Congo Mission May 12th to 25th 2011

Let me start by sincerely thanking you all for your prayer and financial support. More than any other time I was assured that you were with me from the initial planning and at the mission field. A number of you called me while in Congo. I know many more would have called me had you known that you could get me on my Safaricom line. It was however too expensive to call or even send an SMS from Congo. I sent very few messages.

This mission was full of adventure. Besides two small hurts all the rest was so blessed. I sat on a metallic seat on a motorbike for about two hours on a fairly rough and rocky road and at the end of the trip I could not sit because of blisters. I was enjoying my hosts parrot in Bunia, the bird looked armless. Placing my fingers on the cage I got a very painful peck. It was like a needle into my finger. The wounds did not take long to heal though.

At least five people were very interested in joining me for the mission and almost all of them did not mind the cost. A week to the time of departure two realized that their passports were expired and needed renewal. There was very little time to do that. Three pastors had assured me that they would make it this time. One got other commitments the last minute; the other two have not communicated to me the reasons for not making it. While I was getting discouraging reports from those who were turning down a friend wrote me an email asking when my next Congo mission would be and if I could go with his nephew. We linked immediately and finally the nephew was the only company I got to the mission.

We left Nairobi on Thursday night 12^th aboard star ways bus. 50 kilometers before Njinja in Uganda, the bus broke down about 5.00 am. Because we had much language we had to wait till morning. We got a Nissan Matatu to Kampala. We got to Kampala about ten and immediately boarded a Kasase bus. They had cheated us that it was getting us to Kasidi our entry point to Congo but we learnt later that we would have to get another bus at a junction. Fortunately two Ugandan soldiers were with us and they were also tricked to get into the bus. When they learnt that the bus will not get us to the border post they made noise until we got some refund. We added some money and together got a taxi that took us to the border town. Two pastors had waited for us for most of the afternoon and they had reported to the immigration and so although we got there after6.00 pm we were cleared by Uganda authorities and were able to get into Congo (in normal circumstances they would not serve you even a minute after 6.00pm). We met the boss on the Congo side who took our passports and told us to pick the following morning.

Our training started early the following morning even before we went for the passports. We trained 24 pastors, were able to reach 149 people and 66 got saved. The pastors were much exited with the response as they went home to home. Many of them did not know how effective one-on-one evangelism is. Most of them had never led a person to Jesus that way and they did not know they could get such results. That was Saturday. We preached in two churches on Sunday then in the afternoon we did a True Love Waits seminar. More than 100 youth attended and 42 signed commitment to sexual purity.

While we were at Kasidi we learnt that there was a request that we pass through Lume and train there. The town was not in our initial plan but I think the church at Kasidi on seeing how effective witnessing with Evangecubes was they desired that their sister church benefits. They made all the plans with the blessings of the Bunia Host without consulting me. They talked to me as if they were suggesting but I could tell they had finalized plans. They had even made travel plans. Soon after the True love Waits seminar we were put on motorbikes and we traveled 40 kilometers. That is the night I got Bruises.

In the morning we had Evangelism training and in the afternoon we had True Love Waits seminar. We had a very hard time having them invite the youth for the seminar. It was a short notice and it was a week day so according to them it was impassible to have the youth for a meeting. I still insisted hoping even ten would come. Early in the afternoon it rained and I almost agreed that it would not be possible to have the youth. It was a miracle.  Rain stopped few minutes before three and by three almost 100 youths and 4 pastors were ready for the seminar. I did not know what to do because we needed about three hours. We continued into darkness and very few left. More than 30 signed commitment to sexual purity. The pastors were amazed at the attention by the youth and the commitments. They could not believe youth desire sexual purity. They really pleaded with me to go in August when they would have a youth conference. 62 people got saved during one-on-one evangelism.

Early on Tuesday morning we got two motorbikes that took us to Beni, 50 kilometers. From Beni we took a salon taxi to Bunia about 250 Kilometers.  We were warmly received in Bunia but they decided we take a break till Thursday morning. I was able to take my colleague, Samuel Kagwanja to see Bunia town. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings 6.00 am to 7.00 am I had an opportunity to do basic discipleship trainings with mostly those who had previously attended evangelism training. One morning I shared on hearing and responding to God, one lady was so challenged, she called a pastor and a church elder and committed to reconcile with two of her sisters. I had shared on how one day God talked to me through Mathew 5:23 and 24 about reconciliation.

We did Evangecube training three times in Bunia; On Thursday at CECA 20 (Sukisa), on Friday CELPA and on Saturday CNCA. These were mainly small groups of representative of pastors and Churches that are not from Bunia that did not benefit from previous trainings. Most of them are pastors attending Theological training in Bible Schools in Bunia. One of the training, in CNCA we had three pastors from Kinshasa and they were so encouraged and exited. We also had 2 Methodist church pastors from Kisangani.

On Friday and Sunday afternoons we did youth seminars. Three girls from same family came to me after true love waits seminar on Sunday afternoon and shared that now there is hope with Congo youths. One of them told me that she had lost hope of ever getting married because she thought that all her age mates were immoral. I assured her that God will always have His remnants.

On Monday we parted ways with my partner Samuel Kagwanja since he needed to visit with pastor Tchulo who work with pygmies in Komanda then proceed to Goma. I got a taxi to Mahagi. I had expected some training on Monday but like good Congolese they only believe when they see. We planned a training the following afternoon. I was leaving the same afternoon and so I was not able to Evangelize with them. That afternoon 125 got saved. That was a good birthday present.

As soon as I dismissed them to go for one-on-one evangelism I got a motorbike that took me to Uganda 25Km. I then took a night bus to Kampala and the following night I took another to Nairobi.