MISSIONARY
REPORT
FROM
CONGO

We are very thankful to the Congolese Unión for having accepted the delegation of the General Conference to come to Lubumbashi and visit our field conference. The General Conference appointed me to visit our members in the northern part of the country, in Katanga province that previous to my visit was occupied by the rebels. Kalemie is 1600 kilometers from Lubumbashi.

Organization

Above these nine districts there is a committee that coordinates their activities. The president is an ordained minister and so is the secretary. The committee is also composed by a treasurer and a counsellor. The members of the committee are re-elected every three years.

In certain cases, the committee is autonomous, but in others it has to consult with the field conference. We have created this structure that does not correspond to the official structure of the organization, with the purpose of having a closer cooperation between the field conference and the districts which, as already mentioned, are 1600 kilometers from Lubumbashi.

The trip First stage

On 29 November 2003,1 took a plañe to
Kalemie where I arrived after two hours
flight.

After many formalities at the airport,
together with the brothers and sisters who
were expecting me at the airport, we took
a taxi-bus to go to the church where the
large family of believers was waiting for
us.

After they welcomed me, we started with
the Sabbath service. When this was over,

we started a seminar about the Reform and I talked about the beginning of the reform, when the message had come to Congo, the health reform both in eating and dressing, the preparation for the Sabbath and of worships. This program lasted the whole of Sabbath afternoon and it went on until 7 p.m. on Sunday. OnMonday, we contacted different groups, such as the leaders, the Dorcas department leaders and the teachers.

Second stage

When the program in Kalemie was over, I traveled to Nyuzu, 150 kilometers away, but since there was neither airplane, nor car or train, the only possibility was to go on foot following the tracks of the railway, as the people of the area do. After considering it for a while, I made up my mind to risk it, in spite of the dangers I might have to encounter such as wild animals, the rebels, the scorching sun or heavy rain, my age (57) and my lack of experience in hiking. I was ready to accept whatever it might happenbecause I was going to visit the flock that had not been visited for sevenyears. The Kalemie church provided me, as journey companions, a church elder, Br. Nkulu Albert and other three brothers: Muteba Baruani, Kayumba Kigagio and Lumbu Mukalamusi. After having bought a straw mat to be used as mattress or as a stretcher in case I died en route, we set off. On 7 December, at 8.20 a.m., after prayer, we started our walk toward Nyunzu, 150 kms. away, following the railway tracks. At 11.30, 9 kilometers from Kalemie, near the village of Kibila, I stepped on a serpent that was hidden among the grass. I remembered the word of our Lord Jesus Christ in Mark 16:18. I entrusted my life to the Lord and we continued walking as if nothing had happened

20 kms away, we met church members from the Kibila group who were busy working in their farms. We rested for 20 minutes in the chapel and after having taken some pictures as a souvenir, we continued our way. Our brethren gave us sweet manioc. We walked until 5 p.m. and since we were very tired, we spent the night in the village of Ngandu Luyi, 30 kilometers from Kalemie. Out straw mat served us as a bed. At this point, it was difficult to find something to eat and the three young men with me started grinding the manioc to make flour to prepare Bukari. Since we also had pineapples with us, I was happy to eat from this fruit.

On 8.12.2003, we started off at 6.30 a.m., after prayer. As the commander of the group, I inspected the troop while the dew was falling like a blessing from heaven. We had a hard march under divine protection until night fell and we spent the night in Miswaki, 75 kilometers from Kalemie, outdoors, around a bonfire meant to protect us against mosquito bites. On9.12.2003, after prayer, we started off at 6.30 a.m. under a steady rain, and we spent the night in Mulima where the minister of a protestant church made us lodge in his chapel since there was no house available. On 10.12.2003, at 6.30, we once again left after morning worship and walked till we reached the last crossing gate at the entrance of Nyunzu where we had to pay 1750 Congolese francs in order to get a visa to enter Nyunzu. It was 11 a.m. At 11.30, we arrived to the minister's home. Both the ministers and the members at Nyunzu were greatly surprised to see us coming on foot and at the fact that we were not tired and our feet were not swollen. OnFriday 11.12.2003, I started work. I began by making contact with various groups, such as the leaders, the sisters from

the Dorcas department, the teachers and the youth. On Sabbath afternoon we started the seminar with the same themes as in Kalemie and we continued the whole day on Sunday. On Sunday 14, the friends who had come with me from Kalemie returned there on foot and on Monday, 15I rented two bicycles and accompanied by two young people: Lwamba Beya Célestin, the church elder, and Kyungu Muyumba, the deacon, set off for Mbulula, the third stage ofourtrip, 118 kilometers aways.

Third stage

OnMonday 15, we left at 8 a.m., after morning worship. After two kilometres, we had to push our bikes because the road was uphill. This stage of the trip was exhausting because now and then we had to get off our bikes and push them uphill. At 5 p.m. we were very tired and we spent the night outdoors around a bonfire lit by the brethren who accompanied me. We were near the village of Kitunka, 60 kilometers from Nyunzu. There, we were bitten by mosquitos at night and by the Tse tse flies during the day. On the 16, at 6.30 a.m., we left the village of Kitunka after morning worship, and headed towards Mbulula where we arrived at 5 p.m. in spite of the troubles with the soldiers we met on the way.

As I had already done in other places, I made contact with different groups and on 19 and 20 December, I held a seminar presenting the same topics. On 21 there was a meeting of all the members of the different districts. This gathering was held in the city of Luhonga, 15 kilometers from Mbulula. This meeting takes place every three months at a place chosenby the committee and the people are

informed about it three months ahead of time. We went to Luhonga on foot and there were the delegates from the four districts. The elder of the local church had prepared everything to receive all the partakers who were about 560 people. I availed myself of this opportunity to present my teachings. Forty four persons answered to the preacher's appeal and accepted the message. While we were in Luhonga, the two brethren who had accompanied me from Nyunzu went back home by bike.

Fourth stage: Ilunga district, 30 kilometers from Mbulula

On 22 December, the minister of the district of Mbulula gave me two young people ( his children) to accompany me to Ilunga by bike. We left after morning worship and arrived at Ilunga at 12, local time. The two young people went back home after having rested for an hour. After having made contact with the different groups, I proceeded to present the seminar about the Reform. After the program, I was stuck in Ilunga for two days because there were no bicycles to rent to go to Muti, 60 kilometers from Ilunga.

Fifth stage

On 25, the minister of the district and the
church elder accompanied me to Muti
where we arrived at 7 p.m., under a heavy
rain.
Just as I did in all the other districts, I had
a meeting with the leaders, the Dorcas
department, and the youth and on Sabbath
27 and Sunday 28, I held a seminar until
7 p.m.
In the evening, I felt sick. I was
exhausted. The minister of the district,

brother Muteba Ayombo, did all he could to have me sent to Kongolo and at 8 p.m. he sent someone to look for a motocycle. We had ridden for about 4 kilometers, when we remained without fuel and had to spend the night there. We left the ext day, at 7 p.m. because we had to wait to get some fuel. Since I was really exhausted, I had to rest for four days, and then I continued having contact with people. On Sabbath and Sunday we continued with our program which was closed on Sunday at 7 p.m. While I rested during those four days, I sent pastor Muteba Mamaba Gustave, the secretary of the committee, on a hired motocycle, to present the same program in Wamaza, 175 kilometers away. The brother gave a positive report of his visit.

Conclusión

Our brethern in the north of the country just carne out of the bushes where they had been hidden due to the guerrillas, and some of them have not yet come out. They lack everything; they only have the desire to work and faith in our Lord Jesús Christ, our Saviour. They are poor and are under nourished, they are all sick and suffer from a sort of psychosis due to the fact that they witnessed many atrocities. They have just planted corn on their fields, but they have not yet harvested. It is difficult to find what to eat and their situation is really lamentable.

The ministers are completely devoted to the service even though they do not get paid and their appearance is miserable. They lack clothes, food and have the heavy responsibility to visit the flock on foot that is scattered in different groups all over the district, at 100 to 120 kilometers away. We ask the General Conference to do whatever is possible to provide our brethren

with clothes, shoes, spectacles, utensils for the kitchen, blankets, mosquito nets, machetes, bicycles, sewing machines, grinding machines for grains, tiles to build the roof of churches, sacs with cement, tractors, tools for agriculture, Bibles in Swahili, books of the Spirit of Prophecy hymn books and church manuals. I know there is need of much money to do this, and I suggest that the General conference buys some of these things in Lubumbasi in order to reduce the expenses. I would like to finish with the following verse: "Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard." Proverbs 21:13.

-Br. Keyambe