Proverbs 30:25
Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;
The activities and behavior of insects always inspire us and, in Congo, every day there is a new inspiration!! Lately, ants have caught our attention and imaginations. Their tiny bodies contain so
much strength, energy, and motivation to move forward. We have watched as an anthill gets destroyed and they immediately work together to build a new anthill. We see them carry a heavy load that no
one ant could begin to move without the help of others and we wonder what directs them or encourages them? As part of God’s creation, we know what moves them forward to work in partnership!
Amazingly, God moves them forward!
Brandon Heath sings in his composition “Follow
You”: “I’ll follow You into the homes of the broken, I’ll follow You into the world. I’ll meet the needs
for the poor and needy God, I’ll follow You into the world.”
The ants and the words of this song inspire us as missionaries in Congo. They
remind us that we must never give up no matter what challenges we may face and to move baby step by baby step to try to make a difference even when we stumble or are diverted. We know that, when we
all partners with God, anything is possible. Thank you for partnering with us in Congo. We thank God for the strength, encouragement and inspiration that continues to flow as we share this update on
the Partnership projects.
Mpasa - The brand new pediatric wing at the Mpasa Medical and Nutrition Center is nearing completion! There have been some delays as the plumber contractor has being very ill and unable to be onsite. Please pray for him! All the furniture and equipment have arrived except for the incubator and the gurney to be delivered after it arrived from Belgium recently. Unfortunately, Customs has sequestered them temporarily which so often happens. Hopefully they’ll be released and delivered very soon. Donna provided an orientation with the Mpasa staff this week to the new building and the workflow which includes non-restricted, semi-restricted and restricted areas in the surgical suite to improve the surgical site infection rate. We believe Mpasa will be an amazing model for Congo making it possible to significantly improve patient care and our work with children. Throughout the construction, Mpasa staff has continue to provide daily medical care and our nutrition program is feeding about 300 children early in the morning before school.
Miriam’s Table Nutrition Program has installed a cistern and gutters to collect rain water to be used for hand washing and cleaning. Access to clean water requires a difficult trek up a steep slope to a well about half a kilometer away. Optimistically, the new well will be drilled by Rotary International very soon eliminating the long walk to the well for fresh water to cook the porridge. Last fall Miriam’s Table became a new church plant and they continue to grow. The pastor now simplifies the worship time keeping the children engaged in her message and not extending the worship time (in the African tradition) so that the children can eat after a brief service. Listening to these children shout their ‘amens’ and ‘hallelujahs’ with big smiles touches our hearts so deeply!
Moving on to Diengenga, which lies about 1000 miles to the east of Kinshasa, the Cape Lodja Agriculture Project continues to add more and more vegetables and grains to provide healthy meals for their community and to battle hunger and malnutrition. Zucchini, soy, red and brown beans, goma beans, green beans, tomatoes, onions, rice, fish, bananas, manioc, pineapples, avocados and now Moringa trees fill the fields and the community loves them! The truck purchased last year provides transportation for the produce to the market place as well as some income because it’s one of only two trucks in town and the community needs transportation regularly. Through the generous gift from a local church in the US, two grain grinders were just purchased that will enable the farm to grind their corn, rice, manioc and soy. The grinder will also be a source of income as other residents, who used to carry their grain 10 km one way in the past, will be able to bring their produce to the local farm! Praise God!
Fresh Water in Sankuru - As you know, access to fresh water has been a priority for the Partnership. The search continues for an engineer that can be trusted to drill good quality wells. The decision has been made to pursue the drilling of manual pumps rather than a generator powered pump with accompanying cisterns. The cost for fuel and maintenance requires a fee for the water which prevents many people from using the well leading them back to the river and acquiring diseases once again. The disease rate related to the contaminated river water has dropped exponentially and we are diligently striving to continue the decline. Moving to manual wells will enable us to dig many more wells with less operating and maintenance cost making fresh water accessible to all! We are so grateful to many who have been contributing to make this dream a reality!
The Mama Tola Secondary School continues to provide excellent quality education for youth seeking a university experience, as well as, a vocation. Many students participate in cooking and sewing classes and express such joy in learning at the school. The Partnership encourages local churches or members to participate in the “Adopt a Class” program there provides scholarships, support for student material needs and improvements for the school. And the Trade School in Diengenga provides students with the opportunity to learn mechanics, masonry, construction, electrical work, computers, veterinary services, -and architecture.
The Mama Tola Secondary School continues to provide excellent quality education for youth seeking a university experience, as well as, a vocation. Many students participate in cooking and sewing classes and express such joy in learning at the school. The Partnership encourages local churches or members to participate in the “Adopt a Class” program there provides scholarships, support for student material needs and improvements for the school. And the Trade School in Diengenga provides students with the opportunity to learn mechanics, masonry, construction, electrical work, computers, veterinary services, -and architecture.
The Congo Partnership Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Congo-Partnership/190059111024921
The Congo Partnership Website: www.congo-mission.org
Our blog: https://losakajesus.wordpress.com/
Donna’s Bio : http://www.umcmission.org/dbaker
Jonathan’s Bio: http://www.umcmission.org/jbaker