Today offered some new experiences again. This morning I again attended the market with Ivette. She took my family photos with her today and the whole market basically came to a standstill as one after another explained who was who, how they fit into the family and who they resemble. I feel that I almost relate the best to a Congolese when I share that Tany's Jeff has died. That is a new concept, someone from a country which is rich and has all the medical advantages and still young people can die. I don't know a family here who hasn't dealt with death. Ivette and Gi's second child died early in life. Mama Madianga has lost her husband and her eldest son who was just a little older than Shami when we worked here.

In the afternoon, Gi and I went to the stadium for an evangelism crusade. The attraction was a famous Christian singer here in Congo. I now know what 10's of thousands of people look like and how difficult crowd control can be. There were hundreds of police. I shook hands with one close to where I was sitting; he imediately wanted a picture taken of the both of us and as a result, I basically had a body gaurd the rest of the service. A mentally disturbed man slipped through the heavy police lines twice during the introductions. They hauled him out both times. During the service, he again somehow evaded the security and basically appeared onstage. Dozens of police ran up and after roughing him up a bit, carried him out of the stadium.

The singer really had the crowd rocking. The African is built to sing. They move, clap and the joy is contagious. If nothing else, we could learn that spontaneous, uninhibited love of self expression.