Greetings from
the beautiful Democratic Republic of Congo!
I, Pappy Orion,
hope this message finds you well. First of all I would like to apologize for
not communicating earlier. The good news is that this is due to the fact that
me and the team are very busy with ministries during our 4 weeks journey here
in the DRC!
To start from
the beginning: My journey started on Monday, the 26th of July 2014
from Frankfurt (Germany) to Doha (Qatar) to Entebbe (Uganda) and finally to
Kigali (Rwanda). In Kigali I spent a night at YWAM Kigali where I was joined by
Ryan Carter, a photographer friend of mine from Australia currently working
with YWAM Restenas (Sweden). The next day we started our journey to the DR
Congo by bus from Kigali through the rain forest to Bukavu. There three other
friends of ours from the US, Renee, Jonathan and Matthew, joined us. It
has been a week since we arrived here in the DRC and it has really been a busy
one.
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On Thursday, the
24th, we visited a local NGO called LAV (L’aissez l’Afrique Vivre),
which is helping former child soldiers, raped women and vulnerable children.
This was a great opener for us because here we learned about the value of
forgiveness. We talked to a young lady who was raped by militia. We can see and
hear from her story first hand that God has touched her heart and has given her
the courage to work along side former child soldiers who might have been from
the militia group that abused her. The DRC is full of such stories, but also
stories of redemption, forgiveness and love. People slowly understand that the
only medicine to healing their wounds is giving everything to Jesus Christ and
believing in the power of the cross. This the message that we have been
preaching throughout our time here in Congo.
Apart from that
we were invited at a wedding, invited to preach at three different churches and
made to daytrips to remote and rural areas, Kalehe and Walungu, where we
ministered to many living in the bushes and deep forests of the DRC where a lot
of fighting is still taking place.
Having Ryan
Carter here has also been of a great blessing. He has dedicated his time,
finances, passion and skills to helping us with footage for our documentary and
project “Focus:Congo”. Through the eyes of a lens and his pictures, I have
again discovered and seen the beauty of my nation. Congo is surely one of the
most beautiful countries on earth. Ryan has captured breathtaking moments and
experiences during our journey. I can remember war him saying: “The people of
Congo are beautiful and photogenic!”
This for me is
what God has given us, the Congolese people, despite all the struggles, the war
and desperation. There is joy and there are smiles on people’s faces, there is
hope and there is brightness covering darkness. No matter how long the night,
the day and sunrise is sure to follow. I believe it is time for the people of the
Congo to walk in the light - the light that is leading to greater
pasture. Transformation will happen in the DRC if those who believe in
God’s power get touched by it and become actively involved!
Renee, was here
for one week and was mostly working with “Chahi Hospital”, a hospital working
in the outskirts of the city Bukavu, mainly focused on the treatment of malnourished
children and pregnant women. It was a great blessing to have someone like her,
who is experienced in this area and has a heart for people, become part of us
for a week. On monday she was called to the hospital when a kid was brought
there and was about to die. Renee rushed to the hospital and when she got there
she realised that the child was given wrong medicine before he got to the hospital.
She quickly intervened and miraculously the kid recovered. It gave us joy to
see that God is using us here in Congo in different ways and spheres. We are
six people on the team and each one of us with a different expertise. We have
seen how much this dynamic is working out very well. We are all contributing to
the team and making sure we are using our gifting to help the advance God’s
kingdom.
Jonathan and Ryan
have had lots of chances to preach the word of God in churches, Taxis and on
the street. We are seeing people recommitting their lives to Christ by
preaching the gospel, repenting from their sins and acknowledging the greatness
of Christ.
We have had lots
of challenges as well. I came here with very little finance so I am only trusting
God at the moment that He will provide for me to be able to accomplish what He
has called me here at such time as this. We have had some challenges with the
Police trying to bribe us, which we could not agree to but God nevertheless
paved the way for us. We know that in all of this Jesus is still God and He is
guiding us, providing for us and protecting us in all situations. We give glory
to Him and keep on trusting that He will use us here in great and mighty ways.
We have been
travelling to places occupied by rebels and it went all well. We have seen the
gospel being spread in these places. Today we are travelling to Uvira, a little
town close to the border of Burundi. For some of you who have been watching the
news the last month, there was a massacre in this town where the rebels came
and slaughtered women, men and children. We have been invited by a couple, who
is pioneering YWAM Congo at the moment, to do a pastor training and of course
we will be there to encourage the people and help them realise that God cares
for them and wants to have a relationship with them.
Please pray for
us that God will be with us, protect today as we preach the Gospel and we would
be tools for the Holy Spirit to do His works of redemption, healing and truth!
Thank you for
all your friendship, support and love towards me and the people of Congo.
Blessings,
Pappy Orion
