Day one in Brazzaville

Before going on this trip, I visited the Brookline Public Library to look for books on the Republic of Congo or Cameroon. I found the Africa section, and all the shelves- especially the part dedicated to the Congo- were full of books about war and scandal, atrocities and darkness. I realized how my job on the trip would be to bear witness to the other Congo, a place of light and love instead of the "Dark Heart of Africa." What I didn't realize was how incredibly easy this would be. It started with our first enthusiastic hugs from Angelique and her sister at the airport- it took at least five minutes of hugs and greetings before she took the time to find out which one of us was which. Since that moment, we have been envealoped with the most wonderful love and light. It has shown itself in the curious hands of Sunday School students examining my hair and asking if it is real, the plastic bag full of avocados given to us after a meeting by one of the members, and the hotel employee who began singing along to the hymn I hummed subconsciously. The healings that began both of our meetings have been so incredibly inspiring; the Christian Science movement is in very good hands here.