After graduating twenty-one students from our Bible school in Uganda, Pastor Felix (the local pastor I am working with), his wife and I headed for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire).  Pastor Felix lived and worked there before the war broke out over fifteen years ago.  I met several of his friends, including another pastor and primary school director who said to me, “I am surprised to see you here.”

Initially surprised by his statement, I spent some time thinking about it later. I thought about the harsh living circumstances of the people in Uvira, DRC.  Ravaged by war since the 90’s, with the most recent fighting in 2007. Many people, including the teacher working with us, fled their homes and hid in the mountains for months.  When they came back, those that did, found their homes looted or destroyed.  Many did not have a job.  Those with a job went months without receiving a paycheck.  The teacher went several months without pay.  He’s getting paid now, $60 a month.  Even with the lower cost of living, this is not enough to provide food, clothes and education for himself, his wife and their five children. (Like many other countries in the world, education is not free.  Families must pay for their children to go to school.)

Houses are simple adobe homes; some with cement floors, others without.  Bathrooms are outhouses.  Electricity is only available two days a week, but no one ever knows which two.  Water is gathered at your neighborhood facet, which usually doesn’t have enough pressure except in the middle of the night, often between midnight and 4 am.  Many homes remain abandoned.  Many businesses remain closed, adding to unemployment.  The local post office, we would consider it a condemned building, looks like it was just attacked with wooden pieces of mail boxes hanging from the few remaining boxes.

Our hotel, the nicest in town, has simple stained cement floors, no running water (buckets were in our rooms for bathing and toileting), and walls in need of repair and painting.  In looking around at the people in the area, even with international organizations such as UN, I did not see any other Americans or Europeans.  So if the people from the area weren’t coming back, because many realized how hard things were or the hopelessness of trying to start again, what was a single woman from the U.S. doing in Uvira, DRC?

So what was I doing there?  After all, many of the country’s own residents are hesitant to return.   The answer is simple; it is the longing and desire of the twenty potential students and our local contacts saying, “Our church is dying.  We need to see God move.  We want to become trained to do God’s will.  Can you bring us a Bible school?” This combined with the fact that it seemed the right time we went.   Because of the harsh circumstances, we purchased a TV, DVD player, and generator for them.  It will be up to the students to pay their course fees, which given the current circumstances is a big stretch even at only $2 USD.  But, I know God sees their hearts and will provide.  Will you join me in praying for our dear brothers and sisters as they seek to do God’s will?