The long and short of it is that my mission trip is being postponed.
Africa is an often unpredictable place. Once again we are seeing this unfold before our eyes. In the past month the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has seen the first truly democratic elections in 40 years. The current President Joseph Kabila and Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba will face each other in a run-off election scheduled for October 29.
Unfortunately, since the final vote totals were announced there have been daily gun battles in the capital city of Kinshasa between forces loyal to each of the two candidates. Tensions are rising as the conflicts continue. Given past experience, it is quite likely that Congo will continue to be very unstable in the weeks and months to come. As you can see this is a very serious situation. Please pray for the brothers and sisters in the Congo Free Church, and for all the people of this war torn country during these difficult times.
The Evangelical Free Church of America International Missions (EFCAIM) office has been monitoring the situation closely and has been in contact with the President of the Congo Free Church. A couple weeks ago President Selenga sent an e-mail to the EFCAIM office requesting that we NOT bring a team of Americans to the DRC in late October and early November due to significant security issues. This means the Congo Vision Trip must be postponed until a later time when the security issues have eased and a new government is in place. At this time there are no specific dates in mind as it will be dependent upon the resolution of the current political conflicts. We hope to be able to go some time in early 2007. It is my intention to still be a part of the team when the trip is rescheduled. I’ll let you know when it happens.
