Congo Update: The Latest Turn of Events

The Situation in Congo
Today I heard or rather read on the BBC news online that President Kabila has called for the people in Congo to take up arms against the rebel leader Nkunda. This is one of the posters you see in Congo (photo by Dan Hoffman). It says: I vote Joseph Kabila for a united Congo, strong and prosperous. The elections took place in 2006 and people in Eastern Congo (see map) are frustrated because this seems so far away.
I fear the situation in Congo will deteriorate and I worry about our friends and the many, many people we have met in Congo and ministered to. I worry that they are not safe and that they endure suffering and evil that is beyond even what we can imagine. The stories I have heard directly from the people themselves are stories that often I cannot share – it would be too much for most people. The depth of evil perpetrated by the rebels and soldiers and even others is really almost beyond belief. If it were not for what I know to be true in Scripture, I would find it hard to believe that a human being can treat another in such ways. But we live in a fallen world and Genesis 3 did happen. I do rejoice however, in the fact that Jesus happened too. Not only did Jesus come to earth and die, He rose from the dead. While the victory is not yet complete, Jesus has overcome death and the victory over evil is sealed. It is just a matter of time for it to be completed. I want to be there cheering when Jesus throws Satan into the pit!
Good News from Congo
Do you remember the prostituted women’s conference (see posts from Aug 6th and Sept 1st)? Well, I have heard that these women (over 40 of them) refuse to stop meeting each week. They are so excited and eager to learn new skills and to be disciple that they continue to meet every week, three times a week. As David Kasali the founder of Congo Initiative said “there is a move of the Spirit that cannot be stopped”. And so, although times are difficult in Congo, God continues to work in ways that are very, very evident and God continues to change peoples’ lives. That is why we cannot give up when we think of Congo. We cannot give up in frustration or exhaustion or think it is more than we can handle. The truth, it is more than we ourselves can do BUT it is not more than what God can do. We must persevere in prayer and beseeching God to act. My same friend David Kasali said to me this week: “It's time to claim back what belongs to our Lord: DRC and its beautiful people who have suffered a lot. When will enough be enough??? So we pray and work and trust. Our Lord is ABLE!!! The Lord will act on behalf of the people he created in his image.” To find out about the work of Congo Initiative visit their website: www.congoinitiative.org

As you think of Congo, or as you see or read news reports, would you take the time to say a prayer for the Congolese, the country and the situation?

Jesus himself said:
“Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea”, and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:22-24

And in James 5:16b we read:
The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

It costs a high price to have your heart in the DRC Christine

Words from my friend in Goma

These words "it costs a high price to have you heart in the DRC Christine. The price is even higher when you have your feet on its dusty soil" were written to me by my friend who lives in Goma. If you haven't heard the fragile peace that existed (barely) in Eastern Congo was shattered a few weeks ago. The rebel forces led by Nkunda are waging war against the civilians and the Congolese army. The UN forces are practically useless at this time. Life has become so unbearable for the people in this part of Congo. My friend who works for the Conservative Baptist Church and his wife who is a counselor live in Goma and they describe the conditions there as 'unbearable'. The fighting is not far from Goma and they can hear the machine guns firing away. Thousands upon thousands of displaced people pour into the refugee camps just outside Goma and they tell horrible stories of the atrocies committed against them. Young children are being kidnapped and forced to become child soldiers. Women and children are being raped by the hundreds and thousands. It is estimated that 1.2 million people have been displaced in the last few weeks alone. My friend said the following in an email to me "When they run for their life, they leave behind gorgeous humus and lava-fertilised fields full of food and livestock to die of hunger in plastic sheet camps a bowl of porridge in hand". In an email I received yesterday he told me "Fightings continue. Every morning, we hear sad news from our vicinity. Frustration, anger, fear...were high this morning in Goma for new displaced people came in. The frontline happens to be in Sake, a small town close to Goma (27 km). Rebels are recruiting boys by force. Some refuse and they are killed on the spot, says CBCA Bitsi Church Pastor who has just run away from the flash zone with raped women and girls and no boys. He witnessed horrible things. This is but a case. Every day we hear stories like this. Thousands of displaced have found no aid so far: they cry for food, water, shelter and medecines. Lots of women are giving birth on bush lieves or litterally on the sand".

The people of Congo and in particular Eastern Congo need our prayers. Their request of me and my fellow team members and those praying in the US is literally this cry: "Do not abandon us, please!" These are not my words but theirs. We must pray for this evil to stop. My friends in Congo need relief from this horrible suffering. The women need to live without the fear of being raped and abandoned. People need to be able to live and tend to their fields and homes. Men need to be able to look after their families without worrying of being killed by the militia and young children need to be allowed to be children and not kidnapped to become soldiers to fight a battle they don't want to fight. These child soldiers live lives of pure hell - often high on drugs, forced to kill family members, friends and anyone their kidnappers tell them to. The young girls who are kidnapped by the rebels become sex slaves to the commanders. This is pure evil and hell. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pray for my friends and the people of Congo who are trying to just survive and live in a place where there is so much pain, suffering and evil right now. This has gone on for far too long.

My friend Daphrose

This is Daphrose with her baby daughter Josephine. Isn't Josephine such a beautiful girl? I first met Daphrose last year on my first trip to Congo. She and her husband live in Goma and work with young people and the Conservative Baptist Church. Daphrose opened up a counseling center this past year and now works full time there working with the youth and many survivors of sexual violence. She has done an amazing work and uses the teaching we taught last year. This year she came to the conference we did for the caregivers and church leaders. She and her team just soaked up all the teaching. We were able to give them some resources and materials to take back with them and they were just so grateful. She, like many others in Congo, have extremely limited resources and are just so appreciative of what little we give them. I wish there was more we could do. However, it is so great to know that the teachings and resources go so very far in the hands of our congolese brothers and sisters. Daphrose, her husband and family are my friends who live in Goma and who are finding life so very difficult at this time. They are not the only ones. It is so difficult to see the pain and suffering. When I was there it was so very difficult to hear the stories and see the pain in the people as we listened and they talked and to know and see how much they had suffered. My heart just broke for the women and men I spoke to. But to live in the middle of it is so much harder. No wonder my friend says, "it costs a high price to have you heart in the DRC Christine. The price is even higher when you have your feet on its dusty soil". My friends have no escape, it surrounds them every moment of the day and every day they hear, see and deal with horrible, horrible atrocies. My heart is even more broken as I hear of their sufferings and so wish I could be there with them at this time. Please pray for my friends and the Congolese at this time. If you want to find out more of what is going on in Congo just go to the different news websites like BBC news online and go to the Africa section. There will be several stories.

My prayer for my friends in Congo

I cling to the verses in the Bible that talk of the promises of God: The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18. This is my prayer - that my friends in Goma will feel the presence of God with them and experience HIs love embracing them at this time. I pray that God in His miraculous ways will "save" my friends and others in Congo and that He will enable all parties concerned - the army, the rebels, the DRC government, the international community and governments to work together to bring about true peace in the DRC. I have seen God do BIG things in Congo and I know God is not finished in Congo - He still has work to do and so my prayer is "God just do your thing". I remember Ephesians 3:20-21. These were the verses that came to mind as I was leaving Congo and I remember them now - because God can do MORE than what we ask of Him or can even imagine: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.

We accept the pain of longing, for it is also joy…

Julian of Norwich and Congo?
I have always connected with the words of Julian of Norwich a 14th century anchorite. She desired to know more of Christ and became a spiritual advisor to many who came for her words of wisdom and spiritual direction. This morning as I reflect on my time in Congo I have come to realize that Congo is with me every moment of the day - every hour, every morning, every afternoon, every night. I see faces, hear stories, see pain and see hope. I see God in action in Congo and I get so much joy when I hear of all that continues to happen in Congo some of which I’ll tell you about today. Yet my struggle is that I feel so far away and I want to be there – to be with people who have become so dear to me and to be able, in a small way, be present with people who are so broken and wounded but who yet seek so boldly to recover and bring hope and peace. It’s not a romantic thought or feeling – because life in Congo is not easy and I am a person who loves my comforts and organized life. But I have come to realize this time that part of my heart is not with me here at home in the US – it is in Congo – I left it behind. The only joy in that is that I know I have to go back because I have to be whole again but the pain comes in longing to be there. And hence the words of Julian of Norwich: “we accept the pain of longing, for it is also joy.” Life is so paradoxical…

This may sound strange but it is true. The joy comes in the praying, the planning and the figuring out how it is going to happen again. Instead of one trip to the Congo next year, let’s plan two – or more. Instead of just waiting for the trip to come around, what can I do in the meantime to support my sisters and brothers in Congo, how does the work continue, what can I do? There is pain in the longing – because it is so hard to be here and not there and I long to be back. And then there is joy in hearing the stories of what is happening since we left.
Discipleship and training:
The women from the prostituted women’s conference that we held last July who became Christians and signed up for skill training have since then been meeting three times a week. They meet every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for discipleship training, literacy classes and skills training making soap and beads. There are over 40 women who have faithfully done this. Kassie, Mama Dorcus and Decky have been the teachers. Last week, the women had three full days (7AM to 5PM) of teaching and discipleship. These women are serious about changing their lives and living in the hope that Jesus gives them. They have discovered a new life and are determined to do their part. David Kasali the founder of Congo Initiative said to me “There is a move of the Spirit that we cannot stop”. Is that not amazing? Is that not the way it should be? That is such an encouragement to me that the work God did through us during our trip has prospered and given these women such hope. God is good. I love the redemptive power of Jesus, the hope that Jesus gives and the new life – really our original design – that Jesus gives when we call on Him. The photos show some of the women who had signed up for the skills training and discipleship.
Romans 10:11
For the Scripture says. “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

The Innocent Ones

The Children of Africa
There is something so beautiful to me about the children of Africa...actually any child no matter where they are from. The children in Africa LOVE having their photograph taken. Then they LOVE to see their photo on the screen. They gather round you after you have taken the picture and giggle in delight as they see their image. And then the photographer gets so much delight as they interact with the kids. The kids are the innocent ones. Sometimes you see a young child and they stare at you in fascination - they touch your skin and giggle as it goes white and then red as the blood flushes in. They stroke your arms to feel the texture of your skin. They yell out "mzungu, mzungu" (white person, white person) and just call you over to take their photo. They are a blast.
Uganda
We arrived first in Uganda on our way to the Democratic Republic of Congo. There we visited African Hearts - a NGO that has a home for former street kids. It is a beautiful ministry and the boys in this home are so loving, gentle and polite. They learn to play in band to raise support for their schooling and needs. There are many boys there - over 50. And Lutaaya the leader is himself a former street child. His heart is so for these street kids that he set up this ministry to get the boys off the streets and raise them in a loving environment. So since we were there we visited African Hearts. There I med Sowedi. I don't know how old he is but I do know he is a cute kid. He seemed to bond with me very quickly and hung onto me as we walked around, visited their home, heard them play in the band, sing songs and even act out a play regarding AIDS for us. As we walked around he slipped his hand into mine and clung to me at times. When it came time to leave he cleared the way for me as we headed to the van. He would tell the people and other boys to move aside for "his mother". Then he looked at me and told me I was his mother. It was so hard to leave him after that but I did tell him he was my son and I would always remember him. He didn't want to let go of me and we hugged each other for ages. That's Sowedi leaning against a wall - cute kid isn't he?
Street Kids
Kampala, Uganda is said to have over a million street kids. That's a hard hitting statistic and hard to believe but that is what we were told. And when you walk the streets and you see all the kids then it becomes more than just a statistic. On our last Saturday in Uganda after we had returned from Congo on our way back to the US we went in search of the true street kids. Our intent: we wanted to feed the kids. We had seen the kids - they were as young as 2. I can't tell you how many 3, 4, 5, 6 year olds we saw sitting on the streets, begging and crying. Yes, its true that some of these kids have homes and their parents send them out to beg. Yes, it is true that some of these kids are parts of gangs were they are made to beg and yes some of these kids could go home. But many kids had come from Northern Uganda where the rebel fighting had driven them to Kampala. Others were simply orphans, rejected or on the streets for some other reason. But many, many of these kids were hungry - you can tell. So our team bought all the bread we could - we bought all the bread two stores had and we got peanut butter (high nutritional content) and made peanut butter sandwiches. And then we walked among sewer ditches, along city streets and we found the kids. They snatched up the sandwiches and sat down on the streets and started to eat. We talked to them and we loved them. I think this morning was one of the most heart wrenching mornings of our trip. I just wanted to bring all these kids home with me. It is so hard to see a 3 or 4 year old on the street, crying, hungry and sitting there alone and just walk away. Yes, we gave them food but we walked away. And we are left to wonder what has happened to this child, that child today? It makes me glad that God has called people like my friend Abby - a young lady in her twenties - who feels called to work among the street kids in Kampala and who has boldly accepted that call. There are others like her and the leader of African Hearts Lutaaya who was once a street kid now wants to help these kids in that position. They are heroes in this world who bravely accept the call of God and minister to the least.
Kids in Congo
These kids are the innocent ones too and they are just so cute. Here are some photos of these beautiful children:

Just content to play with a bit of paper (left). On the right below - kids playing with balloons.









Some kids have the most amazing smiles!

The smiles are indeed infectious!

This photo shows Jeff playing with the kids. They loved it. All he did was lift them up into the air and they just laughed and laughed and smiled with joy.






Above is one of my favorite photos taken at a church in Beni - the church known as the "church of the rubbish" because it is the church where the people who attend are the drug addicts, the prostitutes, the homeless, the unemployed, those people considered the least of the people in the city. It's my favorite church to visit - it's also one of the churches where we are made to feel the most welcomed. During the service, different groups come up to sing songs of welcome - the youth, the ladies, the choir, etc. The youth leader - a very animated character called Moses speaks English and has words of encouragement for us and then leads the youth in song. This year after our visit there we were invited to the house by the side of the church where upon they brought out plates of food - chicken, vegetables, a local pastry, peanuts, and sodas. What a treat. We shared stories, encouraged each other, prayed, laughed and joked and just had fun visiting. The pastor of this church is a man called Peter Amani - this is his prayer request "pray that I will love my people the way Jesus loves them". He is an amazing man - his love for the least of the least is very evident - and they love him.

Caught yawning in church! No surprise - the services last 3-4 hours!