Brass For Africa

Congo Support Network update 12 October 2009

Isesomo returns from preaching tour

From: Muhindo Isesomo
Sent: October 12, 2009

Dear brothers and sisters and especially the members of SWAC

First of all, please do forgive me for having not sent back early the report for the work to you.

The reasons are that the trip was to long and after that when i arrived back home my wife and our daughter Zawadi were sick and are now in the hospital at Kyondo. They are suffering from neck problems. My wife has been operated last friday and Zawadi will be operated tomorrow.

We need your prayers.

NARRATIVE REPORT

I flew from Butembo on July 28th afternoon to Goma.

When i arrived in Goma, the flight from Goma to Kindu was canceled and i did spent a week in Goma waiting. At the same time the child of one member of our team died in Goma. By God's grace we left Goma to Kindu on the 2end of August and were well welcomed in Kindu by bishop Masimango and his wife and christians.

Monday morning, we went to meet with the military officers in Kindu and planned with them about how should we work among soldiers. The general told us that most of the soldiers have gone to fight against AFDLR in South Kivu province and that other are far away from Kindu where there is no road to get there. Then we decided to preach the gospel to those who were in Kindu and around Kindu town.

So, the first day we did preached individually 8 officers in their offices. They were very receptive to the gospel message.

Lwama military camp in Kindu

The next days we preached in the following camps: Lwama 10 km from Kindu, Makuta and Etat-major in Kindu.

In total 731 soldiers listened to the word of God and 646 did repented and received Jesus Christ as Saviour and personal Lord.

We did also distributed some bibles to them so that they may continue to read it for their spiritual growth.

DIFFICULTIES:

There is no military chaplain in Lwama camp
Soldiers do not have medicines and are suffering with malaria without any support.

On friday the 7th august i flew from Kindu to Kinshasa while other members of the team went back to Goma. In Kinshasa i spent 10 days for the the enthronement of the new Archbishop and different meetings.

From Monday the 17th August I went with other two people from Kinshasa to Matadi-Boma-Moanda at the Atlantic sea 620 km from Kinshasa to visit the new churches in there and teach to the believers on how to be rooted and grow in the christian faith.

DIFFICULTIES:

In Boma, they have a small piece of land where they are building the church; they are now making bricks and they need also 100 iron sheets.
In Moanda , they are still meeting in a corridor of a good samaritan; they are looking for money to buy a piece of land for the church. People do not have also bibles.

From August 31th, we crossed the Congo river to Congo-Brazzaville where we did spent 8 days doing the same work as we did in the West of Kinshasa;

We worked at Inoni 157 km from Brazzaville, at Kintele 30 km from Brazzaville and in Brazzaville itself.

Most of the christians are refugees from Rwanda.

The church building in Kintele/ Congo-Brazzaville where I gave a donation of 20 iron sheets.

DIFFICULTIES:

In Brazzaville there is not plot for the church, they are renting the plot. They need money to get their own plot.
At Kintele , they are building the church but do not have enough material to cover the roof.

Everywhere we went through, many people were coming to the Lord and we praise God for that.

After Congo-Brazzaville ,i returned to Kinshasa to prepare for the Langham preaching seminar for people from the western part of DR Congo from september 13th-18th.

After that I flew from Kinshasa to Bunia via Kisangani for another conference on mission and development. In Bunia a military delegation came to meet me and told me that since i was there last march preaching the gospel among soldiers,many of them are going to the church but they don't have any where to meet as a chapel. So they are asking me to help them with 50 iron sheets which is about $500;

NEEDS

To cover our mission among soldiers here in DR Congo, we would like to do two more things:

Preaching the gospel to the soldiers in Katanga and Kisangani
Going back to places we have been and train military chaplains in a seminar of 3-4 days.

FINANCIAL REPORT

We are very grateful to our brothers and sisters of SWAC for the donation of US$4833 which have been used as it follows:

	US$
Bank transfer fees	128
Travel costs for the team	2601
Accommodation and food	818
Communication	94
Bibles	160
Assistance for the building of the church in Boma	200
Assistance for the building of the church at Kintele Brazzaville	140
Assistance to pastor who lost his child in Goma	155
Encouragement for the team members	400
Administration fees	68
GENERAL TOTAL OF EXPENDITURES	4764
BALANCE = $4833 – $4764 =	69

We are also very grateful to some local churches which were sometimes feeding us and gave place to sleep.

Your brother in Christ
Pastor Isesomo