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Bitter-Sweet

1/28/2015

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This is a bitter sweet time for me as I have recently left the village behind and gone to Kinshasa in preparation for leaving Africa and returning home in just a few short weeks.

I've been so very blessed here in Dibaya-Lubwe. I will miss the people here and would love to come back. The things I've seen and the people I've met have made an impact in my life. Never before had I seen so much death. Never before did I see children dying of hepatitis and jaundice! Never did I see so many doctors that don't know what they're doing and only see dollar signs with each sick person the comes in. Never before did I tear up as I was mobbed by children so excited to see "mama Kristine". Never before did I tear up because I was holding a dying child (dying with hep). Never before did I see blood all over a hospital floor from a mal-operation. Never before did I dance with half dressed village children, and laugh so hard. Never before did I wash my hair in the rain. Or teach Sunday school in Kikongo and lead women's bible study in Kikongo! Oh to hear the wails of the mourners, another lost in the river! Well I'm sure you get the idea. I have found that I am a very selfish, very spoiled, very imperfect person. I am very blessed and being here has taught me I have a greater purpose. I have a greater responsibility!
I love my orphan boys in Kinshasa and dirty Dibaya babies. And I will miss sitting in the hospital with my people singing in Kikongo.

I have learned what it's like to really trust God. I've learned what's it's like to say...God it's all you cause I can't do it! God it's all you cause you called me here and...what I'm about to do is dangerous or not safe but...it's a real battle and the war is hard and dark! And I see that in a very real way now. And no one back home knows how much I appreciate their prayers and love! No one knows how glad I am to hear "so and so asked how it's going and wanted me to tell you they are praying"!

January 1st...it was a good day! Several of our neighbors and church people came up to the "mission" and we enjoyed our time eating Congo food! Congo food is "fufu"(kinda like sour bread dough, it grows on you). "Ndunda" (a leafy green), "Nkombo", and a variety of meats.

After the meal we played "bis ball". That's how they pronounce base ball! Now in order to get a proper picture of the following game you should first know that the only game they understand is jungle ball (their version of soccer). So the game went a little like this;
Ok, all to the air strip (that's where we play ball). So now 20 of us are "ready" to play "bis ball" and the rest have abandoned us for the other side of the air strip to start a game of jungle ball! So first we have to help them put on the gloves! That's confusing business...I guess. Then next is putting everyone in their places. "Ok when The ball comes your way, catch it and try to make sure the person doesn't touch the base first" (simplified directions). "No papa David, don't run into the forest! It's not tag and running of the diamond isn't the point". After much coaxing and reassuring that runnin off the field into the forest wasn't part of the game, he reluctantly came "home". Next batter up to plate!! Papa Henry is his name. One strike! Two strikes! Third hit, whoooo he hit the ball. It was a good one I should add. And off to first base he goes...with the bat!! Now begins the process of explaining that he was supposed to leave the bat at home. So he throws it from first to home almost (when I say "almost" I mean about a foot) nailing the lady standing at home in the head! Next batter hits a good one and so papa Henry takes off to second base. But mama Germaine "guarding" second was literally guarding the base. Standing very firmly on the board we designated as second. Refusing to let papa Henry touch the base. "No this is my base and I'm not supposed to let anyone by". Not to mention the three people standing on third base insisting that they are running home. "No only one person on a base at a time" response..."no we are all here..see". Oh my!!! Well that's the short version of the very humerus game of bis ball!
We are in Kinshasa right now and unable to leave the mission compound because of the violence in the streets. Please pray that this situation would be resolved and that no more people would die needlessly.
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Pictures of the Family

1/17/2015

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We left this morning for Kinshasa. It was very difficult for me to say good-bye to the people I have come to know and love in the past few months, but I am also happy to be headed home in a few weeks after spending some time in the city.
It's a bittersweet time for me, but I'm thankful for the time I spent here.
Here's a few pictures of the Clancy's and I.
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Pictures of Daily Life

1/12/2015

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Water Tower

1/2/2015

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A recent project was to build and paint a water tower. I helped Pastor Sparky with it and even ran the chop saw!!
After it was built, Ruth and I had fun painting it :)
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Singing

12/19/2014

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One of the things I really love about Africa is the singing. I love to sing! And the African people love to sing!
I recorded some of the people singing so here are two videos . Enjoy!
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Poem by Hudson Taylor

12/12/2014

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" ..Yes. That is how it ever has been, ever must be with the people of God.
Until we are carried quite out of our depth, beyond all our own wisdom and resources, we are not more than beginners in the school of faith. Only as everything fails us and we fail ourselves, finding out how poor and weak we really are, how ignorant and helpless, do we begin to draw upon abiding strength.
'Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee.'; not partly in Thee and partly in himself. The devil often makes men strong, strong in themselves to do evil- great conquerors, great acquirers of wealth and power.
The Lord on the contrary makes His servant weak, puts him in circumstances that will shew him his own nothingness, that he may lean upon the strength that is unfailing. It is a long lesson for most of us; but it cannot be passed over until deeply learned. And God Himself thinks no trouble too great, no care too costly to teach us this."
-Hudson Taylor


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Urgent Prayer Request

12/7/2014

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Here in the Congo there are many adopted children who are stuck here while their adoptive parents are in America. Some of them have been in this situation for almost a year and some of them are not doing well.

Missionaries and others concerned for the children have been meeting with government officials to try to get the situation resolved. The officials have been helpful, but it seems that no one knows how to resolve the problem.

Immigration has decided to refuse exit letters for adopted children until future notice. Many of these children had all their papers but the exit letters and are now stranded here, separated from their parents.

Please pray that this issue would be resolved and that the children could be reunited with their parents.

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Someone's Birthday...

12/7/2014

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Wow! I can't believe I turned 19 today! I had a chocolate cake to celebrate with.
Here's a short video of my attempts to blow out the candles :)
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Prayer Letter

12/1/2014

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Dear Friends and Family,

“And Jesus said to him, no one who puts his hand to the plow, and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God”. Luke 9:62

                I apologize it’s been so long since you’ve heard from me. Praise The Lord the internet is working (sometimes). So, I’ll do my best to sum up the last for months.

                God has been very good and faithful in providing. Thank you all for your prayer. Since being in Congo I’ve seen the power of prayer in a very real way. “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many”. 2 Cor 1:11

                Clear back on October 1st I had the opportunity to attend the birth of beautiful baby boy. His name is Emerode, which is French meaning good and precious things. And, that he is!! I’ve also been able to get to know his mom, who is my age.

                In Congo “rainy season” usually starts the middle of August and goes through till May. Without “rainy season” there are no gardens, and a major shortage of water. Generally during rainy season the fevers don’t become epidemic. In rainy season it generally pours torrential rains at least three times a week. And, in between those down pours, we see the sun. This year rainy season is tardy. We still have not yet seen it, although a few times we thought it was here. Sadly, sickness is at a high and many people are dying. There are a few fevers going around that have taken many of the village children as well as a few adults. However, God is faithful and he knows our need. We continue to trust that he will send this much needed season in His time.

                So, I’m not sure how familiar you all are with the name “Driver Ant”. Really to get the full effect of the following story, you should look them up on YouTube and then finish this letter. The story (as told by Mama Myndii) goes like this:

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November 10, 2014

            It’s about midnight.  I awake to the feeling that the wind changed…a sure sign that a storm is on its way.  Pastor Sparky hops out of bed to shut the school room windows (most often the storms come from that side).

            Just as Pastor Sparky gets back into bed, lightning divides the sky, thunder follows closely behind, and the clouds suddenly let loose of their water storage.  We usually let it rain for a good 20 minutes before we start our water collection (if you saw the filth that flows off our roof that first 20 minutes, you would well understand why!)…however, this has been an extremely tardy rainy season, and we need the water…so out of bed we come, gathering buckets on our way to the door. 

PTL for that rain burst…as it got us out of bed…

            We got 3 buckets filled when Pastor Sparky stopped to shine his head-light on our hand-washing basin that sits just beside our dining room table (our only running water).  Why he chose to look there must have been a God thing! Myndii saw him pause…and with natural curiosity, she asked why.  His response will send chills down the spine of anyone that will recognize the name of the creatures in his answer: “Are these Driver Ants?  I think they are!”

            Driver Ants!  Millions! (Possibly billions!) Inside! All over the kitchen…with a trail through the dining room!  The thought that passes through everyone’s minds: this is going to be a LONG night. And it was.  What an epic battle! It’s one thing to fight them outside, with the goal of keeping them OUT of the house…but quite a different battle to get them to leave your kitchen! Especially when they seem quite content to stay a while.

            In the meantime, our guard was doing an emergency evacuation of our poor bunnies...as the Ants had completely surrounded the rabbit hutch and were quite intent on eating all of its contents.  (The bunnies safely spent the rest of the night with him in his guard house.)

            Thousands of lives were lost in our kitchen when Sparky deployed the insecticide defense, and so after a few hours, their General finally admitted defeat and called his troops back…leaving a massive Driver Ant grave yard of their casualties behind them. They retreated right back through the 1-ant-size hole they’d found in the kitchen window screen (on the list to be repaired today!). As they retreated, this caused quite a bottle neck, as they were attempting to retreat in a line 4-5 ants wide.  But eventually, they made it safely back to the exterior and down the hill.  Once they sound the retreat, it’s not usually necessary to battle further, however we did stay up to make sure they didn’t rally the troops for another attack. 

            This morning, we found a few hundred stragglers obviously attempting to find their comrades that had escaped through the window last night.  We swept them up and threw them out the back door…because Driver Ants don’t like to leave anyone behind, and they would be calling for back up!  We’re praying they don’t decide to come back tonight to find out what was so interesting that we were trying to protect…BUT, they really don’t give up easily, so we are preparing for all-out battle again tonight!

            In case you are wondering why I capitalize “Driver Ant” every time it’s because they really do deserve that much respect!  Whoever decided that the lion was the king of the jungle, never came to Congo…everyone here knows that the Driver Ant is KING…Even the lions run!

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            We had the amazing opportunity to go as a family to Ndongo-Welo. Ndongo-Welo is a small village of approximately 2,000 people on the edge of the Equitorial Rainforest (second largest in the world). We left early on a Sunday morning, praying we’d cross the Kasai River (largest tributary on the Congo river) and cut through the forest in time for church!! We started on our journey with two canoes (dug out by hand from mahogany) chained together, side by side. But, we reached a place at which we had to separate because the passage had become so narrow. Slowly we inched up the passage dodging trees and vines along the way.

            Long story short, we made it safely to Ndongo-Welo about two hours later. We were greeted by a group of friendly villagers eager to carry our things and show up to church. I was very blessed to see their desire to serve God, and have us in their village. After church on Sunday we taught the children “red rover”. I’m still not sure they got the idea but it was fun!! We also enjoyed singing with the children, teaching them “Esango” which means “Joy” in Lingala, and “to bundaka te” which means “do not fight”, also in Lingala.

            It was a refresher, and a blessing to see a people eager to love the Lord!! An experience I will not soon forget. The night I spent in the Equitorial Rainforest, I was nearly eaten by every mosquito in Congo…I’m sure of it!!

            Recently I was at the hospital visiting a lady from church who had just had an operation. Her husband was also there, and so the three of us decided to sing!! I love singing, and now that I understand the language I’ve very blessed by the songs. (Praise the Lord he has given me the ability to communicate with the people. I’ve studied and been laughed at many a time. But it pays off and you’ll see why at the end of the story). Together we sang “Mono zola ve kwenda mpamba” which means “I do not want to go empty handed”. As the three of us got to the 4th verse:

O baklisto sala nswalu, sala bu ntangu ikele, sosa bantu ke na mpimpa, bu bau me fwa ntete ve. Mono zola ve kwenda mpamba, na ntwala Mfumu Yesu, ata muntu ikele ve, Ya kupesa na yandi.

Which means:

O Christian work, work for the time is coming. Search for men who are still in the darkness. Search, before they die. I do not want to go empty handed and stand before the King Jesus and have nothing to say when he asks, did you tell any man?!?

Wow, at that point as I sat in that room (a room in which most would be appalled to have their dog looked at), and sang with these people I was very blessed and challenged. After we had finished the song Papa Mona looked at me and said, “When you stand before God, what will you say”??

            Mama Myndii (mama and papa to show respect. Not meaning mother and father, a Congo custom), and I have been very blessed doing Sunday school with the children. We started out with the life of Christ. Thank you to New Tribes for your wonderful pictures that we’ve been using!! The children already has a good understanding of creation. The previous Sunday school teacher had been stuck in Genesis 1 and 2 for the last two years. Long story!! Anyway, we’ve tackled the project as a team and have been very blessed thus far. Continue to pray that the Lord would help raise up the next generation so that this work is not in vain.

            This update is already forever and day long!! I really could go on, and on. Thank you so much for your prayers, we see the effects of them every day. Please continue to pray for safety and wisdom. And, even though I can’t always respond, I do get your emails! It means a lot to hear from people at home.

There are lots of pictures on the Photos page so be sure to take a peak! It is updated frequently with new images of life here so check back often.


 

    Joyfully His,

Kristina Anter

 

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Introduction

5/21/2014

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  As my first post here at Joyfully His, I thought I would share a little about what has been
going on in my life and exactly why I started my blog.

The last few months have been occupied with finishing the children's school, church
activities and settling our newest addition, Simeon, into the family. There is never a dull moment around the Anter home!

It is very exciting for me to share with everyone how the Lord is working in my life right
now. As man of you know, I have struggled to find direction for my life over the past few months. I have been praying for God to open up ways for me to serve Him. There have been many opportunities for me to serve in our community, and recently a door has been opened for me to serve in D. R. Congo.

This all began in 2005 when my mom, Danielle, met missionary Christine Grings on her
return trip home from Liberia. Mrs. Grings helped my mom through the Brussels airport with my sisters. They have kept in contact since that eventful day. Last summer, the Grings Family came for a visit. I was inspired by their mission and testimonies. Since my younger years, I have always had a heart for missions abroad. When the Grings family left, they included an invitation for anyone in our family to come to Congo and help spread the Gospel. I never imagined that I would later take them up on it!

There have been many opportunities for me to serve, but it seemed as quickly as they came up; the door would close. The first conversation I had with Mrs. Grings amazed
me. They were looking for someone just like me to help the Clancy Family in the mission field. It seemed like the Lord has just opened a new door!

I have been praying about if it is Jesus' will for me to go to the interior of the D. R.
Congo. As time has went on, everything has seemed to fall into place. They need someone to help with homeschooling their three children, canning and chicken
butchering. That's me! The person must have a heart to share the Gospel and
compassion for people. That's me! They are looking for someone that can handle rice and beans and living simply. That's me too! I feel that all along the Lord has been preparing me. 

In Congo, I will also be helping with the Bible Institute in many different ways. My stay
will be in the interior which is a two day drive from the nearest city. There will be no running water or electricity. Aside from an actual structured building for a house, I will be living like the natives. I believe this will be an asset to reaching out to the people there. 
 
My departure is August 8th, 2014. I will be in the D. R. Congo for six months.

Will you pray for me?

Please pray:

~That the Lord Jesus would help me to have a heart to serve and be effective.

~That Jesus would guide me and protect me. Keep me safe and healthy.

~That I could be a blessing to the Clancy family (the family that I will be helping and living with)
~That the Lord would bring the funds necessary to support my mission as I work.

I do not know exactly what kind of internet access I will have while I am in the Congo,
but I hope to keep you all up to date through this blog, a journal of sorts :) I plan on sharing plenty of pictures!

Joyfully His,

Kristina N. Anter
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