Letter from Mike: Congo – September 2024
In Sweden, during the 1840s when adults were forbidden to preach openly, God moved upon children to preach, rebuking the sins of adultery, drinking, and swearing in the churches. In ancient Israel, God used the boy Samuel as His messenger. And just recently, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, God used a young girl named Ebenezer to bring her father and mother to the Lord, who in turn brought their relatives and friends to Christ.
Kinshasa, the capital city of Congo, is the most populous French-speaking city in Africa. Pastor Thomas and his team of Bible workers have made it their goal to reach the masses in this metropolis of 17 million. Setting up their blue tents all over the city, the Bible workers invite the hordes of passersby to come right in and have Bible studies with them. In the early evening, children are invited to come and listen to stories from the Bible. Many children attend out of boredom or curiosity, but the interesting stories keep them returning.
On the third day of a children’s series, the teachers tell them, “Now go home and ask your parents to help you learn your Scripture memory text, and then invite them to come and hear the message in the big tent tomorrow evening.”
Ebenezer heard God speaking to her heart through those words, telling her that she should invite her father, Bosco, to the tent meetings. Bosco was well-known in the community as the town drunk. Out of embarrassment, he had refused prior invitations to the Bible study tent, but his little girl pleaded until he relented and attended the next night’s meeting. The message convicted Bosco so powerfully that he attended the next night and every night thereafter.
At the end of the series, Emmanuel the Bible worker visited Ebenezer’s home, and her mother invited him in. Sitting down with the whole family, Emmanuel asked if he could come back and do Bible studies with them.
“Absolutely not!” The mother’s voice was full of defiance. “I have tried everything to get Bosco to stop drinking. Many pastors have come here to pray with him, but he only gets worse. If he will stop drinking for one week, then I’ll be a believer.” Emmanuel knew this was a challenge only the Lord could handle, and he asked everyone to kneel and pray for God to deliver this brother from alcohol.
The next week Emmanuel visited their home and learned that although Bosco had not completely stopped, he had cut down. Then one week, Bosco’s wife met Emmanuel with the words, “A miracle has taken place. He has not had a drink this week!” The family started to attend the new church plant every Sabbath. Finally, after Bosco had gone one year with no alcohol, the whole family was baptized, sealing this church as their new home. Praise God!
Please keep praying for the church planting projects in the DRC! The miracle in Bosco’s family is just one of scores that could be told by the new members brought in by Pastor Thomas’s team. These hard-working soul winners aim to plant dozens more congregations over the next few years, but they need your help! For only $90 per month, you can support a Bible worker and plant new churches all over Central Africa!
Yours in proclaiming the last warning!
