Helping Orphans

My neighbor is a teacher at a local primary school. We were talking about how she teaches in a very poor part of town and often meets orphans who are unable to go to school. Orphans are usually taken in by and aunt or uncle or grandmother. If they are taken in by the grandmother she barely has means to feed herself so school is out of the question. If they are taken in by an aunt or uncle they are never treated the same as the actual children of the aunt or uncle. They are often told to work by doing chores and aren’t worth spending the money on to send to school. She met with people in the community and found 21 orphans between the ages of 6 and 15 who wanted to attend primary school, most of them girls. Because culturally the girls do the washing, cleaning, and cooking and their destiny in life is to do that for their husband and produce children; an education is seen as meaningless. That is why widows are in such a horrible position in Africa. Without their husband they cannot function in society (in the cities like Likasi). I sat down with my neighbor and calculated all the costs: school fees, supplies, and a uniform and the total came to $60 per child or $5 a month.

I tried to do something like this last year but I hit plenty of road bumps. My neighbor works at a Christian school that best of all teaches the Word of God and will be honest regarding money. This being said I’m looking for 21 people who will commit to giving $5 a month for the next year or $60 all at once so that these orphans can know the love of Christ and have a chance to pursue their dreams. It is so little to us but it will mean so much to these orphans. Contact me at noahministriescongo@yahoo.com and I will send you more information and the name of the orphan you will be supporting through this school year with pictures to follow. Thank you for caring.

And the Ministry Begins

Wow how can I sum up the last few days? I preached on Wednesday but on Thursday, my birthday, I was able to preach/teach for the new intercession group. God has been preparing me for this for such a long time. I was told I would be doing it before I left for the US. Just as God tends to work things out, the church I was attending did a Wednesday study through Dutch Sheets book on Intercession. So I’ve been anticipating this sermon for quite some time. It was awesome. Such a great birthday present to be able to see God open people’s eyes and grab a hold of their hearts. Friday night was an all night prayer meeting that I had no idea would last all night. Its winter here and I was not prepared so it got a little cold but was crazy anointed. I know God is raising up powerful intercessors.

Sunday after church we went to Shituru, where we are planting a church. When I left we were meeting in a crowded tiny living room. We had been praying for Mimi’s husband who was a drunk and not a Christian. God spoke to him in a dream and he totally turned his life around and said God called him to fix up a room in his house for a church. It has been amazing to watch but I wondered is Edmund would keep the course. Once I get there we immediately start walking around visiting people. Every house there was a different sad story. Nearly everyone was sick, one lady had a miscarriage, and others lost their jobs and are barely surviving. It seemed like there was no good news. Then it was time for church and I saw that Edmund had indeed converted the room he used to use as a mini bar for himself and his friends into God’s house! It is so much roomier than the livingroom and all 20 of us fit fine. Then I saw a new man leading the service. The more he spoke the more I liked him. I could just tell he had a Pentecostal background which I easily relate to. It turns out he is a pastor but doesn’t have a church at the moment so he is working with us and hopefully will be the answer to our prayers for God to show us a pastor! Even more so he will be answering my prayers for a pastor who really believes God is powerful.

It has been the cry of my heart since I left Congo 6 months ago for God to show me how to communicate his power to his people. He has been giving me really great sermons. Some times I think the sermons he gives me are too good that I won’t be able to effectively describe them with my limited vocabulary. Well I randomly met this guys who works at World Vision and speaks English and he told me he lives in Shituru. I invited him to our church meeting and he came and offered to interpret for me. He did and said he would come every week! I preached from 1 Sam 11 and it says essentially no one had any hope until the Holy Spirit made Saul angry the people united together and God gave them victory. As I was preaching I felt a holy anger come over me for how the devil was abusing God’s people and defaming God of his power. After service it was time to pray for people and I prayed with more faith and authority than I have prayed with for a long time. The Holy Spirit was speaking to me and it was awesome. I feel so encouraged about the church to be. God provided a building, a pastor, and an interpreter. He kept Edmund on the straight and narrow and he started out my being back by doing a new thing. I am waiting in eager anticipation to see God turn every bad situation I found into a beautiful testimony of His love and power.

Settling in and Readjusting

The border is always a mad house. Lots of fights break out. I’m friends with the Congolese Immigration Officers now so it isn’t a problem for me. I changed money and when I was handed the stacks of Congolese francs I was dumbfounded. I had completely forgotten how to deal with their money. In addition to it being a different currency all the numbers are in French and they put the money is stacks on 25 instead of 20. I had to take a moment to think and remember each stack is 12,500 and I was then able to count it. It was my first indication that I had forgotten way too much. The second was when I was getting the number of my taxi driver and he replied quickly zéro quatre vingt et un trois cent nonant cinq... I had to stop him and go over each of the numbers one by one as I repeated them to him. That was the kind of thing I had been able to do without even thinking about it. When we reached Lubumbashi the road became bad so I was going to make conversation and ask him if they were finally going to fix the road, but I couldn’t remember the words. Then he said in Swahili they are fixing the road finally starting on the other side. I recognized the words as soon as he said them. So it’s still in my brain but I just have to bring it into focus.

I knew that when I got back my house would be covered in dust. I’m glad I thought to take some pictures before I started cleaning. For hours I just dusted, got rid of cobwebs, swept and mopped. Then came unpacking everything. It’s been 24 hours now and I finally feel on top of it but there is still much to be done. Everything is fine except I can’t get my generator to work. Please pray I can get it working.

Then when I woke up of course there was no electricity. I walked to the market bought charcoal started the fire and boiled water. An hour later I had coffee. After that I had to haul water and now I’m feeling a little bit sore. I also washed clothes, not something you would think of as a physical activity, but actually wringing out clothes really works on your forearms and finger muscles. I then had to go into town and by groceries. It’s always a tough choice to decide how much stuff to buy in a single trip. It’s over a mile walk to my house so with 30 extra pounds you start to regret that heavy thing you bought. Its amazing how much muscle I lost in the US, but like it or not I’ll get it back soon.

When I walked past the market by my house I was greeted by the normal array of languages “Goowd maning” “How a oow?” “Bonjour” “Comment?” “Bishi?” “Jambo” “Habari?” and I responded out of habit thankfully not forgetting any “Good morning” “I’m fine” “Bonjour” “Bien” “Bimpa” “Jambo sana” “Muzuri”. It was a good experience. There is nothing like being home. I’ve been preaching my heart out too which is great. In the US I had plenty of opportunities to share about my life and what God is doing, but I sure did miss really preaching!

Death - The Sad Entry

I was a little frustrated at having picked such a slow bus until I saw another bus that pulled up to Kapiri Mposhi right after my bus did. You have to understand African bus stops to understand this story. There are buses of all sizes and taxis everywhere parked in all different direction with no seeming order if they are passing through. If they are waiting to fill up each place has a section. There are a few stands set up where venders are selling things. But most of all there are dozens maybe even a hundred people with baskets full of items to sell and they rush up to every incoming bus and desperately try to sell anything they can to people on the bus before it takes off. When this other bus pulled up a seller who was by my bus quickly ran over to the other bus hoping to be the first one over to sell. The buses are huge and it’s hard to see. The situation is completely chaotic and anyway the general philosophy in Africa is people watch out for cars not the other way around. The other bus ran over that man. We tried to see over the crowd but couldn’t. The general consensus was the man must have died because we never saw him or heard him and no one tried to find a hospital or doctor. I am so thankful I was not riding the bus that killed someone. God was looking out for me.

It was not the first time I watched someone die. Scarcely has a week gone by without at least hearing of a death. On the trip I read a book called When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin. Godwin, born a white African, had this to say about it “In Africa you do not view death from the auditorium of life, as a spectator, but from the edge of the stage, waiting for your cue. You feel perishable, temporary, transient. You feel mortal. Maybe that is why you seem to live more vividly in Africa. The drama of life there is amplified but its constant proximity to death.” The book is about Zimbabwe’s recent collapse seen through his eyes and experiences. I witnessed the country go from the bread basket of Africa to a horrible place myself. I thought it was interesting that in the middle of the book I stayed at a guest house run by a wonderful white Zimbabwean. One who managed to get out unlike so many others.

When I arrived back in Congo I was greeted by all kinds of stories. Some students had graduated since I left. There was so much that happened in the half a year I had been gone. People had had babies or become pregnant. But the news that sticks with me the strongest is that Fidele, a wonderful Deacon at the church I attend, had lost his daughter Orneli. He was really the best person you could ever hope to meet. Studying to be a pastor, super friendly, and always serving everyone in any capacity he could. His daughter Orneli was about 2 and super outgoing just like her papa. I remember telling him that I thought Orneli would be a public performer some how because she just had the personality for it. Apparently she was fine on Sunday, dancing and singing in church as always, but Monday night she got sick and had a bad fever so they took her to the hospital where the doctors had no idea what was wrong with her so they sent her home. The fever didn’t go away so Fidel carried her to a better hospital farther away and just as they reach it she died in his arms. What a tragedy.

This is my sad entry, but there is more to come of joyous occasions filled with God’s goodness. Please keep Fidele and his wife and other 3 children in your prayers. The world needs our prayers and our help desperately. In this world we have so many troubles but take heart because Jesus has overcome the world. Some people believe things will continue to go from bad to worse, but I can’t accept that. I believe and cry out for things to get better and better. I thank God that for the first time in a really long time Eastern Congo has had peace from Congolese armies. God hears us and he answers.

African Bus Rides

Public transportation is always an adventure. I was “booked” on the 9:00 bus from Kalomo to Lusaka but because the company gets more money from a person leaving from farther south they didn’t hold my spot. I couldn’t get on a bus until 12:30. At 7:30 we finally arrived and I got onto a taxi and headed for the guest house. In the morning my taxi driver didn’t come. I have no idea why. Thankfully, I have several numbers for taxi drivers in Lusaka and within 10 minutes was loading up a cab to head back to the bus station. I picked the first bus I found and then I waited for the bus to fill up. Four buses were all going to Solowezi at 6 but really none of them leave until later. I picked the slowest bus and it didn’t leave until 12:30 and I didn’t arrive until 8. I got in another taxi and I stayed the night which was nice to have one more night in Zambia. The next morning I got in another taxi and headed for the border between Zambia and Congo, After I crossed the border I entered yet another taxi that took me the 60 miles to Lubumbashi, the capital of Katanga province. After that I got on yet another bus and headed 75 miles to Likasi where I live. I then took my final taxi to Kampumpi where my house is and was greeted by lots of friends.
So there are a few things you have to understand about African bus rides. The seats make airplane seats seem roomy. You are literally scrunched up against the person next to you the entire time. It’s bumpy and the drivers may or may not be any good. You make a lot of stops but it’s just to let people off and other people on. There is actually only one break for people to get off and buy food or use the bathroom. This creates a problem because now 50 people want to use the disgusting bathroom and there is a line. My solution is to drink less. I usually drink 500 milliliters in the morning and 500 in the afternoon. By the end of the afternoon though I get a slight dull headache, a dehydration headache. The headache is dull and for me a much better choice than the alternative.
Another thing to remember is the smells. Its dry season now so it’s burning time in Africa. This is the time of year when people begin to burn everywhere. They burn the fields with the maize husks and they burn the elephant grass and they burn and burn. Some say the burning leads to erosion and the nutritious top soil being blown away but others say it adds nutrients to the soil. I’m no agricultural expert so I don’t know if it does any good or not but they do it. Especially by the road side so the entire 2 days I smelled smoke. The other thing is there are lots of babies on the buses. These babies leave plenty of smelly surprises that their parents change. The changing part is the smelliest but they don’t have ziplock bags and they don’t use disposable diapers so the smell lingers the rest of the trip. These smells are coupled with plenty of BO and whatever food people happen to be eating.
I realize that I have way too much to say so I’ll break it up into sections. I’m back in Congo and after just one day’s normal work am sore. I know I’ll get used to it soon. Thanks for your prayers they helped me get here safely.

Off To Congo

I will leave my parent's house on Thursday and hopefully arrive at my house on Saturday. Please pray for my travels as anything can happen on public transportation rides to Congo. I know my Swahili and French are still in my mind but they have been pushed to the way back so pray I can pull them out and communicate on the way. I will have 3 inches of dust covering everything in my house (I predict) so cleaning it will be fun. Pray the transition goes great and God does great things. Thanks for your prayers.

I have been in Zambia for a wonderful 2 weeks. It has as always been full of good stories. A team came from the Outerbanks of North Carolina and we headed to see the great Victoria Falls. I picked the lodge we would stay in basically because they had wireless internet but of course the day we happened to be there it was down and I couldn't get online. Then we went to a restaurant and the electricity was out for we could only get drinks. Then the car broke down on the way home. It all worked out in the end though.

Then we went out to Mapampi to our orphanage. There is no electricity and it is pretty primitive. There were lots of new kids to meet and each one has a special story and is so precious. Unfortunately the new ones are pretty afraid of white people and 7 at once was just way too much. I guess because I speak some Tonga or maybe it was the fun games I came up with using oranges they warmed up to me really quickly.

It's the end of the term right now so the kids each brought us their test scores because they were so proud of them A's and B's for all that I saw. Unfortunately, most of the kids are really behind in school. Some of our kids are 12 years old and in 3 grade. Please pray that the orphanage will find a teacher who can help the kids catch up in school. Right before I got back one of my favorites, Constance, was extremely sick. She is HIV positive and death knocked at the door for weeks but she was released from the hospital the week I arrived here. It was incredible to play with her and see the miracle her life is and the testimony of God's goodness. She has been through so much but God has never left her and now she knows that which is priceless. I can't wait to open an orphanage in Congo. It'll be amazing to see God transforms lives there in a similar way.