It has been almost two years since we came as a family to consider moving to DRC. It was not a pleasant thought since rebel groups still controlled the eastern part of the country. In the prior ten years, five million people had died in the war devastating the country. Rape, murder and the use of child soldiers had given the country the worst human rights record in recent history. Our son, Keith Mosier, had started Congo Frontline Missions (www.congofrontlinemissions.org) in the dark city of Kisangani. He and Tanzanian Pastor Msafiri Mtenzi were the first foreign missionaries to return to this remote city along the Congo River since the war had subsided.
Needless to say, our decision of whether or not to move weighed heavy on us. As our family of four departed from the city of Goma to fly to Kisangani to see the work, our airplane crashed into a busy market upon takeoff. Forty–seven people died in the crash, mostly those on the ground. By God’s grace, our whole family escaped the flaming inferno before it exploded. You can read the whole account of the crash in the book Flight 122 from Pacific Press. We still praise God that we are alive and able to continue serving Him. Through that experience we felt the Lord calling us to work in DRC to help bring hope to these war–ravaged people. A year and half ago, we moved to Kisangani.
Much of the area is almost impenetrable due to lack of roads. We have prayed earnestly for the Lord to send us help. The Lord directed our cry to Light Bearers Ministry. After we translated Bible studies into the Lingala language, Light Bearers quickly set the lessons up in an attractive format. Now they have printed a container full of tracts and are preparing to ship them to us!
After our last lay evangelism training session on our new campus in the jungle, we hired 20 new church planters to reach the vast Lingala speaking areas to the north and west. It was very difficult to find willing Adventists to go who could speak the Lingala language. Some of them traveled far from home to reach their new work stations. Let me share one of their stories.
"Abombi, I just can’t go on," sighed Naiti. "It’s only a few weeks until our baby is due. I have already ridden 350 miles on a bicycle through this mud and rain and we still have 150 miles to go. I must rest." "Naiti, you know that after I graduated from Congo Frontline Missions evangelism training, I accepted a call to be a church planter in the village of Lotokila," replied Abombi. "I cannot let those people on the Congo River wait any longer to hear the gospel. Stay here with our relatives and I will go on with the other two children. I’ll come back and get you after the baby is born."
Our hearts were touched with the dedication of this young couple. Now, two months later at our church planter convention, this couple and their new baby girl Leandra have gathered with our 30 other church planters to give reports. Although many of them did not begin work until late 2009, we are thrilled with the reports of the 250 people who are studying for baptism.
At our meetings we told them about the container of Bible studies that is soon to leave Light Bearers for DRC. They shouted praise to God for this wonderful help. We plan to do major evangelistic thrusts in dark areas this year and these Bible studies are a major part of our plans. There are no Bibles out in those areas. Thus, as people collect all of the Bible study tracts, those very tracts will become their Bibles as they read and reread the precious truth-filled texts over and over again.
We believe that through these tracts thousands will gladly let go of despair as they grasp the hope in the Scriptures. As they try to comprehend the immeasurable love of God compared to the hatred and fear they have known, they will want to join God’s remnant church in hastening the second coming of Christ.
The truth is, that our church planters were so anxious to begin using the new Bible studies that we made two photo copies of the complete set for each church planter. Until the container arrives, they will use these copies over and over again to study the Bible with new believers. We can’t wait until the container arrives and we can actually give the tracts away!
So, we want to say thanks...in advance to Light Bearers Ministry. Thanks also to those who help to support their work. Please, don’t become weary in well doing! Be assured that the tracts that are sent are doing a mighty work. Someday in Heaven you will hear thrilling stories of how this literature touched countless lives in dark areas like the Congo.