This episode is the story of a special Lake in the NW corner of the D.R. Congo, Africa. It was called Lake Kwada. Kwada, in the Ngbandi tribal language means “Big Water”. The Mbanza tribe also has ties to this lake, as Kwada in their language means “Death Here”. More on that in the episode. Lake Kwada became a place of rest, relaxation, vacation, rejuvenation and restoration for numerous missionaries serving in that area from the early 1940’s till the mid-1990’s when the missionaries evacuated due to the civil war.
This episode will take you from the finding of the lake, to the long process of securing the property, to building the the first mud rest house, building the first 2 permanent houses, and then finishing off the last 2 houses in the late 1950’s.
A few recreational amenities were added including a raft, a diving tower, and a swing rope for the kids (and a few adults).
Several career missionaries will share their memories of Kwada as a place to re-charge, take a break, spend family time and restore their souls to the difficult work and environment they lived in.
Several kids who grew up there will share how Lake Kwada provided fun, swimming, family time, recreation and numerous memories during their growing up years.
Research in the EFCA archives provided considerable information for this storyline of the Lake and its journey. Comprehensive and thorough archived meeting minutes from the Mission Executive Committee provided a fairly clear path for me to follow of making Lake Kwada a place for rest and vacationing. Furthermore, numerous older career missionaries and MK’s gave dates and information to help create the chronology of the timeline.
Dr. Titus Johnson, founder of our Mission work in 1922 wrote in his journal in August 1947: “A most wonderful day. The water was wonderful. Surely this is a future heaven in Congo”.
Thanks to all who sent me info and memories and dates to create the timeline and add to the story of Lake Kwada.
Copyright © 2023 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.
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Jeff
Loved the history of Kwada
Kwada was a favorite
I would say that 90 percent of our visits were with the Wester’s
Everyone else was just gravy
Paul and I did everything together
Altho it was always different folks for us on covenant side
It has been 44 years since I have been at Kwada!!!
Jeff, many varied stories on this episode. The sound effects were cool! This place was definitely off the grid to the MAX! I would have liked to walk out on Dino to jump into the lake.
Thanks for sharing your childhood experiences and memories of Lake Kwada. Sounds like one of the those places that always brings a cherished smile to your face. Love the outhouse and smoked fish stories! Great to listen to your guest speakers, too.
Excellent presentation. I think you have captured the essence of the Kwada experience.
John A
Great story of Lake Kwada. It truly was an oasis and many good memories there. Even without indoor plumbing it was still a wonderful place and isn’t really one of the parts of Kwada life I remember except when Uncle Marv got chased out of the new Cov outhouse by a snake and my brother shot it with his Sheridan. Turned out to be about a seven foot Mamba we think. My recollection of the depth of the lake was out from Dino was the deepest area and perhaps a little towards the tower was measured over a hundred feet in depth. Would be interesting to see if our map of the depth survived someplace. That was probably the highlight of my primary and junior high education.
Great episode that jogs so many amazing memories. I do, however, have to take issue with one of your concluding statements that “nobody was seriously injured at Kwada”.
[TRIGGER WARNING – Parts of the story below include mentions of blood…lots of blood.]
On one fateful Saturday in 1987/8, I managed to traumatize a couple dozen UBAC kids (and probably some adults) by shedding an enormous amount of blood after hitting my head on the support beam of the tower during a backflip. Thankfully, I remained conscious and instinctively pressed one hand firmly on my head as I swam to shore amidst a sea of terrified faces. Uncle Byron Seashore heard the shouts and ran, fully-clothed into the water. Once he saw me swimming in, he ran out of the water to alert some vacationing missionary nurses and get the truck. The nurses hussled me to the nearest house and pried my hand off my head so they could… [steady now] …fold my scalp back down and wrap a pressure bandage around my head. Everyone piled into the truck (I got to sit in the cab for the first time ever) and Uncle Byron made what might have been the fastest return drive to Karawa in a decade. Long story short, I remained conscious until Dr. Leo Lanoie put me under at the hospital and sewed me up with 17 wire stitches. The 7-inch scar is still my longest, and while I’ve made up several fantastical origin stories for it over the years, “scalping myself doing a backflip in a lake in Africa” is already pretty solid as far as “war wound” stories go.
Lac Kwada is where I accepted Christ when I was 9 years old. It is also where I got the worst sunburn of my life resulting in agonizing pain. Lac Kwada is also where we were driven out of the Covenant home by driver’s ants one night! I remember the burning rag-wrapped sticks glowing in the dark, soaked in kerosene I’m thinking, used to fight the ants or reroute them. And there are sweet memories of sauntering around enjoying a favorite dessert of white bread with margarine and loads of sugar. But the lake with it’s beauty and wonderful smells and sounds and all the fun activities that include jumping and diving off the raft, swimming across the lake to the State House, standing on our hands underwater, exploring the underwater terrain, swinging on the rope into the water and all the multiple ways of horsing around in the wonderful Lac Kwada water, reign supreme!