Hope 4 Congo

From the Bush to the Bush, Part 2

GUEST POST
Today we continue Part 2 of Matthew Harder’s guest post. Click this link to read Part 1.

From the Bush to the Bush, Part 2
by Matthew Harder

The environment of the private Christian college I attended fueled my restlessness. I was surrounded by its monoculture, its materialistic, small sliver of humanity and way of thinking. While this did lead to the redefinition of my personal faith, it also made me realize again, despite my appearance, I did not relate to those around me.

During my sophomore year of college we were forced to choose a major to study. As I tried to decide there was a moment when I was struck with the sense that I wanted to return to Africa. I wanted to build roads, bridges and infrastructure there to help those less fortunate.

This verse ran through my mind:
“…From everyone who has been given much, much will be required…” Luke 12:48 (NASB)

The eye opening exposure of my youth impacted my desire to return to assist those in need, to try and make the world a better place. I wanted a combined profession—one that suited my personal altruistic drive and quest for adventure.

I had been given a great growing up experience, an exposure to adventure and a world beyond the American shores that didn’t allow me to settle down. Meanwhile I gained a marketable education in civil engineering. Fortunately, my strong points were in the sciences and math.

For several years I worked in the corporate world going through what I considered the pre-requisite process with my sights set on returning to Africa. The restlessness kept me going—an unquenchable thirst for new countries and adventure.

The years dragged on. Finally I caught a break and was hired by an engineering company. They were building critical infrastructure in the war torn country of South Sudan.

I stepped off the airplane in Africa’s suffocating hot humid air. Sweat poured down my back as I stood there. Unique bird calls, sounds of everyday life and vehicles, the friendliness of people all combined to create something familiar and alluring. I felt welcomed by it all.

Even the headaches were somewhat endearing since this was my chosen adventure. It was all part of the package and I just rolled with it.

To further satisfy my restlessness, I returned to Nyanga when I was twenty-five years old. It had been over fifteen years since I was last in that village, ten years since I left Congo (then called Zaire).

The journey from Kinshasa to Nyanga is a story in itself with all the typical Congolese headaches and problems.

End of Part 2
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This is a good place to stop since it gives us something to look forward to next week. Join us then for Part 3. In the meantime, here are some news items and prayer requests.

News from Congo:

According to Reuters, there have been anti-Kabila riots in Kinshasa this week. Estimates vary, but between 30-40 people have been killed or injured. The Congolese government officials now state they will hunt down and punish those responsible for the riots. Link to the full article here: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-congo-politics-idUSKCN11R1TG
Charles Buller and his team from the Congo Leadership Coaching Network arrived in Congo this week. He reported: “…given that streets were still largely vacant due to events of the last two days, we made it into town in 40 minutes (that’s fast!). Very thankful for traveling mercies so far. Thanks for keeping us and our Congolese sisters and brothers in your hearts over these next three weeks. By God’s grace we’ll keep walking forward under the Cloud and Fire (Ex. 13:21).”

Prayer Requests:

Pray for Peace and Stability in Congo. May cooler heads prevail.
Pray for Safety and Blessing on the Ministry of the Congo Leadership Coaching Network’s team

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From the Bush to the Bush, Part 1

GUEST POST

Children of missionary parents experience firsthand the richness of another culture. Yet they often struggle to come to terms with their life experience.

Moving between cultures before he has had the opportunity to fully develop his personal and cultural identity is what defines a “Third Culture Kid.” His values and modes of behavior take on a different perspective than that of his peers who have not experienced another culture.

Feelings of identity, sense of belonging, rootlessness and restlessness provide challenges of which the outcome cannot always be predicted. Each person struggles with the same issues. However, the struggles and outcomes are unique with each individual.

Matthew Harder shares with us that richness and struggle. Join us for the next several weeks as Matt reflects and shares his insight as a “Third Culture Kid.” ~Brad Graber

From the Bush to the Bush
by Matthew Harder

Where are you from? Where is home? Over the years I’ve been asked such questions and rarely had a straightforward response.

How do you answer questions like those when you’ve spent a significant portion of your youth running around barefoot in a remote village of the Congo (then called Zaire)? Outwardly I looked like a typical Midwestern white boy from the United States of America.

My appearance belied my experience. This juxtaposition influenced my view and how I interacted with the world. Eventually, it led to my return overseas to work as an adult.

I grew up as a missionary kid in the village of Nyanga. My childhood in the village and on the mission farm was simple and full of adventure. I spoke Kipende with my friends, played soccer barefoot, shot birds with homemade sling shots while always mindful of deadly snakes.

The fact that I lived in a foreign land, spoke a foreign language and had diverse exposure didn’t occur to me. I was a white boy surrounded by the African bush—a minority without knowing it.

When I reached the age of ten, I spent a year at a mission-boarding hostel while I attended The American School of Kinshasa (TASOK). After our family moved to Kinshasa I continued my attendance at this international, culturally diverse, and academically solid school.

During my mid high school years I returned to the USA. I was faced with a common missionary kid (MK) or third culture kid (TCK) complex. I looked like everyone around me, but my internal perspective was different. Specifically, my global awareness and interests didn’t fit in. Plus I lacked any pop culture knowledge.

Since speaking about my experiences and interests didn’t fit in, I spoke little about it. I suppressed and almost forgot a large part of who I had been.

It wasn’t until my first year of college that I accessed this forgotten part of me. I met other missionary kids. Even though we had grown up in vastly different countries and settings, we gained profound understanding as we talked about our experiences overseas.

Through those friendships and conversations, I re-discovered where I came from, understood the complexities better and suddenly restlessness attacked me.

End of Part 1.
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We hope you’ll join us next week for Part 2 of Matthew Harder’s story. Until then, may you experience God’s blessings as you seek Him.

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August CLCN Newsletter

Praise Report
We recently asked you to pray for Albert and Abertine Mulamba. (Click this link to refresh your memory, Look at prayer request #2.) They took an arduous journey to explore church-planting possibilities among the Batwa people. If you’ve been praying for them like I have, you’ll appreciate this update.

Charles Buller was able to speak briefly by phone with Albert. The Mulambas, along with a Mennonite church leader from Kakenge identified two villages where they were received and invited to plant a community of faith. Much work is ahead, but this is very encouraging.

Below are some excerpts from the Congo Leadership Coaching Network August, 2016 newsletter. After a three month delay Charles Buller was grateful to retrieve his passport recently. Charles and three others from his church plan a September trip to Congo.

Charles wrote:
As you may recall, my anticipated trip to Congo in June/July was put on hold given a sudden decision by the Congo government to implement a new and complicated visa application process requiring a government-recognized office in the DRC to issue an invitation with various payments, validations and verifications from numerous government offices. (If that sentence sounded long and convoluted, it reflects the reality of the situation.) All of this has been required to precede any visa application process with the Washington D.C. embassy.
Thanks to the ECC (the umbrella organization for all protestant churches in Congo), a process was implemented on our behalf that has now led to the necessary authorizations that permit us to finalize the applications on this end.

Prayer Requests
1. Please continue to pray about the tenuous political situation in Congo. Pray that cooler heads will prevail. Pray for God’s peace.
2. Pray for all the details surrounding Congo Leadership Coaching Network’s proposed September trip.
3. Praise for God granting the Mulambas success in the beginning steps of their church planting work. Continue to pray for them as they make the perilous return trip to Tshikapa (at least a four day journey). They’ll also stop for other ministry along the way.

Keep Up with Hope4Congo
You can receive our weekly blog post delivered straight to your email inbox. Click on this link. On the far right side of the page that opens, under the title: “Follow Blog Via Email” enter your email address in the provided space. You’ll receive news about Hope4Congo’s ministry as well as news of other ministries we collaborate with (including CLCN).

May the Lord bless you as you follow Him.

8 Among So Many

What a privilege it is to have access to God’s Word. Most of us have several Bibles in our homes. If we need another one, we can go to a nearby store and choose one from many translations or get one online. We can even choose from a variety of colors and fancy covers.

If we forget to bring our Bible on a Sunday morning—no worries—most churches have at least one available in every pew. Sunday School rooms often have stacks of Bibles.

Not so in Congo.

On his most recent trip, Stan was told the following story.

In May of this year, Garry and Larry Prieb along with Rebecca Culp and several Congolese flew to Tembo in lower Bandundu Province to hold a pastor’s conference. Tembo sits on the large River Kwango, which separates DRC from Angola. The famous William Falls are within walking distance.

Thirty-five (35) pastors were expected to hear Garry expound on I Corinthians. We were in for a surprise. Two hundred thirty-five (235) filled the pews the first day.

Garry asked anyone who had a Bible to please raise them high. Eight Bibles were counted. Eight.

Let me emphasize that. 235 pastors with only 8 Bibles among them.

Later, Larry asked the pastors what they used to preach from. Parts and pieces, was the answer. A few pages of this and a few of that. From this meager supply, they wove a sermon.

Surely God blesses their faithful offering. However, couldn’t they offer even more if they had whole Bibles? No wonder so many came to the conference. They needed more of God’s Word to refresh their own souls and to share nourishment with their flocks.

While there are many needs in Congo, the need for Bibles in the heart language of the people has always been our ministry’s area of greatest emphasis.

Update on the Bible Project
Hope 4 Congo’s Bible Project began in 2010 with the purchase of 300 Tshiluba Bibles. To date we have purchased a total of 9,750 Bibles in three languages:
• Tshiluba
• Kituba
• Chokwe

We are awaiting completion of a Kipendi translation update. Once completed, 3,000 Kipendi Bibles will be printed using donations designated for that purpose. That will bring the total count to 12,750 Bibles purchased by Hope 4 Congo.

12,750 Bibles at $9.00 per Bible equals $114,750.

The freight to ship them is an additional cost. Currently we have spent approximately 7.9% for transportation to various distribution points.

Chokwe & Tshiluba Bibles prepared for transport from Kinshasa to Tshikapa

Congolese Church Leaders have emphasized the importance for individuals to purchase their own Bibles. They have also told us that $3.00 is an appropriate amount to charge. We are grateful for the efforts of church leaders to return this amount to the ministry so it can be reinvested in printing more copies.

We are considering the possibility of printing other requested language translations. We will update you as God directs our paths.

Do not underestimate the power of prayer for meeting the need for Bibles in Congo. God has met our needs thus far and expanded our capacities. We want to keep in step with His Spirit (Galatians 5:25).

Prayer Requests:
• Pray that God will oversee the accounting process
• Pray that God will expand our ability to purchase Bibles more frequently
• Pray that God’s Word will transform the lives of each individual, both at the local and national levels of Congolese society and government.

Why Do We Keep Going Back?

Charles Buller explained it well, “It’s what we do!”

The work in Congo is never ending and progress is slow according to western standards, but like the Energizer® Bunny, we keep going and going.

The Congo Collaboration annual meeting took place at Silverwood Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana, August 11-12. Our group is made up of about twenty individuals who are committed for the long haul. We have seen and experienced change and growth since we first came together in 2008. We praise God for the way He continues to go before us both individually and collectively.

Collectively, we have helped in these ways:
• Congolese women are provided with access to clean water
• Surgeries are performed and hospital staff encouraged
• Tools and resources are provided
• Bamboo bicycles developed to transport goods to market
• Sports camps for youth
• The Life and ministry of local churches is strengthened

We work with and through the Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission. AIMM serves as a conduit for each of us to work with the various Congolese church bodies represented under its umbrella.

The objective in meeting as a Collaboration Group each year, is to encourage one another unto love and good works. We are about doing Kingdom work alongside our brothers and sisters in Congo. We come together to hear about what God is doing through each of our respective areas of involvement, and look for opportunities where we can work together. We always look out for each other and continue to develop a broader network of contacts beyond ourselves.

Our meeting this August began with a full on Congolese meal, stories and laughter. It concluded with a continued commitment to collaborate with each other where and when we can. We agreed to “put our Yes on the table and let God put it on the map.” (Ed Stetzer, Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism)

In addition we committed to:
• Initiate a quarterly Skype communication session
• Revisit the need to develop a more robust communication infrastructure with our Congolese partners
• Seek out and evaluate more cost effective options for transportation and shipping, both personnel and supplies
• Encourage Congolese representation at our next meeting

We at Hope4Congo want to step up our involvement in Congo. To do this, we need to make more frequent trips to Congo. Also, more funding is needed to address the daily challenges for tools and resources both for the Church and the Communities where we have developed ongoing one on one relationships.

To keep up with news of our ministry, please click this link. On the far right side of the page that opens, under the title: “Follow Blog Via Email” enter your email address in the space provided. Our weekly blog post will be delivered straight to your email inbox.

To contact us directly, click here. Fill out the drop down box with your information and we’ll get back with you as soon as we can.

You can also connect with AIMM through their website www.aimmintl.org/

By God’s Spirit and power we are working to turn the parched ground into a pool. Isaiah 35:7
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Prayer Requests:
1. The potential for upcoming elections in DRC has caused a tenuous political environment. Please pray that cooler heads would prevail in any political dialogue. May God grant wisdom and bring peace to Congo.

2. Charles Buller (CLSN) requested prayer for Albert and Abertine Mulamba (tremendous members of their Congo Coaching team) as they travel by motorcycle to minister in remote areas of DRC. They hope to initiate a church plant among the Batwa people. Pray for their protection on this arduous and dangerous trip. May God bless their work and grant them success.

3. Requests for more Bibles continue to come to us here at Hope4Congo. It is one of the primary needs we began this ministry to address and it continues to be our greatest area of concern. To date Hope4Congo has purchased a total of 9,750 Bibles in three languages. Please pray for all the details surrounding this effort: accurate translations, logistics, etc. So that God’s WORD will be in the hands of His people. Once it’s in their hands and they can read it, God will accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which He sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11).

Look for an update on the status of Hope4Congo’s Bible project in coming weeks here on this website. Want to reach us? Fill out your contact information using this link.

Youth Forum, August 2016

L to R Driver, Dr. David & Stan (Kalenga behind camera)

Stan arrived safely. All flights were on time and he even got his bags! Praise the Lord! Dr. David and Kalenga met him at the door of the airport. God put him in good hands. What a joyous reunion they had after three years.

They rented a car with a driver. It all made Stan feel pretty spoiled.

As always the ride through Kinshasa was harrowing. Picture streets crowded with people, cars, trucks, and motorcycles all jostling for position only six inches apart. Homemade two-wheeled pushcarts packed sidewalks, curbs, and streets. Small sales tables, chairs, and umbrellas haphazardly arranged added to the chaos.

Horns honked and loud music pounded constantly. At night it will only get worse.

The Youth Forum was held at the Kimia Mennonite Church led by their wonderful pastor, Damien Kakhende. He is a talented and committed leader with high integrity.

Pastor Damien bears a dent and scar on top of his head, the result of being beaten and robbed last year. Many of you prayed for him and his wife. He sent his thanks for those prayers.

The forum began with a long sermon. Dr. David and others gave speeches. Stan spoke 5-10 minutes in Tshiluba. Dr. David translated into Lingala and French. Most people speak two or more languages. Dr. David obviously speaks more; he even speaks Portuguese.

Dr. Balutaa Beatrice spoke about AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. Afterwards a skit was performed about the affects of AIDS on young lives and families.

Pastor Matio (Mathew), President of the Mennonite churches in Kinshasa, spoke and testimonies were shared as well.

Stan said what a great pleasure it was to be there, see their enthusiasm and love for God. It was a witness and challenge to him.

Bottled pop and bread were provided for everyone. Simple treats we take for granted here.

At one point the power went out, but that was no problem. Joseph (one of the students Hope4Congo supported while he trained in mechanics) started a generator outside. He also played keyboard and worked on the sound system when it had trouble. What a guy!

How pleased we are to see evidence that our ministry efforts are bearing good fruit. Your support through your prayers and finances are helping to make it all possible.

We praise and thank God for what He has done and is doing.
Please continue to pray that these Congolese young people will make wise choices for their lives.

Join us for more about Stan’s trip next week.

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