We can't believe it is already mid-February. Our original plan was to return to the Congo in January and due to the fighting that occured there the end of last year and the lack of funds, we are not there...yet. We are so grateful for the support that has steadily been coming in and all the opportunities we have had to meet with friends and family to share about the Elikya Center.We sure have been learning a lot about trusting the Lord with not only our ministry plans, but wth our whole lives.
We received the following E-mail last week with some good news about the conflict in the Congo. The E-mail was sent to the churches in the Congo consortium who are involved with ReachGlobal in the Congo.
______________________________________________________________________
News of the War
We are very thankful to report that there has been no new fighting reported in recent weeks. Unfortunately there are still many people living as refugees. Latest reports say that about 90% of the population at Bozene (town 14 miles west of Tandala) have returned, and even in Dongo where the worst confrontations occurred down on the Ubangi River, about 30% have returned. But there are still tens of thousands of people still living as refugees, either across the border in the other two countries, or in the forests.
The CECU has used the funds that were sent them from our churches here to buy a large number of tarps to help people with shelter, as well as food stuffs. They are working on distribution right now. If you’d like to read a summary of the war that occurred from the UN perspective, check out http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=87961.
________________________________________________________________________
Thank you so much for your prayers for us and for the Congo. We still need to raise 45% of our monthly support which is roughly $1,775 each month. Please consider joining our monthly support team. You can find information for donating on the sidebar of this site.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
More Than Halfway There!
We are very excited to announce that, as of yesterday, we have surpassed the halfway point of monthly support needed! We are now at 54% of our monthly support! It feels great to know we are a little more than halfway there. Please consider helping us reach our goal by becoming a monthly supporter. We are so blessed by God's faithfulness and have been pleasantly surprised to receive support from unexpected people and places.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
January Support Letter
Happy new year to our friends and family! We hope your Christmas season was enjoyable and that you are looking forward to 2010. We celebrated Christmas several times this year and are so grateful for the quality time spent with our family. It is always a joy to celebrate the birth of our Savior.
We have also spent much of our time working with a small team of people developing some of the plans for the Elikya Center. We have been putting the pieces together to develop ESL and Computer Skills curriculums that will be used at the Elikya Center. We are also putting together the application process for short-term team members. In February we are going to New Orleans to meet with people from ReachGlobal who will be helping in the application process.
Recently, there has been some unrest in the Ubangi region of the Congo where the Elikya Center is located. After fighting began between local tribes over rights to fishing ponds, a group of men led by a witchdoctor began traveling through the region injuring and killing people. The group of men retreated before they reached Gemena (the city the Elikya Center is located) but many people are currently displaced because they fled to avoid the fighting. This news has been hard for us because it directly affects the people that we know in the Congo and our hearts have been heavy. Yet, we have also heard powerful testimonies of God protecting people and using Christians to minister grace and healing in this situation.
Due to the instability in the Congo, we will not be returning to the Elikya Center in January as we had originally planned. We will wait until the region becomes stable before we set a date for returning but we are hoping to return early this spring. This change in plans has caused us to trust the Lord even more with our lives and the ministry at the Elikya Center.
Financial Update:
We are so grateful that many of you have responded to the financial and prayer needs that we have. It is exciting to have support coming from so many different people and churches. We have currently raised 40% of our necessary monthly support. Our greatest need is for people and churches who are able to give monthly financial donations. When we receive 100% of our needed monthly support we will return to the Elikya Center. Please prayerfully consider joining us in this exciting ministry by being part of our support team.
Prayer Support:
Your prayers are a vital part of our ministry. Below are specific prayer needs we have.
• That God will raise up more financial support for us.
• Wisdom as we help develop plans for the Elikya Center.
• Peace in the Congo and strength and wisdom for the local church leaders.
We have been back for a full three months now and it has been a busy time. Our main focus during these past few months has been raising support in order to return to the Congo. It has been a blessing to spend so much time with friends and family and to begin building new relationships with some of the churches we have visited. It is so exciting to share face-to-face with people about the Elikya Center.
We have also spent much of our time working with a small team of people developing some of the plans for the Elikya Center. We have been putting the pieces together to develop ESL and Computer Skills curriculums that will be used at the Elikya Center. We are also putting together the application process for short-term team members. In February we are going to New Orleans to meet with people from ReachGlobal who will be helping in the application process.
Recently, there has been some unrest in the Ubangi region of the Congo where the Elikya Center is located. After fighting began between local tribes over rights to fishing ponds, a group of men led by a witchdoctor began traveling through the region injuring and killing people. The group of men retreated before they reached Gemena (the city the Elikya Center is located) but many people are currently displaced because they fled to avoid the fighting. This news has been hard for us because it directly affects the people that we know in the Congo and our hearts have been heavy. Yet, we have also heard powerful testimonies of God protecting people and using Christians to minister grace and healing in this situation.
Due to the instability in the Congo, we will not be returning to the Elikya Center in January as we had originally planned. We will wait until the region becomes stable before we set a date for returning but we are hoping to return early this spring. This change in plans has caused us to trust the Lord even more with our lives and the ministry at the Elikya Center.
Financial Update:
We are so grateful that many of you have responded to the financial and prayer needs that we have. It is exciting to have support coming from so many different people and churches. We have currently raised 40% of our necessary monthly support. Our greatest need is for people and churches who are able to give monthly financial donations. When we receive 100% of our needed monthly support we will return to the Elikya Center. Please prayerfully consider joining us in this exciting ministry by being part of our support team.
Prayer Support:
Your prayers are a vital part of our ministry. Below are specific prayer needs we have.
• That God will raise up more financial support for us.
• Wisdom as we help develop plans for the Elikya Center.
• Peace in the Congo and strength and wisdom for the local church leaders.
Us with Eyenga & Kongba, two boys in the orphan sponsorship
program called Global Fingerprints
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Elikya Video
While we were in the Congo we filmed a lot of the work going on at the Elikya Center and Aaron and Michelle put together this video. Please watch it and get an even better idea of the amazing work going on at the Elikya Center. We would also greatly appreciate your prayers this week as Sam's dad, Jim, is in Africa meeting with local church leaders. They will be discussing some of the current issues due to the recent fighting in the Congo, as well as planning and evaluating some of the current ministries. Jim will return to the States this coming Friday and we look forward to receiving updates from him.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Another Congo Update
Not much has changed since our last blog post. There is still some intense fighting happening in Dongo where the fighting originated. One of the biggest issues right now besides the fighting, is that many people are still displaced at this point. A few people have returned to Gemena that we know of, but most remain in the jungle with little to no food, shelter or medication. The local church is doing what they can to aid those who are displaced. Sam was able to speak briefly with Mowa, the director of the Elikya Center, last week. At that time Mowa was trying to coordinate purchasing tarps to get to people who are staying in the jungle. There are still soldiers in Gemena and people remain fearful of their presence. It was reported a couple weeks ago that one of the soldiers began firing a gun randomly and people were hiding in their homes. It is likely that the soldier was just drunk and shooting for no particular reason and no one was injured that we are aware of.
If you are interested in giving money to aid those who are displaced in the Congo, Congo Emergency Fund has been established, and we are accepting donations to respond to this urgent need.
Please donate online or send checks to:
Congo Emergency Fund 2021709-39051
EFCA
901 E 78th Street
Minneapolis MN 55420
Please continue to pray for our friends in the Congo. We are so grateful for the responses we have received from so many of you. We hope your Christmas was great and that you enjoy celebrating the new year!
If you are interested in giving money to aid those who are displaced in the Congo, Congo Emergency Fund has been established, and we are accepting donations to respond to this urgent need.
Please donate online or send checks to:
Congo Emergency Fund 2021709-39051
EFCA
901 E 78th Street
Minneapolis MN 55420
Please continue to pray for our friends in the Congo. We are so grateful for the responses we have received from so many of you. We hope your Christmas was great and that you enjoy celebrating the new year!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Some better news
This post brings a little bit of good news about the situation in the Congo. Sam and I received an E-mail on Saturday informing us that the rebel group of men has retreated. The government soldiers were able to gain back control of the cities where there had been fighting. Praise God! This group was defeated near Tandala (city where the large Free Church hospital is located). Dr. Narcisse, one of the doctors from the Tandala hospital, sent out a long E-mail to ReachGlobal staff describing the events of the past few days. All the doctors remained at the hospital despite the fighting and they treated many wounded people, both Congo soldiers and men from the rebel gang. God protected the hospital and the immediate area from harm and the doctors stood firm in not only administering medical treatment but ministering Truth in the situation.
It has been discovered that this group of dangerous men were being led by a witch doctor who had stirred up the initial fishing pond dispute on Dongo. Dr. Narcisse encountered this man and asked him what his plan was. Dr. Narcisse reported that the witch doctor was trusting in his idols to protect and lead the group as they were marching and fighting. When the witch doctor realized they were being forced to retreat, he appeared disillusioned at the fact they were not being protected by the idols they were carrying with them and the group of rebels quickly left the hospital. The rebel group retreated before heading to Gemena. The situation has settled down a bit right now, but time will tell if the fighting has come to a complete end. In the mean time, there are still many wounded, missing and displaced people in the Congo.
We recognize that this is a very real, spiritual battle. God is using prayer to apprehend the enemy in a very real way in the Congo. Please continue to pray for the same things we previously posted. Pray for deep healing as people have experienced an extremely traumatic event. Only God can heal their hearts, bodies and memories.
Also, if you have any interest in donating toward the aid of those in the Congo please E-mail us. We can direct you to the right place. Thank you again for praying and for sending us encouraging E-mails.
-Sarah and Sam-
Friday, December 11, 2009
Congo Fighting Update
Thank you for your prayers up to this point for the Congo. The prayers are needed! We believe our God is more than able to save, protect and heal! We are holding tight to the truth in 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not a God of confusion, but a God of peace…”. We have a brief update on the situation in the Congo:
Please pray for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo. What started as a dispute between fisherman in an area West of Gemena (the city where the Elikya Center is located and where we plan on working) has become a mass of men traveling through the Ubangi region of the country, terrorizing and killing people. The government is unsure of who these people are. This group of men is heading down the road toward Gemena and most women and children have fled to either the forest, remote villages or Congo Brazaville (country across the river). The men in leadership with the local church have stayed behind with the intention of protecting the church offices from being pillaged. In Tandala, a city about 50 miles West of Gemena, all people have evacuated except for the four doctors who work in the large hospital supported by the local church. Many wounded people have been brought to the hospital and the doctors are working hard to care for them, but are also in an unsafe area because of the fighting. 26 children in the orphan sponsorship program (Global Fingerprints) are unaccounted for at this time and it was reported that 3 of the orphan girls were raped and one was killed after being raped. As of yesterday, no violence had occurred in Gemena and people were fleeing as a precaution.
Our hearts are heavy at this time. These are friends of ours and the neighborhood we lived in for 7 weeks. We ask you to pray for the following things:
1. Peace in the Congo and end to the fighting
2. Wisdom and direction for local church leaders
3. Global Fingerprints orphans and leaders
4. Protection over those who have fled and the properties they left behind
5. Strength and protection for the 4 doctors remaining in Tandala
6. Wisdom and direction for ReachGlobal leadership in the States as well as
direction for us and our plans for ministering at the Elikya Center
For those of you who may have concerns, ReachGlobal will not send us into an unsafe area. So we are waiting for God’s direction in this. We do know at this point that we will not be going to the Congo in January. But that is all we know at this time. So much is unknown about the entire situation in Congo and so we also have no answers about our plans with Elikya Center in light of this. We are beyond grateful for your prayers. We are resting in the Lord.
Please pray for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo. What started as a dispute between fisherman in an area West of Gemena (the city where the Elikya Center is located and where we plan on working) has become a mass of men traveling through the Ubangi region of the country, terrorizing and killing people. The government is unsure of who these people are. This group of men is heading down the road toward Gemena and most women and children have fled to either the forest, remote villages or Congo Brazaville (country across the river). The men in leadership with the local church have stayed behind with the intention of protecting the church offices from being pillaged. In Tandala, a city about 50 miles West of Gemena, all people have evacuated except for the four doctors who work in the large hospital supported by the local church. Many wounded people have been brought to the hospital and the doctors are working hard to care for them, but are also in an unsafe area because of the fighting. 26 children in the orphan sponsorship program (Global Fingerprints) are unaccounted for at this time and it was reported that 3 of the orphan girls were raped and one was killed after being raped. As of yesterday, no violence had occurred in Gemena and people were fleeing as a precaution.
Our hearts are heavy at this time. These are friends of ours and the neighborhood we lived in for 7 weeks. We ask you to pray for the following things:
1. Peace in the Congo and end to the fighting
2. Wisdom and direction for local church leaders
3. Global Fingerprints orphans and leaders
4. Protection over those who have fled and the properties they left behind
5. Strength and protection for the 4 doctors remaining in Tandala
6. Wisdom and direction for ReachGlobal leadership in the States as well as
direction for us and our plans for ministering at the Elikya Center
For those of you who may have concerns, ReachGlobal will not send us into an unsafe area. So we are waiting for God’s direction in this. We do know at this point that we will not be going to the Congo in January. But that is all we know at this time. So much is unknown about the entire situation in Congo and so we also have no answers about our plans with Elikya Center in light of this. We are beyond grateful for your prayers. We are resting in the Lord.
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