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Acoupleofhourslaterofconversation,weheadedtothehomeoftheparish'spres-
ident and with his family, we ate chicken, maniok (made from potato flour), and green ve-
getables. After our communal meal, we returned in darkness. Looking behind the parish,
I could clearly see the Zaïre River outlined by the lights of Kinshasa and Brazzaville. The
stars were innumerable and clearly defined where the land ended and the sky began. Need-
less to say, the view was breathtaking.
The next morning, I woke up so refreshed. I said my morning prayers and then pre-
pared for mass. Father Jean told me that the road was relatively flat except for a long des-
cent to a river and then a long ascent on the other side. Before mass, we went for breakfast
to one of the parishioner's homes and then returned to the parish.
I sat in the back of the church with about 30 children. All were sitting quietly wait-
ing for the service to begin. The entrance hymn started with percussion and sung by an ex-
cellent choir. Then, Father Jean, led by seven servers, came in dancing up the aisle. It was
a simple left-right-centre movement with their arms in front of them and their palm facing
upwards. All was done in unison and slowly they progressed up the aisle. I truly wished I
had this on videotape.
Duringtheservicealadycameinlatewithachildandahorrificwoundonhisknee
that seemed to have recently occurred. The first chance I got, I slipped out of the church
and retrieved my first-aid (disinfectant, bandages and a sterile pad.) I returned to my seat
and gave the mother the things and told her how to put them on.
After mass, I quickly prepared to leave. As I packed the bike, my final image of
FatherJeanwasbeingsurroundedbyhisparishionersinlaughterashejokedwiththem.He
seemed so loved. I thanked Father and the community for everything and started my day's
journey.
The cycling was almost stress-free. First, the weather was cloudy so the sun was
notafactorandbecauseoftheelevationtheairwascool.Second,thetrafficwasextremely
low for the entire day, perhaps only seven vehicles passed me. Third, the road was in very
good condition and my speed was quick. I had two long descents and only one challenging
climb which occurred at the 35 kilometre mark. Just before the climb, I took a break and
bought 12 small doughnuts and a loaf of bread. I ate most of it and the carbs were the fuel
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