Purple Hull Peas

In recent weeks we traveled across the Congo river to “the other Congo” to do a 2-week orality workshop.  Mossendjo, Republic of Congo was a wonderful little town that reminded me of Garango, Burkina Faso, where we lived for our first two terms as long-term missionaries.  I told Jay I wouldn’t mind living there.

We met a lovely woman who owns a cloth boutique as we walked to the church for our workshop.  One afternoon she came for a visit at the home where we were staying and brought a most welcome gift.  Purple hull peas!  One of my favorite foods and my first time to see them in Africa. 

I shared with her and the ladies who were cooking our meals how much I loved those peas and what wonderful memories they brought me from my childhood.  And then I waited and waited and waited.  But the cooks never prepared the peas.  As we started back to Kinshasa, we began a long 8-hour trek to the city of Pointe Noire where we were to take a flight.  As we removed our bags from the car, Jay saw the peas in the trunk.  He said to our host, “Maman Kathy would like to take her peas, please.”  We took them inside, shrink wrapped them, and put them on the plane as a piece of luggage.  Just for the record, shrink wrapping fresh peas is not the greatest idea.  We spent the night in Brazzaville, RC and the next morning after church crossed the Congo River to return to Kinshasa.

 

When I unwrapped the peas, they had gotten a bit moldy.  BUT, undeterred, we shelled them, and I cooked them up with some bacon (just like Mama would’ve done). And you know, that mold didn’t bother the taste of those peas one bit.  Over the next three days, Jay and I dug into purple hull peas and cornbread for almost every meal.  I savored every bite, thought of my momma with her big hat on, picking peas in the garden and sitting in the living room shelling peas.  Pure joy!

So what comes next and how can you pray?

• May 1, we start our fourth Story Together workshop in Mbandaka, DRC.  Please check this blog each day for a specific prayer request for that project. 
• We look forward to welcoming our colleagues the Finches and the Singermans back to Kinshasa in the coming weeks.  Pray for us and the Evanses and the Kuglins as we prepare for their return.