Congo Report

Greetings to you all. Roger & I along with Murray and Joy have just returned from nine days of rough roads (one 60km stretch took 3 hours to get through yesterday!), rain (the rains have started!!), sapping heat, but most importantly exposure to the many things God is doing through “Mission Garenganze”. It is wonderful to see the schools, hospital, clinics, bible schools, churches, pastors – all working together to further proclaim the gospel.
Our travels took us through what has been a war torn land. We passed through Mai Mai territory where people were killed and eaten. At Mulongo hospital we saw the sight where people were imprisoned in a container and then indiscriminately killed by their Rwandan captors. At Luanza where Murray and Joy served seven years in missionary work, we saw the prison where Congolese Police brutalised people and raped women. There were displaced people who had still not returned to their villages, villages destroyed by soldiers... Yet through all of this is the life and ministry of the church. People’s faith has been tested, but they have proven the faithfulness of God and begun to rebuild the ministries that this community needs.
We stood with Congelese doctors in Mulongo as they preformed major surgery – without oxygen or fancy machines, a piece of cotton wool on the nose of the patient to register their breathing. Committed to Christ they pray before operating and have opportunity to share the love of Christ with their patients. A polio victim is a pastor and evangelist among the patients – 500 people are seen every day, a day which starts with a service communicating the love of Christ to those who have gathered.
We visited the Majondo Bible School – just established before the war, it was destroyed. It has been rebuilt and this year they begin their 3rd year programme in equipping pastors and leaders for local church ministry. They need to employ another teacher to help them – we have left a small gift to help this.
We have witnessed the joy of many leaders receiving MacArthur study Bibles (in French) – they use this Bible for so much in training ministries here. There are so few resources available the ones they have they treasure. One man was telling me of the Bible Institute that he is part of and how the study Bible provided so much of the material that they cover.
Well the reports will happen at home, but how can we communicate the needs of these lands we have visited? We need to pray for these works, pray that God would move our hearts, pray that God would bless these ministries and pray that our giving might support God’s work to see more people coming to faith in Him.
Roger & I fly out from Congo on Wednesday morning and will be in Auckland Thursday night, home Friday. We look forward to seeing you all and sharing the things we have been exposed to.

In Lubumbashi D.R. Congo

Greetings from the D.R. Congo. We have arrived safely and without any hitches. We were helped through customs by a friend of Murray & Joy, one of the local Christians. What a busy border crossing - there were hundreds of trucks lined up a process that takes them at least 3 days to process through. Lubumbashi is hot and busy, horns blaring, crazy drivers, people everywhere!

Murray & Joy are well and well set up in an ex-missionaries house. We are all on our way today north to Manono and Mulongo, visiting the Bible School and the hospital. Depending on how the truck which left yesterday goes, we may be able to return via Luanza where Murray and Joy served for 7 1/2 years, and also visit another Bible school that has close ties with Samfya. We will be away for over a week, visiting many pastors and projects that are funded and seeing their work in Christ. No updates until we get back. Thank you so much for your prayers.

In Ndola

Greetings from Ndola. Roger & I have left the team in Samfya and returned the GLO van which has served us well (despite a few over heating problems). The team continues with project work at Samfya for a few days before leaving on Friday for Kabwe where they will stay the night and drop off Kelssa at Pro-Christo. Kelssa will stay here for two months and be involved in the orphan and widows work as well as generally helping in the ministry.
Today Roger & I will try and get our visas from the D.R. of Congo embassy in Ndola so we can get up to Lubumbashi on Thursday. Murray Stevenson has said he wants us a s soon as possible as we have much travel to do – I think we are already sick of driving!!
The team debrief in Samfya before we left spoke of the real challenges and blessings we had encountered in staying with and seeing the work that the Samfya graduates are doing. Their commitment to the spread of the good news is a challenge to see. It is also wonderful to see the growing awareness and ownership of this kind of ministry by some Zambian Christians. For example a trust of business men (shop owners and government employees in the main) from Samfya support two men in Mpulungu, paying their house rent of K250,000p.m. ($100) and give them K200,000p.m. each for living ($80). This is not enough but what a great help for them in this work.
As we have interacted with these various graduates, I have been challenged to think how we can be of more practical support to their work. I know that we cannot help with every aspect of this work, but perhaps if we were able to establish a ministry fund administered by the Samfya Bible School board. The board could establish which graduates are doing a fine work and provide funding for bicycles, bedding and tents for the church planting missions, support for families when the husband is gone for 1-2 months... Such support would be a huge blessing and help to these faithful men and women.
Well we are very thankful to the Lord for your support and prayers – please keep praying for our health and safety and the clear communication of the Word as we move into the DRC.