Pirogues & Pygmies

{Mbandaka Telling His Story Conference}

Thank you all so much for praying for our trip to the interior!  We made it back on Friday and here are a few highlights.  But first, let me tell you how God answered your prayers:

• Please pray for our taximan, Cedrique to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We continue to share Bible stories with Cedrique.  Please keep praying for him.
• Pray for safety and no unnecessary delays throughout the journey. None whatsoever!  In fact, we made such good time in our pirogue on the river going to the forest village of Lotumbe that we arrived in one day instead of 2.

• Pray for prepared hearts of participants at both trainings. The participants were SO ready to learn. Their enthusiasm was contagious.
• Pray for ordinary people to catch the vision to “tell His story, tell it often, and tell it well.” They went out boldly and enthusiastically to tell His story.

{the bamboo pieces on the pulpit represent different parts of the Creation to Christ story}

{telling the Creation to Christ story}

{Jay teaching the Great Commission}

• Pray that we will be a blessing to our new friends that we’ll be staying with, even as they have already been such a blessing to us. Ron and Doris were incredible hosts and we learned so much from them.  They invited us to stay with them again when we come to Mbandaka.

{Jay with our hostess, Doris}

• Pray for good health during this time.  We’re taking our malaria prophylaxis, and we have a cure just in case, but we’d love to come home without having to use it. We came home with all our malaria meds although the mosquitoes had their share of our blood for their meals.
• Pray for that sometimes-difficult missionary task of eating what you’re served.  As we head up the river, we don’t know what to expect as we’ve never been to the forest of DRC before.  But we know that the God we serve expects us to be gracious guests. We had some delicious food.  We especially enjoyed eating fish from the river every day.  It never disappointed!  We also had fried plaintain, rice, fufu, spaghetti, goat, beef, and chicken.  We ate like royalty! 

{food service by Sister Mahmi}

Our training in Mbandaka was such an encouragement to us and to New Jerusalem Baptist Church as well.  Learning to tell His story, tell it often, and tell it well was a lifestyle change and commitment that these church members fully embraced.  As we continued to the village of Lotumbe, one of the New Jerusalem participants traveled with us – a new “Timothy” for us.  Sister Mahmi was such a hard worker, and she is becoming a great story teller.

 

The pirogue trip was long and relaxing.  On the trip out to the village, we were on the river for 11 hours with only one stop.  The sights and sounds of the Congo rain forest are beautiful.

In Lotumbe we trained in the Baptist Church, which is a church of a Pygmy ethnic group.  As with those from New Jerusalem, they were excited and ready to learn.  Those from this forest people that we met do not like to be called Pygmy, but call themselves “Samalie.” The Samalie are often the targets of intense racism in that area, and we were told that some are still held as slaves in certain villages.  If a Bantou person meets a Samalie on a forest trail, the Samalie is “obligated” to leave the trail to walk out at least 3 yards around the Bantou. 

{Samalie lady gathering wood}

But we’re thankful for the spirit of unity that we experienced during our training as Bantou believers from other village churches accepted to come and learn with us in the Samalie church.  We are especially thankful for our church planter friend Jeremie, a Bantou Baptist pastor who persevered though persecution to plant a church in the Samalie neighborhood.  Will you pray with us for the day when all Samalie people feel free to walk about and to worship in any place they choose and when all Bantou people will understand this freedom as well?

A highlight for me was visiting the school which Pastor Jeremie started for the Samalie children.  As you look at the pictures, please pray with us for wisdom about how to best give support to this school.  The teachers are not paid; they volunteer.  Imagine that, all my teaching friends!  The Samalie people are not yet completely convinced that their children need to be educated in a school.  Please pray for these teachers and for the director of the school to realize the immense importance of the role that they’re playing.

This week we are back in Kinshasa with another Tell His Story training.  This time our Kin “Timothys” are doing much of the teaching.  We are coming alongside, giving encouragement, and teaching some as well.  It’s gonna be another great week!  And then we’re off to the US for a few weeks to see our much-loved and missed families. 

A summary of prayer needs:

• The Samalie school in Lotumbe.  Pray for wisdom for Jay and me and our team about how to give prayerful support to this school.
• Faithful story tellers in both Mbandaka and Lotumbe
• That Samalie people will fully understand that they are special creations of God Most High, made in His image.
• That Pastor Jeremie, one of the hardest working men I’ve ever met, will be filled with strength and energy for the challenging tasks that God has given him. 
• That Cedrique, our taximan friend, will continue to grow in his knowledge of God and His Word.
• For God’s peace to rule and reign in this troubled country and especially in the hearts of His people here.