Rev.
Matthew Stengel
Dear Friends:
From July 27th through August 12th, I was involved in a “mission of mutual encouragement” (inspired by 1Thessalonians 5:11) to the North Katanga Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, along with Rev. David Derk of Baker Memorial UMC of East Aurora, NY, and Ms. Linda Weaver, RN, a member of Geneseo UMC.
We brought encouragement with us in our persons. It was encouraging to the people of the city of Kamina and the surrounding area to have us visit them, to see who they are and how they live and work, to listen to their joys and their concerns, and to join with them in worship. It was encouraging for them to return the hospitality they experienced among us by welcoming us into their homes and around their tables. It was encouraging to them to have us work in their clinics distributing medicines and attending surgeries. It was encouraging to them to have us share the word of God with them in preaching (in French, even).
We brought encouragement in the form of gifts. We brought with us medicines, surgical tools, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, and a microscope. We brought soccer balls and airplane parts. The Western NY Conference churches donated $12,500, which was divided (more or less equally) among five projects of the North Katanga Conference. Mama Nshimba’s Foyer (named for Nshimba Nkulu, the wife of Bishop Ntambo) cares for women who are widowed, are single mothers, or who, because of various difficult circumstances, find themselves alone and trying to make a new start in life. They are taught life skills such as reading, cooking and sewing as well as “social graces” such as public speaking and hospitality. Kamisamba Farm is an agricultural training center, teaching the art and the science of farming. Many of the trainees are former soldiers, both regular Congolese army and guerilla fighters in the recent civil war. It is truly a manifestation of the vision of the prophets Isaiah (2:4) and Micah (4:3) that the instruments of war, material and human, shall become the instruments of peace and life. The Clean Water Project is sinking as many deep wells as possible. We visited six in the Kamina area. All three of these projects help support the Spring of Life Orphanage. The women of Mama Nshimba’s Foyer help care for the children, the harvests of the Kamisamba Farm are used to feed the children, and a well on the grounds supports the orphanage as well as the community around it. Lupandilo (“health” or “salvation”) Nursing School is a three-year training program in nursing for men and women. There is a special emphasis in encouraging women through scholarships, since families traditionally tend to give priority to education for men. Wings of the Morning (see Psalm 139:9) is a ministry of aviation. Its primary mission is as an air ambulance, transporting patients who would have no hope of reaching a hospital by road. Wings also provides a way for missionaries, such as myself, to have access to many areas of the North Katanga Conference.
We, in turn, were encouraged by the people and the ministries of the North Katanga Conference. Like the Methodist movement of Wesley’s time and the early days of the church in America, African Methodism is a marriage of “vital piety” (or holy living) and “acts of mercy,” especially in the areas of nutrition, health care, and education . While in our area, churches and even conferences are being closed and consolidated, North Katanga is at the forefront of the fastest growing United Methodist conferences in the world. Congregations are being formed; churches are being built. United Methodists are working in close cooperation with persons of many faiths and from numerous Christian denominations to help provide health, education, business opportunities, and peace for all the people of Congo. We received tremendously gracious hospitality, and were fed to bursting , not only on meat and vegetables, but on all the fruit of the Spirit as well.
Thank you for all your prayers, and all your other support. I am greatly encouraged, as are the people of the North Katanga Conference. I hope you are too.
In Christ’s love
Pastor Matt
e-mail: metty2rod@aol.com or mstengel@fredoniafirst.org
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