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
***
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.

© 2016 Hope4Congo