaloke, when we entered a smaller village. Here in Africa, everyone walks on the road. This certain area was fairly crowded. As we were about to leave the area, a small boy suddenly ran in front of the car, we instantly slammed on the brakes, and laid on the horn. The little boy saw us, looked up, but continued to run in front of us, most likely as a natural reaction. We later found out that our skid marks were 100 feet long. We couldn't stop in time, and heard him hit the car on the front passengers side. Once we stopped, Jim opened the door, but heard screaming so he decided for our safety that we should keep driving. Sometimes the village people will mob the car, because they are mad. We hurried to catch up the other car. Finally we got up to them. The other driver, Etienne, was from this particualr area and spoke the local dialect, so he decided to go back and get the boy to take him to the hospital, if he was still alive. The other 9 of us piled into one car to drive the rest of the way to Yaloke where we would be safe. We prayed HARD. We were all praying for the next hour and a half. Jay left soon after we arrived in Yaloke to go to the police station to report the accident, and return to the site with the police. We all waited, praying, in Yaloke to hear what had happened. We waited until Jay and Etienne returned, both unharmed. The boy was fine!!! His only injuries were a scraped toe and knee. Jay was sitting in the passenger seat, and saw the boy get hit, and said there's no way he couldn't even have AT LEAST a big bruise on his chest or abdomen. The boy told Jay, that he doesn't even remember being hit. I believe our car hit the angel that was protecting the little boy. When we heard this news, we all celebrated with tears and hugs and prayer. We were overwhelmed by the way God had protected this little boy's life and Jim from getting in any governmental trouble. (People normally go to jail for these things.) The police said there was nothing to record, no problems, and we were free to leave. Jim called his wife Faye, and she told him that she woke up in the middle of the night, about an hour before the accident, and she couldn't go back to sleep. So she started to pray, through out the whole situation. I was so happy that she could support her husband over the ocean, because we have such a God. The pastor in Yaloke told us something, something I've now heard three times while being in Africa, "The one thing we have is prayer." Sometimes being here, I feel so helpless. So I pray, and the Lord has answered me. We arrived later into open arms in Beberati of Josh and Kimia Danforth and Kimia's parents Kim and Jan Cone. We had a dinner and went to bed.





Tuesday, Jim and Nancy Zuck, and Jay and Debbie went with Josh to a cooperative ran by a catholic mission. This mission houses about 12 teenage street boys that they are trying to re-introduce to an agricultural lifestyle. They cleared a huge amount of land, and planted almost 1000 bean plants!!



The rest of us got some extra sleep, and some quiet time by the in-ground pool! Nate and joanna took a walk into town, Jim did some projects around the compound. Later in the afternoon, Josh took us to see his garden.... wow. This is an agri-forestry project which is growing plants for seeds, to give or sell to people in the village so that they can grow their own garden as well. The main food in CAR is called gozo, which comes from a manioc plant, and has very little nutritional value. Josh's garden contains beans, a plethora of fruit trees, and bananas. Some of these plants leaves are edible, and are a huge source of protein. As I write this, Josh is in a seminar with some of the village people teaching about how to graft fruit trees, and it's value.



We had planned to visit another cooperative, and help with some planting and landscaping but it started raining around 3 and didn't quit til noon. I didn't know it could rain SO hard and SO long!! Nate, Jim and Jim worked on some plumbing problems around the compound, Jim Z also helped Kim in the garage this morning.

I almost forgot... We all went over to Jay's childhood best friend Marcelin's house and met his beautiful wife, Lisa and their 3 children. We had a wonderful meal with them, and asked lots of cultural questions. It was lots of fun!

Joanna and I are going to have a cup of tea with Kimia. Hope all is well back in the states! We love you, miss you, and think of you often!

-Lisa W.

PS Please continue to be in prayer for us, especially for Jim right now. The life and death situation with hitting the little boy took an emotional toll on him, as it would anyone. He has many important ICDI tasks at hand, not to mention taking care of our team. Pray that he would have his spirit filled, and that we would be able to encourage him as much as possible.

Saturday and Sunday

It's hard to keep track of what the day of the week is, right now, much less the dates. We have been going so hard and seeing so much it feels like we have been in the CAR for a week and a half already, not just four days!


Saturday


In the morning we arose before the sun. We wanted to get on the road early for our trip to Mbaiki. Departure time was at 7:00 a.m. We met Janet Varner at the GBIM mission station and then loaded into two trucks for the 2 hour trip. The purpose of the trip was to introduce us to the 3 year young Bible school.




The 2 hour trip was an inundation in sights, sound, and smells. The drive bordered on sensory overload for some of us as we took in the lifestyle of the people who live in this area. The road out of the capitol city had a steady stream of people walking along both sides of the road as they travelled to the countryside to farm or gather wood to take back to the city and sell. We had been driving for 30 min. and were still seeing people on this mission! It was mind boggling to see what lengths people here were travelling by foot.




The homes we passed were varried. The most common home was made of baked clay bricks and palm frond roofs. These are mostly one room huts and the cooking and washing is done outside in the front yard which dirt. The majority of the homes had items sitting in their front yards to sell to passerbys. The most popular (and the most pungent) is a food these people love call gozo or mantioch. This food is actually a root which is soaked for 3 days to remove the poison, crumbled into small pieces and then dried before being put through a press and then mixed with water.











We took a break from the travel and stopped to visit a gorgeous waterfall. It is amazing to view God's creativity!

We arrived at the Mbaike Bible school around 11 and were encouraged to rest and eat before we were given an official tour. Fresh banana's and delicious cooked squash were served to us as well as the feast that we had brought to share. Lisa and Nancy had the opportunity to speak with one of the teachers at length and find out more in depth about the ministry at the school





This is an African run Bible school that has 13 couples enrolled for the fall semester. Janet Varner teaches women theology, knitting, discipleship, and even math 2 days a week. All the other teaching is done by Central Africans. We loved seeing and hearing about the school and were very impressed by their vision for the people here. We even got to see one of their daughters using water from an ICDI well.







Upon arriving back at the mission we discovered we had several hours before dinner, just enough time to hit the artisan market. Always an experience in culture when you barter with people, we got some good deals, and enjoyed the relational experiencing of haggling people down from 7,000 francs to 3,000 francs ($6).




Dinner was a wonderful time of sharing common experiences with the other GBIM missionaries as they hosted us to pizza and ice cream, african style. It's been such a pleasure and honor to rub shoulders with people I have been praying for, in the case of Janet Varner, my whole life. We stopped to take a picture with WLGBC missionary Tina Walker.






Sunday:


Today has been a day of rest. It couldn't have come at a better time. We have sat around for hours discussing culture and experiences and our thoughts on everything from the poverty we are seeing to the amazingly vital faith of these people.

Church this morning was a whole new experience as we worshiped with our brothers and sisters in a different language. Although most of us had no idea what was being said, we knew that we were worshiping the same God and are united together in our faith. What an incredble opportunity!

Thank you so much for your prayers and your support. Please continue to pray for us as we experience such new things and want the Lord's guidance in understanding them. We have had amazing unity on the team thus far, and we would appreciate your prayers that this continues. We leave tomorrow for Berberati. So far travel has been safe and we ask for your prayers that God continues to protect us and give us good traveling conditions. Thank you...