In Their Own Words

Michelle and Jerry in Bangui's Central Market

The January Team wrote about their experiences in the Congo and it's worth a read as their updates and thoughts help to paint a picture of what it can be like to take a missions trip to the Ubangi.

Jeremy Howe wrote a couple blog posts detailing his trip, especially being in transit through Bangui. See below:

Bangui, Central African Republic

Crossing into the Congo

The Constance Team also posted frequent updates. You can read them here.

January Team Recap

Better late than never I suppose...

Jim Snyder, Jerry and Nancy Hibma, Debbie and Randy Discher, Dan Byers

Jeremy Howe, Jerry Jameson

A girl collects clean drinking water from the newly finished well at ELIKYA

Two members of the January team, Jerry and his nephew Jeremy, came out to Congo to train a team of Congolese how to drill for water using a rig that was purchased with funds raised by Constance Evangelical Free Church. Access to water has been a major difficulty in the Gemena area. Not only are there few pumps but there has also been a problem with the potability of the water that is accessible. A lot of it has microorganisms that can be dangerous, especially to young children. So having clean water available at ELIKYA is an enormous blessing.

Carpenters taking a rest from constructing the shelter for the ELIKYA well reservoir

Push starting the truck that carries the water necessary to drill

While the team was here they managed to see two wells drilled, one at ELIKYA and the other at the CECU mission. The Congolese team that was trained took the lead on the second well and Jerry took more of a backseat, letting them make the decisions and adding his input when necessary. Following the succesful drilling of these wells, the team looks to have a few more jobs on the horizon as there are some interested organizations in Gemena as well as plans to drill at the CECU hospital in Tandala.

Drilling at the CECU mission

Well drilling is an involved, dirty and time-consuming endeavour. The team did well, though, working through some setbacks such as the pit collapsing multiple times and difficulty getting enough water to flush out the sand, gravel and earth from the pit. Jeremy posted an update to his blog as preparations were being made to drill the first well:

"We've now met the team of drillers. The main guy, Ahundambi, was selected as the leader I believe by congolese folks in the e free church. He then selected 5 others to work with him. He did a good job, most of them have a mechanical or electrical training background of some kind, and they all seem to be pumped to be here.

Yesterday we finally started making material preparation to drill the well. There are a lot of preparations to make! Dig a pit, bring in thousands of gallons of water, make all the tools that aren't already here, etc. We'll spend all day doing that today, and then hopefully the next we'll drill the well, which should be done in one day."

It ended up taking more than one day but they got it done.

Nancy Hibma and Dr. Bienvenue making the rounds during the tour of Tandala Hospital

In addition to Jim and Jerry there was a team present from Constance as well. They were split several different ways and accomplished a lot. Their projects included 1) Pastor Randy lecturing at the Protestant University of the Ubangi (UPU) on spiritual warfare and healthy church growth, 2) Debbie and Nancy giving a 3-day seminar to women’s leaders in CECU churches on the value of women and on spiritual gifts, 3) Dan training ELIKYA staff how to counsel students and Nancy and Debbie training teachers to offer Biblical Worldview/Life Skills lessons, 4) Dan giving a seminar to pastors concerning counseling for youth and relational difficulties and 5) Jerry developing business plans for a variety of ELIKYA initiatives. The team also visited Tandala Hospital to understand the work and the needs and to investigate a potential partnership with their church.

Constance Team meeting doctors and pastors at Tandala

March Update (in April)

We are at the point now where we can actually count the days we have left here in Congo and they really aren’t that many. It is hard to believe how our two years here can be drawing to a close already. Nevertheless, there is still a lot to get done and a lot that will occupy our time for the remaining months.

ReachGlobal as a mission has as its modus operandi “Develop, Empower and Release”. That is to say, the way that it operates is to train nationals in ministry, equip them and let them take over. As we prepare for our departure we have to evaluate what has been done and what needs doing in that light.

DEVELOP. Since the last team returned to the US in February, a significant portion of our time has been spent continuing to teach English and adding computer classes to the schedule as well. Sam and I are currently working through a series of computer classes on Microsoft Windows, Excel, Outlook and Word. The classes are primarily for the benefit of the Koyamba Team but have been opened to others within CECU as well that it might benefit other ministries.

EMPOWER. The Koyamba Team will have another opportunity before our departure to begin the process of taking over our responsibilities. In May we will be hosting a ReachGlobal team. The team will be small, being comprised of Rachel Martin, our supervisor, in addition to Karen, a Global Fingerprints staff member and her husband, Ben. At that time, we will take on a an observing role and the Koyamba Team will fill our roles in hosting the team and even translating. We are thankful for the opportunity for this “dry run” and excited to see the Koyamba Team step up and really begin the task for which they’ve so faithfully trained over the last year and a half.

RELEASE. The four of us have decided that we will be returning to the United States in the beginning of the month of July. Come July we will have fulfilled the two years that were allotted for this mission and it seems that everything will be in place to allow for our return at that time. We want to make sure we are leaving behind a healthy ministry and we are confident that at the close of these next two and a half months the team that we’ve been training will be able to take the reins.

Our time here is even shorter given that in one week we will be making the drive to Bangui (again) in order to fly out to Nairobi, Kenya for a week and a half. We will be attending the ReachGlobal All Africa Conference where we will connect with other RG missionaries serving throughout the continent and take part in workshops to enhance our ministries. Please pray that this time would be blessed by the Lord and that we would all be refreshed and encouraged by this time together.

Thank you for your prayer and support of our ministry here in Gemena. It has been such a blessing and a privilege to serve in this context and to know that we have such a committed and generous support team behind us. Please continue to pray for us during this integral time. Pray also for the Koyamba Team as they are taking on a big job and one of great importance in the life of the partnership between CECU and the EFCA.

Our February 2012 Newsletter is now available for download! Check it out. Past newsletters can also be downloaded from the sidebar.

Peace On Earth

CHRISTMAS EVE. As of this evening, we are nine days returned from Bangui. Our uneasy interlude in the neighboring Central African Republic ended up lasting longer than we originally anticipated due to the course of events here in the Congo.

PART I

The election was carried out as planned on November 28th despite anxiety that the Electoral Commission (CENI) was underprepared and generally ill equipped to handle the scope and scale of the elections. This anxiety proved well founded. Election Day was marred by numerous and flagrant irregularities. Many voters arrived at polling stations to find their names were not on the registration list. There were allegations of ballot stuffing and violence broke out in the Congo’s larger cities--namely Kinshasa and Lubumbashi-- that resulted in poll workers being attacked and polling centers burned. The anxiety only increased over the ensuing days as the opposition denounced the results claiming fraud. Kinshasa braced for violence as a strong police presence patrolled the streets. Headlines like “Threat of violence looms large”, “DR Congo on a knife edge” and “Election results raise fears of a return to war” appeared in increasing numbers in international newspapers during the wait. Shops closed. Over 3,000 people fled the capital city, across the Congo River to Brazzaville. The tabulation process itself turned into a logistical nightmare as CENI gathered the ballots from the interior and the far-flung provinces of the Congo for final counting. The results were set to be released on December 5th since that was the day the incumbent’s presidential term expired. This proved impossible and the commission was forced to delay publication of the results twice, from Tuesday to Friday. On that day President Kabila was declared the winner with 49% of the votes cast. The opposition had plenty of ammunition with which to contest these results due to the numerous irregularities, the strong hand of the army in suppressing protests-- 22 people had been killed in Kinshasa by the time results were released-- and highly suspicious voting patterns that made the election appear to be rigged in favor of the incumbent. Whether or not it actually was remains to be seen and will most likely never be known. Several observing groups including the European Union, the Catholic Church and the Atlanta-based Carter Center issued reports stating that the results “lacked credibility” and “did not conform to truth or justice”. Regardless, Kabila was sworn in for another term on Tuesday, December 20th. His main opposition, Etienne Tshisikede, also held an inauguration of his own three days later in his home. So the situation remains far from resolved though Congo has appeared to come back from the brink of major unrest. Even so, another twenty-four people have been reported killed since the results were published.

Part II

And it’s Christmas. In my twenty-eight years I don’t believe it has ever felt less like Christmas than it has this 2011. Some of this is due to the obvious fact that living in the tropics means songs like “White Christmas” and “Let it Snow” are rendered a bit irrelevant. Also, not being home in the States means that we are missing out on traditions and on family gatherings and celebrations with familiar faces. But there’s more to it than that and I think the events in Congo are the underlying reason. For they are yet another singular example of the persistent discrepancy between history and the angel’s proclamation of Luke 2: 14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men.” Honestly, this peace on earth business can seem more of a myth than a reality. All the more so when an event to the contrary in such proximity disturbs the Christmas spirit.

But Christmas is not about the Christmas spirit. It’s about celebrating the birth of One who came to bring peace between God and Man and in so doing, peace one man to another. It may be difficult to keep singing about peace on earth year after year despite all the evidence to the contrary. But we have this hope, this confidence, that it will not always be so; that one day the entire earth will be reconciled to God, that the swords will be beaten into plowshares, that there will be no more disharmony between hope and history, that war will fade from the memory of the human race. The Christmas carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” narrates the victory of this final hope even through a season of doubt.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:

"There is no peace on earth," I said,

"For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,

Of peace on earth, good will to men!

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the words to this hymn during the American Civil War, shortly after his eldest son had been severely wounded in battle.

It seems that hope grows stronger the more distant it appears. In Congo, which has seen so much war, it has always been far off in both thought and practice. And though we have not seen the realization of the promise we feel the weight of it. Especially at Christmas.

November Update (in December)

12/07/2011

As I write this update we are in Bangui, capital city of the neighboring Central African Republic. We left Gemena on Friday, November 18^th at the request of CECU leadership. Ourselves and our mission, ReachGlobal, had given CECU the decision as to our course of action concerning the national elections to be held November 28^th. They decided that it would be best were we to leave the country 10 days prior to the election and return 10 days after barring any violence or unrest that would make our return imprudent. So we obliged. Thankfully, there was actually plenty to keep us occupied for the three weeks we would be away. Michelle has been busy corresponding with a team set to come out to ELIKYA in January. She also began to translate some materials for a Biblical Worldview course to be taught at ELIKYA. I brought some materials to begin writing lessons for two computer courses I will be teaching beginning in February on Microsoft Word and Excel. Most of my time so far, however, has been spent continuing to work on an agriculture curriculum for ELIKYA. Along with the Snyders, we have also been planning out the remaining 7 months or so of our assignment, putting the pieces in place that will enable us to turn over our ministry to the Koyamba Team.

Living in Bangui is not without its benefits. The apartment that we share with Sam and Sarah is about 3 blocks from the US ambassador’s residence and he has an open invitation to the American community in Bangui to use his pool any afternoon of the week. So we have enjoyed going with Soleil. The other benefits you would expect: running water, electricity during the day, fans to keep cool, etc. We have also enjoyed our fellowship with the missionary community here. On Thanksgiving we enjoyed a potluck style dinner (with turkey and cranberry sauce even) at the ambassador’s house. All Americans in the CAR were invited. It was fun to spend time getting to know embassy staff, NGO workers and other missionaries over a good meal. We have been getting to know some of the expats here, whether through playing tennis or sharing meals so pray that God would use us to share his love.

Please keep the Congo in your prayers as the election has been far from smooth. Though nothing has happened in Gemena, other parts of the country (namely Lubumbashi in the far southeast and Kinshasa) have experienced significant unrest and violence. So far 18 people have been killed and over 100 wounded in election-related violence. Though the official final results have yet to be released, it appears that the sitting president, Joseph Kabila, will retain power. There are widespread allegations of fraud by the opposition, however, and they have already declared the results invalid. Kinshasa is bracing itself for the worst, when the results will be published Thursday night. There is a lot of valid concern for Congo as a nation right now so please join us in prayer that God would frustrate the “troublemakers” and would bring peace to the country. We will keep you up to date on further developments.

We are excited to see Michelle’s dad, Ron Watters, on Friday. He’s coming to visit with us for a month. He wants to see his baby granddaughter and while he’s here he’ll be teaching a course at a local seminary and teaching an advanced Excel course to several in the CECU office. We are planning to return to ELIKYA together with him next Monday if all is well across the river in Congo.

We are so appreciative of your prayers on our behalf. Keep fighting the good fight and remember to keep Congo in your prayers during these days of tension and anxiety.

In Him,

Aaron and Michelle

Pray for Congo

As many of you know, our family along with the Snyders are in Bangui for three weeks. We arrived last Saturday and are planning on staying through to December 11th. This trip was occasioned primarily by the presidential elections that will be held in Congo tomorrow, November 28th. DRCongo does not have a good track record with elections and CECU felt it would be best if we waited it out next door in the Central African Republic, just in case. The plan was to arrive 10 days before and leave 10 days after. Pray that this doesn't change. Because if it does, it means that we are staying longer. And if we are staying longer it is due to unrest in the Congo. This is the last thing the country needs or wants. Many of our friends in Gemena are nervous about what will happen. We have all received text messages and e-mails from many of them urging us not to forget them and to pray for the whole country. Please join with us in this. We know that God hears and he is mighty to act and to intervene to keep the peace and to keep his children and his church from harm.

Here are some recent news articles that give further impetus to prayer:

Violence mars DR Congo election build-up
DRC: tight campaign finale in Kinshasa