Congo Ministry Report #2 Monday Our day began early this morning. Typical of most conferences I’ve participated in on the African Continent, the stated time that the conference is supposed to begin rarely ever happens. We call it AST—Africa Stretchable Time! Things are no different here in Congo. Our team all piled into a van and headed to the conference venue for the start to our week here. One of the things you grow accustomed to in meetings like these are the protocols. Like Nigeria, protocol is a critical time at the beginning of the conference where dignitaries, political officials, church executives and visitors are all recognized. Each participant then standing and stating his or her name, rank and serial number follows this lengthy process. You get the drift. To skip or ignore the protocol is a serious cultural faux paus! By the time it was all done, we were two hours well into the conference. During the lunch break I was standing in line to get my food when all of a sudden the Bishop overseeing this assembly ushered me to the front of the line and insisted that I sit with him for lunch. His proposal necessitated a translator because his grasp of English is limited while my grasp of French is downright non-existent. So on we went. For 45 minutes the bishop held me rapt with attention as I learned about the history of the church in Congo, the unique church challenges, the growing influence of Islam and other religions and the critical need for leadership training. He kept emphasizing how important it was that “our visitors from the West” had come to help the church in Congo. He spoke at length about the critical role western missionaries have played in his country. Thanks so much for praying for me this evening. I was allowed a one-hour slot of time to present BrookLink’s ministry to the more than one hundred delegates in attendance. Men and women came from more than 20 different denominations across Congo and from as far away as Benin, Liberia, Zambia and South Africa. One pastor approached me during the day and asked if BrookLink would be willing to come to Goma (in Eastern Congo on the border with Rwanda). He explained this area has undergone extreme forms of violence, trauma and rape due to the civil war in Congo and the genocide in Rwanda. “Please come and help our people overcome their pain” was his request. During dinner this evening I sat with a delightful couple, David and Lucy, from Liberia. They told me of the horrible civil war that tortured their homeland between 1989-2004. David had just finished high school and was going off to university when the war broke out. Members of his own family were savagely murdered during the unrest. Thousands fled to uncertain futures. They remained during the years of carnage and heartache. Today he and Lucy are parents of six children—three of them adopted orphans because of the war. They are also courageous and influential leaders in a church-planting ministry across Liberia and beyond. I fought back tears as I listened to his personal and inspiring story. These are just a few of the stories I heard today. There are many more. My heart is moved! Again and again I heard it said today, leadership development is key to the church’s effectiveness! It all confirmed again and again why BrookLink does what it does. I’m glad to be here and humbled once again by the stories of His saints. Thanks for praying for me and for this week in Central Africa! Lee
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 02:35:33 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015