NELSON NEWS: Year of 2011

It’s been a little rough updating in 2011 so we wanted to have a look back and show you what the past year has held. Comment any questions that you have and we would be glad to answer them.

We experienced our Christmas in Pointe Noire with Fabienne and Nicaise’s family. For Christmas the kids all get their hair done and dress up. It is the cutest thing.

Fabienne and I are pictured here at the women’s retreat this past August. It was an amazing time together. It is nice to have good friends.

With new friends came new food. 2011 was a great year for getting to know the Congolese diet. In this picture is manioc (the one that looks like a worm J) and fish in a tomato sauce with some fried eggplant on the side. YUM

Avocado’s grow here but they are yellow on the inside so we made some yellow guacamole.

Sometimes we feel quite spoiled like the mornings when we get fresh beignets (fried dough balls, like doughnut holes) from down the street and a fresh mango. Of course Carma added some green tea to this special breakfast.

The sky here at the port can be so beautiful. We take a walk almost every evening when it is cooler. It’s the most beautiful time to walk.

Unfortunately, this beautiful scene is often interrupted by trash or oil. In this scene all of the black lines on the beach are oil from a spill offshore. It is sad to be reminded of how the world’s oceans are being polluted.

Right off the beach we have a mangrove filled with nesting white egrets. They are funny birds and quite a sight to see.

“Chaud, pain Chaud, Chaud…” It is the call of the bread sellers. It translates to “Hot, bread, hot, hot…” We hear it outside our house. If you want bread you call out “Chaud”. He finds where the call is coming from and then you go to the gate and buy some fresh bread.

Radio Sangu ya Mbote (Radio Good News) got their broadcast tower up this year. Nicaise is the leader of this successful 10 (going on 11) year Christian Radio operation.

This is Nicaise recording for the radio station. He will come over and talk to Wyman for hours to prep for his on air sermons. Wyman is also called over to help with electrical problems.

Nicaise asked Steve Clouser to come as a guest speaker on the radio. He gave his four day seminar in front of the Radio Station.

Steve Clouser is a long time friend. Wyman and he enjoyed being together, goofing off in their free time.

This is the church in Mbukou. Honorine is currently heading the church. It may not look like much, but it has a roof and the bamboo siding allows the breeze to roll through. God is working in this little village church.

This is Honorine translating Wyman’s sermon into Munakatuba.

Our women’s group got together in Mboukou for a retreat over several days to pray and fast as well as celebrate life in Christ. We are coming from prayer at the house Wyman built. We had the money to build a concrete church instead of the bamboo one, but Honorine said that the bamboo church was fine. She suggested that we build a house in hopes that God will provide a pastor. In the meantime, Honorine is the leader of the church and is using the house as a part of her ministry.

This is the site of a church plant that Wyman and Jean-Philippe are working on in the village of Tchiamba-Nzazi. These are remains of an old structure that Wyman is considering to use as a foundation or a new building. We are looking financial support to get his building up and a church started here.

Last year we had the pleasure of working with a team from Georgetown, Ontario, Canada, to set up an English Camp. We enjoyed teaming with them to teach English and share the gospel of Jesus at the same time. They inspired this year’s upcoming program to help addicts in Pointe Noire. There is a huge alcohol problem here; we will be counseling addicts through the beginning steps of recovery from their addictions. We are currently in need of funds to support this new endeavor.

Wyman leads the construction of offices at the Center for Christian Studies. He is hoping to finish them soon.

The construction of this church building was halted for several years. Wyman is helping this congregation to finish the work that was started so that they can have a suitable place to worship.

This coming year, we are going to begin a sewing class as one of our first initiatives to train women skills to be used to supplement their income. Honorine makes pictures like this one and sells them to make a living. Each picture has a Bible verse that goes with it. This one is Proverbs 31:27, “She does not eat the bread of idleness”.

Part of Wyman’s ministry is to pray for the sick. Children are often sick in this area and infant mortality is high.

Children make up half of our congregations in most churches. They are half of the general population, but they are mainly ignored in terms of ministry and within the society. Reaching children needs to be a priority within our local churches.

This is the neighborhood where the Jean-Philippe provides for just shy of 100 orphans. He provides homes for street children and trade training to help get the young adults financially stable enough to get off the streets. He is also the pastor of a church in the same compound as the orphanage and has planted two more churches. Jean- Philippe also has a full time job for a government. It is a privilege to work with him.

In June we returned to the States to celebrate the marriage of our oldest daughter, Lindsay, to a fine, young man from Burma, Lamin Oo. Wyman had the privilege of marrying them. It was a joyous event.

During that time we went to visit Wyman’s family in Minnesota. This is Wyman and our daughter Andrea kayaking in Upper Bottle Lake there.

Unfortunately, Wyman made an unexpected trip back to Minnesota later that summer for his mother’s funeral. This is a picture taken during the time of our earlier visit. Ardis will be greatly missed.

Our son, Joel, started his Masters program in Creative Writing this year. He is a budding, young poet. Lindsay will graduate this coming June with her MS in Social Work. She is interested in counseling children in trauma. Our youngest daughter, Andrea, will graduate with her BFA in art with a minor in philosohy from the University of the Arts this May. We are so proud of our children.

Drea, got to bring in the New Year with us here in Congo. She gets one trip paid for by the Christian and Missionary Alliance so she took it this winter before she graduates from college. What a blessing to have her with us.