Visiting Some Distraught Congregations

Friday – August 20, 2010

We had a great deal to get done today. Our first order of business was to stop in at the Ethiopian Airlines office and make sure that we were confirmed on our flight out of Congo and back to Nairobi. We were picked up at 8:30am and rode the five blocks to the EA office. For some reason, they don’t like us walking here. Usually Todd and I will go for a walk in the evening to find a place to eat. One day, as we passed a certain restaurant, we mentioned that we had walked there the night before. Our translator, John, when he heard that we had walked the five blocks or so from our hotel to the Metro P Caf. said, “You are very courageous!” We still aren’t quite sure why. Maybe its because of the crazy Congo drivers....

Anyway, we arrived at the airline office and the lady at the desk was a bit cold. She took our itinerary and looked at her computer for a while shaking her head the whole time. Todd and I glanced at each other with nervous looks. The same though was going through both of our minds: “We’re stuck in the Congo and we can’t get out!” Finally the lady said that we would have to come back tomorrow after 1:00pm. Well, we weren’t stuck yet....

The Sunday School teachers with Todd in front of Trinity Church in Belair.

From there we went to pick up Martin and then drove to Pastor Muzakuza’s church in Bel Air. Todd and I were scheduled to teach Sunday School and Catechism teachers this morning. It was a bit of a drive from downtown Lubumbashi to Belair which is on the outskirts of town. On the “campus” is Pastor Muzakuza’s home, his son Hubert’s home and Trinity church in between the two. The buildings were made of baked mud and mortar and then covered with a mud paste and painted. They have a slanted sheet-metal rood with wooden beams, and square holes in the walls for windows. They have a poured concrete floor and plastic deck chair and wooden benches for seats. There is an altar at the back with cloths hanging on the walls for color and beautification.

We had six students. Hubert and his wife, Pastor Muzakuza’s wife Mary, an elder of the church and two other women. Todd started things off for the first hour by going through the basics of teaching Bible stories to children. He explained to them how to prepare a lesson and what is important to include. I followed in the second hour by going through a specific Bible Story lesson and discussing how to apply the lessons that Todd had presented in the first session.

During this we had a bit of a scare. In the middle of Todd’s presentation, our translator, John collapsed as he was translating! We sat him down and got him some water to drink, but he was sweating and having a hard time concentrating. After some fresh air and water, he said he felt much better and was ready to continue! We were concerned, but he assured us that he was fine. A strange thing!

Two girls playing with their well-worn cards outside Pastor Muzakuza's home.

Something struck me during this time as well. We had four women in here, three of which were mothers with young children. The children were right in there with us, but they were quiet and not at all disruptive! It was very interesting to compare the children here with those in the states. They are still children, they still play and set into spats (I’ve seen plenty fighting here too) but they are not as hyper as the children are back home. It makes me wonder if there is something in the things we eat and drink in the states that cause hyperactivity, or if it is just that we are not giving them the opportunity to play outside like we should. No answers, just an observation.

A mud brick kiln with the holes beneath where the fire was lit.

After lunch we went to visit two churches that were destroyed by heavy rains. The buildings here are made out of baked mud brick using an ingenious process. They we the dirt to the proper consistency, then shape the mud into bricks using a brick stamper, then let them dry. When they are dry they stack the bricks into huge piles and cover the outside with mud. Then they light several fires underneath the brick pile until the bricks are baked hard. Then they are separated and sold. These are great building blocks, but they can corrode with rain if not protected. In the case of the first church we visited, they had built the walls, but had not installed the roof yet when a storm came through the area and destroyed a good part of the walls of the church. We met with the members of the Kalugwe church and it just breaks your heart to know that they put their time and money into this building, and have seen it washed away with the rain.

Some of the members of Kalugwe, standing outside their destroyed church building.

The second church in Kalibuka was a similar story. They had finished their church building, but had purchased light-weight iron sheets for the roof. When a storm came, the wind bent the sheets and caused part of the roof to collapse. Rain then came in and washed out two sections of the church walls! Again, a very sad situation. What is even more sad is know that we do not have the money to help at this time. The balance in the Mission Development Fund (MDF) is currently at $0 and there is absolutely nothing available for Bibles, Catechisms, Church building assistance, or anything else! We pray that the Lord would give these congregations strength and courage to not give up, and that the Lord would open the hearts of people here and back home to help in projects such as these!

The church in Kalibuka with its destroyed walls and windtorn roof.

We will have a similar schedule tomorrow, so it’s time to do some prep for our morning class.

May the Lord be with all of you!

In His service,

Nathanael

“The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” – Psalm 147:2-5