I returned to Kinshasa on July 5, after a busy but productive year in the U.S. It's the dry season here right now, with cool mornings and evenings and warm days; the humidity is always high. It has been good to see old friends again, and to hear what the Lord is continuing to do in this country.
The political situation is looking up right now, as a new transitional government was sworn in this past week. Joseph Kabila is still president, with four new vice presidents and over 200 cabinet ministers and members of parliament (deputies & senators) representing the geographic and political diversity of the country; they have the daunting task of leading the country to democratic elections in a reasonable amount of time! There are reports that ethnic conflict is continuing in the east of the country; please pray for an end to all hostilities!
In July and August, I am preparing to move to Kimpese, Bas Congo, to my new assignment as professor at the Bible Institute at the Evangelical Cooperative Center. If that sounds familiar to you, it's because I'll be returning to my first assignment in Congo, from 1983-1996. I plan to move in mid-September. I still don't know whether I will have e-mail in Kimpese, but I do have a Vodacom phone that will work there! That's new since I left in 1996.
Today (July 20) I attended the retirement celebration for Professor and Pastor Jean (John) Masamba ma Mpolo, at the Baptist church he has pastored since 1986. Dr. Masamba studied at Redlands University, the American Baptist Theological Seminary (Covina), Claremont School of Theology and the Graduate Theological Union (Berkeley) in the 1960s and 70s. His distinguished career has included service as executive secretary of the Office of Family Education at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, and as professor of theology and pastoral psychology at the Protestant Theological Seminary in Kinshasa. He is the author of 12 books and numerous articles dealing with subjects such as witchcraft, family life, and sexuality in an African context. His church presented him with a Jeep Cherokee as a retirement gift, a sure sign of how much he is loved by the congregation!
From July 28 to August 7, I'll be participating in two retreats in Bas Congo; these are annual events that draw hundreds of Baptist believers together for worship, prayer and spiritual refreshment. Seminary students will provide leadership for children and youth. Glen Chapman and I will each speak once at each retreat, and Glen will show films in the evening. (We'll be stopping in Kimpese for a day in between the two retreats, so I will be able to see what my living quarters will be!)
On August 17, I will be preaching twice: at the 7:30 AM Protestant service at the Kinshasa Central Prison; and later, at 11:00 AM, at the International Protestant Church. I was impressed on one occasion when I visited the prison, and saw a banner made by a group of inmates that read, "Prison is a parenthesis in my life which will lead me to live more responsibly." Pray that that will indeed be the case for the men and women who are there!
During my time in the U.S., the Responsible Living Skills team has continued holding seminars for young people, including the "True Love Waits" program. I met with Doctors Kashosi and Bodi, directors of the group, this past week, and learned that we have been invited to present "True Love Waits" at the state-run University of Kinshasa toward the end of August. This will be a unique opportunity to reach students, professors and staff with a biblically sound, abstinence based AIDS prevention strategy! Pray for all the spiritual and material preparations that need to be made!
It's good to be back in the Congo, and to have some small part in the great things God is doing here. Thanks for your prayers!
Wendy