Five new soccer teams in two villages, have soccer balls this season due to the donation of these expensive balls by folks in the USA, plus because each team "earned" their ball by doing community service.

Projects included: replacing the leaky roof on a blind man's home; and transporting over 200 one-year-old miniature palm trees from their nursery to their new plantation, and then planting them.(This is not easy. Each tree and its plastic "sac" weighs about 30 lbs. Preparing the "hole" for planting entails removing all the roots in a square meter to a depth of nearly one meter. Then a "smaller hole" is created in the center, for the young tree.)In three years, the trees will be begin bearing nuts. Processing and selling the palm oil from them will create jobs and will benefit: the nutrition of local families, and the budgets of the local church and the Pastoral School. This is the Kikongo portion of the broader palm project of over 30 groups, who last year planted a combined total of 3,000 seedlings, and another 3,000 this September.

THANKS FOR SHARING IN THIS FUN WAY to encourage development, and leadership training.

BANDAIDS AND SURGERY
Virgil's wounded leg has healed enough to function as normal, but beyond that he is playing soccer on the IPK team. Two miracles!!!After the initial surgical clean-up of the deep wound in late August, it took a month of rest, many prayers, and several months of constant vigilance to keep the wound open, eventually "dry", and clean. The leg looks good!

WOULD THAT the wounds of body and soul caused by the violence of WAR, be so easily and quickly healed!Unlike the physical body which God created to "heal itself automatically", there is no "autonomic plan" of action to bring healing between people and groups.

The Good News of Jesus way of active non-violence, love, justice and forgiveness shows us the "way" of healing within ourselves and our world.

One great resource for personal reflection and for small group use is: "From Violence to Wholeness: A Ten Session Program in the Spirituality and Practice of Active Non-violence", by Ken Butigan, published by the Pace e Bene ("peace and all good") Franciscan Nonviolence Center (www.paceebene.org; 702-648-2281)

SMALL STEPS TOWARDS A "PEACEFUL KINGDOM"
Shortly after our return to Kikongo, a dancing group of 30 young village girls sang in 4 languages during our morning worship. The song is entitled "Why the War? For Whom the War?"Their leader, a 20 year old, had learned the song from a cassette, and choreographed the movements.Here are some of the words:

"It's jealousy that kills the world.

Listen to our parent:

'Love one another','Unity is Strength'.

Africa, Africa

(Refrain): Why the war?For whom the war?

Lord I didn't ask to be Congolese,

But by your love you created me Congolese.

Why this suffering in our country Congo?

Lord we want peace, peace in Congo,

Peace in Africa.

With the aid of the United Nations and the transition government, a measure of peace is now being enforced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But it is a long way to JUSTICE on which enduring peace depends.

Jesus came to bridge the chasms,

To overturn the tables of usury,

To reveal truth, to do justice,

And establish a kingdom of love.

May we honor Him in our living of each day.

Shalom,

Virgil and Lynn