Community Service

These are the four orphans: Muhindo, Kambale, Kambale, and Manda.

The students of UCBC are required to do community service as part of their education here in Beni. One group of students went to visit orphans of the war here in the Congo. While they were there they discovered that the students didn't have anyone to ask for money to take their tests. Here for you to attend final exams you have to pay a fee for each test. Since the students were orphans, they couldn't ask their parents or family members for the money. So my students decided to take up a collection to help the students be able to take their finals. I was super excited to contribute and to see how my students saw a need and worked hard to meet it!

A Message from my Boss

This is an e-mail my boss Honore' sent me - it touched me a lot so I thought I'd share it with you:

Hi Sister Furaha,Thank you for the BT topics 4 and 5. Beyond all, thank you for the greatwork that you are doing for the Kingdom of God: transforming young people to become transformers. The seeds that you have sawn and are still sawing willyield great fruits someday. The Bible says, 'Things that eyes have not seen,things that people have never imagined, things that the heart has neverthought of, He has prepared for those who trust in Him.' Out of what youhave sawn and are sawing, will come things that you cannot imagine.I just wanted to say thank you for all you are doing. God bless you!

Honoré

Letter from my students!

My three students decided to write a letter to my agency that got me here - United World Mission - and also to you, my friends who support me in my endeavor here. They are praying hard that I will be able to stay the full two years here to teach them - but right now with the current economic situation in America it might not be possible, because some of the people who intended to give to the cause of the Congo Initiative have not been able to. They asked me to send their plea out to you to see if you would be able to help via prayers or financial support. I promised them that I would send it out to you. Here are their words that brought me to tears:









John MUSAVULI. Student at UCBC in Theology Department.






I sincerely thank the UWM for sending April to us. She had been more than a good theology Professor for my class. She has been both a teacher and a friend to us. Moreover, she is serving the University by arranging books in our library. In addition, she joined us in chaplaincy ministry at the school.
April is one of the people that God has made and prepared so that they can build into my life. Her Biblical theology class has supported both me and my ministry. I am patiently waiting for her Hebrew and Church History classes. More than every other thing, her personality has been a great blessing in my life. So, I thank first of all God who prepared her, secondly, the team that sent her and then herself for her sacrifices.









Michel N’SINGOMA, student at UCBC in Theology Department


As God has good plan for who believes to him, so Miss April is the one that God made to contribute in my life through her own life, her education and her experience by sharing with us from the USA to Congo, especially at UCBC in the theology faculty.







Joel ASIIMWE, student at UCBC in Theology Department.

Hi, I am Joel, one of three students of Theology Department at UCBC.
I’m personally blessed and motivated by April’s who is more than a Professor for me. She’s such an inspiring person in my life. Her class is usually friendly and enjoyable.
Her teaching methodology is strategic because it let us interact with her and discussions among ourselves. Since I commenced studying, I’ve never got such a teacher or professor. Most than that, she’s member of the chaplaincy Comity and member of the Ebenezer Worship Team, which is the worship team of our University.
I thank God for her presence here at UCBC for she’s so much useful to the school. I also thank the UWM for sending April here for the mission that she has here among us.
As the DRC needs a hand for lifting it up and people who have desire to put even one stone on the reconstruction of Congo. Surely, what you’re doing for contributing to the construction of the DRC is great. What you’re doing is not in vain. You’re not sawing in the air. God is faithful to what you’re doing; he’ll repay you back in his right time and his right way.
Thank you.

Dancing Dancing Dancing!!!!

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to dance!!! Even the first time Bora (one of the teacher's here at UCBC) met me - he told me that he could tell that I love to dance! I said, "how do you know." He said, "because you can't stand still!" How right he was!!!

Luckily, I've had lots of opportunities lately! First of all, we had a going away party for Luke and I taught my three students and my boss the electric slide and the kid & play that night! Then, I taught the ladies at the women's center the chicken dance. This past weekend at English club, I taught the guys the electric slide! They begged me to make it a regular feature at English club - learn a different American dance every week! It's hilarious!

I've learned a few Congolese moves through being in the school choir - so maybe when I get home to the states - I'll teach you all some new dances!

UCBC Library!

After months of hard work, the UCBC Library is open and ready for business! Thank yous go out to Luke and Angie for raising money to buy the materials to build the bookshelves! Super shout-outs go to Angie & Becca for helping me with entering all of the books into the cataloguing system! Lastly, thanks goes to Justin for his manly strength for helping to carry in the shelves and for taking this awesome picture! We are super excited to have probably the most extensive library of English books in the Democratic Republic of the Congo!

Women's Center

Every Wednesday, I go to the Women's Center. This is a place where women who are lonely housewives or widows or former prostitutes or tired mothers come to get a way to earn money for themselves. The women meet Tuesday-Thursday mornings at the UCBC Language Institute - a house that is owned by the school downtown. Some women attend classes and some just come for the fellowship. They all come together and make craft projects which we transport to the US to sell to help build them their own place and to give them a little money of their own. The women make cloth bracelets, pot holders, and paper bead necklaces to name a few. They sing as they work and it usually brings tears to my eyes.

I come on Wednesday mornings to give them a devotional and teach them some English. I teach them in Swahili and it has been great practice for me to become conversational quickly. I prepare my lessons on Tuesday and my Swahili teacher looks over it to make sure that I am grammatically correct. Then, on Wednesday I teach the ladies the lesson and then usually a song in English. I use a lot of little kid songs, because it is easier for me to explain to them in Swahili what the words mean. This last week, I taught them the chicken dance and they were laughing uncontrollably. I tried to explain that we do this dance at weddings or parties and they thought it was hilarious!

I've uploaded a video of the women at the center that my friend Angie made when she was here working with the women: http://www.flickr.com/photos/belgiumpostmods

My Students

These are the three reasons I needed to come to the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Joel, Michael & John! My "Holy Trinity." My three students who make my day every time we have class! I was recently asked if I would go through all the hard work to get here again - I would say without hesitation - "YES - they are worth it!"