“Maybe Tomorrow”

“Maybe tomorrow” … we hear this a lot in the DRC.

While Lisa and I were in the U.S., Mai-Mai rebels went on a weeklong rampage in Minembwe. The Ostranders and others heard about village after village being abandoned, then overrun, and, most of the time, burnt to the ground. Within a few days, the O’s could see the smoke and fires, and they were eventually encouraged to seek shelter at the local UN base that is only 1.5 miles from where we live. The O’s were treated exceptionally well during their time spent at the base.

Bag is packed and we’re here at the base ready to go… but, maybe tomorrow.

Oh… our boundry-less Aimee.

Aimee was a rockstar; everyone wanted a phot taken of them with Aimee.

It never ended

After eight days of hearing “maybe tomorrow” from the UN, the O’s were finally able to get a helicopter ride from Minembwe down to the UN base in Uvira.

Aimee's sweatshirt is an example of the effect of what eight days of "maybe tomorrow" looks like.

From Uvira, the O’s were able to get a ride across the border to Bujumbura, Burundi, where they have been for nearly two weeks.

Even before the O’s left Minembwe, things had started to calm in the area where we live, but those we work with, as well as the U.S. Embassy preferred that the O’s “get out of Dodge” for a while until things became more stable. Four days later, Lisa and I arrived post-surgery back in Bujumbura to join forces with the O’s.

Now, all of us are trying to make our way back up to our area of the DRC. This past Thursday, Miles had the necessary paperwork to get a ride up via the UN helicopter, but he was turned away due to an overbooked (by more than double) flight. I have paperwork to go via the helicopter on Monday, so the latest plan is for me to try to get up there and assess the situation, and then give the okay for the rest of our family to come up there via a plane this week.

Maybe tomorrow - Michael