"Maybe Tomorrow"

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

While Lisa and I (Michael) were in the U.S., various militias 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.

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. From there, 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.

Three days later, Lisa and I flew into Goma, and after a 10-hour road trip via the winding roads of Rwanda and Burundi, we arrived in Bujumbura the next day to join forces with the O’s.

Now, all of us are trying to make our way back up to Minembwe. This past Thursday, Miles had the necessary paperwork to get a ride up to Minembwe 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 to Minembwe and assess the situation, and then give the okay for the rest of our family to come up to Minembwe via a plane this week.

So once again… maybe tomorrow.