Wheels for God’s Word and Word on Wheels recently went to Kivu Province in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for an outreach. Three conferences were conducted: one in Goma, one in Butembo, and one in Beni. Approximately 110 pastors and evangelists were trained and ministered to at the three conferences.
Into the Rainforest
Additionally, the Wheels for God’s Word team journeyed more than 200 km into the rainforest to minister to the Pygmies. A few camps were visited—one in particular was Makalel.
We encountered many difficult and dangerous obstacles on our three-day journey. Pygmy guides (hunters) had to lead us through the forest. These same guides rowed us over the treacherous Ituri River in wooden kayaks. It was a very trying experience at times—walking hours upon hours in the forest, carrying all your belongings on your back (13 kg) and running low on life-saving water. Sometimes we walked for three to four hours without seeing the sunlight filter through the leaves of the trees because of severe thunderstorms.
But I must admit one of the most exhilarating experiences for me was following the Pygmy guides through the forest. African Grey parrots flew over our heads, and we heard them screeching and making their peculiar sounds. On one occasion our Pygmy guide directed our attention to a spot where gorillas had crossed our path in the rainforest. Likewise, it was quite an experience to encounter Pygmy hunters with their bows and arrows, looking for game to hunt.
The Pygmies Accept Christ
I preached and presented the gospel in a few Pygmy camps using the Heart of Man chart and translators. To our amazement we saw how nearly two whole Pygmy camps responded to the gospel invitation to accept Jesus Christ into their lives. It was an incredible experience for us to see firsthand the impact of using the Heart of Man chart in the rainforest of the Congo. It was very touching to see the immediate response of people accepting Jesus Christ into their lives. There was great joy at these occasions.
One of the most amazing things we discovered was that after 12 years of unceasing labor in the Congo—especially with the Pygmies—the Heart of Man chart is readily available in many of the villages. On a previous occasion when we needed a Heart of Man chart to present the gospel in Mabalako, there was one available in that particular village. Once again, during this particular trip, when we needed a Heart of Man chart while on our way into the deep forest, we were able to get one from a pastor in a village. We praise God for this and pray that the Pygmies who decided to follow Jesus Christ will grow in their spiritual lives. We now have Congolese pastors and evangelists who have committed themselves to follow-up with these new converts to make them true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Ray Lombard, Director of Wheels for God’s Word, Project Number 1019041
(Source: Church of God world Missions)