Brazzaville

October 21-25

I arrived in Brazzaville on Monday around noon, and spent a nice afternoon at the Bravo Guest House relaxing and catching up with friends that I hadn’t seen for the last two months. Tuesday morning I delivered letters and money and papers I’d been sent down with, and got things sorted out with bills and money that needed to be exchanged. When that was all finished, I had time to read my favorite book and take a nap. Jeannichelle cooked a lovely supper for me.

In the afternoon I got to meet up with Barb, a C&MA missionary working in Brazzaville. We went to Casino, the grocery store, together and got specialty items like chocolate and salami and yogurt to take back up to the Impfondo folks. Barb was really wonderful and invited me over to her apartment afterwards where we talked and had ice-cold fruit smoothies. That was a real treat! I haven’t had a smoothie, or anything sweet and cold like that, for quite some time now. :) But the best part was getting to talk with her. 

I took a taxi back to the guest house and went to bed early. Wednesday morning I could hardly wait to go with Honore to the airport. The hours seemed to drag by, because I was waiting in such anticipation of seeing Father. Finally it was time to go, and we didn’t have to wait long before we had Father and his luggage and ourselves all back in the truck and were heading back Bravo. That same afternoon we walked around, hopped on a bus and took a “tour” of sorts of the city. We got out and went through a large market and then when we tired of that we hailed a taxi and went back to our lodgings.

Thursday Father slept in late, we ate a lovely breakfast prepared by Jeannichelle, and then we went to the grocery store again. In the afternoon we went to the rapids with Guylvi and Dulce. It was a really pretty place and watching some little boys jump into the rushing water was pretty entertaining. Afterwards, a whole bunch of us went out to dinner, including two visitors who’d just arrived from Impfondo and the couple that ran the guest house.

Bright and early Friday morning we were on our way to the airport and then after a few short hours we arrived “home” in Impfondo. In a way, I felt like I was coming home after being away for five days. I was really happy to be back and excited to show Father my place and all the wonderful people I now know here.

Us getting from the airport to our house at the mission ended up being quite the ordeal. One truck set out to get us, and got a flat tire. Another one set out and broke down. Molimo began working on changing the tire of the first truck, and I think the second one got left to be dealt with later. 

After a two-hour wait at the airport, Dr. Harvey (of all people) showed up, straight from the hospital, stethoscope still hanging around his neck, to rescue us from our plight. As soon as we were back at the mission he set to fixing the truck and then went straight back to the hospital to see twenty outpatients. (In case you didn't know, he manages to do everything and then some). So that ended my trip to Brazzaville…and it was a good one.  

Now back to helping at H.E.L.P. and all that entails.