Quote 10
Why, Ruth May is no longer with us! It seemed very simple. We were walking along this road, and she wasn't with us. (5.1.5)
Perhaps Leah's in shock, but she gets over Ruth May's death pretty quickly. Or maybe it's because she's been around so much death in her time in the Congo, she knows it's just a part of life.
Quote 11
I have seen preachers at revival meetings speak [...] with voices rising in such a way that heaven and anger get mingled together. (2.11.8)
Leah observes something that politicians and preachers have in common: charisma. So, what's the difference between politics and religion? To the Kilanga, not much. They think they can vote for Jesus just like they vote for a political leader.
Quote 12
You wouldn't even get as far as breakfast before running out of paper. You'd have to explain the words, and then the words for the words. (3.5.130)
Leah talks about the impossibility of explaining Africa in a letter home. Hey, Barbara Kingsolver had to write an almost-600-page book about the Congo, and she's just scratched the surface! There's a lot more to communication than just translating the words.