Last entry before I leave the DRC.

Well, this is it...I guess. Tomorrow morning, Bill and I are going to fly out of the DRC to Addis Ababba, Ethiopia. I'll continue on immediately to the US...and Bill will stay the night in Addis and then go to Entebbe Airport, where his daughter will greet him and they will have a visit.

I really can't wait to be with my wife and children...with all my ecclesiastical brothers and sisters in my church family at Annandale...sleep in my own bed...etc. I'll miss this place because it has made a pretty big impact on me.

Before we left John Metzel, he took me aside and told me that he felt as though a piping system to pipe water from the damn to a turbine was the way to go at Lubondai. He was going to begin working on the modifications that are needed to make that happen...instead of trying to fill in the "blown out" canal hole...which is about 50 feet wide, 100 feet long, and 30 feet deep. It really is impossible to rebuild the canal the way it was with that kind of damage. He agrees and I agree. I'm glad that he has come to that conclusion.

I am absolutely convinced that putting a small 5 kilowatt solar system in the area in front of the hospital will provide enough electricity for the hospital to get going, working well, saving more lives...the school to function better...the community center to be more welcoming and usable...and, of course, the church to be more accessible and usable by more and more people.

When I left John, I said that we should stick with our two-phase plan (the one that we had discussed before coming over here) to combine solar and hydropower. I would concentrate on the solar power. And, he would focus more on the hydro. The grant monies that have been "granted" should all go toward the hydro project. I will seek to find other sources for the solar system...including the head of the USAID organization here, Mr. Larry Shlegle (I think that I mispelled his last name...but he's a great man).

Well, that's about it for now. I'm going to let another missionary use this computer and get some rest.

THIS HAS BEEN A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL TRIP. I have about 500 picturs and short movie clips to bring back home and will be able to put together a presentation of anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on the situation and application.

I love you all...

Thanks to EVERYONE who made this trip possible...ESPECIALLY GOD!!

In Christ's Precious Love,

Dr. Christ Looker, Congo

P.S. By the way, they gave me a Tshiluba name!!!! I'm so excited: It's Matombidi. The Rev. Dr. Chris Motombidi. Sounds Great...don't you think. Motombidi literally means "Looker". I think that I'm mispelling it, but I love the way it sounds...especially when I shorten it and jazz it up a little...I'm the BIG MO!!!! The people loved it over here when I called myself the "BIG MO" using a voice like Fat Albert (aka...Bill Cosby). But, I digress...