Besides the bread which is still lacking, all the other local companies continue to make monthly donations of food in spite of the economic crisis that is sweeping the country. We are so grateful for their faithfulness, which is a big help to keeping the children healthy, and pray for God’s blessings to fall upon them.

Once a year, we print a certificate of appreciation for our sponsors, to thank them for the donations they have made to help our project. When delivering a certificate to the SOFIA company, which has helped every year by donating all the needed notebooks for our schools, we had the honor to meet Mr. Rizwan Adatia and are looking forward to further collaborating with his foundation.

Since January, we have budgeted monthly donations to cover the tuition fees of the children attending our secondary school. This is helping to cover the larger part of the teachers’ salaries, as parents continue to have a difficult time to give the minimum contribution. Although the climate is calm on the surface, the political crisis is not over, as the agreement that had been reached in December has still not been fulfilled by the present government. The repercussion of this uncertainty is that some foreign investments have stopped, which is putting an added economical strain on the country, and affecting the lower class the most with increased unemployment, rising prices, and a fall of the local currency.

 

Only 4 of the kids had malaria this month, but we treated 132 people from the village for malaria, 200 for dysentery and 140 for typhoid. We cared for 15 babies who came for regular check-ups, and Florence held 8 prenatal classes with future mommies. Two new babies were born. Financially, even though people are not always able to contribute financially as much as they should, we have been able to keep afloat and replenish the pharmacy and the lab as needed, thanks to the donation we received in December from CAISA PHARMA.

There has been slow but steady progress towards finishing the second floor (installation of the gutters to collect rain water, installation of electric box, painting of all the doors and windows, installation of the balcony). Measurements are being taken to make the needed safety railings and gates for the staircase.

 

 

6           Ambulance

One of our priorities upon returning to Congo was to purchase an ambulance for the medical center. We had been sending out feelers when we were in France, but had not received any return. When we mentioned it to our landlady upon arrival, she immediately found people who showed us some vehicles that were for sale. The first one we saw was absolutely perfect, practically new, but the price was more than double what we had budgeted. A couple others were presented to us, less costly, but not in good enough condition. When praying about it, the Lord clearly showed us that the first jeep we saw was the one He wanted us to get. He suggested we go back to talk with the owner, a well-to do doctor, and ask him about the possibility of making payments (a practice that is not usually done in this country). After hearing about our mission work, he agreed! We contacted some local friends and asked if they could help us raise the balance. Immediately one of them responded so we could make a first payment and reserve the jeep, while the funds we had saved abroad were transferred. A few days later, another friend we visited called someone who donated on the spot another gift which we picked up the following day. She herself pledged to also contribute. We are very encouraged and extremely grateful by this amazing turn of events and believe the remaining balance will also come. Having an ambulance is going to be awesome and help save so many lives!

The two tailoring teachers have started to organize the making of the school uniforms, which will run as a micro-enterprise, generating income for these women. The teachers are doing all the cutting of the material, and will have the students do the sewing under their tutoring, thereby combining training with business.

 

Olivier is now organizing weekly outreach with his students in universities, going from dorm to dorm and telling other students about Jesus.

 

A graduation ceremony was just organized by our youth leaders for the last batch of Foundation Stones students who have completed the Bible course (look for upcoming blog post testimony).

A 3 day retreat/seminar will be held in April for the new graduates. This time, we will let our youth leaders organize the whole thing under our supervision, to stay true to our 2 Tim.2:2 vision. 

 

 

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile. — Mother Teresa 

 

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