On mission in the Congo

Day one
After 22 hours in the air we made it!
Today we landed in Kinshasa it was good to see Doug Kulungu and Seya Lumeya (FPU Alumni).
Day two
Today the team and I went to the prison today in Congo! It was great. We also got the chance to meet all of the Kinshasa KFC team. They are going to be very effective here on the ground as they have many special gifts. We dedicated the KFC center after we left the prison ministry.
Senator Lumeya gave the keynote address to the KFC scholarship recipients. I began the ceremony with a devotional thought and prayer from 2 Timothy 2:15.
Doug shared the vision for the cyber-center, we cut the ribbon and the students entered to show how each station would work. Leaders and supporters for KFC were present. It was a glorious presentation.

Sunday afternoon (Long day) we left for kiwagala village…it would be a 20 hour drive in total. On our way we would have to stop several times for pseudo check points, tough terrain sand traps and dangerous trails that would lead us over broken bridges, deep water, and treacherous roads to get us there.
We saw villages and villages of people who live high in the mountains in primitive communities. With no access to the modern life we had just left in Kinshasa. Parents, children, livestock and tribal life is very real in this portion of Africa…This trip was much like going into the bush. The Congolese people in this portion of the country were very nice, curious and courteous.
They have a unique form of survival and at the center of it all was community… You could see how the village really does raise the child…
I have a new found appreciation for the African culture and people…. The village life seems so peaceful and void of noise and urban influences, I almost longed to dwell with them.

Day three
20 hours by car to a remote village on terrible dirt roads … We used a four wheel drive off road vehicle to get to our assignment…
We made it to kingwangala … we slept there for the night.
The team and I am were exhausted from the brutal roads, vehicular delays because of sand traps, check points for money, and off road delays. We were almost To tired to even sleep.
“I saw some pretty awesome and also very sad things today (can’t wait to show u the pics.)
We’re staying in the village tonight…in spite of it all the lord is good.

Day four
The needs were too great for us to imagine. We toured medical clinics, run down school facilities, bad water wells and saw poor sanitation
In this village. It was enough to make you cry, then it was preaching time…and the lord gave us great grace.
25 pastors were present and about 150 conference attendees… We preached two messages from my new book spiritual formation from the book of Timothy.
We washed the pastor’s feet as a lesson in servant leadership (just like Jesus)
They received certificates from A.B.I. KFC did a great job leading, interpreting and casting vision for community organizing and Christian leadership. It was a great day to be in his service.

Day five
Another 18 hour drive to the next small city …we stopped in two villages visited Mennonite brethren then headed into the next mission location.
The kajiji mission was famous for where the Mennonites from Fresno came and started churches, schools, hospitals, airports, and great ministry through social work with locals in the bandundu. (I am in awe of their labors) we have a great history in this tradition.

As we left their station we quickly travelled again on 50 year old roads and bridges that were very difficult to navigate… We drove through the bush and it was tough to navigate but God was faithful. I’m exhausted … But looking forward to what’s next. Our last stop was the little city of kikwit a city of 1 million people in a very small portion of land, incredible experience …The sights and sounds were alarming… People everywhere, trash everywhere…and poverty is everyone’s lot in life!

It was s place that seemed to be under duress… The team and I felt it as we were weary from the journey. We felt it necessary to rest after the long drive then get to the work.
Seya Lumeya led us off with a soccer sports clinic for about 35 students and 50 or so community’s spectators. Fpu athletics coach Jaime Ramirez gave the students old university uniforms (you should have seen their faces) It was priceless! They were so grateful. I preached to them and Seya gave his testimony about going from Congo to USA and what he has learned and how God has blessed him. Doug and I left the camp to go and meet with several of the pastors in the city for our bible training institute. There were 25 pastors present. All of them young men with a passion for God and willingness to study Gods word.

We taught them two lessons from my book spiritual formation for pastors from the book of Timothy. The lord was kind to us in this seminar. The pastors received certificates and we’re proud of their accomplishments. We left there and went to visit the Mayor who greeted us and gave us an open door to do ministry in the city. He also invited us back and he shared with us his passion and pain for the people of kikwit. God is work in bandundu (village) of the Congo! We’ve seen his hand upon us and his face in the people. It is a 3rd world country with great challenges, but we serve a God who has all power and has called us to serve them…And the last time I checked… Heaven always wins…