Mbote na yo!
(hello to you!)
What a joy it has been to see old friends again and to meet so many new
ones! From the moment we landed, we have
received the warmest of Congolese embraces…. just look on YouTube for “Congo
Brazza Greeting” for one example (Matthew & I would be happy to greet you as such, if you can’t find what I am
referring to!). I came with such an
eager anticipation of seeing those with whom we spent so much time with in 2011;
they have been the focus of my prayers and their faces have been etched into my
heart and photo albums. While I have had
many moments of elation (and more to come as we are back in Brazzaville), I
have also had a moment of deep pain as I confirmed that I would not get to hug my
dear sister in Christ, Blandine, again on this side of heaven as she went to be
with the Lord a few months ago (you can see the impact she has left in our
lives from the 2011 blog). Between her and
the other instances of sickness and sudden death I have heard about, it is a
reminder of how fragile life can be.
More than anything, I keep coming back to the thought of “familiarity.” How familiar these friends, streets, sights,
smells and sounds are, even though it has been five years. Moreover, the “exotic” aspects which surround
have become less of a distraction and I am struck with how familiar everybody is
that I see on the streets. You can see
it in the eyes. And even though the
pushing in the crazy airport queue is a different manifestation of our
brokenness, what you see is the same heart which needs to know the truth of the
Gospel… no matter where in the world you are, be it another continent or next
door.
We spent a busy first few days in Pointe Noire visiting with many
pastors (Fred Massala, Jean-Baptiste Mouanga, Joseph Mboungou, and Nestor
Gampaka) and evangelists, each time getting to praise our Lord alongside of the
saints in a number of parishes. We
visited parishes now clad with tin roofs (praise God! That was a field we visited five years ago!),
partially encircled by a few cinderblocks, or in what we might define as a back
alley. No matter where we were, God was
being praised so fully in song and prayer.
Though I am painfully aware of my inability to understand and speak French
or Lingala, one’s heart clearly beats in understanding with what is being sung! As Matthew has likely said, we have been
blessed with so many opportunities to share from God’s word, enabled by
wonderful translators like Fred (French), Joseph (Kituba/Lingala) and a young
man named Pascal (French, Kituba/Lingala).
Matthew has preached from 2 Kings
(Elisha: “those who are with us are more than those against us”) and
illustrated Jesus calming the storm and David & Goliath (with help from
some great kids). Lest our hearts grow
cold due a casual familiarity with the Gospel, I have been encouraging all to think through Paul’s message in
Ephesians (often via question/answers), that our hearts might be warmed with
awe as to what God has done for us, for you:
-that he has known and chosen
you from before the foundation of the world,
-that we were dead in our sin
but made alive through Christ’s life
and death (this being a gift to all
who believe and nothing of our doing),
-that we are now citizens of
God’s kingdom and should live as such
-that, with this incredible knowledge, we should witness this to others
(many thanks to Frances for her
visual highlighting these four phrases!)
What a tremendous blessing it has been to be with God’s people here,
again, in Congo-Brazza… I really can’t say that enough! And for the prayers and outpouring of care
for Katie, Jack & Christie… what sustenance that has been for me to know
of! Lastly, I leave an important quote
for those who struggle, like I have, with the thought of not going on a mission
trip because “I don’t know what I can
do”:
“When
we see you come and visit us, it
gives us great strength” --Pastor Fred
Massala
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