Saturday, August 24, 2013

Singing and Dancing for Jesus!



The team in front of SIL Congo, the guest house where we stayed. SIL stands for Summer Institute for Linguistics. SIL is also known as Wycliffe Bible Translators. It was an honor to stay at a place where they are working on translating the Bible into some of the native languages in the Congo.

 
 

Our team witih President 'Papa' Mavoungou and his wife Victorine at a celebration dinner on Wednesday evening and at the constuction site of the new parsonage and church office



Home safely--thank you all for your prayers; more photos to come--check back soon!

Dear OSLC family and friends and other wonderful senders,

We arrived home safely yesterday about 2:30 p.m.  Thank you for your prayers during our Congo mission.  We appreciated all of the prayers that were offered.  Please continue to pray for President Joseph Mavoungou and the leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Congo.  Pray that God continues to give them wisdom and joy as they serve Jesus and reach out to others with His amazing love!  Please check back for new photos and blog entries over the next few days.  To God be the glory!

Grateful for all of you,
matthew

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

An exciting excursion to the village

On Tuesday, we went on an excursion to visit the church in the village of Impani.  We began by going to National President Rev. Mavoungou’s house.  Others from the Brazzaville congregations met us there. We all boarded the bus along with a large drum, and a picnic lunch among other things. The ride was a little over an hour but it gave us a chance to see what is on the outskirts of Brazzaville. As with any city, the houses began to have more space between them and then there were fewer and fewer homes. As we drove through the countryside, there were some interesting sights. One notable one was when we drove by a small river, there was a group of people performing a baptism. Another was when we passed a truck that was very overloaded (which was not surprising) with live goats suspended along the whole side of it.  Even our Congolese friends on the bus with us pointed and laughed!  I recognized the French word for goat as they exclaimed “Oh, une Chevre!”  The bus finally arrived at a small building covered with branches. There was one house nearby, but no others within sight.  As we disembarked, we could hear singing coming from the small building.  We were met and welcomed by the Pastor, the congregational President, a parish Evangelist, and even the Chief of the village! Matthew in turn introduced us, and gave them greetings from Our Savior, Topsfield, as we began to worship together. During this worship time together, we performed the drama of the “Wise and Foolish Builders” and the puppet skit, “Jesus, the Good Shepherd,” and Matthew followed it with a message.  Peter gave his testimony.  We sang the song “Freedom is Coming” and Pastor Mavoungou joined us.  He and the National Vice President Rev. Albert Poungui also performed the “Psalm 23” drama.  At this church the language barrier was a bit more formidable.  Everything was translated to French Missionary Fred Reinhardt, and then again into their tribal language. Things took longer, but the congregation still really seemed to enjoy the activities.  And of course we sang “Making Melodies in my Heart” and the entire group joined in with big smiles.  We gave stickers, pencils and little glider planes to the kids.  When we asked them to sing a song for us they all joined in with drum accompaniment.  It was - as it always is – an amazing sound and everyone joyfully praised the Lord together!

After worship ended, we were treated to a picnic lunch prepared by President Mavoungou’s congregation from food we had brought with us on the bus.  It was a beautiful, breezy day so we thoroughly enjoyed the countryside and spending this time together with the brothers and sisters of Impani.  After lunch we boarded the bus for our return to Brazzaville. Matthew was exchanging music with one of the evangelists and the whole bus broke into song a few times.  What a great and blessed day!
 
Thanks for your prayers,
Karen

Monday, August 19, 2013

'Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine...'

Monday evening, August 19

Hello friends and family!  It’s Monday evening at 11:30 p.m. or so and all of my teammates are sleeping.  Peter is much better and was able to eat dinner with us tonight and join us for our evening devotions.  He plans on going to Impani tomorrow, one of the churches in the countryside.  Karen was a little better this evening, and hopefully after a peaceful sleep will be able to join us tomorrow as well.  Thank you for your prayers for Peter and Karen.

 I am humbled to be here working alongside of President Joseph Mavoungou of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Congo.  He is a humble, energetic, joy-filled servant of Jesus Christ.  He has been a gracious host to our team and cared for us as we have partnered together in the Gospel during this trip.  We have also been blessed by the terrific translation of our missionary Fred Reinhardt.  It is clear that God has called him to serve the Church in Africa. 

 Today’s training with the church leaders in Brazzaville was blessed by our great God.  The workshops were well received and the encouragement to ‘press on in service to Jesus’ was a blessing to all.  Thank you for sending us and giving us the privilege of serving on your behalf.  The ministry resources that we gave today will be used by these women and men of God to proclaim the greatest news that the world will ever hear…that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world and rose again victorious from the grave and that through Him we can have hope on earth and joy forever in heaven!!!  ‘Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen!   Ephesians 3: 20-21
Praying with all of you that God will accomplish even more than we can ask or imagine during these days,
matthew

Two Amazing Days in Brazzaville


Two Amazing Days in Brazzaville

 
Yesterday’s worship service and today’s session with the Church leaders were two of the most fulfilling days that I can remember. Yes, the Sunday service was over 3 and half hours, but notice I did not say “long”. The morning was filled with beautiful music from numerous choirs as well as our own “starburst” group. We’ll explain this when we’re back. We shared drama’s, which they call sketch’s, Matthew delivered a very moving sermon and touching testimonies from Karen and Sue.

During the Sunday school session which we ran prior to the service, the children loved the Good Shepherd puppet show. We also played a version of “hide and seek” with the sheep (aka the lost sheep). We asked the children to hide their eyes and then go find the lost sheep. I think a few of them may not have the concept of hiding their eyes, they found the lost sheep within seconds. However, when I hid the sheep behind my back under my shirt it took them a lot longer! We all ask for your healing prayers for Karen and Peter so that they may join us tomorrow in Inpani.

Mark

Training Days in Brazzaville; prayers for Peter and Karen


August 19, 2013

Our ranks are thinning…

Another soldier down…Karen is in bed today with some sort of gastric disorder.  She had been generous earlier in the week and shared her Z-Pack with Matthew, so President Mavoungou and Matthew went to a pharmacy this morning and bought more azithromycin.  Peter is feeling better, but weak and tired. 

     We are using the day in Brazzaville to meet with the leadership of two Lutheran churches; Pastors, Vicars and Evangelists and with Sunday school teachers.  As in Pointe Noire, the topics covered Drama, Spiritual Gifts, and Budgeting. And, as in Pointe Noire, it is going well and seems to be well received.  Matthew & I have coughs, but are otherwise feeling well.  Your prayers are felt!

Susie

 

 

Vicar Bertin and Vicar Joseph, two of the men of God we had the honor of teaching and encouraging. God is raising up wonderful servants of Jesus for the Church in the Congo!



Fred Reinhardt and Matthew presenting to church leaders at a creative arts workshop and Sunday School teacher training.



Church leaders and children in Brazzaville holding ministry supplies that were presented to them today. May God use all these supplies for the advance of the Good News of Jesus throughout the Republic of the Congo and beyond!


Sue giving drama tips to three of the Congolese church leaders at our training on Monday. Our brothers and sisters in Christ have loved the drama scripts we've brought and are excited to use them in their worship services. Praise Jesus!


Sunday, August 18, 2013

The team with Missionary Fred Reinhardt and President Mavoungou on the beach in Pointe Noire


Mark with Vice President and Pastor Albert Poungui at Sunday's worship service.


Matthew preaching during Sunday's worship service. The Bible text was from 2 Kings 6: 8-23. The main idea was that God has met all of our needs in Jesus just as He met the prophet Elisha's needs for protection and provision. What a mighty God we serve!! Missionary and Pastor Fred Reinhardt has been a wonderful translator!


Susie and Karen wearing the beautiful Congolese clothes that they were given during today's worship service. Our brothers and sisters in Christ of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Congo are very hospitable and kind.


Singing the Lord's praises on Sunday morning--making melodies in their hearts!


Contrasts


Sunday, August 18, 2013

      Congo has been a lesson in contrasts…great poverty is met with rich generosity; great reason for hopelessness is overcome by an abundance of faith; great difficulties to surmount are negated by warm smiles that would cheer any heart; great challenges in worship facilities are forgotten when their amazingly beautiful vocal harmonies lift high the name of Jesus. This morning we had a shared Sunday worship service (3 parishes were involved) which lasted 3 ½ hours…lots of music, we did a drama, Karen & I gave our testimonies and Matthew preached; it was a great blend of their culture and ours.  Thank you for your continued prayers!

Susie

Friday, August 16, 2013

Karen, Matthew and Fred sharing teaching tips with the Sunday School teachers.


Peter sharing his testimony about God's work in his life in leading him to want to be a missionary


Sue giving Vicar Jean Bosco a Bible bookmark she made for him. Sue made bookmarks for all of the vicars and pastors.


Vicars, Pastors and Evagelists singing God's praises!




Thursday training activities; Happy Congolese Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day from the Congo, to all of our Brother’s and Sister’s back home. I will never, ever complain about the pot holes back home. And how many times have you ever had to drive across planks in a road that barely fit the width of the car’s tires, just so you can cross a ditch? My guess is not many!

                What a wonderful morning with had with all of the Pastor’s, Vicar’s and Evangelists. It was a full morning filled with a worship lesson, teaching drama’s, describing the importance of church financing as well as spiritual gifts. May we all listen to the words in Ephesians 4: verses 11-12, “He is the one who gave these gifts to the church; the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ."  We all appreciate your prayers, keep them coming!

Mark          

Presenting ministry gifts and resources to the church leaders in Pointe Noire--thank you to all who made financial contributions that enabled us to bring over 500 ministry resources, with the majority of them in French!


Congolese Children at the Wednesday worship service in Pointe Noire


Matthew and Pastor Jean Baptiste and his wife Honorine. Matthew met Pastor Baptiste in 2005 at the Centre for Lutheran Theological Studies in Togo. Now Jean Baptiste is the Pastor and Area Director for the southern region of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Congo.


Our team with the vicars, pastors and evangelists of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Congo (southern region). The training happend in the coastal city of Pointe Noire.


Mark teaching about church administration and budgeting to the vicars and pastors in Pointe Noire


Thursday, August 15, 2013

Hearts and Voices Raised to God

We have had an amazing couple of days in Pointe Noire. The people here have warm hearts, quick smiles and such incredible voices! Tears filled my eyes often while listening to them raising their voices to God.  What a blessing!  Of course, the children's faces are electric with the excitement of having "les persons blanc" visiting.  Their laughter is so contagious! So far it has been absolutely overwhelming!  Thanks for sending us and lifting us up in your prayers!
Susie

A 'Pointe Noire Post' from Karen


Wed. August 14-- Pointe Noire

                We are enjoying our visit to Pointe Noire. After a long day of travel, we were treated to a spirit filled worship service.  We arrived to the sound of singing and rejoicing! The music here is wonderful.  I am always amazed at how much sound is produced when everyone joins in praising God! This small congregation puts ours to shame! Yes, that is a challenge to you at home.  Next time we worship together, don’t think about how well you sing or let others sing for you, praise the Lord with all of your heart and I’m sure we will produce equally amazing praises to God.  During the service, we sang songs, prayed, heard scripture read, we presented a drama and a puppet show, and Matthew gave a message. We also sang, “Making Melodies” for the kids.  This song is so memorable that many children and adults began smiling the moment Matthew introduced it! They still remembered it from 2 years ago! Peter and Mark gave their testimonies, which were heartfelt and well received.  One memorable moment for me was as worship ended, the girls’ choir began singing “We Are Marching” in English.  I went over and joined in singing with them.  It was really wonderful to be able to sing together in the same language. As we concluded we handed out crosses to the kids.  We were then asked to pose for a picture. This turned into picture after picture with different members and families.  We felt like Disney characters that everyone wanted to pose with!  This just shows how much they appreciate our visit and want to be in relationship with us. We praise God for this opportunity and thank all of our senders! The people here also send their greetings to you!

Karen

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

God's precious children of the Republic of the Congo


Susie, Peter, Pastor Jean-Pierre and Karen in front of St. Augustine's Lutheran Church


A day of greetings, prayers, planning and rejoicing!

Hello from Brazzaville! We had a joy-filled first day in Brazzaville.  We had a quiet morning with everyone getting caught up on sleep.  The guest house where we are staying is run by SIL, Summer Institute for Linguistics.  One of SIL’s primary ministries is Bible Translation work, and one of the Pastor (Pastor Gustav) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Congo is here working with missionaries to help translate the New Testament into his native language!  Praise God for Pastor Gustav’s willingness to serve in this way!
                We had a delicious lunch at President Mavoungou’s home and enjoyed visiting with him and the other church officers.  His wife Victorine is a wonderful woman of God and she enjoyed many of the ‘New Englandy’ gifts we brought for her.  Thank you to everyone at church who donated these items!
                St. Augustine’s parish hosted a Vespers Service today at 4 p.m. that was full of joyful music and prayers.  What an honor it is to partner in ministry with these dear brothers and sisters in Christ!  It was such a joy for me to see friends that we made two years ago, and it was a great joy for my teammates to praise Jesus with their brothers and sisters from the Congo.  What a blessing!  And praise God for Missionary Fred Reinhardt, who not only is a great encourager of the church leaders but is translating for us as well!  Please pray that God continues to give Fred wisdom, strength and perseverance in his translation efforts. 
We had a planning meeting this afternoon with President Mavoungou and General Secretary Jean Pierre to plan the ministry activities in Pointe Noire.  We will be having a drama and creative arts workshop with church pastors and leaders, a workshop for Sunday School teachers and youth leaders, a time of prayer and encouragement with pastors and their wives and more.  We fly tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. to Pointe Noire and will be there until Friday evening.
Please pray that God will use us in Pointe Noire to encourage and equip our brothers and sisters in Christ and spur them on in their ministries of proclaiming Jesus’ love! 
 
We love you all and thank God for your prayers, matthew

The team with President Mavoungou and his wife Victorine and other church leaders


Sunday, August 11, 2013

Bonjour from Paris!!

Hello OSLC family and friends,
We arrived safely in Paris this morning and have four hours until our Brazzaville flight. We are humbled and grateful for all of your prayers and the gift of being commissioned this morning by all of you. We love you and thank God for all of you! More to come from Brazzaville...