Congo Ministry Trip - October 2023
Written by: Bob Davies
After months of anticipation, three plane rides, a bumpy utility vehicle ride and a meeting with our partners, the time had come. We turned the corner, entered the gate at Dipa dia Nzambia (DdN) and set foot on the small campus. Two long lines of girls on opposite ends of the courtyard began singing with all their might. First one side and then the next. Then the girl with her back to us led a chorus of “welcome and gratitude” on our behalf. They had us at hello.
There was music in the air that put joy in our hearts, smiles on our faces and tears in our eyes. What a way to start the day and begin the hard work we would do communicating with our partners. This would be an ambitious trip. No translator and visits to two cities and roughly a half-dozen schools. We would also be visiting UPRECO, where we helped to build a women’s dormitory, IMCK hospital and the nursing school at IMCK.
We would also have the opportunity to share faith and worship with our partners at their churches. We split into groups and visited three different churches on the first Sunday in Kananga. On our trip to Mbuji-Mayi, our partners at Les Mages hosted a service in a Presbyterian church built during the missionary era of the early 20th century.
In addition to our meetings, we conducted interviews with parents, students and teachers. And we had fun. We worked with teachers in their rooms to teach and entertain the girls.
If we didn’t know it before we left, we learned it along the way: This was a faith trip. No amount of anticipation, preparation and planning can prevent the unexpected. When it happens, and it will, our partnerships and teamwork serve us well. And, fortunately, so does God’s unremitting grace.
We grew in our faith and increased our understanding of our partners and the lives they help support. We felt their gratitude and extended ours for what they teach us. Bust most of all, we shared our faith.
Our time spent in worship with our brothers and sisters was so meaningful. As Presbyterians, they sign the same hymns, they recite the same prayers and they worship the same God, our one and only true savior.
Please click below to view a video and photos from our journey.
