BACK HOME !!

 We made the decision to leave Goma ahead of schedule due to the increasing tensions there.  On Nov 2 we left Congo and were able to spend 10 days in Kigali, Rwanda, taking time to catch our breath and decompress from our rather stressful situation and uncertainty there in Goma. We spent our time with old friends and World Venture missionaries,  Gary and Barb Bennett. Together with Gary & Barb we were able to spend 2 days visiting the Akagera National Game Park. What a wonderful time seeing all the beautiful roaming animals like giraffes, bushbuck, hippos, zebras, impalas, topies and warthogs, not to mentions so many colorful birds!

We were still in Kigali when my sister Sue and her husband, Bob Cullen, flew into Kigali on their way back to Kabale, Uganda, where they've ministered for nearly 30 years. So glad we could see them.

Today the view out our window is in stark contrast to those we've been enjoying the past couple of months.   Snowy flurries and 32 degrees. Brrrrr!

Mid 70's 

Brrrrrrrr!!!

This morning we received an alert email from the 'U Embassy in Kinshasa, DR Congo warning us of the deteriorating situation in Goma.  We are relieved that we are not still there but safely home, but we're very concerned for our dear Congolese brothers and sisters who have to deal with these troubles and uncertain times. Please be praying for safety and peace for our Congolese friends!!!

Thank you so much for your prayers for us during our time in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Judd & Sandi Kile

Here is today's alert from the Embassy: 

“Security Alert: From the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa, DRC (15 NOV 22) 

Location: Eastern DRC and Border Regions, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 

Event: Clashes between the March 23 Movement armed group and the Congolese military are occurring in the East of the country, mostly recently in the town of Kibumba, approximately 20 kms northeast of the provincial capital of Goma, North Kivu.  Due to the proximity of fighting to Goma, there is the possibility for escalating violence, and U.S. citizens are reminded that our Travel Advisory guidance remains at a Level 4: Do Not Travel to North Kivu Province. 

Further combatant advances could occur with little warning, and roads to the airport and border risk being closed should the fighting approach Goma.  Some non-governmental organizations in Goma have instructed their staff to shelter in place or to leave the city. “

Winding Down !

 In light of the current unrest in Goma (North Kivu Province), we felt it prudent to leave Congo before the recent unrest closed the Congo/Rwanda border.  The email warnings we received from the American Embassy, along with the unrest we heard last weekend outside the walls of our compound, confirmed the need to pull out earlier than planned.  Yesterday morning (Nov. 2) a very experienced chauffeur picked us up at our compound, drove us across the city to the border, and his experience at helping expatriates (like us) cross the border really made for a smooth exit from Congo and entry into Rwanda. Our return flight is about one week away, so we're able to relax and regroup here before we leave Africa. We're very blessed to be able to stay with long-time friends, Gary & Barb Bennett, in their home in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. This morning we were privileged to join their missionary team for the weekly prayer time and to hear about each of their individual ministries and prayer requests.

Before we left Goma, Judd was able to safely get to the print shop and wrap up some loose ends there.  He was also able to say proper goodbyes to the workers there, being able to wind up our work at Imprimerie Siloam. We were able to present certificates of completion of the P4A system training to the four men who will be carrying on the work there.  It was a pleasure to work alongside these guys and see significant progress in their abilities as the time went along.  Please pray for this print system to be used to continue to get Scriptures and Christian literature to the believers in this area.

The evening before we left, we were visited by a group of African pastors and leaders, thanking us for coming and bringing back to that region the printed literature to help the believers.  These leaders were from the Baptist Association of Churches, the same organization my parents and others of their generation served for many years.  These pastors shared a real appreciation for those dear servants who were faithful to the call of God on their lives. 

As soon as we crossed into Rwanda, we were able to meet & greet some of the dear people who had a part in ministering to us when we were here many years ago.  What a good visit with Pastor Leonard, Ephraim, and Anastasia. These were friends that were also a part of my parents' ministry in the 70's and early 80's.

Do we go, or do we stay?

 It's been exciting to see progress made on the translation of the Sunday School materials project. We were able to send 100 copies of Book 1 to Bukavu; we'll be excited to see how they're received.  We have 6 of the 9 student books currently translated.  We'll be needing to check them over for corrections.  Our goal is to have these completed before we leave as there are so many who have requested Sunday School materials.

While I was away in Bukavu, a pastors conference was held at the church compound where the print shop is housed.  The men at the shop had on display the materials they had published at this point.  What a HUGE success - every copy they had available sold out!  The following week we just started again to produce more copies of the much loved books. 

As we start this new week, we are seeking the Lord's direction as to whether we need to move up our departure plans.  The safety situation on the ground has once again been laden with stories of the advancement of the M23 rebels toward the city of Goma.  As of today, they have not moved closer to the city, but there are definitely more reports of injuries coming in to the city.  A recent Reuters article speaks about the Rwandan ambassador to Congo being given 48 hrs to leave the country.  What happens after those 48 hours?  Will the Congo/Rwanda border be closed, effectively blocking our prearranged exit from the country.  Do we need to leave before that happens?

Please be praying for us that God would give clear direction on how we should proceed.  It is at the end of the month here at our place of lodging, the guys running the Imprimerie are off to a great start and we feel they will be able to continue on once we leave.  It's hard to know how to proceed. The next few days should be quite telling.

TRIP TO BUKAVU

 This past weekend, Judd had an opportunity to make a trip to Bukavu. What a delightful trip it was to return to where I grew up in the "60's". The last time I made the trip was in 2008 and it was really the initial Chapa Serve trip that was taken with our ministry. I took a batch of the first books that Chapa Serve had initially.  The purpose of the original trip was a survey for knowing how to further the Chapa Serve ministry.

My trip was made on a nice, fast boat, 3.5 hrs from Goma to Bukavu.  I was met by dear pastor Lwabimba, an old friend, who graciously hosted me in his guesthouse.  Saturday was spent traveling out of town to where his pastoral ministry started.  We also visited a school for primary and secondary students where he's overseeing the ministry to children, most of whom cannot afford the normal school fees. It was a pleasure to show the staff our recently printed books which would soon be available.  We will be sending 100 copies of the first Sunday School book, and several copies of storybooks for the family.  These will certainly be a welcome resource for them.

 

 One of the other purposes of my trip was to pick up some copies of the waterproof Congo Swahili New Testament, a project Chapa Serve has been involved with for the past two years.  What a milestone achievement to see the books finally at their distribution center.  I brought back some copies we can sell here from our location in Goma.

I was also able to visit the church I helped my father finish building after my high school graduation.  The pastor there, new to me, was also excited to see the books we were again able to print in the region.  Most of these books were the same titles we were printing at the Echo du Kivu Press there in Bukavu when Sandi and I and our boys were there in the late 1980's.

Sandi was brave to stay back here in Goma while I was gone.  It is tough when things here in Congo are so unsettling. Doesn't help when the power goes out and one is left in the dark. So glad that we have solar battery packs that Randy from Publish4All sent out with us to do some testing; they've come in handy quite a few times! I was proud of her and it was good to get back. It is good to have local cell phones that kept us in touch. The WIFI here has been challenging but one just has to be patient and learn to reboot the router a bit more often.

It's been a challenge to put together a regular work week here, that's just not the Congolese style!  It's always a day by day thing, working around potential rioting in the streets, family emergencies (shootings, wakes, etc), illness, weddings, and so many other things added to the mix.  You just cannot plan in advance, one has to be flexible daily.  I remember attending an Urbana conference years ago and hearing a Congo missionary tell us that there are five things that are prerequisites for ministering in Congo:  Patience, Patience, Patience, Patience, and Patience.   Lord, give us patience every day.

Thanks for your continued prayers.  Looking forward to what the week ahead holds.

A Different Kind of Week

 Last week was unlike any other we've encountered here in Goma.  Let me explain.

The lead man for the Impremerie Siloan, Damien, got married last week on Friday.  After we went to the shop on Monday, we learned that the rest of the week, prior to Friday's wedding, would be consumed with various wedding celebrations so the shop would be closed.  So, we stayed home together for the remainder of the week.  We were able to get some work done while staying home, as well as more of editing on the commentaries.  It was pretty rough sitting at the table looking out over the lake in our "home office."

Pretty "tough view" at the office, Huh!

The wedding itself was scheduled to take place at 10 am, and we were told that the driver would arrive to pick us up at 9:30 am to attend the wedding.  Apparently someone didn't get the message, because it was 11:30 am before they came to pick us up for the wedding.  Once we arrived (and the wedding was underway), we were marched up to the very front of the church and seated on the main platform.  (The bride and groom were seated in front of the pulpit.)  What was really a very pretty wedding ceremony continued on for another 2.5 hrs.  After the ceremony, the crowd from the packed church made their way to a beautiful lakeside garden spot for wedding pictures.   This same picturesque spot is the place where we're "living" while we're here - there are several wedding photo groups here almost every day.

The wedding reception was next on the agenda (everything listed with a start time was running at least 1 hour late).  We were driven to a venue in the downtown Goma area.  Fortunately we were met at the car when we arrived and ushered to the front of the buffet line.  It took quite some time for all of the guests to make it into the line outside the facility (we have learned this trip that most Africans here are notoriously BAD at waiting in line), past the security at the gate, through the buffet line, and finally into the banquet room.  The place was HUGE.  I'm sure there were probably 500+ wedding guests.  The wedding program finally started with some dancing girls, only for the power to go out at the facility.  About this time we were approached and asked if we were ready to be brought home (Yes, please!)  Anyway, it was a totally exhausting day.  I'm sure the wedding couple must have been wiped out after a full week of celebrating.

Finally this week we're back to work at the print shop (albeit short one groom).  Last week the guys were able to use a new piece of bindery equipment, the tall electric stapling machine.  They were able to use it quite a lot today putting together 25 copies of a book, The Way to Study the Bible.  Today they learned a different piece of equipment, a plastic spiral binding machine.  They quickly learned how important it is to slow down and take their time to punch clean holes in the pages and covers, holes that will eventually line up so spiral coils can be added.  It took a few times of trial and error to make sure all the copies were clean cut and ready to bind.

Safely Through Another Week

The week started out rather ominously with warnings for everyone to stay at home on Monday & Tuesday due to scheduled protests.  In some ways this dealt with the UN presence in the area, as well as the M23 rebels.  Schools, stores, and businesses were closed, and traffic was at a minimum.  Fortunately we didn't see or hear any uprisings, but some reports did show unrest in parts of the city of Goma.  A favorite tactic is for protesters to throw big rocks in the road to disrupt traffic, then start the unrest.  We've thankful for the protection of God here at the guesthouse, as well as the print shop.

 

   When Judd finally returned to the print shop on Wednesday, it was a day of  reorganizing and getting ready for a busy week.  Thursday several visitors from other ministries in Goma visited the print shop and saw for themselves the enormous impact of the printed word that was now available to them.  The men were able to get several sample copies available for the guests to see the quality of the work produced at Imprimerie Siloam.  They also worked on printing 30 copies of the Kikanu New Testament as well as covers, and they were left to dry overnight to be bound on Friday, a half day of work.  It turned out to be a very productive week of work after all.  Sandi was able to join us there for a couple of days to work on some edits, this time for a commentary on Esther.

    Another highlight of the week, the Swahili waterproof Bible (New Testament) project that Chapa Serve has been working with for the past two years finally reached it's final destination here in Bukavu, DR Congo.  What an exciting day that was for all involved!  Hopefully we'll be able to help with distribution of those New Testaments while we're here in the Goma area.

Pastor Kitoto with the recent delivered Waterproof New Testaments.

There are 15 local language translations of the New Testament that will eventually be available for print at the Imprimerie Siloam, but most are not yet ready for printing.  In the meantime, we are happy to offer some books from our Chapa Serve library (paperbacks, booklets & many tracts) that the workers can familiarize themselves with the printing and binding processes, as well as get these titles into the hands of the people.  

    One new item we've been working on is a package of Sunday School curriculum. These are materials that Judd's sister and brother-in law made available to us from their ministry in SW Uganda.  We had the first  workbook translated from English into Swahili while we were still in the States.  Now that we're here in Congo, we're investigating the job of getting the other 8 children's workbooks, and 3 teacher's guides translated into Swahili.  At this time we're not quite sure of the cost to get all of these books translated, but in case some of you are interested in helping with this project, please let us know.

We wanted to take a few minutes to thank you all for your prayers and support for our time here.  God continues to direct our steps.  We're reminded so vividly that this is a day by day, hour by hour process.

Because He lives!!

Judd & Sandi Kile

Week Six in Goma

As we start another week, it seems to be filled with uncertainty.  There have been warnings coming out, both published and by word of mouth, that today and tomorrow will be "ville mort", French for dead city.  There are protests planned for the city directed toward the UN based here in the city, the M23 rebels on the outskirts of town, and just general unrest.  Schools, businesses, and most everything else has been directed to close, for at least Monday, possibly Tuesday as well.  Traffic has noticeably decreased outside our compound.  We're staying at the guesthouse today, behind locked gates, and working on more administrative tasks.  We're noticing that the grounds keepers and house keepers are absent here today as well. When these protests took place last in July of this year, 10 people were killed in the uprising. We are trusting God to have His hand in the situation, and for our protection as well.

 Last week was a slim crew at the Imprimerie with 2 men missing (1 ill from suspected poisoning, 1 taking care of family business due to a murder in his family - sad that such is life in Eastern Congo!)  Despite being down in numbers, Judd & the remaining 2 men were able to complete an order for 50 copies of the large doctrine book we brought with us, Mafundisho Makubwa ya Biblia yenye Maana.  Those took up a good portion of the week, but they were also able to make 30 copies of the small booklet about What Baptists Believe.  These 2 books are totally different in size and binding, so it was a good exercise in training the 2 workers how to put them together. 

 This week, we don't know when we'll actually be able to work together in the print shop again.  To this point, the New Testaments in the local languages are not yet ready to begin printing.  Perhaps there will be one local language ready to go when work resumes.  After our first week here in Goma, we were able to print 15 copies of the NT in the Kihavu language, but later learned that the scripture itself wasn't yet ready for printing.  It's good to know that God's  Word will not return to him void.  Trying to maintain excellence in the quality of the printed word is a very key component here.

This past Sunday we were able to join the Clemmers, Dr. Bill and Ann (American Baptist missionaires) at HEALAfrica for the Sunday service in their chapel.  It was a treat for Sandi to be able to listen to a sermon that was preached in English by the African pastor and then translated into Swahili. HEAL Africa was born (1994) out of a vision to upgrade rural health care by retraining medical practitioners in Congo.  Over this 12 year period, the vision has matured.  Congolese orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jo Lusi, the co-founder, and his wife, Lynn Lusi, recognized that a far more radical approach was required.  To significantly impact health long-term, disease must be addressed at its roots; the community must be involved and engaged, and cultural values, attitudes and practices examined.

Sunday afternoon we were able to visit in the home of Dr. Pascal Wangahemuka with his family and his brother Kambale and family.  We first met Pascal about 10 years ago when we came to the area, city of Beni, to install a duplicating machine (the same one we brought repair parts for this trip).  Pascal's father, Paluku, and his ministry, Formation of Disciples, are one of the partners Chapa Serve has been working with for several years.  Thousands of tracts have been printed and distributed from their location.  Our driver during our time there in 2012 was Pascal, so it was wonderful to reconnect with him and meet his family, wife and 5 beautiful children. They treated us with a very nice meal of grilled fish, cooked bananas, fries, goat meat and a variety of delicious fruit. 

God continues to guide our steps here.  We ask for your continued prayers that we would be faithful to His leading.  Pray for peace to return/remain in the city, and for our safety.

WEEK 4 COMPLETED

 

We've been gone from home now for a little over 4 weeks.  The time of organization and setup has taken longer than anticipated and, at times, has been discouraging.  Today seemed to be a kind of breakthrough in that Judd and 2 assistants were able to finish 15 copies of one large doctrine book (334 pg), and 12 copies of a small booklet.  There is an order for 50 copies of the doctrine book which should be completed tomorrow.  At this point, there is still not usable text of the different New Testaments to begin printing, hopefully that will be available soon.

It was a long weekend, starting with the car accident on Thursday morning.  All the busywork that entailed for the drivers involved made the work day get cancelled.  We also, as white faces, needed to get out of the vehicle and get safely back into our guesthouse complex so as not to compound the problem.  The Aussie group just here was encouraged to not travel very far outside the city of Goma proper due to the fact that a "white face was worth $10,000", something to keep in mind as you drive down the streets.

Anatole and his dear wife.

Saturday evening we were invited to the home of Pastor Anatole for dinner.  The drive to get to their home was through some different parts of the city than we had visited before.  The final turn took us down a very narrow alleyway that ended in front of a small chapel building, truly the end of the line.  If we visit there again, we'll be sure to take more photos.  The pastor and his wife have 10 children and 37 grandkids, several of whom were visiting that night.  There was such a spread before us on the coffee table, enough to feed LOTS of people.  What struck me most about the evening was the profound love and respect from the multi generations, and to see all their interactions really warmed my soul. (Shout out to our dear grandkids - we love you all and miss you greatly!)

Judd attended the CEBCE (Baptist) main Goma church on Sunday and found it quite orderly.  It was over in about 2.5 hours as compared to 3, there was a wonderful harmonizing worship team, the choirs were good, and the speakers not maxed out.  Maybe I'll go with him next time.

Monday was a frustrating day at the shop.  Originally we were told that the city had warned of power outages for the day, so work was called off for the day.  Judd sent reminder emails to the workers that we would be able to print due to the battery backup system provided with the printers; we just wouldn't be able to do any bindery work.  Well, when 3 of the workers did show up, the power was on and we were able to get some books printed (those that Judd & the crew of 2 bound today).  He was very pleased with the job they did.  However, we did learn that one of the new printers had been "borrowed" for the weekend and had not yet been returned to the shop.  In addition, the wi-fi router had also been "borrowed" for the weekend and not returned, something crippling for the shop to try to work around being without it.  So much of the books, covers, and manuscripts are stored electronically.

Well, we'll end this on a positive note.  Thank you for your support.  We ask for your continued prayers as we work for His honor here in Goma.  Satan is at work here and doesn't want to see this system running successfully.

Back to Work ...... with a twist!

We had some work for Sandi to do at the shop, making edits to some of the Chapa Serve commentaries to make them a more proper Swahili.  She was working with John to make these changes and almost finished the commentary on Ruth during the first day she worked on it.  We were hoping to get that completed so we could move on to another book, but the Ruth one could be readied for print.  Right now the New Testaments we hoped to be printing are not yet ready for production.

The Imprimerie was able to take in a project from a local source, helping them to learn how to work the pricing, etc. when taking in new jobs.  It was only 2 copies of a large 688 page book, but that's the beauty of a print on demand system.  The book turned out very nicely.  Probably the only place in Goma that this quality of book can be produced so quickly, and so few copies.

Judd was able to find more files for other publications that we were planning to bring to the print center and begin working on them.  However, the plans for our day took a decidedly different turn.  As our driver was pulling out of the compound this morning, traffic was stopped and he proceeded to make a left turn.  However, a "moto" driver chose that moment to pull out from the stopped traffic and speed around it to get ahead.  Unfortunately, he didn't see our vehicle until he was right on top of us.  He plowed into the door of the car and caused quite a stir.  Boy oh boy, everybody gathered around to check things out, give their input, and just hang around.  It caused quite a traffic jam.  We were not hurt at all.  The mirror on the passenger side is broken out, and the passenger door isn't opening due to the impact.  There was some broken glass that came into the car from the impact, but thankfully that did not cause us any injuries. Having two "muzungus" in the car (white people) probably raised the draw for all the gawkers.

So, we're back at the guesthouse today rather than going into the office.  A forced day of rest, I guess.  .

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way.  Psalms 37:23

 

Our Weekend

We're going to share a bit more personally this time. On Thursday, Judd was given a special gift from one of the pastors we've supported years ago. When he called me over to see what he'd brought home, the bag was moving! Inside was a live chicken, as well as a bunch of potatoes. We were grateful for the gift, but gave it over to the manager here at the guesthouse. Yikes! 

 Since we arrived at the Maji Matulivu guesthouse last week (an answer to prayer!), there has been a group of about 15 Australian doctors and medical workers here on short term projects. On Friday night, half of the Australians were due to depart the next day. In honor of their service, the staff here put on quite the banquet complete with roasted goat, fish kebobs, and many other great dishes. Since meals are included in our room & board price, we were invited to join in the festivities. It was a wonderful evening with the buffet served lakeside. 

Children's Choir

 Sunday morning we went to church again at the church adjoining the compound where the press is set up. The church has about 5 different choirs who all took turns singing special numbers again & again. The music wound up after about 2 hrs. They have many microphones and huge speakers at the front of the church, one of them set up right by where the special guests sit (US :). The problem comes in that the volume of each of these speakers is maxed out, and the choir members are singing at the tops of their voices. It's really a killer on the ears! After the music, the pastor began his sermon which lasted for another hour. Judd had the privilege of closing the serve in a Swahil prayer (but I didn't understand a word).  Once the service was over, there was a quick switcheroo to get ready for a wedding in the sanctuary. We were able to make our escape and head back to our room. 

 The grounds of the guesthouse we're staying at are extremely picturesque so many wedding parties come here for photos on the grounds. On Saturday there were 15 groups here for photo shoots. We usually stay in our rooms, but it makes for some rather loud afternoons. 

 It's the rainy season here. Right now as we write this we're watching a storm front make it's way toward us from across the lake. The winds have picked up and it's getting cool outside. Hopefully the rains hold up for a time allowing us to make our way to the dining room for dinner. It's been nice visiting with you tonight. Hope this finds you and yours well and safe.

End of the Week

Prepping to cut.

KiHavu New Testament complete.

Hekima Church compound where the shop is.

This week brought it's own set of challenges.  The printers are up and running, and the guys have learned how to laminate a book cover, bind the inside pages to the cover, and run the cutter to trim off the edges to make the books look good.  Mind you, this can be done only so long as the electricity is running.  The print system comes with battery backup for the printers, but the bindery equipment is reliant on the local power.  It's been a very rainy week with lots of power outages.  It was exciting to finally see copies of the New Testament coming off the presses.  The crew was very excited to see these and to have had a part.  The Bishop, too, was very excited to see the finished product.  Judd has also been introducing some of the Chapa Serve books he brought with him electronically for the crew to practice their skills.  The local pastors are thrilled about this and anxious to have some of these titles available.

Answers to Prayer

 

Yesterday  (9/6) it was good to see the first book from off the new binders in Goma.  The Bishop and other pastors were excited to see Habari Njema ya Yoane (Good News from the book of John).  Today the electricity was off for most of the day, so training was printing sample covers and sample pages for bindery prep (off battery power).  Hopefully electricity will be up & running tomorrow so we can continue training and get the bible production up & running.

We're also praising the Lord for answering out prayer about housing arrangements for September 11-30.  We have been able to move in earlier to our Oct-Nov arrangements due to availability.  What a special retreat place this is, along the shore of Lake Kivu in the city of Goma.  We're in a 3 bedroom apartment where we will need to share accommodations periodically in the other 2 bedrooms.  The kitchen and living room are shared spaces and plenty big enough.  Right now as I type this from our balcony, an armed guard is doing his rounds patrolling the grounds.   There is also currently a large group of medical personnel from Australia sharing the compound with us.  (Dinner for 21, anybody?) Their group size was smaller than anticipated, so we were able to help fill the vacancy.  Our evening meals together have been serving about 20 people.

Another answer to prayer happened last week.  We brought a suitcase of parts to be used to get the machine we brought out 10 years ago back and running.  It was heavy and caused some raised eyebrows at the security checkpoints, but made it through 3 border entries without problem.  While we were staying at the Catholic rooming house, Judd made contact with a priest who was staying at the same facility as we were.  After chatting with him, Judd learned that he would be returning to the area where these parts needed to go.  He agreed to carry the suitcase with him where it can be retrieved by our contact in the city of Beni.  God is so good.  We're hoping these replacement parts will enable them to continue the work of producing the discipleship materials and tracts for pastors in that area.  

We will try to keep this site updated the best we can.  Internet service has been sporadic, at best (today is a good day!)

The End of our First Week in Congo

Saturday night here, the end of our first week in Congo.  We arrived in Congo on Wednesday after a 4 hour drive through beautiful Rwanda.  The border crossing was all sorts of chaos, but we were able to make it through with our bags without too much hassle.  The van that brought us to the border  was not able to actually cross the border, so we had to hire some porters to carry our bags from the parking lot to the final checkpoint.  By the time we finally arrived at our arranged lodging, it was good to be able to rest and get ready for the installation of Imprimerie Siloam.  There are 4 young men who were there to be trained; they did a good job in getting the shelving all set up, the big bindery equipment set up, and all 11 printers set up and running.  The progress was quite good.  Today (Saturday) we spent running errands around the city.  We visited some missionaries we knew at the Maji Matulivu guest house and were very thankful that they were able to help us get our lodging situation worked out for those days we did not have lodging arranged.  Praise God for this answer to prayer  The lakeside place we have been staying was very peaceful except for today.  It is extremely scenic, so bridal parties (and all their guests) come here for their wedding photos.  We enjoyed the afternoon watching 4 large wedding parties in all their finery pose for many, many photos.  We were able to sit on the deck of the building here we are staying and watch the big crowds taking their turns at all the scenic spots.  Tomorrow is Sunday - we will attend Sunday service at the church compound where the print shop is located.  So many unknowns but these things I know for sure.....the service will be long, and we will be asked to sit in a seat of honor on the front platform (not my favorite place!).  We will let you go for tonight.  Hopefully the days ahead will find us at a place with more reliable wi-fi connections.  Thanks so much for your prayers.  We love you all.