What was this trip all about?

I was actually participating in 2 separate back-to-back trips. The first part was, for me, a training endeavor. There were 3 of us, a physician from Lincoln, Nebraska who was working with the Congolese doctors at Tandala hospital (more on this in a later post), a theologian / missiologists, Dr. Ben Sawatsky, from Minneapolis who taught about the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit in several Bible schools, and my role of teaching pastors. I traveled to outlying villages where pastors and church leaders would gather from surrounding areas. One pastor said he’d spent 2 days traveling by bicycle to get to my seminar, wow – that’s humbling!

Sometimes the host church was very humble: thatched roof, mud brick walls, dirt floor, logs for benches.

Regardless of the setting, the participants were extremely responsive to how the context of Scripture informs the meaning of Scripture. In several instances a number of laymen and women attended. I found it extremely sad that few of these owned Bibles.

The second part of the trip concerned a pioneering project to help widows, orphans, and the disabled. The Elikya (“hope”) center is a wholistic approach to helping these needy people learn life skills, encourage independence, and care for their spiritual needs. Our team of 6 Americans met with about 20 Congolese leaders in long-range planning. This was a first for the Africans. We interviewed typical program participants to anticipate needs the center might meet, then worked out a 3-year plan to address them. This is going to be an exciting time!

What happened to this blog?

Sometimes good intentions are interrupted by technical problems. The satellite Internet system at the Congo Free Church headquarters in Gemena has been offline for 3 weeks due to a little router that eventually died by overheating. Since there is no Best Buy for thousands of miles we had to arrange for a pastor in Kinshasa to locate one then wait for the twice a week plane to bring it up to the city of Gemena.

So my intention to update this blog daily with news, photos, etc. hasn’t come together as I’d hoped. Now it’s almost time to return to the U.S. so maybe I get around to reviewing my trip when I’m recovering from jetlag.

Please keep in touch!

In Congo #1

4 Guys – How many bags???

20?!!

I was carrying an ultrasound machine for Tandala hospital. It will be their first, and they are really anxious for it, though we don’t yet know where the power will come from.

The crate, which also included a couple of soccer balls (mostly deflated), dehydrated food, and other supplies. At the Air France counter at O’Hare I mentioned to the agent that the crate was overweight. He looked at the scale and agreed, this one is overweight. Then he saw my suitcase and asked, “how much does that weigh?” “It’s underweight.” “Well,” the agent said, “we’ll add the 2 together and then your make the weight limit!” What a blessing!

The huge cardboard crates contain musical instruments donated by a church in Wilmer, Minnesota for use in some of the churches in the region.

With me on this trip is a medical doctor, Dr. Scott McPherson, from Lincoln Nebraska, Dr. Ben Sawatsky, a theologian and former missions leader, and Dr. Tom Cairns, a missionary physician. Together we brought books, other medical equipment, and the musical instruments. It’s a joy to bring needed items to people with such needs!

Water.

Since there is no power here, there is no running water. Ladies walk about ½ mile to a spring and fill up jugs with about 65lbs of water then carry it back on their heads.

Also, children, like this little girl, bring their own chairs to school!