Gary and I needed to travel to Uvira to check out a new apartment for the Uvira elders.  The one they are living in is disgusting, so we asked Jean Paul to see what he could find for the elders.  He made arrangements for us to meet Friday with the owner of a two level home in Uvira.  First of all we needed to cross the border into the Congo, and for the first time there was a man who had a little "temperature gun" who was checking everyone going into the Congo to see if they had a temperature.  This is the first time since we have been here that anyone actually checked for possible Ebola cases at the border.

     Not only did they check for people with fevers, but they had posted a sign at the border crossing with words to live by.  I pass these on as good advice in helping you avoid Ebola:

     "DO NOT TOUCH OR EAT DEAD MONKEYS, CHIMPS, GORILLAS, RATS, BATS OR       PIGS THAT YOU MAY FIND IN THE FOREST.    

     You're welcome.  And don't you forget it!

     We inspected the house with the 2 levels in Uvira, and decided it would be a good move for the 4 elders.   They can live upstairs and a senior couple could live on the main level.   Apart from the customary touch ups and clean ups there was just one little problem with the house.  It doesn't have a kitchen.  So the owner promised he would put a kitchen in, and we are supposed to take possession the first of December.  Here are a couple of photos of the new digs:

     We finally bid a fond farewell to Remy, the young man who has been living behind us since we arrived.  At the airport, we ran into a problem with his ticket (Kinshasa had forgotten to pay for it), so he couldn't make his flight the day he was supposed to leave.  He had to leave the next day.  Elder Kapata, who was with us at the airport, told Remy that this was the 1st "test" of his mission, the first problem that he would have to deal with.  People here don't expect things to go smoothly or as planned, and if you are serving a mission, it becomes a challenge of faith to overcome the various disappointments and difficulties.  They learn to take problems and setbacks in stride because it is a normal part of everyday life for them.   Back home we tend to get more bent out of shape because we just EXPECT things to go as planned.  Maybe their life of hardship makes them more resilient than our life of plenty makes us.  Or maybe we have higher expectations of life in general!

                               Remy as he is about to leave for his mission in Benin