Healing Streams In Congo

Hello from Dawn

2006-11-18T05:03:00.000-05:00

It is a very good sign that I am authoring this report. It means I am rested, relaxed and eager to connect. The Beni experience was beyond words! How can I describe the sights, the smells (including musty moldy pillows and linens) and the bracing 6 a.m. sponge baths. We were treated like honored guests but we felt honored to be able to speak into these warm and loving people's lives.

I will never forget Pastor Kamala, displaced from Bunia and his position as academic dean of the Protestant seminary. He has 10 children and no income. He is in charge of the pastor care for the CSCODI team. He tells us a good income for a pastor is $35 USD a month - but that this is very hard to live on. The Vice President of CSCODI is unemployed. He and his wife sustain themselves by cultivating a garden in their front yard. An MCC volunteer at the Guest House told us this is not as bad as it sounds. Self-sustaining crops are better than unstable employment.

The women welcomed us as openly as the men. Several women involved with local NGO's were delighted to have us come and teach the men not to reject their wives just because they have been raped or have HIV/AIDS. One woman said her NGO had interviewed 1000 women and then interviewed local men and pastors. When asked what was the best way to deal with a raped wife the overwhelming response from both local men and pastors was to reject her. She was so grateful to have us teach the opposite. As a thank you the women attending the seminar arranged to have Congolese dresses and shirts made for the team. This was very exciting for us and we look forward to posting our pictures on the blog when we return home.

Michael and Brenda return home today and Ross and I return on Tuesday afternoon. We have been sustained by your cards, blog comments, and prayers. We feel that God has not just called us to this ministry but that he has also called each one of you. Thank you for participating in this incredible adventure with us!

God is Good...

2006-11-13T23:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we left our new friends in Beni. We told them we had much saddness over the fact that we were going, but we had greater joy because we had such good friends.
On Sunday I (Ross) preached at a church that was packed outside the door and windows. There were 4-500 people in attendance (normal) and this was the 'French'service. They had already had the English and Swahili service. It was a joy to worship with them.
In the afternoon we had the closing ceremonies including testimonies. One in particular stands out for me.
I had preached through the week on the Good Father who goes after his two lost sons. I had suggested that the traumatized were much like the lost and that we needed to be like the Good Father who saw his son while he was still a long way off and ran to him to embrace him.
One of the pastors got up and gave this testimony: Before be was a Christian he had a child with another woman. He never met this child - a daughter. As a pastor he was ashamed of this. During our conference he arranged to meet his daughter and when he went to her he got down on his knees and asked forgiveness of her for not being a father to her. Such an act of humility in this African culture is amazing. I said in my heart, "Your daughter was lost! But now she has been found again!"
Today we are leaving Nairobi for a couple of days of Safari (vacation). You can pray for our refreshing. We feel a bit of emptiness at having given so much for so many days. At the same time we have a sense of joy at the many ways we could see God working. We trust He is working in ways we did not even see.
Thanks for your love and prayers everyone. We probably won't get another entry on the blog until Friday or so.
With Love, Ross
P.S......Äll the time!

Close to the End

2006-11-11T03:08:00.000-05:00

Today is Remembrance Day. I will giving a message that explains how Canadians remember past war, but say Never Again. Never Again. I will be followed by the local UN chief political official who will take advantage of our gathering of pastors. He wants to give a message to explain how people should react at the announcement of the election results. It appears that the UN soldiers from South Africa were wrong, as this UN offical confirmed that the results will be announced next Sunday. This seems consistent with General Dallaire's comment in his book "Shake Hands With the Devil" (a must read) when he continually expressed frustration that his soldiers were the last, not the first, to know anything.

The seminar and the responses continue to be amazing. One participant spoke of how if a woman is filled with the Holy Spirit, then it is not possible for her to be raped. Essentially, it must be her fault. This created quite a commotion, as the rest of the participants promptly reacted with distain and renounced what he was saying. Such are the myths and Christian immaturity in much of Africa. It was encouraging to see such a strong response from the participants.

The responses to Ross's message on Luke 15, the Prodigal Son, were interesting. Some asked why the father didn't imprison the son? How did God take away the shame on the village? Wasn't the father partially to blame if the son wasted his father's inheritance? These are thoughful questions!

Seminars Continue

2006-11-10T05:09:00.000-05:00

For this time of year, our weather has been great. On Thursday, we experienced Congo in the rainy season. The storm lasted under an hour, but the torrents on the roof and the lack of power stopped our sessions. Fortunately, it was late in the afternoon so the loss of time will have minimal impact. It is a reminder of our good fortune to have everything we need in Canada. In Beni, electricity is rationed and is cut off during the night and mid day depending on where you are. There was virtually no water this morning, so we could not even match our prior day shower based on using just one bucket of water.
We are intrigued by their question and answer protocol here. Ross or Dawn will provide their talk, followed by Q&A. A moderation will always allow for as many questions as time permits, but the answers must be given all at once. This gives additional time for reflection and permits a schedule to be better adhered to and creates increased decorum.
We are hopeful that we can see the Beni newspaper reports. Consistent with the interest shown by the participants, local media has been interviewing Dawn.
Talking with UN officers from South Africa (also present here are Bangledesh, India and Indonesia), they say that the election results have been advanced to this Sunday November 12 from November 19. I don't see that news on the Internet, but maybe they have been given some advanced notice. The good news is that they are being relocated to Goma on the border with Rwanda because they expect no trouble in Beni or Bunia. If anywhere, the trouble should be in the capital. This whole region is solidly for Kabila, so an unexpected result would be a problem. We are hopeful that we could witness a phenomonal celebration!
Ross has publicly commented on how much he wants to stay and learn from the Congolese and their ability to worship. Please pray that he has second thoughts and agrees to get on the plane with us!
Michael

The Seminars are a Go

2006-11-09T08:40:00.000-05:00

Did I write Go, or did I miss the d? We have so much to learn from the Congolese on how to worship God. Each session starts off with exhurberant and joyful music plus prayer. God is so clearly evident in these seminars, as He has been throughout our trip. From my perspective, Dawn and Ross have been very effective and we are all extremely well received. In many many ways, this is a tough seminar topic but no one is shying away from the issues. When tough questions are asked by the participants, it is clear to me that these are not hypothetical situations, but stark reality. How do we forgive the rapists? Should a victim ask for foregiveness? What about male rape and incestual situations? A wife was kidnapped and presumed dead. The church sanctioned the husband to remarry, but his original wife then returned. What should we do?
We had a ceremony at the local Beni hospital (really a converted warehouse) this morning as we presented medical supplies to the hospital staff after their morning prayers. The MCC provided these supplies via Jan and Trevor (thanks, guys!) and they took up a lot of room in our bags. I can't give enough credit to the Canadian husband and wife doctor team, Phillip and Nancy Wood, who have ministered to the Congolese for 23 years in unfathomabel conditions at times. No one is shy about their faith in God here. Opening prayers, scriptures posted throughout the buildings. In the same way, Gideon Bibles are everywhere here. They have clearly made a huge impact here.
The seminar attendance is around 100, higher than last anticipated. They have already asked Healing Streams to return for additional seminars.
We have heard that the election results are due on November 19, after we leave, yet another answer to prayer.
Thank-you for your comments and continued prayers. We are blessed to be reading your cards and notes.
Michael

Arrival in Beni

2006-11-07T11:03:00.000-05:00

After a stunning plane ride over the Great Rift Valley, we arrived in Beni, an impoverished town of roughly 200,000, to a large welcoming committee. This was a good thing, as we did not connect with our Congolese escort in Nairobi and we had decided to go it without him. We didn't know if arrangements had been made or were still valid. African tradition is heavy on introductions, so the bulk of our day was spent meeting people. We were taken to the mayor as part of the introduction process, who offered us a soldier escort during our stay in his town. We declined. UN soldiers are very visible, but the locals are saying that Congo has dramatically improved and that we can walk around safely.

We are clearly very welcome. We have been told that we are the first organization to come to Beni to offer support for war and rape trauma. There have been lots of NGO providing for the body, but none for the soul.

Our seminars will start in earnest in the morning.

Michael

Thankful

2006-11-06T04:50:00.000-05:00

Written: Sunday, Nov 5, 2006 11:21 pm Nairobi time, 2:21 pm est. Canada

We made it! Ross and Dawn traveled on KLM airlines and Brenda and Michael traveled on British Airways. We left within 45 minutes of each other and arrived within an hour of each other – and that with a layover in Amsterdam and London respectively.

When we stepped out of the Nairobi airport it hit us that by God’s we had made it here. We are here. Dawn in particular felt the joy and excitement as tears filled her eyes.

Bonus! When we stepped out of Baggage claim we saw a big banner for the United Nations Change Conference on the environment. It’s being held here for the next two weeks. The environment (clean air) is something that Michael has had quite a bit of experience in and is hoping that when we get back from Beni (and have a spare day) that he might get a chance to take it in. We’ll see.

Prayer: Father as we begin a night’s rest we give you thanks for this, your Sabbath. Thanks for the gift of all our luggage arriving with us. Thanks for your goodness and kindness. Thanks for your faithful mercies. We’ll be looking for them again in the morning. Amen
Ross

Nice and Uneventful

2006-11-06T03:56:00.000-05:00

Nice and uneventful. Isn't that the way flights are supposed to be? Everything has gone to plan so far with on-time flights, clear sailing getting our Kenyan visas on arrival and our taxi driver waiting for us. The Mennonite Guest House is a beautiful place with pleasant grounds.
We had our breakfast with the former pastor of Forward Baptist Church in Cambridge - Rob and Colleen Davis. It's fun to meet fellow Canadians far from home!
Dawn has been hard at work this morning preparing for the seminars that start tomorrow. Please`continue to pray for the positive impact that these seminars will have for the women of Congo who have suffered so much.

Congo Backgrounder

2006-11-04T10:59:00.000-05:00

This posting repeats an e-mail that I recently distributed. You may find it a useful source of information.

Please check out the last link so you can donate towards the expenses of this trip! We are getting closer, but we are still a few thousand dollars shy of our goal.

----------------------------------------------------

Congo has endured incredibly tragic fighting and suffering in recent years. It has been called Africa’s World War and it has been the largest military conflict since World War II with over 4 million killed as a result. Today, it is the scene of the UN’s largest peacekeeping mission ever. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4586832.stm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Congo_War

Why has our media ignored this?

One tragic consequence of the intense fighting was the purposeful use of systematic rape, with the number of victims measured in the hundreds of thousands. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/22/world/main703577.shtml

We are going on behalf of Healing Streams, a local registered charity which provides counselling services. http://www.healingstreams.org/html/congo_2006.htm
The team will provide training for local pastors and counsellors of all faiths on dealing with post traumatic stress, the stigma of rape and other badly needed counselling skills. We will be travelling to Beni, eastern Congo, the scene of some of the fiercest fighting during the wars. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/congo_demrep_pol98.jpg We have been invited by a Congolese local organization that is co-ordinating the invitation of the pastors and counsellors.

There are limited support services in this country and the need is overwhelming.

The Canadian government has issued warnings about travelling to this area so the risk is high. http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/report-en.asp?country=332000

We are still short of our fund raising requirements. I want you to click this link right now http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=d89600 and make a receiptable donation towards the expense of this trip. $20, $50, $100 or more would be greatly appreciated.

I hope you don’t mind receiving this message. I appreciate your financial support and your prayers for our trip.

Michael

2006-11-03T14:33:00.000-05:00

Hallelujah!!!

With only hours to go, our passports (don't leave home without them) and visas arrived. Thanks for your prayers everyone! Thanks for hearing our prayers Father!

2006-11-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

Two more sleeps! We've been gathering all our things for packing and while we've been doing that I chanced to read a clay sugar canister that sits on our counter (a gift from a good friend). It reads "Ideal storage at home or on Safari". I wondered if that meant I should pack it?

We praying today because we need our Visas (and passports) to arrive back here tommorrow! Pray with us.

Ross

2006-10-27T22:03:00.000-04:00

It's Friday evening and we've just finished another planning meeting. Trevor read from Jeremiah 17:7-8.
"But blessed is the mand who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; Its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of draught and never fails to bear fruit"
Even with all our planning, our only confidence is in God and His purposes.

Map of Congo

2006-10-27T13:41:00.000-04:00

The Democratic Republic of Congo is in central Africa. We will be travelling to the city of Beni which you can see is on the top right corner of this map; just north of the equator and just west of Uganda.