Category: Testimonies/Personal Experience

March 29, 2020

Some of God’s Beloved People

Hope4Congo continues to forward reports to our readers. Today’s post includes two different perspectives.

Pastor Quarantined in Kinshasa

A Congolese pastor among the quarantined in Kinshasa sent an update via email on March 27. The following are translated excerpts from his update.

“I do not know how the States with their leaders at all levels guide you, but I would like to share with you our painful news in the DRC.

“(Authorities) have made the decision to confine the capital city of Kinshasa for 4 weeks. Let’s say near the end of April 2020. Kinshasa is in a state of emergency . . . isolated from other provinces . . . no flights of aircraft . . . no vehicles, no exits, no entrances . . . to save the 22 provinces not reached (by the coronavirus).

“Thus Kinshasa and its 12 million inhabitants are under quarantine. The big problem . . . the economic crisis which involves the non-payment of wages . . . People live day by day . . . rising food prices . ..

“The brothers and sisters in Kikwit, Mukedi, Kandale, Kamayala, Tshikapa, Kalonda, Nyanga, Mutena, Banga, Ndjoko-Punda, Kananga, Mbuji-Mayi are not affected.

“However, we are mourning 2 Mennonite brothers and 1 sister who died of a long and painful illness:
Rev. Pasteur Ndala of the CEFMC, Former Enos Kangu Swalala, and widow Maman Francoise Kanzenze (aunt sr Colette Ramm).”

MPH Guesthouse

On March 25, the Dunns updated their FB page. The following are excerpts from their message:

Things in DRC change daily and even hourly due to the pandemic. The government announced all domestic travel by plane, road and river will be stopped. Only cargo will be moving.

Because of travel restrictions three guests are stranded at MPH:
A German missionary (Fr Friedhelm, from the Vanga mission hospital, Bandundu) is in mandatory 14 day quarantine since he came back from Germany March 13th. Paul and Marty Law are on a voluntary 14 day quarantine since they arrived from the U.S. They can’t get to Lodja.

The Dunns have kept their distance from their quarantined guests by putting food on disposable plates outside their doors. Once the quarantine is over, the Dunns will ask these guests to help share the chores.

The U.S. Embassy arranged the last evacuation flight for Americans on Thursday night, March 26.

The guesthouse is adequately supplied with food stuff. But there are other challenges. Because the government has limited the number of people in taxis and busses, transport is hard to get and drivers have jacked up prices. The Dunns had to increase what they pay their sentries to reflect the increase in transport.

If the Dunns or their guests catch the virus, there is NO MEDICAL CARE for any of them. They will have to isolate themselves from one another and self-medicate the best they can.

The Dunns testify: “We know that God is Sovereign and nothing surprises him. We use the wisdom he has given us and the faith we have in HIM, to pull us through.”

Encouragement

The pastor quarantined in Kinshasa sent a scripture passage to edify all confined to their homes:
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ~II Chronicles 7:14

Prayer

Praise God for his faithful servants of all nations who continue to work for the kingdom of God.
Prayer requests for all those in Congo.
• Pray that this pandemic passes quickly.
• Pray about MPH finances. The costs are hitting MPH hard.
• Pray about how you might be able to help.
• Pray for those 12 million quarantined inhabitants in Kinshasa.
• Pray that God would grant wisdom to the Congolese authorities and they would implement it.

The Dunns offer prayers for their family and friends around the globe who are affected by this virus.

The quarantined pastor also sent this prayer: “May our God also keep you, all of you, our brothers and sisters in Christ, scattered throughout the world.”

Amen!

© 2020 Hope4Congo.com


What Does That Mean?

What Does That Mean?
by Brad Graber

Someone has asked me to explain what I mean when I use the phrase,
Put your yes on the table and let God put it on the map.

I first heard the phrase from Ed Stetzer, Executive Director for the Billy Graham center in Wheaton. I am not sure where it originated. However, it has stuck with me because I think it encapsulates the essence of discipleship. Let me explain.

What Table?
The term table is designed to conjure in one’s mind the idea of a conference table.
It refers to a place where ideas are discussed, challenges presented, and decisions made.
When something is on the table, it’s an option, an opportunity, something that could be negotiated.
However, one has not said, yes or no to an offer yet.

What does Put (it) on the Table mean?
To put (something) on the table means it is on display for everyone to see.
It is the opposite of under the table, which usually refers to something that is covert or unlawful.

What does my Yes on the Table say?
It says, “You can count me in.” Or, “I’m in agreement. I’m ready for the challenge, ready to take the risk and ready to participate.”

Typically we like to be sure of something before we do it. We want to know ahead of time what to expect. After all, isn’t good planning prudent? We want to make our plans and decide instead of agreeing to whatever.

However, sometimes God calls us to obey without giving us all the details. Sometimes He asks us to agree with Him before we know His whole plan. That can be quite unsettling for sure.

Then how do we: Let God Put it On the Map?
Mother Teresa is a good example. At the age of eighteen, she said, “Yes,” and allowed God to put it on the map. Her yes is reflected in a prayer request she sent to a spiritual confidant:

“(Pray) that I let Him (God) have a free hand.”

Thus began Mother Teresa’s journey. Eventually God led her to Calcutta, India where she gave wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.

Are we confident in God? Can we trust Him to orchestrate everything toward something good, beautiful, and beyond what we could ever ask or imagine? The ultimate yes, is committing to God without knowing the specifics, without knowing what He will ask of us.

So what is the Map?
A map speaks of location. However, it can also refer to clarity, direction, arrangement, order, or assignment.

With God we may not always be able to make out the plan or make sense of the plan, but we can trust Him. Why? God delights in the details of our lives. God has promised, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

My brother and I have said yes to God without knowing where it will finally take us. Hope for Congo was born out of our yes. I don’t know what God has in mind. I don’t know how He wants to use our commitment to shape our lives and the lives of others, but I do know that the outcome of this journey is totally in His hands.

I invite you to . . .
Put your yes on the table and let God put it on the map.

When you do . . .
things will happen.

It’s an exciting and fulfilling way to live.

__________________________

Thank you for the challenge, Brad.

News from Congo: The tribal conflict has claimed more lives. The enemy of our souls is at work.

Charles Buller reported: “Please pray for Adolphine, a dear sister who I got to know well during my last trip to Congo. She serves as the ‘Mama Presidente’ of women for the CMCo family of churches, and attended the AIMM-sponsored literacy training at the same time that I was in Kinshasa this past April. Adolphine, whose husband passed away some time ago, has since been supported in part by her younger brother who has managed a small farm in a village called Inga some 40 miles from Tshikapa. Adophine just found out that her brother, his wife and children, along with other family members were all slaughtered – caught in the tribal conflict going on in the Kasai Region. When I called her yesterday, we ended up weeping together over the phone for nearly an hour. She is broken to the core.”

Prayer Requests:
• Please pray against the evil and for an end to the deceptions, which lead to violence.
• Please pray for God to raise up wise and godly leaders who find favor in the eyes of all Congolese.
• Please pray for the people to receive Christ’s grace and strength to forgive.

© 2017 Hope4Congo