With the spread of COVID-19, the comfortable and familiar world we live in is quickly changing. But for Bible workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country in crisis is nothing new. Long years of war, widespread starvation and disease, demonic oppression, and rampant poverty have left their toll on this large African country.
Sending Bible workers into the interior is a powerful way to spread a message of hope. Upon conversion and evangelism training, one young man begged Train Them 2 Fish to send him on an assignment. When we agreed to sponsor his living expenses for six months as a trial Bible worker, he rejoiced. Arriving in the new territory, his wife suddenly grew ill and thieves pickpocketed his money. The young man refused to become discouraged and immediately began witnessing to the unreached community. Four months later, we found him pastoring a newly established Seventh-day Adventist church with over 30 new believers. He had also organized a church school with 300 enrolled students.
Evangelists and their families face a myriad of challenges in Congo. When another church planter moved to a new assignment with his wife and children, they immediately met resistance. The traditional witch doctor hated their presence in the village and cursed them. In the dead of night, he poured a circle of blood around the missionary yard–expecting the family to never wake up again and the gospel work to be cut short. Strangely enough, the witch doctor died in his sleep that night. The church planter and his family thrived as the villagers opened their hearts to receive the gospel.
Living on the frontlines of the battle between good and evil, it is not unusual to see unique manifestations of spiritual warfare. One day, a Congolese Bible worker peddled his bicycle along a dirt road when suddenly, he saw a poisonous viper coiled around the handlebars. He breathed a quick prayer to heaven for protection–and the deadly snake vanished into thin air.
While God often protects His messengers from physical harm, sometimes the story doesn’t go as we would hope. In February 2020, one of our favorite Bible workers was poisoned. He had courageously studied the Bible with souls in Bukavu in spite of local opposition. He is resting in the grave now, but the impact he made on his community will not soon be forgotten.
Time on earth to share the gospel message is limited. We desperately need sponsors to enable our Bible workers to continue soul-winning full-time. For $90 a month in rural areas and $120 in the city, you can relieve financial burdens from a family and supply a soul-winner with resources and time to devote to spreading the Three Angels’ Messages. This is a powerful way to spread the message of salvation to people who might otherwise never hear.
