Update from the Congo
Art & Mapuka Mehaffey – Congo
It has been some time since you have heard from the Mehaffey family. We are all doing fine here in Kinshasa. Things are about the same here as they have been for the last several months.
Art & Mapuka Mehaffey – Congo
It has been some time since you have heard from the Mehaffey family. We are all doing fine here in Kinshasa. Things are about the same here as they have been for the last several months.
The political situation here in the Congo seems to be progressing on the road towards democracy. Last December they voted to approve a new constitution and it was officially put into effect a couple of weeks ago on February 20, 2006. With the new constitution there are already a few new changes. There are now 25 provinces in the country instead of 11. There is also a new Congolese flag. It is blue with a yellow star in the upper left corner and a large diagonal stripe of red bordered by smaller yellow ones. It is actually the same flag that the Congo had from 1963 to 1971. Elections have been tentatively set for the middle of June 2006. The national parliament and the provincial parliaments should be elected at this time. There will also be a presidential election at this time. If no one receives over 50% of the vote, there will be a run-off election about a month later. This undoubtedly will happen, as there are about 20 candidates at this time.
The Mehaffeys have also moved into a different house here in Kinshasa. The church (CDCC or Community of the Disciples of Christ of the Congo) here owns a large house in the MaCampagne area of Kinshasa. It was originally bought as a hostel for the missionary children who attended The American School of Kinshasa (TASOK). It had gotten run down over the last 15 years or so. Part of the house has now been renovated so that we are able to live in it. It is also near TASOK where Marie and Michael attend school. The plans are for the rest of the house to be renovated to make a guesthouse. This should provide some income to the CDCC as well as provide a nice place to stay for visitors here in Kinshasa. However there is now no money to renovate the rest of the house, so things might change before plans are actually finalized for the house.
Speaking of TASOK, Marie and Michael are actively involved in the classes and after-school activities there. Marie, 14, is in the ninth grade and is involved in the typical teenage and high school things, such as dance, soccer, and her friends. Michael, 12, is in the sixth grade, which is middle school here. He is taking part in soccer, trying to learn to play the guitar, and generally doing the things sixth grade boys do. Vanessa, 4, our youngest, is in a French-speaking pre-school. She is learning to count in both French and English and can print her name. She goes from about 8:00 A.M. until noon. All of them are actively involved on Sunday morning in the Sunday School at the English-speaking International Protestant Church of Kinshasa. Marie helps to teach Vanessa’s class and she and Michael are also involved in the youth group that meets on Sunday afternoons.
Art has been kept busy with his work as a liaison between the churches here in both Congos and the Global Ministries Africa Office in the U. S. This is mostly administrative work and the tasks are fairly mundane. He is also on the TASOK school board and that keeps him busy four or five evenings a month. He also likes to play softball at TASOK most Saturday afternoons.
Madeleine has been keeping busy with the orphanage, but its future is undecided at this time. The orphanage is supposed to be a cooperative venture between the CDCC and the non-governmental organization that has been set up. The 16 orphans have been at the “House of Hope” for slightly over a year now and seem to be thriving. They are being fed, schooled and cared for well now. She hopes that this will continue and will expand, but the outlook is very undecided now.
Thanks for all your prayers and concerns. We continue to appreciate all the different types of support that we receive. Please continue to keep us and the political situation here over the next several months in your prayers. Thanks for everything.
In Christian service,
The Mehaffey family – Art, Madeleine, Marie, Michael, and Vanessa
Art & Mapuka Mehaffey are missionaries with the Disciples of Christ in the Congo. Art serves in Kinshasa, and provides theological, educational, health and logistical support services. Mapuka serves in Brazzaville, and provides community education for the Disciples of Christ in Brazzaville, Congo.