Expecting Change

Post a Comment »Written on March 6th, 2013    
Filed under: Ground Update, Missionary Update, News & Updates

Written by Christine Buettgen, short-term missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo

I am reading “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver again, now that I am living and experiencing the country she based her novel on. There are many aspects of the Congolese culture that her characters experience which I relate to. The following excerpt is from a fifteen year old American missionary kid reflecting on her relationship with a young Congolese boy:

“It struck me what a wide world of difference there was between our sort of games – “Mother May I?”, “Hide and Seek”, – and his: “Find Food”, “Recognize Poisonwood”, “Build a House.” And here was a boy no older than eight or nine. He had a younger sister who carried the family’s baby everywhere she went and hacked weeds with her mother in the manioc field. I could see the whole idea and business of Childhood was nothing guaranteed. It seemed to me, in fact, like something more or less invented by white people and stuck onto the front end of grown-up life like a frill on a dress.”

- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Childhood in the Congo has a different meaning, a different length, a different purpose. World Vision has the following “vision” for its work as an organization:

Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness; Our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so. 

What does a “life, or ‘childhood’ in all its fullness” entail? In Congo, it would be basic needs met, love and care at home, life with joy and not fear, and an opportunity for an education and brighter future. What is our own definition of a full childhood for our own children here in the United States? What is it that we provide for them that makes their lives full?

The main reasons most of us engage with Congolese children through sponsorship are probably because most of us see an injustice and want to help. But how do we expect our lives to be changed through this relationship? We should expect to be changed. Knowing the stories of Congolese children will impact how we interact with our own children. And it will make us question our priorities and remind of what is truly important, making us better parents and better human beings.

In my opinion, that’s the point.

A Visit from our Partners

A Visit from Our Partners

Post a Comment »Written on March 1st, 2013    
Filed under: Ground Update, Missionary Update, News & Updates

Welcoming party for the World Vision staff.

Written by Christine Buettgen, short-term missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo

This morning, eight visitors from World Vision US and World Vision International hopped on a MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) plane and said goodbye to Gemena after a packed three day visit. Among these visitors were the vice-president and senior vice-president of World Vision US as well as the directors of DR Congo and Southern Africa, and the director of Operations for International Programs to name a few. The buck stops with these folks at World Vision. They wanted to come to Gemena to see what everyone has been talking about.

The Evangelical Covenant Church and World Vision are breaking all previous molds by entering into this unprecedented partnership. All chips are in on this one.

Many of the visitors spent a night with registered families in mud homes, with no electricity, running water, beds, or even doors. They wanted to be able to report back to donors the reality on the ground, but we are well aware that we are not experiencing these families reality. We can go have a nice hot shower the next day, and fly home to our refrigerators and microwave ovens.

World Vision staffers meet with local leaders.

Before their send-off supper last night, the leadership shared these reflections from their visit:

“We are happy to see unity among the three church partners. What God has brought together no person can divide.”

“We are amazed by the number of Christians here! There are communities where World Vision works where there is not a single church in existence. It is clear that God is already at work here in Gemena.”

“God has called us to do something different here.”

“We must learn to listen to each other well. And we must think how we can make best use of this partnership.”

“We are well aware that partnership is not always the easiest way. May God help us all to be faithful stewards of this process.”

“Instead of praying ‘God bless our work’, we should pray ‘God, show us your work so we can meet you there.”

The local staff was encouraged and strengthened by the visit, and reminded of the great responsibility that rests on their shoulders. The evening ended with a prayer that reminded us all that this is about making a future of hope for God’s precious children, whom He will not abandon to hunger, disease, and illiteracy.

A Cohesive Vision for the Future

Check out these other posts on the CKC blog: http://blogs.covchurch.org/covenantkidscongo

A Cohesive Vision for the Future

Post a Comment »Written on February 20th, 2013    
Filed under: Ground Update, Missionary Update, News & Updates

Written by Christine Buettgen, short-term missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Every morning at the World Vision (WV) office we start our day with singing, devotionals, and a time to share prayer requests and check in on work that concerns the office as a whole. Often reports include updates on registered children who are sick or have had accidents and are in the hospital.

Last week, the news was particularly somber. In a neighborhood outside the city, it was reported that one of World Vision’s registered children, an 8 year old girl had been sexually abused by a man in the community.

All of us at the office were horrified at the news and immediate action was taken to follow up and support the victim and her family in this time of crisis. WV made certain the police had been contacted, lawyers called, and justice served in order to protect this child and the rest of the youth in the neighborhood.

As I processed this information along with the rest of the staff, this question was posed: What is World Vision’s role addressing these crises? For many on staff, they view the registered children as their own, and feel that it is the organization’s responsibility to look after these children like they would any person in their family. If the child is sick, make sure they get to the hospital. If the child is malnourished, encourage parents to vary their diet. If the child isn’t going to school, make sure fees are paid and uniforms are purchased to get that child back in class. If a child is abused, keep them away and safe from their abuser and provide necessary after-care.

The ideal and reality are at times disparate. World Vision Gemena has over 12,000 children registered, and over 3,000 have thus far been sponsored. There are already hundreds of pressing needs reported, and it simply is not feasible to think that the World Vision staff of 25 people can meet these demands on their own.

Mother with children.

This past month, the leadership at the Gemena office have been discussing how World Vision can support the needs of these children in a way that is sustainable; not setting up community expectations that cannot be followed through for the long term. The World Vision volunteers have been named the first point of contact with communities and individual families. If the volunteers cannot provide the support needed, they report to the churches, one of the three partner organizations who will advocate for the children. World Vision can’t provide support on its own, nor should it. Including all stakeholders and partners as a part of addressing children’s needs is essential to moving towards a cohesive vision for the future well-being of Gemena and its youth.

The sponsored child’s perpetrator was caught and imprisoned and is now awaiting trial. Please pray for this 8 year old girl, and pray for the countless other non-registered children who suffer similar abuse, but their stories are never heard.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 and is filed under Ground Update, Missionary Update, News & Updates.