Saying Farewell to our First Flat in the DRC

There are no words for us to say Goodbye to our guards and leave our first flat.
This has been a great first home for the past 6 months. I took these
pictures off the front step while it was raining.  It truly is magical here. Such
perfect color. They were taken in the order you see them. For those that
know me well the colors in the first picture are my favorite.  We move
into our new PINK flat completely on Monday.  We are moving some items
daily and moving all office furniture tomorrow (3-24). We have a
wheelchair project starting Monday so things are crazy.  Bob is at the airport
right now picking up the Program Specialists E/S Dow.  The trainers will arrive
tomorrow from the US.  We do our program Monday to Thursday and word has
it the Governor may come to the hand over program on Thurs.  That would
be huge!!!!  We leave on Friday for Zambia , with the Dow's to develop
a wheelchair program there.  We are busy, happy and missing all of
you. We hope to get our monthly letter done while in Zambia, but for now
enjoy this little slice of heaven.  Will add new flat pictures soon.
Hugs,
Bob and Wendy

Country Directors Conference in South Africa March 2012



Out of the 20 missionary couples in this picture half of them will be going home this year and the other half in 2013. They are from the United States and England.  They are serving in Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo Kinshasa, DR Congo Lubumbashi, Botswana,Mozambique and Madagascar.  There are Specialists from Salt Lake City and our very own Area Welfare Manager, Thabo.

We had a wonderful conference.  We were all able to attend a session at the Johannesburg Temple.  We filled the room.

It was really nice to visit with other Country Directors and listen to all their positive experiences.  We shared size of flats, water or none, power or non and hot water or none.  We could separate out the visitors from the US by the color of their white shirts.  It was dramatic to see the difference. LOL

We are now back in Lubumbashi getting ready for our Wheelchair project.  We are very excited to see some of our local friends receive chairs.  It is such a great honor to be a part of this great work.

After the project we leave immediately for Zambia.  We will be with the Wheelchair Program Directors and will try and develop a program in Lusaka.  We will also stay and have the opportunity to work with the Government in a Measles Immunization Campaign. We will be doing social mobilization for this program.  We will be back the first part of June to work the program.

Please know we miss and love all of you very much.
Hugs
E/S Bowers 

ZAMBIA NOT EASY TO GET TO BUT WELL WORTH IT

This is a question of how many people does it take to get across the boarder from DRC to Zambia and how much will it cost?

Could not resist this picture.  It was almost like being at home.

This was our great friend at the hotel. He was very attentive and did not talk to much.



At the teaching hospital were we did our NRT training we saw how families come to the hospital and do the wash for the patients and there is how they dry the clothes.  Family members have to bring the bedding, food, water and medicine to their family members. They also clean the room and patient and do all the wash.  We truly do not realize how others live.



This is Neo Natalie.  She is the teaching doll that is used in the training and then each hospital or clinic gets one to take back. It is truly something to watch the attendees get so excited at the prospect of saving just one baby after this training. These 92 attendees will go back to their respect homes and train approximately 2000 midwives.  Imagine if each one saves 5 babies each.  This training is truly an act of love and service to this country.

This is the graduating class from Lusaka.  The white faces are the trainers that donated their time and talents to do this.

This picture says it all in my book

This is one of the trainers, Liz.  She is wonderful and very fun.  This is where she tells the trainees that they are now the professors and will teach others.

Three very proud graduates!!

Graduating class from Kabwe

These lovely creatures were grazing on the hotel property in Ndola

Another visitor at the hotel.  Reminds me of my sisters house in Arcadia.

This is a sports complex in Ndola Zambia.  It was really something.  They do all sports here.

Our time in Zambia was well spent.  We will be returning the end of March to develop a wheelchair project with the program directors, Elder and Sister Dow from California.  We will continue there after they depart and work on a water project and a measles campaign for June.  We have new friends in Zambia and look forward to seeing them again.

Now off to Johannesburg for the Country Directors Conference. We leave Bashi on the 9th and will return on the 19th. Bob is really looking forward to going to a movie.  I think I will try and have someone make two eyebrows out of my one!!!

Hugs

Bob and Wendy

Life Goes On At The Whining Dog Ranch



Purebred Lowline Angus Mother Cow and Brand New Baby Bull Calf....
What should we call him?  March Madness?



Trying to play catch up. Potential Burundi Water Project

We are on the road to the first commune that we are looking at for a proposed water project. We have submitted the project covering two communes and about 20,000 beneficiaries.  We are waiting for approval at the Area Office in South Africa then it will be submitted to Salt Lake for approval.  Please send good thoughts and prayers for approval.



Can you find the boy in the picture.???



Does this look like a scene from "Lord of the Rings"  I so wanted a hobbit to appear....

Just look into those eyes.  What is she thinking?

We know what he is thinking.  Please do not let these white people take me away!!!



This is a very old church built by the Belgium back in 1930-1940.  It was lovely with beautiful stain glass windows.  It was on a hill and very nice to visit. 



This boat is a hallowed out log.  Did not ask how the fishing was going.

They just wanted to know what the White faces are doing in their Village.

She had that million dollar smile .

The woman in the middle is the leader of this first commune.  Sister Barlow is on the right.

These are two workers from Coped.  They are the potential partner for this water project.  Would you love to have the tall one on your basketball team?

Yes, along with being tall come the large feet!!

We are just getting ready to visit the second commune.  This one is high up at the top of the hills and had a great view.

OK, some of you know I love green bananas.  This is my ideal tree to have in my backyard.

In the second commune the leader has two guards that travel with him everywhere. Today he felt he only needed of them to travel with him.  I guess we did not look to threatening..

Elder and Sister Barlow.  They are the Short Term Water Specialists.  They are from Utah and so fun to have with us.  We want to develop more water projects so they will come back and see us.

I loved this woman.  I have no idea of her age, but you know there is a lot on her mind.

These are school children that if the project is approved will have clean water for the first times in their lives.  There are 800 students at this school in two shifts.  Along with clean water they will also receive latrines, also for the first time.  Oh, to be a part of this great work.  It is very humbling to play a minor role in such important work.

Stay tune for Zambia and "Helping Babies Breath".