As I mentioned in an earlier post, the DRC has endured decades of internal political unrest and human rights abuse. Much of the trouble in recent years has been in the northeast part of the country in areas bordering Rwanda and Uganda. One of the consequences of that for the rest of the country has been the dramatic growth of internally displaced people (IDP). The Katanga province in the far south of the country, the province where Lubumbashi is located, has, according to the U.S. State Department, experience a five-fold increase in the number of internally displace people seeking refuge there. According to a recent report on the State Departments web site, in January 2012 the UN reported approximately 55,000 IDPs in Katanga. By December 2012, that number had grown to approximately 358,000. In such a situation basic human need becomes overwhelming. Feeding so many displaced people is a huge project. Sanitation is nearly impossible to maintain. Families struggle to stay together. Hope withers. It becomes a context for the forces of Satan to flourish. Gods people find themselves on the front lines in the struggle with evil on all levels. Pray for our brothers and sisters there -- those who are themselves displaced people and those from Katanga who are now struggling to meet the physical, social, and spiritual needs of the displaced. Heres an up-date on my own arrangements for my trip. My airfare will be just over $1,800. Ill be flying into Dulles International Airport on May 16, meeting up with my teammates there, then flying on to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on May 17, and finally, flying to Lubumbashi later that day. Please, keep praying for our travel arrangements. All the details of visas, shots, flight connections, etc. sometimes sort of overwhelm me. But my confidence is in the Chief Travel Agent for our team -- our heavenly Father, the Maker of heaven and earth. Hes never overwhelmed.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 21:54:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015