The Martin's Blog

Congo Conflict

Thursday, November 20, 2008

     The Democratic Republic of Congo has been in the news a lot lately, as I'm sure you have noticed. Many of you have been asking what is going on and if it affects our future plans. So, here is a brief summary:

     Since the DRC gained its independence in 1960, there has been a history of unrest and civil war in the country. For the past few years things have been on a relatively peaceful track with scattered periods of instability. However, recently one of the rebel forces has increased activity in the eastern area of the country and is now near the town of Goma (just over the border from Rwanda and Uganda). This has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people fleeing their homes.

     MAF's base in eastern Congo is north of this area in Bunia. Obviously, the tension level for everyone working in these areas has increased. So far, though, the planes are still able to safely fly and assist the people and agencies still working in the area.

     For us this does not yet affect our plans for the future. We are still planning to leave for Congo in July. We are in good communication with the team already over there and they are obviously monitoring the situation closely.

     This has, however, made us more aware than ever of why this area needs the impact of the gospel. We have been praying for safety for the Congolese people and for the foreigners working there, for resolution of the current conflict, and most importantly for God to work in the lives of all involved. Please continue to pray with us.

                                                                                                                                                           ~Joey and Kathleen

Not having it my way!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

     A few Sunday's ago, we went to a well-known fast food restaurant known for its desire for the customer to "Have it your way,"--or in French, "Always to your taste." We eat there often and take advantage of the opportunity to practice our French. On this particular day, the conversation did not go quite as planned.

(All in French)

Joey: Hello, I would like 2 burgers and a large Boisson (drink).

Cashier: Poisson? (fish)

Joey: Yes, a Boisson. (drink)

Cashier: So...with fries and a drink?

Joey: Yes.

Cashier: That will be $10.47.

     The price was my first clue that something was wrong. However, since I barely knew enough French to order my food, I really didn't see much hope for a conversation about the price. My second clue was the cup they put on my tray...a medium. It all became very clear when the food came. There were two burgers, one order of medium fries, a medium drink...and a fish sandwich!

I felt like an idiot, but at least three good things came out of it:

-I have a funny story.

-I will never forget the words for "fish" and "drink".

-AND I also got to eat the extra burger!

                                                                                                                                                                                  ~Joey

SNOW!!!!!!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

     Today we had our first snow storm of the season! The ground was covered when we left for school this morning. The snow continued to fall lightly all day. There is something wonderful about sitting in a warm library studying while through the window you can see the snow blowing around. It was beautiful to watch.

"Merci, Seigneur, pour la neige!"

                                                                                                                                                                               ~Kathleen

One Month Anniversary

Friday, October 3, 2008

      We have been in classes for one month as of today. It seems long and short at the same time. Each day we sit in class working on vocabulary, grammar, and our conversation skills. It does not feel like we are moving forward by leaps and bounds. More like baby steps. However, as we looked back today over this past month and all we know now that we didn't know at the beginning we are amazed...and grateful.

     We have a wonderful teacher who is very patient and has a great sense of humor. Our classmates are fun to learn with. We have a wonderful apartment to come home to at night and friends and family who are praying for us. So, we are grateful to the God of little and large blessings. One month down...nine to go.

     "Béni soit le Seigneur chaque jour! Quand on nous accable, Dieu nous délivre." Psalm 68:19

     "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation." Psalm 68:19

                                                                                                                                                                           ~Kathleen and Joey

So it begins...

 Sunday, September 07, 2008

     Bonjour! School has started! It was a short week...only Wednesday through Friday. However, we learned a lot and were ready for this weekend. Your brain can only handle so much information. :)

     These past few days and all of this coming week we are studying the phonetics of the French language. Like in English, each of the letters in the French alphabet makes a certain set of sounds. In addition the combination of some letters create different sounds. For example: in English "t" and "h" each have their own sounds, but when combined "th" they make a different sound. So, our goal during these days is to learn all of those sounds.

     The good news is we are starting to be able to pronounce words correctly that we see on signs and in books, adds, newspapers, etc. The bad news is that there are sounds in French that are REALLY hard for our American mouths to make. Each class period and our homework time is a workout for our facial muscles and tongues!

                                                                                                                        ~Kathleen