Eating African drinking Canadian

For the past week, I have been eating African foods speciality of the DR Congo gourmets. Strangely, I have been drinking Canadian beverages, at least by name only. I found a local company (http://canadianbeverages.com) producing and selling Canadian Pure Water, Canadian orange, Canadian grenadine, etc. I Don't if the company has any Canadian connections. Their products bare our name though. I wish they are of good quality as well.
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Back in Africa after five years!

I'm in Africa once again after five years. I have arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital city of Kinshasa since last week Saturday night through Paris, France. The city is quiet and peaceful. DRC is a magic country with wonderful people and a mosaic of cultures from North to South and from East to West. I'm trying to have fun and to reconnect with old friends and family.
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Leaving Paris shoe less

It was Saturday 13h00, I was back at the airport to catch my flight to DR Congo re-scheduled at 15h15. The previous night bad experience with Air France was still strong in my mind. Just when I thought that it could not get any worse than that I was proven wrong. As I was preparing to pass through the security check at the designated gate for my flight, I place all my belonging on the convey belt to go through the X-rays machine. I place on the machine my jacket, belt, watch, laptop computer, my hand luggage and finally my shoes. All my belongings have already cleared the X-rays machine when I cleared through the metal detectors. But when I reach my stuffs and finished placing back the computer inside my hand luggage, I felt that something was missing. It was only when I put on my jacket that I realized that I was shoe less. I lost my shoes at the Paris Charles De Gaules (CDG) airport security check post. The shoes were no where to be found. I called on the agents that were present and they have found only one shoe beneath the X-rays machine but the other has just disappeared. The supervisor was called, and he asked their control centre to check the cameras footage to see if they can identify how the shoe disappeared and if anyone took it mistakenly.

After about half an hour the central replied that the footages from the overhead cameras at the post were inconclusive. Thirty minutes before my flight departure I still did not found my shoe. I asked if there is any store in the airport where I could buy new shoes but was told that there is no shoe store in the CDG airport complex facility. Wow!!! My flight was slightly delayed so that they could found me at least some running shoes or sneakers with the air carrier for the trip to Africa but Air France said "desole monsieur", that is "sorry, sir!". I saw a store selling some hats, I went in and found a pair of shoes but they were brand shoes selling at €648 (Euro). That was crazy. Unless you are really, really desperate behind hope why should anyone buy shoes at that price at the airport.

When it became really obvious that the plane would leave with or without me, I resigned to my fate and accepted to fly shoe less to Africa. I was not upset but puzzled to see that this has happened at the security check and they could not even see from the overhead camera footages what has really happened with one of my shoes I gave them to check in X-rays to gain access aboard an aircraft. The only thing I heard and got in abundance was "desole, desole" that's French for "sorry, sorry". I was marching and laughing of disbelieve as I walked into the aircraft shoe less, with socks only' the other shoe at my left hand. The security post supervisor gave me their reference and asked me to open a lawsuit against the Paris airport at my return back from Africa.

You should see the look on the faces of the immigration and people in the N'djili airport in DR Congo when they saw me walking literally with no shoes. Hah!hah!hah!, that was funny! Anyway, I'm alive and well in Africa even when arriving shoe less. Peace!
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Trouble in Paris with Air France

We arrived in Paris in the morning of June 8th. My next flight to DR Congo was scheduled at 23h50. I took advantage of the extra time to visit my in-laws in the suburbs of Paris. I came back to the airport around 21h30 but the boarding was delayed twice because of technical problems and a hydraulic leak. We were told that the aircraft has being changed; and were able to board at 2 a.m. But our relief was short-lived when the aircraft was started and there was a strong smell of fuel everywhere. Because of that our flight was cancelled altogether; and it was past 3 a.m. Everybody was exhausted, angry, mad and disoriented for lack of communication and for a very poor customer service from Air France agents. There was only 2 agents initially to take care of the over hundred people including children that needed food and a place to sleep. Over people begin to complain raising their voices, few more agents were sent to help orient people. The Police was also called in just in case things got overboard. But at the end everything went well and quietly. Everyone was given a hotel voucher but we went to hotel and slept with empty stomachs, it was around past 4 a.m.
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Traveling to Africa through Paris

I left Toronto on Thursday on my way to DR Congo in Africa to visit family and friends after five years.
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I have done it!!

Four years ago I have decided to go back to school to upgrade my education. I went to Tyndale University to do a Bachelor of Arts program in Business Administration with focus on International Development. Today, I am pleased to announced and declared that I have done it, I have completed my degree. Last Saturday I was officially conferred the B.A. degree at the convocation. It was not an easy journey at all but it was gratifying and life changing experience. So many sacrifices were done, so many friends and opportunities were lost or forgone in order to focus on my study but nothing can replace the sense of accomplishment I have at the end of my academic journey. I pray that this accomplishment serves as an example and a reason to motivation for many of my generation to strive for betterment in life. Anything is possible if we believe in God and in ourselves. I took a risk to forgo a paying manufacture job in order to go back to school and upgrade my education; and today my investment has paid out. Now that I have finished, I am looking for job, I am seeking for employment in the International Development. I want to serve the world, I would like to give back something of value to the community.







For more pictures of the convocation, please click the picture below

At the Graduation Ceremony

Road Trip to New York City

Hello everyone!

It has been almost a year since I have last posted on this blog. I am sorry that I have disappeared for that long but I needed to focus on completing my degree. I have been attending two universities completing my degree required courses that were not offered this year at my university in order to be able to graduate this Spring 2009. Nevertheless, last month of April, we have received the visit of my sister-in-law and her two kids visiting from Berlin, Germany only for a week. They have asked me to take them to the United States since the kids wanted to visit New York City. I took them to Manhattan, driving from Toronto on a Wednesday morning then back to Canada the very next day. At New York City we stayed at the Hampton Inn Manhattan hotel located right at the Brooklyn Bridge. We didn't have enough time to see every thing we wanted. We have only spent 24 hours in Manhattan but we have managed to see quite a few interesting places like the Central Park, the United Nations, the Wall Street and Money exchange, and the Statue of Liberty from afar, ahahah!!!! Please enjoy the pictures!!!

To see more pictures of this trip album, please click the picture below:

Road Trip to New York City

I'm in England now!

I every one! I'm in Birmingham, England since last Saturday evening. Coming from Lusaka, Zambia most members of my Zambian Team, We have landed at London - Heathrow. The rest of my Team continued their trip to Canada the next day. I am staying in England until June 14th before I continue for Dublin, Ireland; from there I'll go back to Africa for a month. How exciting!!

Zambia trip is over!

I would like to thank God and each every one of you that help in the realisation of this trip. Two months ago this trip was a dream today it's a lied experience and a testimony. I have never been blessed all my life before as I am with the Zambian experience. From Mongu to Lukona and Livingstone, I have learned a lot. I have earned how fortunate we are in the West having the material wealth but how unfortunate we are lacking with the spiritual riches. We have been working and involved in teachings and life skills education with the Scripture Union for almost four weeks. Working in hospitals and schools, from village to village, we taught the people how to live their live effectively and be productive. We taught the young school students the value of self- esteem, family and life preservation. We have reminded them as an obligation and a responsibility at the same same time that they must protect their lives against HIV/AIDS.

At Lukona Village, people gave their lives to Christ after three nights of teaching. We use sketches, music and the Word of God to teach about AIDS Prevention and Life skills education. Nevertheless, by living Mongu and Lukona, we had a sens of an unfinished mission. The need is so much and the workers are very few. Some of us are planning to go back their sometime next year to start a Library project. We are planning to build a library in Mongu: more will be said in the future about it. For now just enjoy browsing through the pictures of our Zambian Trip and may God speaks to you through them. I have added new and more pictures to the album please click here to access them:http://picasaweb.google.com/Manianga/MissionToZambia2007

Here are the Pictures!

Hi Guys!
I hope everything is just fine with every one of you that is reading this blog. Thank you very much for coming back to read and see the pictures of what I have been doing in Zambia and before. Like I have promise last week that I will post some of the pictures of what we have been doing in Zambia so far. Well I kept my promise and I did it you can click to this link address if you want to see the pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Manianga/MissionToZambia2007 Basically, we have been working with APPLE (AIDS Prevention Plus Life skills Education) Ministry for the last two weeks. I have been preaching and teaching the Word to high school students in two different school. We have to teach them the value of life, their promise and purpose in God and most importantly the self- esteem concepts based on the Word of God. HIV/AIDS is a very big issue here. People are dying at the rate you cannot imagine. Just yesterday, one of our Zambian Team facilitators has lost his uncle due to the disease. The subject is very taboo that they must do everything that people do no find out that he died of HIV. They have to say something like he died of TB. If people come to know that the person died of HIV the family becomes isolated. No one would like to talk to them or greet them by hands fearing that they too are infected of AIDS. People are dying but no one is disclosing the real cause behind their sickness which is HIV/AIDS. The hide it behind other names of diseases.

10 Days in Zambia already!

Hi every ones. I am very excited you must forgive me if you notice it. I just wish I could be able to post my pictures and show you in images what I have been doing and involved into. So many things have happen since the last time I have updated this blog and many things are still happening. I will do whatever it takes (and I mean it!) to post the pictures for you.

God has been so faithful to all of us and we are very grateful to Him to allow us serve Him in ways we have never considered before. When we have arrived here in Mongu last week we did not know what to expect. But as the things began to unfold we began to see the greatness of God and His provision for the poor of Mongu. With the team, we past three days in Katongo village with the sick, orphans and refugees mostly from Angola. Poverty and despair were every where. Poorly clothed kids were following us literally everywhere and all the time. Those of my team members who are whites saw themselves surrounded by dozens of curious and unschooled children who chantted "MOKWUA!, MOKWUA!!". That is how they call white man here. It is not an insult but it is a word for white man in their language, the Lozi language. Immediately we began to practice ourLozi, the few words that we learned from our Mission mentor. You may not believe it but people were happy to see us and just to have us stay with them. In the midst of poverty and despair we found songs of praise, sincere worship and dances of joy for the Lord. Most of us we broke in tears seeing the joy of the people who had almost nothing. Their houses where made of grasses from the top to the bottom and they did not complain. Their woman were full of dignity and greeted us with a lot of respect and esteem. The elders came out, greeted us and told us how they appreciate our visit and our coming to talk to their youth about HIV/AIDS and Life skills. That was what we did also there. for the three days we stayed in that village.

Yesterday, we went to visit the local hospital. We have volunteered doing manual labour in the hospital taking sick to X-Ray or Ultrasound for and back. We have started by praying and sharing the word of God to the sick. There were a lot of cases of stomach pain and chest pain, TB, AIDS, etc. But God was so wonderful.

I will stop here for now to continue next time as I promise with pictures. Till then May God bless you all that are reading this blog all over the world. This experience has changed me completely. I am a new man, I'm born again. I saw people delivered from demonic possession after we prayed for them; I saw people with stomach disease having water expelled from their stomach after we have prayed for them. I saw people giving their lives to Christ after hearing the Gospel. I spoke to High school student about their promise in God and why they must preserve their lives (Ps.119:50). I saw poor people doing things that we in North America we will not dare to try without making sure that we have all the resources and funds in place. That has transformed me and my way of seeing God promise and provision. If one thing is sure of this trip: is that it has wiped out all my excuses to start doing the things that God has ask me to do for Him and for His people.

May you all rest blessed in His peace wherever you are, knowing that His promise preserves our lives (Ps.119:50)