Out to the bush

Well tomorrow morning we are heading out to Nebobongo, a more remote village to spend 4-7 days. We will be out of contact during that time. At one time there was a pilot and a plane based there, but not now. There is a missionary couple there we will be interacting with. Hopefully we will be able to encourage them and also bring in some much needed supplies when we come.

A couple days ago we were also able to visit Nyancunde, which is where we thought we would be helping MAF relocate back to from Bunia. Just before we got to Africa though militia came back through Nyancunde looting and causing trouble. MAF has not been located there for about 6 years, but the buildings look as if it has been uninhabited for a quite a few decades. Many of the roofs have been stolen from previous invasions. It looks like it will be a while until MAF moves back in, but we were able to encourage the national workers there that MAF is going to return someday and that they are not forgotten. At one time it was the central hub of MAF Congo with 6-7 planes and a number of pilots, maintenance hanger, woodshop, communications hub, and much more. Now it is very much a ghost town. It can be hard to understand why God would decree such destruction to occur to such a vital ministry. It is a good reminder though to those of us preparing to go that there is still much work to do. We are not continuing the ministry but expanding it. Not filling a spot, but influencing direction. Pushing forward from the status quo, bringing the gospel to places it hasn't been, or at least hasn't been this generation.

Please pray for the people of eastern congo. There are hundreds of thousands that have been displaced because of the termoil. So many with no shelter and no food. There are many people displaced to the north of us near a place called Dungu. There really isn't a way to get food to these people either, the airstrip nearby is too hot to go into, and the humanitarian organizations are trying to figure out how to get help there. There are also a lot of recently displaced people to the south of us out of Goma on the Rwanden boarder as well. It has been in the news a lot lately. The ceasefire was absolved by the people who initiated it. Please pray for peace, it really doens't look like there is an end in sight. This kind of thing has happened a number of times and the people are at the end of what they can take. They need a hope that tomorrow may be better than today. Ultimately there is no real hope apart from Christ. Please pray for Christ to change their heart, that they might find hope in Christ.

"For to this end we toil and strive, becasue we have our hope set on the living God" 1 Tim 4:10

Thank you to all who were praying. Here are some prayer requests, some new, some not answered yet.

Praise - Health. Caleb's cold seems to be gone now, we'll find out tomorrow for sure during the plane ride :-)

Pray - For the people of DRC, for peace to reign in the country, wise leadership, and most of all that they be reconciled to God through Christ.

"and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." Col 1:20

Pray - For displaced peoples in both Dungu and Goma. For food to eat. (great to pray at dinner time :-) For disease not to spread.

"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." John 6:35

Pray - For our visit to Nebobongo, that we would be able to be an encouragement to the missionaries there in a place where it would be easy to get lonely.

Pray - For continued wisdom as we learn more and more about Africa and MAF.

Pray - For God to continue to work in us to make us more like Christ, and through us, not with our strength but His.

"To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thess. 1:11