We ask your prayers for a benefit concert to be held this Thursday, November 5, at 7 p.m.
Jack Smith, our youngest son, will be the featured artist. His wife, Molly, will also join him on a number or two.
The concert is free. The public is invited. Bring your friends.
The 300 foot tower in the heart of Africa broadcasts 7 days a week the great news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The radio studio is powered by an 18,000 watt diesel generator. Diesel fuel is purchased 60 miles from the mission campus.
Radio Glory is manned by a national staff of 8 men and women, all graduates of Laban Bible Institute. One amazing phenomenon is that the tower and studio are located in the bush of Africa, 450 miles due east of the country's capital city, Kinshasa. Only the Lord knows how many thousands of souls have been saved through the ministry of Radio Glory or Radio Nkembo as it is known in Congo.
A love offering will be taken to help maintain Laban Ministries and this evangelistic arm of the work there. Come and be a part of this outreach.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Ecole de Femmes
On Wednesday we took videos and snapshots of the women in our literacy school. I wish you could have seen them singing, sewing, knitting, and reading Scripture for themselves. One of the tough decisions we had to make this month was to hold off taking any more new students because the school does not receive enough outside financial suppo9rt. It breaks my heart to turn the women away. We met with 2nd and
3rd year studnet, but there are no first year students this trimester.
We asked 3 of them to give their testimonies. One young woman said she was in such chains of darkness before coming to school that she felt imprisoned in ignorance. She knew none of the alphabet. She could not write her name nor could she read anything. There was such joy on her face as she spoke of not only her deliverance from pure drudgery and ekking out a physical existence, but also of her new transformation spiritually. She was lost, but now she is found. We stood there in awe of the reality of the Holy Spirit in her life with tear-filled eyes.
Oh Lord, my heart is full of praise for your unfathomable love, for godly professors who literally become mamas to the younger women and loving sisters to the older ones, and for empowering souls to live above the despair of self-abasement and the shroud of hopelessness their circumstances often dictate. Truly, the same dynamos that raised Jesus from the dead has also resurrected them from the bondage of sin and death. II Corinthians 5:17
3rd year studnet, but there are no first year students this trimester.
We asked 3 of them to give their testimonies. One young woman said she was in such chains of darkness before coming to school that she felt imprisoned in ignorance. She knew none of the alphabet. She could not write her name nor could she read anything. There was such joy on her face as she spoke of not only her deliverance from pure drudgery and ekking out a physical existence, but also of her new transformation spiritually. She was lost, but now she is found. We stood there in awe of the reality of the Holy Spirit in her life with tear-filled eyes.
Oh Lord, my heart is full of praise for your unfathomable love, for godly professors who literally become mamas to the younger women and loving sisters to the older ones, and for empowering souls to live above the despair of self-abasement and the shroud of hopelessness their circumstances often dictate. Truly, the same dynamos that raised Jesus from the dead has also resurrected them from the bondage of sin and death. II Corinthians 5:17
Friday, October 23, 2009
Out of the darkness into His light
Some of the evils people in Congo have been delivered from:
the darkness of cannibalism
the darkness of various forms of witchcraft
the darkness of murdering through food poisoning
the darkness of child sacrifice
the darkness of worhiping manure
the darkness of visiting cemeteries to call evil spirits out of dead bodies for protection
the darkness of the myriad faces of idolatry
the darkness of ignorance that paralyzes
the darkness of trying to please the spirits of their ancestors by dancing 3 days straight
the darkness of offering the poison cup to determine guilt or innocence in that person's life
the darkness of believing that sickness and death stem only from the power of evil spirits
Now the mind of the flesh which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit is death--death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter. But the mind of the Holy Spirit is life and soul, peace both now and forevermore. Romans 8:6 amp
the darkness of cannibalism
the darkness of various forms of witchcraft
the darkness of murdering through food poisoning
the darkness of child sacrifice
the darkness of worhiping manure
the darkness of visiting cemeteries to call evil spirits out of dead bodies for protection
the darkness of the myriad faces of idolatry
the darkness of ignorance that paralyzes
the darkness of trying to please the spirits of their ancestors by dancing 3 days straight
the darkness of offering the poison cup to determine guilt or innocence in that person's life
the darkness of believing that sickness and death stem only from the power of evil spirits
Now the mind of the flesh which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit is death--death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter. But the mind of the Holy Spirit is life and soul, peace both now and forevermore. Romans 8:6 amp
Out of the darkness into His light
Some of the evils people in Congo have been delivered from:
the darkness of cannibalism
the darkness of various forms of witchcraft
the darkness of murdering through food poisoning
the darkness of child sacrifice
the darkness of worhiping manure
the darkness of visiting cemeteries to call evil spirits out of dead bodies for protection
the darkness of the myriad faces of idolatry
the darkness of ignorance that paralyzes
the darkness of trying to please the spirits of their ancestors by dancing 3 days straight
the darkness of offering the poison cup to determine guilt or innocence in that person's life
the darkness of believing that sickness and death stem only from the power of evil spirits
Now the mind of the flesh which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit is death--death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter. But the mind of the Holy Spirit is life and soul, peace both now and forevermore. Romans 8:6 amp
the darkness of cannibalism
the darkness of various forms of witchcraft
the darkness of murdering through food poisoning
the darkness of child sacrifice
the darkness of worhiping manure
the darkness of visiting cemeteries to call evil spirits out of dead bodies for protection
the darkness of the myriad faces of idolatry
the darkness of ignorance that paralyzes
the darkness of trying to please the spirits of their ancestors by dancing 3 days straight
the darkness of offering the poison cup to determine guilt or innocence in that person's life
the darkness of believing that sickness and death stem only from the power of evil spirits
Now the mind of the flesh which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit is death--death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter. But the mind of the Holy Spirit is life and soul, peace both now and forevermore. Romans 8:6 amp
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Called to Memory
The rainy season is officially underway in Congo. This means there is little cloud cover and the air can be stagnant with heat from the tropical sun. Since the mission campus is in a valley, it makes it even hotter. With no air conditioning, we can become drenching wet with perspiration in no time. Our elevation is only 1600 feet above sea level.
However, about 4 p.m., a breeze begins to stir at the site of our airstrip. From our house, it takes about 25 minutes to climb what we call Aerobic hill and make our way to the hanger. During our second term here, I often found great solace walking the 3400 foot long strip each afternoon to pray. It is sacred ground to me, as I remember pouring my heart out to God when I missed our children terribly while they were in boarding school 450 miles away. When an evil national pastor tried to have us deported from Congo, when spiritual wars were raging around us.
Over the years while here, I have made it a delightful practice to continue those prayer walks. Recently, as I was praying there, I remembered some incredible events that took place in the '90s. 1993 was the year of great pillaging in Congo. Many missions were ransacked. Their equipment was devoured by rebels. Twenty years worth of our tools were taken, all of Jim's beloved hunting guns were stolen, and basically, anything that could be carried away, was plundered.
1997 was another year to remember. Sitting under the hanger was our little Texas taildragger, an aerobatic 150 that our former mission board procured for us through an insurance agency. That plane has been used to save lives, hold evangelism, drop notes in villages to give them a heads-up of our team coming to preach the Word of God, open the airstrip at Iwungu, and start our second Bible Institute. It is highly treasured by the local population. For miles around, there are no other planes at mission campuses.
One day, a group of pilots flew in from Kinshasa to steal our little yellow "bird." Our plane was in good shape, but not one of those experienced national pilots could get it started. So they decided to burn it. News of their plans spread rapidly. Soon a crowd gathered at the hanger, fell on their knees, and begged the men not to burn that plane. Remarkably, the pilots listened, got back into their own planes, and flew away. When Jim, Todd, and Jack returned to war-torn Congo later on that year, Jim got into the plane and started it up with absolutely no difficulty.
The Lord recapped Israel's downfall in Psalm 78. He gives a running account of His mighty works performed in Egypt, as well as their deliverance from Egypt, and the miracles He performed in the desert. Until He actually slew some of them, they chose not to remember His great acts and continued to show disbelief and rebellion.
When we remember His glorious undertakings, with which He has chosen to pave our paths, we cannot help but be encouraged that He will show the same faithfulness in the future. So I, too..."will tell the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord and His might and the wonderful works that He has performed." Psalm 78:4
However, about 4 p.m., a breeze begins to stir at the site of our airstrip. From our house, it takes about 25 minutes to climb what we call Aerobic hill and make our way to the hanger. During our second term here, I often found great solace walking the 3400 foot long strip each afternoon to pray. It is sacred ground to me, as I remember pouring my heart out to God when I missed our children terribly while they were in boarding school 450 miles away. When an evil national pastor tried to have us deported from Congo, when spiritual wars were raging around us.
Over the years while here, I have made it a delightful practice to continue those prayer walks. Recently, as I was praying there, I remembered some incredible events that took place in the '90s. 1993 was the year of great pillaging in Congo. Many missions were ransacked. Their equipment was devoured by rebels. Twenty years worth of our tools were taken, all of Jim's beloved hunting guns were stolen, and basically, anything that could be carried away, was plundered.
1997 was another year to remember. Sitting under the hanger was our little Texas taildragger, an aerobatic 150 that our former mission board procured for us through an insurance agency. That plane has been used to save lives, hold evangelism, drop notes in villages to give them a heads-up of our team coming to preach the Word of God, open the airstrip at Iwungu, and start our second Bible Institute. It is highly treasured by the local population. For miles around, there are no other planes at mission campuses.
One day, a group of pilots flew in from Kinshasa to steal our little yellow "bird." Our plane was in good shape, but not one of those experienced national pilots could get it started. So they decided to burn it. News of their plans spread rapidly. Soon a crowd gathered at the hanger, fell on their knees, and begged the men not to burn that plane. Remarkably, the pilots listened, got back into their own planes, and flew away. When Jim, Todd, and Jack returned to war-torn Congo later on that year, Jim got into the plane and started it up with absolutely no difficulty.
The Lord recapped Israel's downfall in Psalm 78. He gives a running account of His mighty works performed in Egypt, as well as their deliverance from Egypt, and the miracles He performed in the desert. Until He actually slew some of them, they chose not to remember His great acts and continued to show disbelief and rebellion.
When we remember His glorious undertakings, with which He has chosen to pave our paths, we cannot help but be encouraged that He will show the same faithfulness in the future. So I, too..."will tell the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord and His might and the wonderful works that He has performed." Psalm 78:4
Monday, October 19, 2009
Righteous Indignation
Tonight, after a full day's work, we made the 30 minute drive to Mpene--the village that aggressively resisted Dr. Smith's coming here in 1947 and has strongly fought us since 1979. Three thousand people gathered around two dozen chairs that were set up for us and some of our pastors. The first meeting was supposed to include only the village chiefs of Mpene, the pastors there, and our pastors. Our national director, Gary Kapinga, made introductory remarks. Then I spoke a few words, and Jim stood and reminded them of the seriousness of their offenses two years ago. He was very animated and told them they had better seek Jesus. He asked them why they had sought his blood, and did they not understand that when they attacked the mission campus, people could have been killed? He thanked them for inviting us, but told them that they needed to remember the brevity of their actions. The Congolese tend to just want things to be right and forget their wrongs. They don't really want to acknowledge the damage and consequences of their actions.
Tonight was a night toward reconciliation. We must proceed with caution and give them time to further consider the seriousness of their behavior. Thank you for your prayers. Jesus is the Victor and He will show us how to respond. We were happy to go and return in His name. Please continue to pray because you never know, but God does.
Tonight was a night toward reconciliation. We must proceed with caution and give them time to further consider the seriousness of their behavior. Thank you for your prayers. Jesus is the Victor and He will show us how to respond. We were happy to go and return in His name. Please continue to pray because you never know, but God does.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
An Historical Day
Monday, October 19, 2009, will be a first for Laban Ministries, Congo. In 1938, when Dr. and Mrs. Smith arrived here, they were well received at Kajiji, then Iwungu, and finally at Nkara, except for one village. The name of that village is Mpene, and they refused to welcome and embrace the Smiths. So was the case when we came here in 1978. One man, in particular, from that village, has fought our presence here in Congo and has exerted his evil influence on the ministry and his own village of Mpene. We have rocks thrown at us and our evangelism team has been refused admittance in the past.
An uncooperative spirit has prevailed to the point of refusing Campus Crusade--whose policy is not to go anywhere unless the local pastors unanimously invite them to come in--in the '80s. This reprobate "pastor" was in charge of the state-operated high school here on campus. His requirement for the young women to pass their exams was demanding sexual favors from them. He pocketed tuition funds and teachers' salaries and required the students who paid dorm fees, which included a feeding program, to go scrounge for food in the forest. He threatened to cut the heads off of some of our pastors and threatened to poison others with his witchcraft brews. He has ravaged women, cheated the local church, and infiltrated his hatred for us, Laban, and the gospel for decades.
His village has sent five to our Bible Institute, five to our work staff, and has been a menace to the work here at Nkara, and, in general, to this region of Congo. He was defrocked as a pastor by the national Congolese church, but still held tremendous sway through his tribe and the schools in which he continued to be involved.
He was Satan with skin on and he wreaked havoc until this year when he died. To put it in the words of the chief of Mpene, "Satan claimed his worker and now they are together."
Jean Kapinga, wife of our national director Gary Kapinga, is now president of the local women's federation. She was invited to speak to the mamas at Mpene just before we returned to Congo this time. The chief openly apologized with a contrite heart and asked for forgiveness for all the horror that this man had caused us all these years. He then invited our leaders, our evangelism team, and Jim and I to come preach in the village where they want to publicly make their regrets known and ask for forgiveness.
THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. Since 1947, this village has stood out as an enemy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, in 2007, they sent a mob here to attack Jim, destroyed much of our Bible school roof, put holes in the church roof, and claimed this must have "a little of Jim's blood." Local soldiers and police from Bulungu were driven in to protect him. He was a prisoner here in his own home for days until the village of Mpene and its sister village, Mibere, were dealt with by the local authorities. They were told that if they ever again posed a threat to Nkara or Jim, their villages would be burned to the ground. The real truth is, the troops wanted to burn the villages of Mpene and Mibere right then, but Jim said no. He remembered how devastating our home fire was to our family. If God opens the door, no man can shut it.
Please pray as we go in Jesus' victorious name. Amen.
An uncooperative spirit has prevailed to the point of refusing Campus Crusade--whose policy is not to go anywhere unless the local pastors unanimously invite them to come in--in the '80s. This reprobate "pastor" was in charge of the state-operated high school here on campus. His requirement for the young women to pass their exams was demanding sexual favors from them. He pocketed tuition funds and teachers' salaries and required the students who paid dorm fees, which included a feeding program, to go scrounge for food in the forest. He threatened to cut the heads off of some of our pastors and threatened to poison others with his witchcraft brews. He has ravaged women, cheated the local church, and infiltrated his hatred for us, Laban, and the gospel for decades.
His village has sent five to our Bible Institute, five to our work staff, and has been a menace to the work here at Nkara, and, in general, to this region of Congo. He was defrocked as a pastor by the national Congolese church, but still held tremendous sway through his tribe and the schools in which he continued to be involved.
He was Satan with skin on and he wreaked havoc until this year when he died. To put it in the words of the chief of Mpene, "Satan claimed his worker and now they are together."
Jean Kapinga, wife of our national director Gary Kapinga, is now president of the local women's federation. She was invited to speak to the mamas at Mpene just before we returned to Congo this time. The chief openly apologized with a contrite heart and asked for forgiveness for all the horror that this man had caused us all these years. He then invited our leaders, our evangelism team, and Jim and I to come preach in the village where they want to publicly make their regrets known and ask for forgiveness.
THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. Since 1947, this village has stood out as an enemy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, in 2007, they sent a mob here to attack Jim, destroyed much of our Bible school roof, put holes in the church roof, and claimed this must have "a little of Jim's blood." Local soldiers and police from Bulungu were driven in to protect him. He was a prisoner here in his own home for days until the village of Mpene and its sister village, Mibere, were dealt with by the local authorities. They were told that if they ever again posed a threat to Nkara or Jim, their villages would be burned to the ground. The real truth is, the troops wanted to burn the villages of Mpene and Mibere right then, but Jim said no. He remembered how devastating our home fire was to our family. If God opens the door, no man can shut it.
Please pray as we go in Jesus' victorious name. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)