Author: SuZan Klassen

Prayer Update

h4c-praying4congoA clash occurred between government military and anti-government factions this past weekend in Tshikapa. Relative calm has been restored, but it is an uneasy peace and still a cause for grave concern. Pray for cool heads to prevail and for the protection of any innocent people caught in the middle of this conflict.

The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) is making a last minute effort to bring the presiding national government and the Rassemblement (literally “the Rally” – made up of a consortium of parties refusing to accept the prolongation of the president’s term) into direct talks to avert a showdown (and possible bloodbath) on December 19.

Within the next 24-48 hours the plan is to bring these two forces into direct, face-to-face negotiations, which, ironically would be a first. It appears that all other political attempts (from the national government, the opposition, the U.N., and the ONU) have failed, but all are encouraging serious engagement with this final effort at peaceful resolution.

What is exciting here, if nothing else, is that the Church – in this case largely the Catholic Church – is actually stepping into the gap to call for an alternative to violence. (The Catholic bishops of Congo have courageously refused to take sides in the disputed delay of elections in Congo.)

PLEASE PRAY for those leading these negotiations. Pray that hearts would be open to a third way!

If you find your faith faltering, it may be good to recall how the church stepped in at the last minute in South Africa offering mediation that averted a total meltdown following apartheid (when ‘the powers’ had given up all hope). I do know that our Congolese sisters and brothers of faith are praying diligently for a miracle and Divine intervention! Let’s join them.

We at Hope4Congo are asking you to continue your prayers for the people of the DRC. To give you a bit more insight into the conflict and the Catholic Church’s involvement, please use this link:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/how-the-catholic-church-could-help-the-crisis-in-the-drc-52744/

Please be in earnest fervent prayer for our precious Congolese brothers and sisters. Pray for the success of the church’s intervention. If you wish to use our prayer list from last week’s blog post please click here.

Our thanks to Charles Buller (CLCN) for these updates we’ve received.

©2016 Hope4Congo

Call to Prayer

The political situation in Congo has become even more tenuous since we first brought it to your attention. Your fervent continual prayers are requested for this entire month.

We’ve been reminded that the “struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Satan’s tactics include: misinformation and disorder. Together these can lead to dangerous chaos since the deceiver comes only to kill and destroy.

In contrast, wherever God is at work, He brings truth and order and new life.

The Congolese church is mobilizing nationwide prayer for peace in Congo. They are not taking any political side.

We here at Hope4Congo are not taking the side of any political group either. Rather we hope to be on the Lord’s side. We pray for God’s miraculous intervention to end any potential conflict.

To that end these are our urgent prayer requests for the DRC:
• De-escalation of Emotions
• Calm Reason to Prevail
• Objectivity
• Clear Accurate Information
• Wise Honorable Individuals to Step Forward
• Formation of a Healthy Coalition
• Healthy Dialogue
• Trust and Mutual Respect to Develop Between All
• Reduction of Tension
• Truth
• Wisdom
• Order
• Peace

Please join us in praying for Congo everyday this month.

Thank you,
Hope4Congo Team

© 2016 Hope4Congo

Soccer Clinic

We’re sharing more from the Congo Leadership Coaching Network this week.

Charles Buller says:
“One of the things we have been doing alongside our Transformational Coaching Seminars is assisting Robert Irundu (team member and President of CMCo youth) to host soccer clinics for the youth. Here’s a quick snap-shot video of the girls and boys soccer events in Nyanga on September 27-28, 2016.” (Put together for the ‘Jeuness Mennonite’ FB page.)

We’re thankful for you, our readers and for your generous support of this ministry. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and while you do, please thank the Lord for His work in the Congo.

Click on this link to Follow our ministry. On the right-hand side of the page that opens fill out your email information. You’ll receive our blog posts delivered straight to your email inbox.

Foundations of Transformation

before-september-2016Remember this photo?

Those of you who’ve been following Charles Buller’s summer saga know his ministry trip for Congo Leadership Coaching Network was delayed for several weeks.

Praise God he was finally able to travel there in September with two other men from his church.

Charles recently made a video report of Congo Leadership Coaching Network’s trip and ministry to our dear brothers and sisters in Congo.

The video report is approximately 30 minutes. Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and pull up a chair. You will be pleased to hear about this mission outreach. Click on the link below when you’re ready to watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb0vUeC-KLc&feature=share

Follow us to receive all our news and posts delivered directly to your email inbox. Click on Follow us. In the page that opens fill out your email information on the right-hand side of the page.

© 2016 Hope4Congo

 

One Seed, Part 4

We’re telling the story of the missionary couple, David and Svea Flood. The story is adapted from their daughter, Aggie Hurst’s personal account, but the story is really about so much more than their little family. Today we begin Part 4. If you missed earlier portions of the story, you can find them here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

One Seed
Part 4

A few years later, the Hursts were attending a high-level evangelism conference in London, England, where a report was given from the nation of Zaire (the former Belgian Congo). The superintendent of the national church, h4c-davidsvea-floodrepresenting some 110,000 baptized believers, spoke eloquently of the gospel’s spread in his nation.

Aggie could not help going up afterward to ask him if he had ever heard of David and Svea Flood. “I am their daughter.”

The man began to weep. “Yes, madam,” he replied in French, his words were translated into English. “It was Svea Flood who led me to Jesus Christ. I was the boy who brought food to your parents before you were born. In fact, to this day your mother’s grave and her memory are honored by all of us.”

Sobbing, he embraced her in a long hug before he continued. “You must come to Africa to see, because your mother is the most famous person in our history.”

In time that is exactly what Aggie Hurst and her husband did. They were welcomed by cheering throngs of villagers. She even met the man who so many years before, when she was less than a month old, had been hired by her father to carry her down the mountain in a soft bark hammock.

Of course, the most dramatic moment came when the pastor escorted Aggie to see her mother’s grave. She knelt before the white cross in the soil of Africa—the place of her birth—to pray and give thanks.

In the church service later that day, the pastor read from John 12:24…
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

He followed with Psalm 126:5, “They who sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

So, that’s the conclusion to this 4-part story of the One Seed.

It took forty years before God’s amazing grace and His real plan for the village of N’dolera was known to Aggie Hurst and then to her father. It seemed all was lost, but God wasn’t done working.

When we are in deep discouragement, we need to remember the story’s not over yet. One chapter may have ended, but God is still at work.

If that’s what one seed can do, isn’t it amazing to think about all those other seeds that have been planted over the years?

The story of God’s sovereign work is not over. He’s still planting seeds. He’s still growing believers.

Click here to FOLLOW US. Fill out your email information on the right hand side of the page that opens. Our posts will be delivered directly to your email inbox.

Prayer Requests:
 *Please continue to pray for the political situation in the DRC.
 *Pray for nearly 50,000 Christians who have been displaced by Islamic militants in the North Kivu province.

© 2016 Hope4Congo

One Seed, Part 3

We’re telling the story of the missionary couple, David and Svea Flood. The story is adapted from their daughter, Aggie Hurst’s personal account, but the story is really about so much more than their little family. Today we begin Part 3. If you missed earlier portions of the story, you can find them here: Part 1 and Part 2.

One Seed
Part 3

For Rev. Dewey and Aggie Hurst’s twenty-fifth wedding anniversary (in the 1960s), the college presented them with the gift of a vacation to Sweden. There Aggie met her biological father. An old man now, David Flood had remarried, fathered four more children, and generally dissipated his life with alcohol. He had recently suffered a stroke. Still bitter, he had one rule in his family: “Never mention the name of God because God took everything from me.”

After an emotional reunion with her half brothers and half sister, Aggie brought up the subject of seeing her father.
Her siblings hesitated. “You can talk to him,” they replied, “even though he’s very ill now. But you need to know that whenever he hears the name of God, he flies into a rage.”

Aggie would not be deterred.

When she entered her father’s squalid apartment, she found it littered with liquor bottles everywhere. Her seventy-three-year-old father lay in his rumpled bed.

“Papa?” Aggie said tentatively.

He turned and began to cry. “Aina,” he said, “I never meant to give you away.”

“It’s all right Papa.” She took him gently in her arms. “God took care of me.”

The man instantly stiffened. The tears stopped.

“God forgot all of us. Our lives have been like this because of Him.” He turned his face to the wall.

Aggie stroked his cheek and continued, undaunted. “Papa, I’ve got a little story to tell you, and it’s a true one. You didn’t go to Africa in vain. Mama didn’t die in vain.

“The little boy you both won to the Lord grew up to win that whole village to Jesus Christ. The one seed you planted just kept growing and growing. Today (about 1964) there are six hundred African people serving the Lord because you and Momma were faithful to the call of God on your life.

“Papa, Jesus loves you. He has never hated you.”

The old man looked into his daughter’s eyes. His body relaxed and he began to talk. By the end of the afternoon, he had come back to the God he had resented for so many decades.

Over the next few days, father and daughter enjoyed warm moments together. Soon Aggie and her husband had to return to America. A few weeks later, David Flood entered eternity.

End of Part 3, but the story’s still not over.

Join us next week for Part 4 of the Floods’ story. So you don’t miss out, click on FOLLOW US. In the page that opens, fill out your email information on the right hand side of the page. Our posts will be delivered directly to your email inbox.

© 2016 Hope4Congo