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.

Visiting Graduates

24 September

Wednesday was a long day starting at 6:30 an d arriving at our destination just north of Kasama at 6pm – the roads were long dusty and pot holed which made for interesting driving. The seminar began on Thursday with a very enthusiastic group of people. This region has 6 Samfya Bible School graduates working in it and a couple of GLO grads. They are working together as church planting teams and are endeavouring to see one new plant in new areas each year.

It was humbling to hear their commitment to the gospel and the efforts that are going in to reach into areas that are predominantly Roman Catholic. They have also sent people away into new areas to start churches – they have a real missions mindset.

The challenges they presented to us in their work is that none of them have bicycles. When they go to new church plant areas they also need bedding as if they take theirs, the family is left with nothing. Also in moving to a new area they need to rent a house (mud brick!!) and need resources to help with this. Currently they try to raise funds for this from their 10 churches, however funds are very tight.

It has been very challenging to see and understand the work that these men and women are doing. They are committed to the truth. What a blessing to come and encourage them in this vital ministry.

We have now travelled further north, past Mbala to Mpulungu. This town is on the southern end of Lake Tanganyika – it is a fishing town. Today we begin meetings with the graduates from this area and their church communities. Please pray for us for strength – the temperatures are very hot and humid. Everyone is well but tired.

27 September

Well the challenges of our time away only continue to grow. Here at Mpulungu we have come to a busy fishing district. It is hot and humid here, the streets are nothing more than rocks! We have been wonderfully cared for by our hosts, all sent to homes around the area. It is a beautiful place with the backdrop of Lake Tanganyika, however the needs of the people are still the same.

The church leaders and graduates from the Bible School here are working hard in church planting and growing the church. They also have a mission mindset, having planted churches in remote places, one even 130kms up the Lake in a river valley area. The astounding thing is that there are many un-evangelised areas here in remote locations. These people have a heart to reach out to these places. They want to send more people for Bible School Training to equip them for this work. It is so humbling to see their commitment to the truth.

Where we have held the training meetings here has been on the foundation of their church which has a makeshift grass roof structure at one end – they have been more committed to funding the church planting and evangelising and have not had the extra money to build a church building!! All the team were involved in the small group training sessions sharing about God’s grace in their lives.

The needs of the graduates here is much the same as Kasama area. They need strong mountain bikes – it is very hilly and remote – getting to the church plant areas is difficult. They need tents and sleeping bags, resources to help when they leave their families for up to 2 months at a time. They are also asking for help in training their up and coming leaders. The work these men and women are doing is wonderful – may our hearts be further opened as we as a church invest in this vital ministry.

A troubling thing here is the influence of Islam. They have come to this area and they are offering free education for children. They also offer food on a weekly basis. They are not preaching so much, but trying to get the hearts of the children and then the families through education and food. Pray for the two men that have started a work in evangelising these people caught in an evil system.

The chairman of the Samfya board comes from Mbala 40kms from here and he is also working to encourage and help the work, reaching out to remote bush areas. Pray for him as he tries to give some oversight to this work in this region. We go to his house today to have lunch after our Sunday service.

Tomorrow is the long arduous journey back to Samfya – please pray for safety and that the vehicle will hold up well!

28 September

Greetings, we did not manage an internet download, so here is another small report downloaded with the other two reports. We finished up at Mpulungu today with the morning service where I taught through Ephesians 2:8-10 and then Stephen shared his testimony.

We drove to Mbala and had lunch with the chairman of the board of Samfya Bible School. It was wonderful to hear his heart beat. We then drove to Kasama and are staying with Marko & Stephanie Vedder, missionaries from Germany. Tomorrow we take the long arduous drive back to Samfya – probably 10 hours over some very bad roads.

Thank you all for your prayers, we value your support and interest. We are all very tired, but challenged so much by the commitment seen to Christ by our Zambian brothers and sisters.

Tuesday Roger & I travel to Ndola to obtain our visas for the Congo, and then will try and be in Lubumbashi by 2^nd or 3^rd of October.

Greetings from the women and children left behind in New Zealand. We miss you lots but know you are doing a great work there. Our prayers are with you all.

Bibles

Fishermens family homes