(In the photo: P. Franco Laudani, Leonard Ndjadi and Bob in Buta)
Fraternal greetings from Buta where we arrived yesterday at 17:55. We left Kisangani Friday, September 24 at 5:35. There were five of us: Fr. Franco, Fr. Roberto, Serge (the driver), Mapasa (the assistant-driver) and myself. Since the airline SJL had suspended flights, we decided to travel by car, aware of the price involved in this choice.
From Kisangani to Banalia we made a quiet journey. The road was passable. At noon we arrived in Banalia and, after eating at the Sisters of the Christian Doctrine, we crossed the river Aruwimi. With us were two Médecins Sans Frontières vehicles. Providence put us on their way, because without them we would not have arrived in Buta two days later. After the crossing, we took the road to Buta. After just a kilometre, we encountered the first great quagmire that prevented us from continuing. Seeing this, the Médecins Sans Frontières vehicle came back and, after an hour of trying, we went out. It was already 4:50 p.m.
Continuing the journey at this hour meant agreeing to sleep on the road, immersed in the swamp, in total darkness and being exposed to mosquitoes and other wild insects. So we decided to go back to spend the night in Banalia to resume the journey in the morning. The Médecins Sans Frontières convoy made the same choice we did. We went back and spent the night at the Limif reception center. A room costs 20 dollars. After settling down, we went out to look for the Malewa and found: rice, pondu and koto, the wild pig. It’s very good. Then we went back to fetch the water that my brother, Jean Robert Ndjadi, had procured for us the night before the trip. In the morning, at 7.30 a.m. we went to have a coffee in the village and found it. Then the adventure of the journey began.
Calvary
The road is so bad that people call this route «Calvary». The first 35 kilometers of Banalia are impassable, dotted with large swamps, sometimes deep, sometimes inaccessible and therefore you are forced to make your way through. This work takes a lot of time, energy and means. Because the villagers, who come to our rescue, ask for 50 dollars. Discussions begin and then a solution is found. The more numerous they are, the faster the work goes and the more time you gain. You cannot imagine the suffering of the people of this part of the Congo and this leads us to ask why the Congolese state is not able to fix these 35 km of road.
In some places, where it is difficult to pass even with the bike, these volunteers come to the rescue of the bikers. They carry 300-400 kilos on a single bike and cover almost 800 km (from Butembo, Isiro, Bunia, Kisangani to Baye in the north of the Congo, 70 km from Bondo). Baye is a port city, a geological scandal, where they sell their products and buy gold. When a rider falls, it is difficult to lift the bike alone. That’s why they always travel in convoys and are very friendly, with music on the bike for relaxation and good humor.
We covered 35 km in 7 hours, stopped by the swamps, helped by the organization Doctors Without Borders who had a chain to pull the cars out of the mud and water. Their vehicle also got stuck, but soon the other vehicle came to the rescue and advanced. We are determined to arrive and the doctors from Kole wanted to continue to Mangi where they carry out a campaign against meningitis.
I understood that in missionary life there is no change without determination. Only those who are determined because they are driven by a noble cause walk this path. For us it is the proclamation of Jesus Christ to our brothers and sisters in Buta and the grace to let ourselves be evangelized by them, who have long been without the presence of missionaries. For our doctors, it was humanitarian aid, the health of the population of Mangi.
The second day of our trip we hoped to get to Buta but unfortunately we could not do so. Arriving at 61 km, we found ourselves faced with a remarkable obstacle. Here we are bogged down for the eighth time. It’s 6:30, it’s threatening to rain, the medical convoy is no longer with us. The driver Serge and his help Mapasa are trying to get our vehicle out of the quagmire, but efforts are insufficient in the face of the obstacle. Providence brings in three young volunteers who try in vain to help us. I myself get out of the car to help, but nothing. Meanwhile, a heavy rain falls on us, Father Franco has diarrhea. He must retire to the sidelines to solve the problem. Father Roberto lends him some toilet paper. I ask the driver to turn off the lights of the car to prevent the battery from draining. Then comes the darkness, the black of our impotence in the face of an important obstacle. I take the breviary, recite vespers to maintain confidence, strengthen determination and encourage others. At 5:30 we were there 61 km from Buta, without having slept, without having eaten, without a solution, the vehicle bogged down. That’s when I decided to go to the village, a mile away to get reinforcements.
Arrival in Buta
At 8 am the vehicle finally came out of the quagmire to everyone’s delight and we entered the village. Arrived at km 58 I ask the driver to stop to greet the head of the village. He is happy with our presence and immediately orders us to kill the chickens for ourselves. His gesture was beautiful. After a moment of prayer, we blessed the leader and we left. We were stuck at 37 km, 33 km, but we managed to get out. So we went on to Buta.
This journey helped me to understand that what counts is the experience of God that burns the heart of the missionary and gives him an inner strength capable of facing the dangers of the road, the risks of the journey, the difficult mission and the precariousness of the material conditions of his mission. This experience of God makes him wonder even in the face of the welcome and generosity of people, leads him to mediate along the journey, gives him the patience to wait for the other. Missionary determination is the fruit of God’s experience.
From Buta, RD Congo, Fr. Leonard Ndjadi Ndjate
Fraternal greetings from Buta where we arrived yesterday at 17:55. We left Kisangani Friday, September 24 at 5:35. There were five of us: Fr. Franco, Fr. Roberto, Serge (the driver), Mapasa (the assistant-driver) and myself. Since the airline SJL had suspended flights, we decided to travel by car, aware of the price involved in this choice.
From Kisangani to Banalia we made a quiet journey. The road was passable. At noon we arrived in Banalia and, after eating at the Sisters of the Christian Doctrine, we crossed the river Aruwimi. With us were two Médecins Sans Frontières vehicles. Providence put us on their way, because without them we would not have arrived in Buta two days later. After the crossing, we took the road to Buta. After just a kilometre, we encountered the first great quagmire that prevented us from continuing. Seeing this, the Médecins Sans Frontières vehicle came back and, after an hour of trying, we went out. It was already 4:50 p.m.
Continuing the journey at this hour meant agreeing to sleep on the road, immersed in the swamp, in total darkness and being exposed to mosquitoes and other wild insects. So we decided to go back to spend the night in Banalia to resume the journey in the morning. The Médecins Sans Frontières convoy made the same choice we did. We went back and spent the night at the Limif reception center. A room costs 20 dollars. After settling down, we went out to look for the Malewa and found: rice, pondu and koto, the wild pig. It’s very good. Then we went back to fetch the water that my brother, Jean Robert Ndjadi, had procured for us the night before the trip. In the morning, at 7.30 a.m. we went to have a coffee in the village and found it. Then the adventure of the journey began.
Calvary
The road is so bad that people call this route «Calvary». The first 35 kilometers of Banalia are impassable, dotted with large swamps, sometimes deep, sometimes inaccessible and therefore you are forced to make your way through. This work takes a lot of time, energy and means. Because the villagers, who come to our rescue, ask for 50 dollars. Discussions begin and then a solution is found. The more numerous they are, the faster the work goes and the more time you gain. You cannot imagine the suffering of the people of this part of the Congo and this leads us to ask why the Congolese state is not able to fix these 35 km of road.
In some places, where it is difficult to pass even with the bike, these volunteers come to the rescue of the bikers. They carry 300-400 kilos on a single bike and cover almost 800 km (from Butembo, Isiro, Bunia, Kisangani to Baye in the north of the Congo, 70 km from Bondo). Baye is a port city, a geological scandal, where they sell their products and buy gold. When a rider falls, it is difficult to lift the bike alone. That’s why they always travel in convoys and are very friendly, with music on the bike for relaxation and good humor.
We covered 35 km in 7 hours, stopped by the swamps, helped by the organization Doctors Without Borders who had a chain to pull the cars out of the mud and water. Their vehicle also got stuck, but soon the other vehicle came to the rescue and advanced. We are determined to arrive and the doctors from Kole wanted to continue to Mangi where they carry out a campaign against meningitis.
I understood that in missionary life there is no change without determination. Only those who are determined because they are driven by a noble cause walk this path. For us it is the proclamation of Jesus Christ to our brothers and sisters in Buta and the grace to let ourselves be evangelized by them, who have long been without the presence of missionaries. For our doctors, it was humanitarian aid, the health of the population of Mangi.
The second day of our trip we hoped to get to Buta but unfortunately we could not do so. Arriving at 61 km, we found ourselves faced with a remarkable obstacle. Here we are bogged down for the eighth time. It’s 6:30, it’s threatening to rain, the medical convoy is no longer with us. The driver Serge and his help Mapasa are trying to get our vehicle out of the quagmire, but efforts are insufficient in the face of the obstacle. Providence brings in three young volunteers who try in vain to help us. I myself get out of the car to help, but nothing. Meanwhile, a heavy rain falls on us, Father Franco has diarrhea. He must retire to the sidelines to solve the problem. Father Roberto lends him some toilet paper. I ask the driver to turn off the lights of the car to prevent the battery from draining. Then comes the darkness, the black of our impotence in the face of an important obstacle. I take the breviary, recite vespers to maintain confidence, strengthen determination and encourage others. At 5:30 we were there 61 km from Buta, without having slept, without having eaten, without a solution, the vehicle bogged down. That’s when I decided to go to the village, a mile away to get reinforcements.
Arrival in Buta
At 8 am the vehicle finally came out of the quagmire to everyone’s delight and we entered the village. Arrived at km 58 I ask the driver to stop to greet the head of the village. He is happy with our presence and immediately orders us to kill the chickens for ourselves. His gesture was beautiful. After a moment of prayer, we blessed the leader and we left. We were stuck at 37 km, 33 km, but we managed to get out. So we went on to Buta.
This journey helped me to understand that what counts is the experience of God that burns the heart of the missionary and gives him an inner strength capable of facing the dangers of the road, the risks of the journey, the difficult mission and the precariousness of the material conditions of his mission. This experience of God makes him wonder even in the face of the welcome and generosity of people, leads him to mediate along the journey, gives him the patience to wait for the other. Missionary determination is the fruit of God’s experience.
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