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We walked over together to the dining room and joined the rest of the community
for a meal of spaghetti, shima and vegetables. Conversation was great and lasted for hours.
When the electricity was cut, we all retired for the night. Father Emery gave me a candle
and I used it to guide me back to my room.
The next day was to bring me to tears again…this time, tears of joy. I went to the
6:30 a.m. mass and was totally amazed at how beautiful the choir was (like the King's
Singers from the UK) and could have listened to them all day! I met the sisters and asked
them to radio the Spanish sisters of Luabo to let them know that I arrived safely. Then I
went for breakfast with the religious community. Father Emery took a photograph of me
and then I gave him a pin. The seminarians all had to go to school, so I wished them all the
best in their studies and said a final goodbye.
By8:00a.m.,Iwasonmyway.Thefirsttwokilometreswereverysluggishforme.
As my legs warmed up, I got into a rhythm and my speed and technique increased. The
road was excellent and I arrived at the half way mark to Kolwezi by 9:30 a.m. The last 25
kilometres were just as good but I decided to slow down and enjoy the views a bit more
passing by several villages and one modern factory. The only downside was that the traffic
increased.
Twelve kilometres from the city of Kolwezi, the asphalt began! I burst into tears.
The asphalt road would continue all the way to South Africa (except for a very few small
sections).Allthepainandsufferingwasnomoretobe.ThetimesIfell,thepuncturedtires,
the sand, the rocks, the animals, the puddles, the potholes, the mud jamming my wheels,
were all in the past. The first thing I did was thank God for watching over me and carrying
me at those times. Then I felt very giddy, just simply overjoyed. I started dancing with my
arms on the handlebars…just bending my elbows and swaying my upper body as I cycled.
It brought laughter to one truck load of people passing me. My speed increased to 24 km/h
and when I arrived into Kolwezi, I had to slow down…what a feeling that was.
I found the Salesian parish of Notre Dame de Paix within minutes. Father Andre
welcomedmeandwassoenthusiasticaboutmyarrival.Iwasgivenaroomandwasshown
how to use the washer and spinner for my laundry. Then he had lunch ready. After noon
prayers, I took a hot bath (my first one) and had my clothes soaking in soap. I finished my
bath and laundry and hung them out to dry. After I fixed my running shoes and said the
Rosary in their chapel, I shaved and had a snack as I wrote in my journal. I went to mass at
5:30 p.m. and met the Polish sisters. I said evening prayers with the community and then
watched a movie on the French Revolution. I went to bed full of tremendous joy. I felt so
blessed to have made it out of the jungle…out of my heart of darkness.
The next morning I struggled to get out of bed. I wanted to sleep forever…actually
that would mean I'd be dead. OK, I wished at least for a few more hours. However, I
pulled myself out of bed to make the 6:00 a.m. mass with the intention that I was to leave
right after. Father Andre took me after breakfast by motorbike to visit a Lebanese shop
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