Au Revoir Kinshasa.
I am currently writing this on the airplane on the way from Kinshasa, DR Congo, to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, with a connecting flight in Nairobi, Kenya. The flight was 2 hours late, which means that we may miss our connecting flight to Dar and we’ll have to stay the night in Nairobi in order to catch the next flight out tomorrow morning. No problem for me. I’m having a wonderful time with Emmanuel and David. The three of us are constantly telling jokes and laughing together. These African guys are really funny, and they have light-hearted spirits. I feel very comfortable with them and we have all agreed that there is a unique bond between us. They appreciate my western sense of humor. I don’t feel like an outsider…except when they’re speaking Swahili. Hakunamatata.
Our last day in the Congo was an ideal one for ending the trip. In the morning, we went to a prayer breakfast for dignitaries and politicians, and of course, the Vice President was there again. We had the privilege of being invited to spend an hour with him afterwards, in his private office in Kinshasa. This gathering included Emmanuel and the three others from African Enterprise, our interpreter/my new friend, Luke, myself and the VP. I am so impressed with the heart of this man. He displays a gentle spirit with great humility, a love and respect for people, a sincere desire for the good of his country, and a great love for God. I told him that my community at home will be encouraged to know that the Vice President of DR Congo is a godly man who seeks to bring the love of Christ into his country. He was encouraged by my presence at the conference and thanked me for caring about his country enough to visit. He also asked me to pray for peace in the Congo, and also specifically for him and his responsibilities. I assured him that there will be people on the other side of the globe praying for him. He also invited me to come to another prayer breakfast that he is hosting on November 11. I don’t think that’s in the cards for me, but hopefully I will remember to pray for him on that day. I was honored to meet him.
Mr. Vice President (I can’t remember his name right now) was so grateful for AE’s involvement in the country, and especially for the work that Emmanuel has been doing and will continue to do. AE’s ministry of reconciliation in the Congo is on the launch pad, and the relationship that Emmanuel made with him this week was an enormous step that will provide various opportunities. The VP’s vast responsibilities include being in charge of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Human Rights, the Ministry of Police, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs…the list goes on and on. Because of Emmanuel’s new relationship with Mr. VP, African Enterprise has access to bring the message of reconciliation and peace to different political levels in the country, including the military and police (at the invitation and request of Mr. VP), which is quite a feat given the corruption and violence caused by these corrupt authorities.
By the way, if anyone happened to pray for Robert (the one who went into the burning house to save the 2 year old boy and was arrested), thank you. We were able to share this story with Mr. VP as an illustration for the corruption in the justice system. He took Robert’s name and seemed to indicate that he would see to it that Robert is not punished. Nothin’ like going to the top to help a brotha out.
The conference was a great success and quite an experience for me, of course. The Christians in Congo are some of the warmest and most passionate people I’ve met (aside from a few at the top of the hierarchy). They stand by each other’s side and they’re so grateful to be connected with Christians from across the globe. I also learned that there are currently 150,000 Congolese refugees living in neighboring countries (a result of the war) who will be returning to Congo in the next days and weeks to come. They have been living there for years. We were unable to visit any of the rural areas in or near the Congo becasue they are only accessible by air. As a result of the war, there have been four mega-deaths in the Congo (Luke tells me that 1 million deaths equals 1 mega-death), compared to 1 mega-death in Rwanda. Shocking.
In the afternoon, Luke took David (youth pastor from Tanzania) and I on a “tour” of the city. I tried to do some more filming, but Luke continued to warn me. I had such a longing to film because I feared that my inability with words would fail to express the anguish and despair. I’m not sure if a video camera would do justice either. The difficulty of traveling alone is not being able to share the experience with anyone from my community.
I shook a woman’s hand who had half of her fingers chopped off. A fight broke out across the street while we were sitting in traffic. 95% of the buildings are abandoned and half-destroyed. Thousands of people exist in a 10-mile radius. I saw kids sleeping on the streets. I saw that most people live in 10’x10’ aluminum shacks covered with graffiti. I could smell the stench of burning trash from inside the car, so I looked to my left, out the window, and I watched about fifty people scraping through a burning pile of trash the size of three football fields, looking for something they could either eat, use, or sell. The women carried their babies on their backs. One man was carrying a live chicken for slaughter. Six full goats were dead and on display for sale on the side of the road. Four men were urinating on the side of the road, each at different points. I listened to the non-stop sounds of car horns, voices yelling, and truck engines roaring.
The Congo River was actually a magnificent site. It must have been three miles wide and it serves as the boarder between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo (two different countries). The current is strong with high rapids. We stopped and each drank a coke together as we watched naked children bathing in the river close to shore, and stared across the river at Brazzaville. The Congo River is one of the largest rivers in the world and it’s fascinating.
My heart breaks for the Congo. In no way did I find myself wanting to escape the sight, smell or people of Kinshasa (maybe the taste of the food). I believe that God sees the people of Kinshasa with such compassion and sympathy. I believe that his heart breaks as he not only witnesses, but experiences the suffering, misery and fear in the lives of these people. And I say that he experiences it because he’s not removed, but his presence is found there. He is God, incarnate. May the Congolese find peace, harmony and wholeness someday soon. May God’s dream for the Congo come to fruition and may dignity be restored.
Our last day in the Congo was an ideal one for ending the trip. In the morning, we went to a prayer breakfast for dignitaries and politicians, and of course, the Vice President was there again. We had the privilege of being invited to spend an hour with him afterwards, in his private office in Kinshasa. This gathering included Emmanuel and the three others from African Enterprise, our interpreter/my new friend, Luke, myself and the VP. I am so impressed with the heart of this man. He displays a gentle spirit with great humility, a love and respect for people, a sincere desire for the good of his country, and a great love for God. I told him that my community at home will be encouraged to know that the Vice President of DR Congo is a godly man who seeks to bring the love of Christ into his country. He was encouraged by my presence at the conference and thanked me for caring about his country enough to visit. He also asked me to pray for peace in the Congo, and also specifically for him and his responsibilities. I assured him that there will be people on the other side of the globe praying for him. He also invited me to come to another prayer breakfast that he is hosting on November 11. I don’t think that’s in the cards for me, but hopefully I will remember to pray for him on that day. I was honored to meet him.
Mr. Vice President (I can’t remember his name right now) was so grateful for AE’s involvement in the country, and especially for the work that Emmanuel has been doing and will continue to do. AE’s ministry of reconciliation in the Congo is on the launch pad, and the relationship that Emmanuel made with him this week was an enormous step that will provide various opportunities. The VP’s vast responsibilities include being in charge of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Human Rights, the Ministry of Police, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs…the list goes on and on. Because of Emmanuel’s new relationship with Mr. VP, African Enterprise has access to bring the message of reconciliation and peace to different political levels in the country, including the military and police (at the invitation and request of Mr. VP), which is quite a feat given the corruption and violence caused by these corrupt authorities.
By the way, if anyone happened to pray for Robert (the one who went into the burning house to save the 2 year old boy and was arrested), thank you. We were able to share this story with Mr. VP as an illustration for the corruption in the justice system. He took Robert’s name and seemed to indicate that he would see to it that Robert is not punished. Nothin’ like going to the top to help a brotha out.
The conference was a great success and quite an experience for me, of course. The Christians in Congo are some of the warmest and most passionate people I’ve met (aside from a few at the top of the hierarchy). They stand by each other’s side and they’re so grateful to be connected with Christians from across the globe. I also learned that there are currently 150,000 Congolese refugees living in neighboring countries (a result of the war) who will be returning to Congo in the next days and weeks to come. They have been living there for years. We were unable to visit any of the rural areas in or near the Congo becasue they are only accessible by air. As a result of the war, there have been four mega-deaths in the Congo (Luke tells me that 1 million deaths equals 1 mega-death), compared to 1 mega-death in Rwanda. Shocking.
In the afternoon, Luke took David (youth pastor from Tanzania) and I on a “tour” of the city. I tried to do some more filming, but Luke continued to warn me. I had such a longing to film because I feared that my inability with words would fail to express the anguish and despair. I’m not sure if a video camera would do justice either. The difficulty of traveling alone is not being able to share the experience with anyone from my community.
I shook a woman’s hand who had half of her fingers chopped off. A fight broke out across the street while we were sitting in traffic. 95% of the buildings are abandoned and half-destroyed. Thousands of people exist in a 10-mile radius. I saw kids sleeping on the streets. I saw that most people live in 10’x10’ aluminum shacks covered with graffiti. I could smell the stench of burning trash from inside the car, so I looked to my left, out the window, and I watched about fifty people scraping through a burning pile of trash the size of three football fields, looking for something they could either eat, use, or sell. The women carried their babies on their backs. One man was carrying a live chicken for slaughter. Six full goats were dead and on display for sale on the side of the road. Four men were urinating on the side of the road, each at different points. I listened to the non-stop sounds of car horns, voices yelling, and truck engines roaring.
The Congo River was actually a magnificent site. It must have been three miles wide and it serves as the boarder between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo (two different countries). The current is strong with high rapids. We stopped and each drank a coke together as we watched naked children bathing in the river close to shore, and stared across the river at Brazzaville. The Congo River is one of the largest rivers in the world and it’s fascinating.
My heart breaks for the Congo. In no way did I find myself wanting to escape the sight, smell or people of Kinshasa (maybe the taste of the food). I believe that God sees the people of Kinshasa with such compassion and sympathy. I believe that his heart breaks as he not only witnesses, but experiences the suffering, misery and fear in the lives of these people. And I say that he experiences it because he’s not removed, but his presence is found there. He is God, incarnate. May the Congolese find peace, harmony and wholeness someday soon. May God’s dream for the Congo come to fruition and may dignity be restored.
posted by Chris Pritchett | 4:00 AM
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