Well I made it back to Zambia. I had a nice Christmas in Lubumbashi. I met lots of other expatriates. Christmas eve we celebrated with South Koreans, Christmas day we celebrated the Sabbath in with some Jewish friends, and The day after spent time with Lebanese and Belgian friends. On Sunday I went to our church and despite the rain had a huge crowd and was able to preach. Monday I started off for Zambia. In Africa buses leave when they are full not at any specific time. I unfortunately had to wait a long time and didn’t arrive in Lusaka until after 11pm but was thankful to have made it at last. On Wednesday I headed south to Kalomo on another slow bus but made it by 9pm.
Thursday for New Year Eve I went to the all night prayer meeting at our church here. It was wonderful in everyway! At least 300 people showed up maybe 500. We decided to do a joint meeting and invited all the other local churches to come. We sang and danced, prayed, and heard the word of God. It was a powerful night with many people being touched by the power of God and making decisions to commit their lives fully to God’s work in 2010. I especially enjoyed having a service in English where I didn’t have to strain to get the jist of what was going on. It was so wonderful to see old friends again. I realized how bad my Tonga has become. As people asked me questions I had to answer them in English because the only words coming to mind were in Swahili. I understood them so I realized its all in my head I just have to bring it back to memory. At about 5:15 when the last person was preaching I looked out the window at a gorgeous sunrise and couldn’t help feeling excited about all that is in store for 2010. I am thankful I had the opportunity to celebrate New Years in the traditional Zambian way.
The day after I got back twins arrived with their uncle hoping to come to our orphanage. We took them out to the children’s home and it was wonderful to see all of the kids again. I am looking forward to working with them in their reading and math skills. The kids English isn’t that good so I really need to brush up on my Tonga.
It is so nice to be back home in Zambia. More so than enjoying all of the luxuries life in Zambia provides I’m excited about seeing friends and being able to minister to people with more freedom. I should be returning to Congo the end of January. No doubt I will make the most of my time here in Zambia. Thanks for praying for my travels as anything can go wrong on African bus trips I always give God the glory for a safe trip.
07 January 2010
22 December 2009
Joyeux Noël
It has been a Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas) this year. It began with 3 days of meetings at the Shituru church plant. We met Sunday through Tuesday and the choir came from another church with their keyboard. Pastor Kabamba preached from Ezekiel. An interesting choice for Christmas but as he proclaimed dry bones would live the Holy Spirit came down and moved in power! The presence of God was so strong in our little bar we use as a church. People’s lives were touched as we cried out to God together for His will to be done in our lives.
I did a separate program outside with all of the children. Children is so not my area but the pastors said they were going to kick the kids out of the church because they would disturb the service so I felt I didn’t have a choice. I have identified some teenage girls who are great with the kids. Right now they are leading the children’s choir. I have ordered a curriculum for children in francophone Africa. Please pray that it arrives as mailing things to Africa is always a gamble. I think that with a curriculum those girls could do an awesome job of teaching the kids the word of God.
On Saturday we had a big Christmas part for the kids. It was quite the event. We had somewhere between 200 and 300 kids. The 70 orphans we have been working with plus the 50 other kids that come to our church showed up and so did every other kid in the area it seemed. We met on our land we bought to build the church which is a wonderful location with plenty of room for games. We began by explaining why we were celebrating and explained the story of Christmas. We sang and sang.
Afterwards we played games. We did three legged races, sac races, football matches, water games, jump roping, and some Congolese games I learned for the first time. The little kids colored pages from the Christmas story and we had a blast. I have been praying for some time that God would keep the rain from falling during our program. At 8 when I arrived the sky was gray with rain clouds and by 9 it had begun to sprinkle but God was faithful as He always is to answer our prayers and the sprinkling stopped and we had no rain until 5 after our program was over! It was a big miracle. After games we went to our church where the food had been prepared. We had bukari (in Zambia nsima basically thick grits or corn mush), fish, and beans, with popcorn, cookies, and candy. I thought some people might get trampled in the process though. Congolese people aren’t good at patience so they pushed and shoved to get to the front of the line. It was chaotic but we all survived.
I am so thankful for all the people who came together to help out. Mama Isa, our church administrator took over all the food. She assembled a team of women to cook the food, put her kids to work stuffing bags with candy. It was wonderful to not have to even think about that part of the party because I knew she had it totally under control. We had about 15 teenagers helping with the games and hauling water up the hill for our water games as well as doing crowd control during the eating time. Then the pastoral team was helping me with whatever I needed. I appreciate their patients with my poor Swahili as I attempted to explain the games and the concept of a rotation from game to game.
We also gave out noise makers which were a huge hit with the kids. In fact Sunday everywhere we went we heard kids blowing on them. I’m sure their parents love me. On Sunday countless children ran up to me and shook my hand saying “Da Sheri merci beacoup.” I couldn’t help but feel I was unjustly getting the thanks. So I pass it on to all of you now. Thank you for your support through prayers, encouragement, and financial contributions. A special thank you to the church who gave the money for the party.
I’ve recently found some other expatriates who live in this area of Congo. We got into a conversation about the street children and I passed on to them all of the information I had. They said they would like to do something for the kids for Christmas and I suggested buying shoes. We gave out 70 pairs of shoes to the street kids many who had previously been walking around barefooted. Every time I go into town they chase me down just to say thank you.
I also found out who the Samaritan Purse’s Operation Christmas Child representative is in this area and organized to get Christmas boxes for each of the almost 100 orphans Noah Ministries is working with as well as the over 200 street kids in Likasi. The boxes are being collected now in the US and will arrive here in March or April next year. I have worked with OCC in Zambia and know from experience how much joy it brings to children who would have otherwise received nothing for Christmas. It will be especially exciting here because I don’t think the street kids have any toys at all.
Hopefully on Wednesday I will go to Lubumbashi to spend Christmas with some other Americans. It’ll be great to have running water and internet for a few days. Speaking English is always a treat too. It’ll also be nice to go to our church their. One of my friends recently had a child I haven’t seen yet. If everything goes according to plan on the 28th I’ll go down to Zambia for a month. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends, working with the churches and orphans in Zambia, and of course speaking English and Tonga! Please pray for safe travel.
I did a separate program outside with all of the children. Children is so not my area but the pastors said they were going to kick the kids out of the church because they would disturb the service so I felt I didn’t have a choice. I have identified some teenage girls who are great with the kids. Right now they are leading the children’s choir. I have ordered a curriculum for children in francophone Africa. Please pray that it arrives as mailing things to Africa is always a gamble. I think that with a curriculum those girls could do an awesome job of teaching the kids the word of God.
On Saturday we had a big Christmas part for the kids. It was quite the event. We had somewhere between 200 and 300 kids. The 70 orphans we have been working with plus the 50 other kids that come to our church showed up and so did every other kid in the area it seemed. We met on our land we bought to build the church which is a wonderful location with plenty of room for games. We began by explaining why we were celebrating and explained the story of Christmas. We sang and sang.
Afterwards we played games. We did three legged races, sac races, football matches, water games, jump roping, and some Congolese games I learned for the first time. The little kids colored pages from the Christmas story and we had a blast. I have been praying for some time that God would keep the rain from falling during our program. At 8 when I arrived the sky was gray with rain clouds and by 9 it had begun to sprinkle but God was faithful as He always is to answer our prayers and the sprinkling stopped and we had no rain until 5 after our program was over! It was a big miracle. After games we went to our church where the food had been prepared. We had bukari (in Zambia nsima basically thick grits or corn mush), fish, and beans, with popcorn, cookies, and candy. I thought some people might get trampled in the process though. Congolese people aren’t good at patience so they pushed and shoved to get to the front of the line. It was chaotic but we all survived.
I am so thankful for all the people who came together to help out. Mama Isa, our church administrator took over all the food. She assembled a team of women to cook the food, put her kids to work stuffing bags with candy. It was wonderful to not have to even think about that part of the party because I knew she had it totally under control. We had about 15 teenagers helping with the games and hauling water up the hill for our water games as well as doing crowd control during the eating time. Then the pastoral team was helping me with whatever I needed. I appreciate their patients with my poor Swahili as I attempted to explain the games and the concept of a rotation from game to game.
We also gave out noise makers which were a huge hit with the kids. In fact Sunday everywhere we went we heard kids blowing on them. I’m sure their parents love me. On Sunday countless children ran up to me and shook my hand saying “Da Sheri merci beacoup.” I couldn’t help but feel I was unjustly getting the thanks. So I pass it on to all of you now. Thank you for your support through prayers, encouragement, and financial contributions. A special thank you to the church who gave the money for the party.
I’ve recently found some other expatriates who live in this area of Congo. We got into a conversation about the street children and I passed on to them all of the information I had. They said they would like to do something for the kids for Christmas and I suggested buying shoes. We gave out 70 pairs of shoes to the street kids many who had previously been walking around barefooted. Every time I go into town they chase me down just to say thank you.
I also found out who the Samaritan Purse’s Operation Christmas Child representative is in this area and organized to get Christmas boxes for each of the almost 100 orphans Noah Ministries is working with as well as the over 200 street kids in Likasi. The boxes are being collected now in the US and will arrive here in March or April next year. I have worked with OCC in Zambia and know from experience how much joy it brings to children who would have otherwise received nothing for Christmas. It will be especially exciting here because I don’t think the street kids have any toys at all.
Hopefully on Wednesday I will go to Lubumbashi to spend Christmas with some other Americans. It’ll be great to have running water and internet for a few days. Speaking English is always a treat too. It’ll also be nice to go to our church their. One of my friends recently had a child I haven’t seen yet. If everything goes according to plan on the 28th I’ll go down to Zambia for a month. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends, working with the churches and orphans in Zambia, and of course speaking English and Tonga! Please pray for safe travel.
10 December 2009
Buying a Motorcycle in Congo
When I was in America I was so blessed to receive the money to buy a motorcycle. Since August when I got back I’ve been doing my homework trying to find the best one. First I had to go to all of the government offices asking what I would need and how much everything would cost. Everything is a scam and corrupt in this country. The insurance government run program demands that you pay them but in the case of an accident wouldn’t give you a penny. In each office they wanted money before they would even tell me the price. Thankfully I pulled the missionary card and convinced them to tell me without a bribe. Then inevitable someone in the government office will ask me to marry them and that’s my queue to leave. One office I had the hardest time finding. It turns out that’s because it no longer exists. They changed buildings and then separated the division and then decided it was no longer necessary for motorcycles to have license plates.
The funny part about it all is most people in Congo never bother to get their government documents. The country is corrupt so there is a large police force whose sole occupation is blowing a whistle and then asking for money. So whether you have your documents of not they’ll demand you pay them money. I’m trying to do the right thing and follow what I can figure out about the system that supposedly exists but each step of the way I realize why so few others do.
Next I had to find places selling motorcycles. In Likasi there are maybe 100 tiny shops that may have one or 2 motorcycles for sale. It took days to go into each shop and discover who had what. Then I had to investigate the Chinese name brands to discover which ones were at least better than others. A lot of people have motorcycles around here so I would just ask them questions about theirs. They always thought it was hilarious and informed me that women can’t ride motorcycles.
Then it was time to haggle down the price. Some people see my white skin and jack up the price. They don’t think I need a discount because I am obviously a millionaire (and that’s why I live without running water because I have so much money). So some people get offended that you even ask them to change the price. Finally you find a reasonable person and I thought I had found my motorcycle. I went in to test it to be sure it worked then buy it. I had informed the shop keeper of my intentions a week before so everything would be ready. When I put some gas in to test it the gas spilt all over the floor. Definitely not going to work.
So I repeated the process time and time again one time the brakes weren’t connected properly and another time the battery was dead. My friends told me to buy in Lubumbashi. It’s hard to find the time to go there and then it is hassle because no one knows me there. Then if there is a problem with it I have to take it back. But I thought I was out of options so I planned to do it in January.
Then while walking through town one day I randomly saw a new one that must have just come to the tiny shop named Mattieu 6:33. The first day they wouldn’t negotiate the price. When I went back I haggled it down and tested it. To my amazement it actually worked. Then they even agreed to take it to a mechanic and pay the costs so I could be sure there were no problems. I went to each of the government offices where they asked for money and someone wanted to marry me, but left without adhering to either of their requests. They also all looked at me in total shock when I told them it was my motorcycle that I would be driving.
I keep trying to explain to these people that women are capable. This normally means don’t call women stupid and refers to the need to send your daughters to school as well as your sons but of course works for driving motorcycles too. The motorcycle may be bigger than I am but I am strong. I proved to a couple of my Congolese friends that I can lift the motorcycle if it happened to fall, I can push and maneuver it, and most importantly that I can (although barely) touch the ground while straddling it. They were amazed. And then I rode it which caused them to drop their jaws. Apparently they thought there is something so difficult about kicking gears up and down that women can’t do it. If only they could have seen me doing that on ATV’s when I was 6.
It was an experience buying a motorcycle in Congo. It’s such a blessing to have a means of transportation. There are so many ways I was limited before. Like I said on facebook I have a feeling my shoes are going to start lasting a lot longer.
The funny part about it all is most people in Congo never bother to get their government documents. The country is corrupt so there is a large police force whose sole occupation is blowing a whistle and then asking for money. So whether you have your documents of not they’ll demand you pay them money. I’m trying to do the right thing and follow what I can figure out about the system that supposedly exists but each step of the way I realize why so few others do.
Next I had to find places selling motorcycles. In Likasi there are maybe 100 tiny shops that may have one or 2 motorcycles for sale. It took days to go into each shop and discover who had what. Then I had to investigate the Chinese name brands to discover which ones were at least better than others. A lot of people have motorcycles around here so I would just ask them questions about theirs. They always thought it was hilarious and informed me that women can’t ride motorcycles.
Then it was time to haggle down the price. Some people see my white skin and jack up the price. They don’t think I need a discount because I am obviously a millionaire (and that’s why I live without running water because I have so much money). So some people get offended that you even ask them to change the price. Finally you find a reasonable person and I thought I had found my motorcycle. I went in to test it to be sure it worked then buy it. I had informed the shop keeper of my intentions a week before so everything would be ready. When I put some gas in to test it the gas spilt all over the floor. Definitely not going to work.
So I repeated the process time and time again one time the brakes weren’t connected properly and another time the battery was dead. My friends told me to buy in Lubumbashi. It’s hard to find the time to go there and then it is hassle because no one knows me there. Then if there is a problem with it I have to take it back. But I thought I was out of options so I planned to do it in January.
Then while walking through town one day I randomly saw a new one that must have just come to the tiny shop named Mattieu 6:33. The first day they wouldn’t negotiate the price. When I went back I haggled it down and tested it. To my amazement it actually worked. Then they even agreed to take it to a mechanic and pay the costs so I could be sure there were no problems. I went to each of the government offices where they asked for money and someone wanted to marry me, but left without adhering to either of their requests. They also all looked at me in total shock when I told them it was my motorcycle that I would be driving.
I keep trying to explain to these people that women are capable. This normally means don’t call women stupid and refers to the need to send your daughters to school as well as your sons but of course works for driving motorcycles too. The motorcycle may be bigger than I am but I am strong. I proved to a couple of my Congolese friends that I can lift the motorcycle if it happened to fall, I can push and maneuver it, and most importantly that I can (although barely) touch the ground while straddling it. They were amazed. And then I rode it which caused them to drop their jaws. Apparently they thought there is something so difficult about kicking gears up and down that women can’t do it. If only they could have seen me doing that on ATV’s when I was 6.
It was an experience buying a motorcycle in Congo. It’s such a blessing to have a means of transportation. There are so many ways I was limited before. Like I said on facebook I have a feeling my shoes are going to start lasting a lot longer.
24 November 2009
Preaching at a Baptist Church Conference
I was asked by the Pastor of the EPROBA (Eglise Protestante Baptiste, Protestant Baptist Church) in Shituru to please preach for a special conference at his church. I accepted not really knowing what I was getting myself into.
The first day I spoke at their women’s meeting from Acts chapter 2. I talked about how it is women’s job to preach the gospel to their children. That whenever women neglect this duty is sets up the next generation for failure. I talked about how what is happening now is we know all of our neighbors business and we gossip about it but God’s plan is for women to use their position at home (not one of the women I was talking to was employed) to encourage people through the word of God when they are going through difficulties. To pray for the sick and cast out demons. The same Holy Spirit that gives the power to men to do those things is also given to women.
People haven’t stopped talking about the message since then. Everybody got excited and the women felt empowered to be ministers of the Gospel and the men have been almost more excited about it than the women. I heard one of the elders talking to his wife telling her that he wants her to do more ministry in the church and outside of it. Even the pastor said we need more women like you in our churches it’s not right for only the men to be preaching.
The rest of the meetings also went great. The church turned out to be really open to the move of the spirit. We had altar calls that were really powerful. Lots of people got healed. Many others wanted more of God in their lives and the power of the Holy Spirit. I was especially impressed by how many men came forward or even attended at all. They were at the altar crying out for God to use them and empower them to accomplish his will on earth at it is in heaven. The church even game me money for transport which was the first church to ever do that for me in Congo. They told me I had to come back again and thanked God for my ministry and the sacrifice I had made to come to Congo.
Who knew the Baptist church would be so great?
The first day I spoke at their women’s meeting from Acts chapter 2. I talked about how it is women’s job to preach the gospel to their children. That whenever women neglect this duty is sets up the next generation for failure. I talked about how what is happening now is we know all of our neighbors business and we gossip about it but God’s plan is for women to use their position at home (not one of the women I was talking to was employed) to encourage people through the word of God when they are going through difficulties. To pray for the sick and cast out demons. The same Holy Spirit that gives the power to men to do those things is also given to women.
People haven’t stopped talking about the message since then. Everybody got excited and the women felt empowered to be ministers of the Gospel and the men have been almost more excited about it than the women. I heard one of the elders talking to his wife telling her that he wants her to do more ministry in the church and outside of it. Even the pastor said we need more women like you in our churches it’s not right for only the men to be preaching.
The rest of the meetings also went great. The church turned out to be really open to the move of the spirit. We had altar calls that were really powerful. Lots of people got healed. Many others wanted more of God in their lives and the power of the Holy Spirit. I was especially impressed by how many men came forward or even attended at all. They were at the altar crying out for God to use them and empower them to accomplish his will on earth at it is in heaven. The church even game me money for transport which was the first church to ever do that for me in Congo. They told me I had to come back again and thanked God for my ministry and the sacrifice I had made to come to Congo.
Who knew the Baptist church would be so great?
20 November 2009
Christian Education
I'm trying to get you all filled in since it has been so long. Too much good stuff to skip
It has come to my attention that Christian Education seems to be the area most ignored by Churches in Congo. I noticed it first with the kids. Kids seem to know so little about the Bible. Not even the children’s stories everyone seems to know something about. I noticed few people in Congo seem to own Bibles and even fewer still seem to read them. The church I am working with theoretically has a whole program for Christian education but unfortunately in reality does nothing. So I began to pray about what I could do and got some ideas.
First I teach at the church on Wednesday (the midweek service) and Thursdays (prayer day). I was asked to use Thursdays to teach on intercession. As God works things out supernaturally, the church I was attending in the US did a Wednesday night service on intercession using Dutch Sheets book Intercessory Prayer. So I spent the last 3 months going through the book with the Thursday group. It took a lot of work putting the main points of the book into French. It went awesome though. People were so excited about what they were learning and putting it into practice. Not only that but they were using the papers I had made up for them in French to teach their friends and neighbors the principles from the book! It was awesome and we started seeing God answer our prayers and more people being excited about praying.
I have been long suggesting and praying that the church would start a Bible study. There is so much preaching but no teaching. So I finally figured out I should just do it myself on Wednesdays. It is so much more difficult to teach in a foreign language. This is why I have been waiting for someone else to do it. But my language skills are improving so I figured I’d give it a try. Still in the mind set that surely people knew plenty about the Bible I decided to start in Galatians. We would go through it chapter by chapter talking not only about what salvation is which Paul beautifully and strongly describes but also talking about simple techniques for how to understand the Bible I had learned in college. I thought it would be great, but it was a disaster. I then got the idea to take a person and give them homework sheets to fill out. So I chose David and we have been going through different stories. I make up homework sheets in Swahili with questions about the story and they fill it out. Everyone has been doing it and thanking me for helping them get in a habit of reading the Bible and helping them understand it. We also talk about what God taught you through the passage and that has been my favorite part. It gives people a chance to participate, and helps them expect and allow the Holy Spirit to teach them something. It also demonstrates to them how they can be used as “preachers" (Rom 10) of the Word of God in every day life. It has been so effective that some people have requested me to be in charge of Christian education for the whole church. For right now I haven’t accepted but I will be making available what I am doing now to any other churches who are looking for a curriculum.
Finally I’ve been wanting to help the kids. I did research and finally found a curriculum online for kids in francophone Africa and ordered it. It won’t be here until January though (hopefully). So in the mean time I’ve been trying. I do a weekly program for the orphans in Shituru where we also provide food for them. It has been going well. I just started offering candy in exchange for the kids memorizing scripture. Hopefully that works out. I also started doing a monthly program in Toyota where we are sponsoring kids through school. I am teaching them some Bible stories too. It is so little but has really made a difference. I am looking forward to the arrival of the curriculum. I’m hoping to help churches and schools all over start Christian education programs.
It has come to my attention that Christian Education seems to be the area most ignored by Churches in Congo. I noticed it first with the kids. Kids seem to know so little about the Bible. Not even the children’s stories everyone seems to know something about. I noticed few people in Congo seem to own Bibles and even fewer still seem to read them. The church I am working with theoretically has a whole program for Christian education but unfortunately in reality does nothing. So I began to pray about what I could do and got some ideas.
First I teach at the church on Wednesday (the midweek service) and Thursdays (prayer day). I was asked to use Thursdays to teach on intercession. As God works things out supernaturally, the church I was attending in the US did a Wednesday night service on intercession using Dutch Sheets book Intercessory Prayer. So I spent the last 3 months going through the book with the Thursday group. It took a lot of work putting the main points of the book into French. It went awesome though. People were so excited about what they were learning and putting it into practice. Not only that but they were using the papers I had made up for them in French to teach their friends and neighbors the principles from the book! It was awesome and we started seeing God answer our prayers and more people being excited about praying.
I have been long suggesting and praying that the church would start a Bible study. There is so much preaching but no teaching. So I finally figured out I should just do it myself on Wednesdays. It is so much more difficult to teach in a foreign language. This is why I have been waiting for someone else to do it. But my language skills are improving so I figured I’d give it a try. Still in the mind set that surely people knew plenty about the Bible I decided to start in Galatians. We would go through it chapter by chapter talking not only about what salvation is which Paul beautifully and strongly describes but also talking about simple techniques for how to understand the Bible I had learned in college. I thought it would be great, but it was a disaster. I then got the idea to take a person and give them homework sheets to fill out. So I chose David and we have been going through different stories. I make up homework sheets in Swahili with questions about the story and they fill it out. Everyone has been doing it and thanking me for helping them get in a habit of reading the Bible and helping them understand it. We also talk about what God taught you through the passage and that has been my favorite part. It gives people a chance to participate, and helps them expect and allow the Holy Spirit to teach them something. It also demonstrates to them how they can be used as “preachers" (Rom 10) of the Word of God in every day life. It has been so effective that some people have requested me to be in charge of Christian education for the whole church. For right now I haven’t accepted but I will be making available what I am doing now to any other churches who are looking for a curriculum.
Finally I’ve been wanting to help the kids. I did research and finally found a curriculum online for kids in francophone Africa and ordered it. It won’t be here until January though (hopefully). So in the mean time I’ve been trying. I do a weekly program for the orphans in Shituru where we also provide food for them. It has been going well. I just started offering candy in exchange for the kids memorizing scripture. Hopefully that works out. I also started doing a monthly program in Toyota where we are sponsoring kids through school. I am teaching them some Bible stories too. It is so little but has really made a difference. I am looking forward to the arrival of the curriculum. I’m hoping to help churches and schools all over start Christian education programs.
18 November 2009
Street Kids
I hardly know where to start. I will try to recap.
Section 1: Street Kids
I have been touched by all the street kids around Likasi. I started inquiring about who is helping these kids. Maybe social welfare or some government program is available. Maybe a church is doing something to help them. Perhaps an NGO or non profit. Maybe just ordinary Congolese people are doing something. The story that really touched me was Francois a 12 year old boy with a peg leg. He was abandoned by his parents as a child because of his disability. He just wasn’t worth the effort. He has never been to school. He spends his days sitting under a Jacaranda tree about a kilometer from where he sleeps at the start of town. He mostly just sits there hoping someone will give him some food. I realized the kids go somewhere at night and finally tracked down where it was.
That’s when I met Mama Betty a Catholic sister who has been working with these kids for 17 years. Seventeen years ago she heard about a baby girl named Linda whose parents both died of cholera and she had no one to care for her. Mama Betty was heart broken and took her in. From there it has grown and now she helps 207 kids. She does everything a Congolese person can do. She has a field, the older kids are street venders, using an old bus for public transportation, but it isn’t enough. The kids go hungry and only about half of them are in school. So the kids go out to the streets to beg for food. Mama Betty had tears in her eyes as she showed me the rooms and explained they sleep 4 kids to a bed (no mattresses on the beds) and more are just on the floor. She can’t take in new kids but she does anyways because it is so heart breaking. Rainy season has started so what choice does she have. The kids walk around with worn out clothes and no shoes asking for a piece of bread or anything you can spare.
It is beyond overwhelming. There are just so many of them. Even at $10 a kid for 207 kids is $2070 far more than I have. I bought them a soccer ball and I’ve never seen the kids so happy. They played and played while other kids looked on jealously since I had bought them a nice ball and the other kids had to play with their homemade trash balls made from old plastic bags. Normally helping street kids is very difficult in Africa. A huge advantage here is many of these kids have been influenced or even raised by Mama Betty who has taught them Christian values. I want to help these kids. I am praying for the wisdom and means to do so. Please pray with me.
Section 2: Christian Education
I am out of time so this is to come.
Section 1: Street Kids
I have been touched by all the street kids around Likasi. I started inquiring about who is helping these kids. Maybe social welfare or some government program is available. Maybe a church is doing something to help them. Perhaps an NGO or non profit. Maybe just ordinary Congolese people are doing something. The story that really touched me was Francois a 12 year old boy with a peg leg. He was abandoned by his parents as a child because of his disability. He just wasn’t worth the effort. He has never been to school. He spends his days sitting under a Jacaranda tree about a kilometer from where he sleeps at the start of town. He mostly just sits there hoping someone will give him some food. I realized the kids go somewhere at night and finally tracked down where it was.
That’s when I met Mama Betty a Catholic sister who has been working with these kids for 17 years. Seventeen years ago she heard about a baby girl named Linda whose parents both died of cholera and she had no one to care for her. Mama Betty was heart broken and took her in. From there it has grown and now she helps 207 kids. She does everything a Congolese person can do. She has a field, the older kids are street venders, using an old bus for public transportation, but it isn’t enough. The kids go hungry and only about half of them are in school. So the kids go out to the streets to beg for food. Mama Betty had tears in her eyes as she showed me the rooms and explained they sleep 4 kids to a bed (no mattresses on the beds) and more are just on the floor. She can’t take in new kids but she does anyways because it is so heart breaking. Rainy season has started so what choice does she have. The kids walk around with worn out clothes and no shoes asking for a piece of bread or anything you can spare.
It is beyond overwhelming. There are just so many of them. Even at $10 a kid for 207 kids is $2070 far more than I have. I bought them a soccer ball and I’ve never seen the kids so happy. They played and played while other kids looked on jealously since I had bought them a nice ball and the other kids had to play with their homemade trash balls made from old plastic bags. Normally helping street kids is very difficult in Africa. A huge advantage here is many of these kids have been influenced or even raised by Mama Betty who has taught them Christian values. I want to help these kids. I am praying for the wisdom and means to do so. Please pray with me.
Section 2: Christian Education
I am out of time so this is to come.
28 October 2009
Testimonies
I guess it is time for some testimonies.
Papi is a man in his late thirties notorious for his drunkenness. He has such a bad reputation that he has never been able to find anyone willing to marry him. Somehow he found out about us and showed up at church one Sunday in Shituru. God just got a hold of him and he realized his life was messed up and he could change. He came again the next week and declared to us that he was giving up drinking and the Holy Spirit helped him and he hasn’t had a drink since that day! The next week he came he laid his whole life before Jesus and declared he wasn’t going to live for himself any more but would live for God. He said he hated his sins and was leaving them behind. He was just so passionate and serious. Everyone who knew him dropped their jaws. It isn’t just some emotional experience it has been over a month now and he is still following Jesus ready to serve in any capacity we ask him too!
I was walking around like I always do and we went to a new house I had never been too. Grace, a total stranger to me and my team, had requested that we show up so we did. She introduced us to her 2 daughters and then began to tell us her story. When she was in high school she met a boy who said he would marry her even though he refused to meet her parents or do anything formally that would imply such. As soon as she got pregnant he took off leaving her with a baby and stopping her chance at an education. To make matters worse her daughter has some sort of mental disorder. So a few years go by and she starts up an affair with a married man and gets pregnant again. He denies everything and refuses to take care of his daughter much less her and her other daughter. She looks at us with eyes filled with shame and says “I know I sinned and I need to repent.” So Pastor Kabamba asked her what she wanted from us. I was expecting her to say money for her kids but she looked at us and said “I heard that people who meet with you can change their lives and get a second chance. I heard people who meet with her get healed.” It is such a privilege to represent Jesus and to know that my work here is giving Him the reputation he deserves to have. She got saved right then and there and is ready for her second chance this time as a child of God.
Seven months ago Phani’s husband out of the blue wrote down on a piece of scrap paper we are divorced and handed the paper to her. She was crushed and the marriage was over. He then kicked her and her children out of his house in Lubumbashi and she moved to a cousin’s house in Likasi. He had a girl friend and they started making plans to get married. I was in the US at the time but Pastor Kabamba knew her and began to encourage her. She started coming to our church. She first talked to me about her situation in August. She said she needed a miracle. She needed a huband to support her but if she remarried her new husband wouldn’t accept her children and they would always suffer. We told her she was in luck because we actual serve a miracle working God. We all began to pray several times a week. Phani was always in church and eager to learn anything she could. Last week I went to her cousin’s house to visit and she told me her ex-husband left his girlfriend came crawling back and begged her to forgive him and come back. I was skeptical at first and wondered if she should give him a second chance but when he came to talk to her it became obvious he had repented and was changing his life. In all the months I’ve known Phani I’ve never seen her so happy! She says she prayed and God gave her a miracle against all odds. Now her and her kids will be taken care of and the God of restoration prevails again.
Divine is a 5 year old girl who is all about being the center of attention. But when I saw her one day she wouldn’t come near me or anyone else. She bad a terrible fever and just wanted to be held by her mom as she cried softly to herself because of the headache and stomachache and body aches. She had malaria. I’ve had malaria 8 times so I knew just how much she was hurting even if she hadn’t been crying. We gathered around her and cried out for God to touch her. She stopped crying while we were praying but the fever was still present. We got word the next day that she was much better! Yes she was also taking malaria medicine but the recovery was much quicker than usual. Although malaria is common and curable people die from it all the time. I just saw her today and she was dancing around her living room competing with her little brother for my attention talking about how excited she was to go to church tomorrow and pray!
I went into a Belgian grocery store in Lubumbashi and the owner happened to be there. He asked me what I was doing in Congo (thankfully he spoke English because although my Swahili is getting better by the day my French is rusty). I told him I help orphans and he loaded me up with food for them. So this Saturday I got the 60 orphans we are trying to help in Shituru together and taught them some praise songs (a lot of these kids have never been to church) then taught them a lesson from the Bible and gave them some food. You could tell those kids felt so special. Normally if they are ever singled out it is because they get less than the other kids. Now I have no doubt they all know just how much they mean to Jesus. I am looking forward to helping them more in the future. Please pray for everything to go well as I continue to search for information and government approvals to help those kids.
Papi is a man in his late thirties notorious for his drunkenness. He has such a bad reputation that he has never been able to find anyone willing to marry him. Somehow he found out about us and showed up at church one Sunday in Shituru. God just got a hold of him and he realized his life was messed up and he could change. He came again the next week and declared to us that he was giving up drinking and the Holy Spirit helped him and he hasn’t had a drink since that day! The next week he came he laid his whole life before Jesus and declared he wasn’t going to live for himself any more but would live for God. He said he hated his sins and was leaving them behind. He was just so passionate and serious. Everyone who knew him dropped their jaws. It isn’t just some emotional experience it has been over a month now and he is still following Jesus ready to serve in any capacity we ask him too!
I was walking around like I always do and we went to a new house I had never been too. Grace, a total stranger to me and my team, had requested that we show up so we did. She introduced us to her 2 daughters and then began to tell us her story. When she was in high school she met a boy who said he would marry her even though he refused to meet her parents or do anything formally that would imply such. As soon as she got pregnant he took off leaving her with a baby and stopping her chance at an education. To make matters worse her daughter has some sort of mental disorder. So a few years go by and she starts up an affair with a married man and gets pregnant again. He denies everything and refuses to take care of his daughter much less her and her other daughter. She looks at us with eyes filled with shame and says “I know I sinned and I need to repent.” So Pastor Kabamba asked her what she wanted from us. I was expecting her to say money for her kids but she looked at us and said “I heard that people who meet with you can change their lives and get a second chance. I heard people who meet with her get healed.” It is such a privilege to represent Jesus and to know that my work here is giving Him the reputation he deserves to have. She got saved right then and there and is ready for her second chance this time as a child of God.
Seven months ago Phani’s husband out of the blue wrote down on a piece of scrap paper we are divorced and handed the paper to her. She was crushed and the marriage was over. He then kicked her and her children out of his house in Lubumbashi and she moved to a cousin’s house in Likasi. He had a girl friend and they started making plans to get married. I was in the US at the time but Pastor Kabamba knew her and began to encourage her. She started coming to our church. She first talked to me about her situation in August. She said she needed a miracle. She needed a huband to support her but if she remarried her new husband wouldn’t accept her children and they would always suffer. We told her she was in luck because we actual serve a miracle working God. We all began to pray several times a week. Phani was always in church and eager to learn anything she could. Last week I went to her cousin’s house to visit and she told me her ex-husband left his girlfriend came crawling back and begged her to forgive him and come back. I was skeptical at first and wondered if she should give him a second chance but when he came to talk to her it became obvious he had repented and was changing his life. In all the months I’ve known Phani I’ve never seen her so happy! She says she prayed and God gave her a miracle against all odds. Now her and her kids will be taken care of and the God of restoration prevails again.
Divine is a 5 year old girl who is all about being the center of attention. But when I saw her one day she wouldn’t come near me or anyone else. She bad a terrible fever and just wanted to be held by her mom as she cried softly to herself because of the headache and stomachache and body aches. She had malaria. I’ve had malaria 8 times so I knew just how much she was hurting even if she hadn’t been crying. We gathered around her and cried out for God to touch her. She stopped crying while we were praying but the fever was still present. We got word the next day that she was much better! Yes she was also taking malaria medicine but the recovery was much quicker than usual. Although malaria is common and curable people die from it all the time. I just saw her today and she was dancing around her living room competing with her little brother for my attention talking about how excited she was to go to church tomorrow and pray!
I went into a Belgian grocery store in Lubumbashi and the owner happened to be there. He asked me what I was doing in Congo (thankfully he spoke English because although my Swahili is getting better by the day my French is rusty). I told him I help orphans and he loaded me up with food for them. So this Saturday I got the 60 orphans we are trying to help in Shituru together and taught them some praise songs (a lot of these kids have never been to church) then taught them a lesson from the Bible and gave them some food. You could tell those kids felt so special. Normally if they are ever singled out it is because they get less than the other kids. Now I have no doubt they all know just how much they mean to Jesus. I am looking forward to helping them more in the future. Please pray for everything to go well as I continue to search for information and government approvals to help those kids.
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