This morning I went to the meeting hall early to make the sure the translation equipment was ready in working. It should have been plug and play. I plugged, but it wouldn’t play. I asked Daniel Harper to have a look, and he had it working in a few minutes. There was no stand for the mike at the lecture, so I proposed by gorilla-grip tripod and my emergency roll of duct tape, and after a few adjustments, voilà, we had a makeshift mike stand.

Daniel was in the process of translating the first class when I received a Whatsapp call from Justin at the airport in Kinshasa. Someone in authority had mistyped one letter of the visa code number, so the corrupt Kinshasa officials were threatening not to let them fly. Since Daniel had been working this I handed him the phone and I took over the translation. Just like the old days. Now we ask for notes in advance and translate any sticky parts ahead of time, which makes for better work. But when I started out as a ministerial trainee, we were expected to interpret cold, no notes, no advance warning, no problem!

Toward the end of the first class, I got a text message saying they were on the plane in Kinshasa. At the French say: oof!

My wife translated the second session, before we broke for lunch. The food was safe to eat, and better than most of the participants would eat at home, but the westerners ate lightly.

Clyde Kilough gave the first split-sermon on the power of example, translated by Daniel Harper, followed by announcements and special music by a choir of Kenyan members. Jim Franks gave the second split on the three faces of leadership, which I translated.

The Church members from Western Kenya who had arrived in the early afternoon, would as they do for the Feast, spend the night at a local campground before returning home in a bus, tomorrow. It was a treat for them to meet our administrative team as well as members from other parts of Africa.

Tomorrow will be a full day of seminars and interviews with those invited to participate.

I received word that Justin and Josée had finally arrived from Kinshasa, great news!