When the girls returned home and shared their conversation with Esther, Rob and Cathy responded swiftly. They rode off on the dirt bike,...

Five weeks marched by in regular succession. Alessandra continued to study the Lingala language, and her teacher Katey was happy with her...

Walking through the early morning forest was an exercise in exhilaration for Alessandra. Everything smelled fresh and heavy with tropical...

Saturday morning came early, the day Alessandra was to head to the garden with her Congolese friend. She woke early, dressed in loose,...

Thursday and Friday were fairly uneventful days. Alessandra studied with Katey and was pleased to hear him praise her progress. She was...

That Wednesday, Alessandra cooked the main meal, surprising the family with a Mexican lasagna, made with homemade tortillas. That evening...

After the ladies’ meeting, several of the Congolese women walked beside Cathy and Alessandra. Mama Tshala invited Alessandra to go to her...

Alessandra enjoyed seeing the home of Katey and Matshingi and meeting their children. She especially loved seeing how the couple...

On Wednesday morning of that same week, the ladies headed over to Katey and Matshingi’s home for the women’s meeting. Alessandra followed...

After a supper of tortillas made by Alessandra, filled with tomatoes, avocados, and jarred cheese, the family did a devotional time. For...

After breakfast that morning, Katey showed up to give Alessandra her first Lingala lesson. A front room on the house was set aside as a...

Alessandra woke the next morning with the dream of American cuisine lingering in her mind. Her second thought was about the heavy thud...

Alessandra was reflecting on the provision of God when she crawled into bed on that Sunday evening but was awakened with an entirely...

Leaving behind the bit of historical civilization, the group continued on to the house of their friends. Mwamba and his wife Chantelle...

Sunday afternoon the Carmichael family and Alessandra received an invitation to dine at the home of one of the church members. Alessandra...

Sunday morning dawned hot and bright. While everyone was eating breakfast, they discussed how to get to church. Normally Rob carried...

The rest of that first Saturday passed at a relaxed pace, with Alessandra practicing her bread-making skills and the family enjoying the...

Later that first day of Alessandra’s arrival, the family ventured out to the market to look for supplies and hand out reading material...

Cathy and Alessandra continued to speak about the resilience and patience of the Congolese people and their strength to endure hardship...

The tropical dawn awoke Alessandra with a beauty all its own. A loud screeching sound caught her attention, and she looked out the window...