Congo Kid - Life Stories

  This is part 3 of a 6 part series on the History of Congo: from 1965 when Colonel Mobutu seizes control of the country and takes over to 1991 when the expatriots evacuate due to civil unrest. During this period, President Mobutu changes the name of the country to Zaire, nationalizes everything, (destroying the economy in the process), deals with Cuban soldiers trying to take over the Shaba...

The History of Congo is not well known, as this country has been exploited, causing political instability and corruption. This is the 2nd of a 6 part series. Part 2 starts on June 30, 1960, when Congo gains independence from Belgium and goes through November 24, 1965 when Joseph Mobutu seizes the presidency through a coup d’etat. A hastily thrown together plan for an infant country starts ou...

The history of Congo is not known to many people. The story is one of exploitation, corruption and political instability. This is the first of a six part series. Part 1 starts in the 1880’s when King Leopold II of Belgium manages to obtain personal possession of the area called the Congo Free State, exploiting it for its ivory and rubber.  Then, Belgium takes over, making Congo its colony in...

Leprosy is a disease that is misunderstood by most people. People associate the disease with poverty, third world status and being relegated to leper colonies. Those with the disease are socially ostracized, outcast and mistreated throughout the world. We had many lepers in our area that we worked with and interacted with in D.R. Congo. Dr. Leo Lanoie became a leading advocate and expert for helpi...

This episode contains Four (4) short stories:  1) My best cup of coffee ever  2) How to hypnotize a chicken   3) How to cool off on a warm day drinking a hot beverage   4) Haggling with a customs agent over 3 containers worth of medical supplies and equipment. The link for Karawa Coffee is: https://www.paulcarlson.org/economic-development/coffee/ Copyright © 2021 by Jeffrey W. Eales. All rights re...

  The Congolese village woman is relegated to a hard, subservient life in a patriarchal culture. Their lives are filled with physical and emotional challenges.  But there is change and hope as they are slowly becoming more equal and having more choices in their lives.  With guest Karen Carlson, missionary to Congo for 36 years who has a heart for women and has authored a book about oppressed...

Third Culture Kids (TCK’s) have a dilemma every time they are asked the question “Where are you from?” as they are from their home country but also from a foreign country. The pros and cons of sharing about one’s formative years in another culture are not understood by most people. Nor is the social impact in childhood and adulthood fully appreciated by single-culture peopl...

Wycliffe Bible Translators / SIL’s (Summer Institute of Linguistics) world wide mission is Bible Translation and other materials into under-served language groups. How to choose the language group, selecting the translators, obstacles in translation, conveying concepts and culture where words don’t exist, to the finished product many years later in the mother tongue and language of the...

Unique and exotic pets we raised and released back into the wild in the D.R. Congo. From hornbills to tree hyrax’s to monkeys to elephant shrews to pangolins to hawks and owls. What a zoo! With special guest Paul Noren. Copyright © 2021 by Jeffrey W. Eales. All rights reserved. No portions may be reproduced or transmitted in any format without the prior written permission of the author.

Adventures with driving in central africa: mud, sand, dirt, getting stuck, scary bridges, ferry crossings and mechanical breakdowns. With guests Pete Ekstrand and Gene Bradford. Check out this video clip from Pete Ekstrand for some visual perspective before you listen to the episode. Copyright © 2021 by Jeffrey W. Eales. All rights reserved. No portions may be reproduced or transmitted in any form...

Part 2 of 2 – A look beyond the technological genius of Bob Thornbloom. A servant, a giver, and a compassionate man that was a member of the Ngbaka tribe. He devoted his life to the people of Congo.  With Mark Thornbloom, his son, sharing his perspective of this special man. Link to his memorial service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0ldg_4Scos Copyright © 2020 by Jeffrey W. Eales. All ri...

Part 1 of 2 – A look beyond the technological genius of Bob Thornbloom. A servant, a giver, a compassionate man that was a member of the Ngbaka tribe. He devoted his life to the people of Congo.  With Paul Noren and Timothy Mambo – Bob’s life-long friends and co-workers. Link to his memorial service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0ldg_4Scos   Copyright © 2020 by Jeffrey W...

A typical village church service in the D.R. Congo. The building description, drums, choirs, dog fights during the service and the whole church experience: With James Edstrom and John Aiken, Sr.

  From film strips on a Coleman lantern projector to 16 mm reel-to-reel movies to VHS tapes – Film and movie showings in the villages and jungles of D.R. Congo.  Roger Eales’ ministry to thousands of people 1967-1990. And the work continues even today. Copyright © 2020 by Jeffrey W. Eales. All rights reserved. No portions may be reproduced or transmitted in any format without the...

Congolese food is virtually unknown in other parts of the world. The villager lives on a few basic daily staples. This episode explains the growing and preparation of the villager’s diet. Congolese food is an acquired taste. In addition, there are delicacies, that are fantastic and mystery foods as well that one enjoys from time to time. Dan Noren shares his knowledge of the kinds of food an...

The Ubangi Academy (UBAC) dormitory at Karawa, D.R.Congo was where all the kids went to boarding school for their education, grades 2-12. This episode explains a typical day during the week with school, and a normal weekend day. The schedules were structured from wake up to going to bed. Roger Wickstorm, my roommate from 1970 (50 years ago), shares his perspective and memories of a typical day at...

In 1966, our mission partnered with another mission to purchase an airplane to assist with the mission work. This episode is the story of that Cessna 185 airplane. Its impact and service affected thousands of people. Dan Carlson, Mission Aviation Fellowship pilot shares about his adventures as an African Bush Pilot during his 35+ year career flying around Congo Copyright © 2020 by Jeffrey W. Eales...

The first major Zaire Ebola outbreak in 1976 in Northwest Congo occurred a mere 100 miles away from where I was. News came about an entire village of 200 people being wiped out completely in a matter of days. CDC, WHO and other international bodies came to figure out what the disease was and how to stop it. Part of the CDC assessment contingent involved Dr. Tom Cairns, a local missionary doctor. I...

This is the story of a 5 day truck trip across Africa in February, 1983. I drove a Chevy K-20 diesel pick up truck with no spare tire (someone stole it) across Cameroon, through Central African Republic, and into D.R. Congo (then Zaire). Immigration problems at the border, dusty roads, river crossings in dug-out canoes at midnight, 15 hour days, no reserved hotels to sleep in and stopping for food...

Why am I doing this? I’m doing this for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren (in the future) to have a place to hear about my growing up years. And it’ll be me telling the stories, in my own voice and not hearing them second or third-hand. And there may be a day my children are glad to have these podcast episodes to remember me by. They can hear my voice instead of reading things a...