Since September ...

Greetings from Denver. We closed things up at Mulungwishi, said goodbye to Zorro, the cat, and Isaiah, the parrot. We went through Zambia on our way to the States. While there, we are taught for two weeks at the Kafakumba Pastors’ Training Center. It is much like the conference course of study. These are lay pastors who are serving churches and come in for 4-6 weeks a year for training. After 8 years they are ordained as Elders. Lori taught a class to the women on Wesley. David classes were on Contextualization, the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God.

Grads go out into the world

As we left, our graduating class were receiving their designations from the Annual Conferences and were leaving to begin their ministry. Please be in prayer for them as they travel. Many will spend several weeks getting to their appointments. Pray also for their congregations. Several are going to areas that have been devastated by the conflicts in the region. Pray that the Lord will use these graduates to bring God’s good news of forgiveness, peace and reconciliation.

First grandchild

We arrived back in the States on September 19th. Seeing our first grandchild, Elliot, was such a thrill. A few days later, David left to begin itineration in Kentucky. Lori joined him two weeks later. Grandma time is very special.

Kentucky and Tennessee church visits

October and the first half of November found us in our churches in Kentucky and Tennessee. The old Toyota cruised on for another 7,800 miles before we got home. We shared some 44 times in 29 churches or venues. These numbers don’t mean much compared with the personal contact that we had with a great number of you who shared your love for us and the Lord’s work. Truly we are all spoiled being chosen by God to receive his love and share it with the world we live in.

Sanki

We want to share about Sanki. He is a young man that God brought into our lives when he was in high school at Mulungwishi. We helped to support his studies in high school and at university. While at the University, he was part of the Disciple Bible Study. After graduating, he taught at the English Speaking School of Lubumbashi, a United Methodist institution.

From there he went to Africa University where he has just completed his masters in Governance and Conflict resolution. His master’s thesis focused on the plight of women in the northeastern part of the Congo which has seen horrible abuse of women and use of rape as a weapon of war. He spent several weeks in that part of the Congo studying the situation. He found that there are many aid groups there doing a tremendous job ministering to the women who have been abused. Unfortunately, very little is being done to address the cause of this suffering. The international community as well as the government and bordering countries have to make a conscious decision that this is unacceptable and do something about it. Unfortunately, the greed for the mineral wealth and its use in our technology is fueling these conflicts.

Be in prayer for the Congo that the Lord’s peace and justice will come. Be in prayer also for Sanki as he has now returned to Congo and is seeking what the Lord has for him.

Passing of a special person

We want to share about a very special person in the life of our family who passed away on Thursday. Baba Ngoy's life was one of service to God by his ministry to missionaries. He worked in the house for a number of them at Mulungwishi. Mom Bartlett taught him to cook and his prowess in the kitchen became renown. Many a work team and visitor will attest to that. Jeff, our son-in-law said that he baked the best apple pie he had ever eaten. He was our cook and our right hand man for over 30 years until a year ago.

We could not have done the work we have been doing at Mulungwishi without him. Managing the house and having meals ready for us allowed us the freedom to do the work we needed to do. There was always that twinkle in his eye when he baked a cake especially for David or hid the cookies from some of the single missionaries so they would not finish them all!

But Baba was more than a cook. He was an integral part of our family. When things were complicated, we would ask his council and help. When one of the children was a toddler, he prayed to Baba Ngoy in our prayer time! He reflected God' s love to them. Our children saw him as a grandfather. How many times when the kids couldn't get things out of us, they would go to Baba Ngoy and he would look over at us, smiling, to see what we wanted him to do! Our cats, parrots and plants all knew his loving touch. Our house is like grand central station at the mission.

So many problems and delicate situations come through the door. We are sure that Baba overheard so many private issues. He kept them to himself. He stood with us through the good times and the very hard times. Whenever we had to leave Mulungwishi, either for furlough or evacuation because of political unrest, Baba Ngoy would move into the house and keep everything going and welcome us back.

His place at our table is now empty, but we can still hear his laugh and his influence in our lives will always be there.

October prayer focus

During October, please pray for the Development and Agriculture Program. Pray for Director Mwenze, the staff, and local farmers.

This vital program helps local people improve their farming skills.

News roundup

A round-up of links to United Methodoist news related to the D.R. Congo.

• Congo church builds up abused youth (UMNS)
• Congo Child Soldiers Rebuild (UMTV)
• Methodist University seeks donations to repay land title loan (UMNS)
• Congo church brings joy to the world (UMNS)
• UM Volunteer starts adoption agency (video)
• African churches seek equal voice (UMNS)
• Malaria ravages poor in Kasungami (UMCom video)
• The essence of Congo (video of a sung joyous communal prayer)

September prayer focus

During September, please pray for the Nutrition Program -- the staff and children. This program provides food and nutrition for the preschool children on the mission station plus to malnourished children from the surrounding community.

This important program touches the lives of about 200 children on a continuing basis.

School out of reach for some

It is that time of year again. School has finished, report cards handed out and preparations for the next academic year are in progress. We have had a steady stream of children coming to show us with pride their report cards. You should see the smile on their faces. Here comes the hard question they ask, “Will I be on the list again this next year?” The answer to that question resides in the response we have from our friends.

Parents have to pay for school

Two days ago, a handicapped woman using a crutch came to see us. She has been widowed for several years and comes from another part of Congo. She had heard that our part of the country was having an economic boom and so she moved to the city 100 miles to the south of us. With the down turn in the economy and cost of the city she decided to leave and came as far as Mulungwishi a year ago. She feels that in this rural setting she can make a life for herself and her three children. The children have not gone to school for the last three years because she did not have the funds. The money she had saved for a new crutch she is putting to insure that maybe one of her children can go to school. I told her that we would see to it that two children could go to school this year.

Scholarships help

Last year, the response was unbelievable and we thank the Lord for it and each one of you. We were able to educate some 250 children in grades 1-12. The numbers are overwhelming for us. We therefore created a scholarship committee to handle this wonderful problem. The committee consists of the principles of the two elementary schools and the high school with which we are working. There are also teachers from each institution and community workers from the village. They are the people who are closest to the students, their families and their community. They are so much better equipped to assess the needs of each student. The group started by putting down the criteria for students to be included on the list. Top priority is given to orphans. Next are those with only one parent or those with severe poverty. The lists will be coming out with the names of the students we can help.

Low cost for a crucial need

School fees this year are about the same as last year with elementary costing about $50 a year per student and $75 for high schoolers. More than half the school fees go to paying the teachers who are in financial difficulty because the government is not paying them what they should. So these fees do more than just help the child but also the teachers and the whole educational makeup of the area.

How to help

This program was the initiated by Valery Whitfield, wife of Bishop Max Whitfield of the New Mexico and North West Texas Annual Conferences. Therefore all gifts for this project should be channeled through the New Mexico Annual Conference. Please send your gift made out to NMAC (New Mexico Annual Conference) with the designation, "Congo children’s education" and send it to:

Cathy Anderson, Treas.
New Mexico Annual Conference
11816 Lomas Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87112

Again, thank you for making this blessing happen last year and let’s see what the Lord does this year.

• Mulungwishi schools for kids slideshow

August prayer focus

For August, pray for the Clinic -- for Dr. Napolean, head nurse Alfred, staff, and patients. Please pray for the clinic as it serves the needs of 20,000 people within a 25-mile radius of the local community.

Medical care includes a full maternity program, health administration, satellite clinics, and a vaccination outreach by bicycle!