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.

Challenges of Transport

I found this transport map on BBC.com when I was doing some research on our country. We live in the Northwest Region in the major commercial center of Gemena. Astounding.

Inside DR Congo

• SIZE
• REBELS
• MINERAL WEALTH
• TRANSPORT
• POPULATION
• DATA

Despite the country's size, transport infrastructure is very poor. Of 153,497km of roads, only 2,794km are paved. There are around 4,000 km of railways but much is narrow-gauge track and in poor condition. Waterways are vital to transport goods but journeys can take months to complete. Overcrowded boats frequently capsize, while DR Congo has more plane crashes than any other country.

Reclaiming "Ubuntu" in Gemena

My latest post on the Covenant Kids Congo blog: http://blogs.covchurch.org/covenantkidscongo/

A strange experience – when I left on the plane from Gemena to Kinshasa for my vacation in December I felt like a physical weight was lifted from me. When I returned to Gemena one week ago, it was very tangible, the weight I felt I was carrying again. This is the best way for me to describe life here – not that it is awful or hopeless, but simply heavy.


People laugh and have a good time, they celebrate in church and at night outside their homes around the fire. There is reason to celebrate because they have the blessing of one another, a beautiful country, and of daily provision. Yet at the center of everyone’s thoughts, deeper than thoughts about daily life, people are thinking about their survival, and what the next day will bring. This way of thinking stems from the years of civil war that people in this region have lived through. This region has been politically and economically unstable since the civil war. This mentality influences everything – the way people relate to one another, the way they think about their future, and the way they take initiative for their own lives and work. Surviving is a heavy business. Your first thought is for yourself and your family. You will do anything to improve your situation, so your friends are people that could benefit you in some way. You shop at certain vegetable stands because you want to build relationships with the people who work there – one day you might be hungry and they will help you out if you have given them business in the past. You marry because it is a wise economic decision, not for love. Everyday decisions are different because you are in constant self-preservation mode.

Because people make decisions with a survival mentality they cannot always be concerned about betterment of their community at large. Africa is globally known for its value of “Ubuntu” or, “I am because We are.” This sense of community may be at the heart of many African cultures, but in Gemena the instinct to survive is too strong. One can look out for their neighbor, but only up to a point.

This survival mentality correlates directly with the poverty that people experience. To reclaim “Ubuntu” would be to move on from this state of survival to renew the heart of Congolese culture – it’s deeply rooted sense of community.

World Vision is an international organization, but it is represented by a majority Congolese staff here in Gemena. The staff understand the survival mentality that exists here, and has helped WV to develop programs that address this issue first and foremost, recognizing that without liberation from this way of thinking, people will not take responsibility for their own and their communities sustainable development.

We all have our work cut out for us. We will not see change overnight. Nor should we. The kind of value change that is necessary will take building of relationships, building of capacity, and a new generation of leaders to recognize the importance of an alternative way to respect and love themselves and their community.

We move forward, one day at a time, trusting in God’s provision and grace for us and for the Congolese people that He loves so much.

Collaboration: A Three Month Evaluation

 Check out my latest post on the Covenant Kids Congo Blog, also found at: http://blogs.covchurch.org/covenantkidscongo/collaboration-a-three-month-evaluation/#more-1495

 Collaboration: A Three Month Evaluation

Post a Comment » Written on February 4th, 2013    
Filed under: Missionary Update

Volunteers present their reports.

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

We arrived in a large white land cruiser with the orange and black mark of World Vision on each side announcing our arrival. We took our seats in plastic chairs near the back of the palm front covered meeting area. Everyone else attending the meetings trickled in on foot, wiping the day’s humidity from their brow with cloth designated for just that purpose, greeting each other with “mbote’s” or “hello’s” smiles and laughter. Those gathering for the meeting were the teams of volunteers from the three churches that work in partnership with World Vision in Gemena, Congo. The Evangelical Covenant Church, the Evangelical Free Church, and the Catholic Church of Congo have formed teams of volunteers responsible for the registration of over 10,000 children who will be sponsored by donors across the US and Canada. These young people are driven, capable, and the future leaders of their community.



Today, they gathered for a three month evaluation of their work so far. They shared statistics they had gathered on numbers of registered children in each neighborhood, how many children had already found sponsors, and the challenges they faced in their work.
Stanley, one of the program managers, asked what some of the lessons learned had been in the past three months. One of my favorite responses was from a Catholic Church volunteer: “We are learning the way of collaboration. Among our team there is no king, but everyone has an equal voice”.  Collaboration is not always modus operandi in this region.  Collaboration could be revolutionary.

Volunteers listening intently at the evaluation meeting "Among our team there is no king, everyone has an equal voice.” Collaboration is not always modus operandi in this region. Collaboration could be revolutionary.

When the group from the Covenant Church of Congo (locally known as “CEUM”) came up front to report, their group spokesperson started by sharing this: Most of the CEUM volunteers work in a neighborhood called Bokonzo. The spokesperson shared with us that the meaning of the word “Bokonzo” is actually “Capital”. The capital is where the people are organized to assist the population in every sector. So the CEUM volunteers of Bokonzo view their neighborhood as a “site d’assitance”. They are proud to be the leaders of the community who are organizing to assist the rest of their city.

The real groundwork has begun. Forming leaders who will change the future of Gemena is an essential part of this program’s success. We can’t wait to see what these young leaders are capable of accomplishing.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 4th, 2013 and is filed under Missionary Update.

Africa Expert?!

In my new role working as liaison between the Covenant Church and World Vision, I wanted to share some thoughts about my role in communcations.

Dr. Mossai Sanguma, Director of World Vision Gemena

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Last night we celebrated the birthday of the Director of World Vision in Equateur province, former Covenant Church of Congo President Mossai Sanguma.  Some of you may know his name, and some of you have met him during his time in the States studying at North Park University and Fuller Theological Seminary.  He has been a very influential leader in this region and continues to occupy that role with his relatively new position in World Vision.

We celebrated in his home, which is always full of people and always full of food to share.  Last night was no different, and we enjoyed a spread of goat, fried fish, chicken, rice in a mushroom sauce, and pineapple.  As we talked and laughed together, the topic turned toward the subject of “experts” on Africa.  I commented on how interesting it was that reporters from some major news sources labeled “Africa Experts” were Caucasian males from Europe or the States.  Why does the world still, so often fail to give voice to African experts from Africa?  Dr. Sanguma shared frustrations about meeting people or reading books written by people who claimed to be experts on this region of Congo, but who had spent a total of two weeks here.  One of the things I really respect about Mossai is his willingness to challenge me in my assumptions about my role here and about my foreign perspective of his culture.

And this made me reflect on my role as a correspondant between the World Vision office and all of you churches and donors back in the States.  This is a very delicate position to be in.  I am not Congolese and I have lived in Gemena not even a year, yet I am one of those reporting on World Vision’s work and it’s interplay with people, organizations and culture here. 

So I want to set a disclaimer and say, I am no expert.  My goal is to give voice to what is happening here, and though I know I will be biased, I can only pray that God uses my words to communicate the true voice that needs to be heard from Gemena.  Thankfully, I work with a wonderful Congolese staff who has agreed to review my work and tell me when I’m off.  So it is with their help and perspective that we have the privilege to hear the Congolese World Vision story. 

And I invite readers to ask questions, make critiques and put in their two cents too.  Transparency, onward.