Blog

I have been traveling to Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for 11 years. It has been a life changing and thought-provoking experience. I thank God for His blessing of many friendships in a faraway place.  Visiting the Congo is also an intense struggle. ...

Summary We show up and do good (Galatians 6:9-10). Frankly, it is a deeply satisfying experience, a gift from God. The benefit far outweighs the cost in terms of time, money and most acutely, the sadness of understanding their reality. Several Congolese people...

From Greg: Mike has been on five previous trips to the Congo, beginning in 2012. It has been two years since our last trip. As we arrived in Bukavu, we wondered what we would find. Would people remember the things that we had taught them? Would they be using those...

How do we determine if our work is hitting the target or bearing fruit? That is a tough question. In a business, you look for profits as evidence. For example, Apple has high profits in part because they have loyal customers. Apple is hitting the target (and bearing...

Imagine 12 hours of darkness. Every day. Every year. When I say dark, I mean an inky black where there is no light, where you cannot see the hand in front of you. They call Africa the dark continent because when it is night, it is dark. You can see the night satellite...

Two things right up front: It’s been a very long time since I have written, but we have been working diligently since our last trip in January 2016 to love our neighbors in the city of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  This email will update you on...

I am going to tell you something but before I do, you must promise not to feel guilty. Alright. Most of you know I love numbers. It is the way I am wired by God. So bear with me. These simple numbers summarize an enormous amount of truth -- truth of life in Congo. We...

And without vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18)And that is the state of eastern Congo. We are grateful to God for arranging relationships with some great current and future leaders. Paul, a pastor, is one of those leaders of leaders. He has a passion for and...

A recent email had the pig business as a lowlight.I spoke too soon. Over the last year, I told our young entrepreneur that his start up costs (building an elevated pig pen for $1500) were way too high. I also told him that his food costs were way too high. Over the...

A village pastor prayed, "Lord, I want to visit the witch. I want you to change him and I want the power of God to go with me." And so he did. And so He did. The witch said, "Why are you here?" The pastor said, "Because God loves you and because I love you." "You are...