Church update
Sparky and the 12 new members
(plus
the 2 kids that “snuck” unto the picture)
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Praise the Lord, as that is a good
problem to have. We started our new
building project several months ago, and we are looking forward having to more
room.
Pastor Ntina is settling in nicely as
the new associate pastor and has already been such a help and encouragement to
our ministry! He is also one of our
full-course students at the Bible Institute.
Please continue to pray for him, his wife, and 2 small children.
Bible Institute
The mobile program of the Bible
Institute is well under way!
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2 of 8 the
full-program students getting their books after registering
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Papa
Muna teaching one of the first IBBC classes in Dibaya
.jpg) |
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Training Locations
3 teachers, 8 weeks, 4 locations, 36 hours of
orientation and registration, 320 hours of teaching, over 500 miles of
interior travel (at an average of 10 mph)...
Prayer: yes, please!
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Furlough…the countdown
About 3 ½ months
Tickets
have been purchased! Our itinerary has
us flying out of Kinshasa on January 20th and return to Congo, on
August 8th.
As always,
you can check out our calendar on our blog site.
2 Deaths, 2 Very Different Reactions
Myndii’s Uncle Duane Garfield passed away on September 22nd,
at age 61, mere weeks after finding out his cancer had spread. He was a believer. His death was peaceful. Myndii was able to speak with him on the
phone not long before his passing, and he had no doubt he would be joining his
Savior. The family is sad, but also at
peace.
We got the call about Myndii’s Uncle's passing just as we were
heading out the door to visit with a family that had just lost their 4-year-old
daughter. (It's a hard thing here, to get to your 5th birthday as at least 1
out of 5 don't make it from their first to their 5th.) The father, Papa Luc,
worked as a mason on building our house. It broke our hearts to hear of the
"reason" for her death:
Papa Luc explained to us that he had not finished paying is
dowry to marry his wife. (Dowry is a complicating thing here...) According to
Papa Luc, his wife’s family had gotten impatient, and cursed his daughter as a
punishment and warning that it needed to get paid. We watched as he explained
this and how completely devastated he was as he took responsibility for his
daughter's death. "She only had a fever for 3 days!", as he held up 3
fingers...tears in his eyes, "And then she was gone."
Sorcery, and the fear of it, still reigns here in Congo...but
the source is what surprised us. The "curses" must be purchased. And
where would you buy such a curse? Why, from your local "Christian
pastor" or Catholic priest, of course. And how much would it cost you to
"curse" you granddaughter, niece, or any other fellow human
being...about 50 cents! And who confirmed to Papa Luc that it was indeed a
curse that killed his little girl, brought on by himself...well, his
"Christian pastor", who else.
So, when you read statistics that 91% of the population
follows Christianity...or that 40.2% of Congolese are Protestant...this is what
most of it looks like "in the real world".
We were able to share with his family in Hebrews 2:14b-15
"He [Christ] also himself likewise took part of the
same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that
is, the devil;
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage."
PLEASE PRAY for this family, and all the families in Congo
that who through fear of death are still subject to bondage!
Time in Kinshasa