Women in Eastern DR Congo

Please share my joy in celebrating the continuing work that's going on in Eastern DR Congo for women right now. Roger and I were in Uvira, DRC, just a few weeks ago and I had the opportunity to meet with many of the new students and also some of the ladies who graduated last year from the yearlong program. Here are just some of the things the students who began in July are saying:

"I am learning how a lady can look for money: she should work hard; she should not despise working. You can even go to someone and ask them for a job. You can do something. You do not have to stay just like that (with nothing). I have learned what kind of food is nutritious to give to my family. I am learning they must have a balanced diet or protein and foods that build their bodies and give them energy."

"I have one child. I am married but my husband abused me so I went back upcountry to my home (her mother's home). I have learned that money you receive from others is poison; it is being dependent. One day that person will not be there or they have nothing else to give, so you will starve. It is important for me to look for something to do for work. Even if it is low and you despise it, you must do this work until you can find something else. As long as you are working, you are better than you were before."

"I have one child and the father has died. I am learning that because of God I can have confidence. I do not have to stay quiet and remain behind. I can be bold and try hard for a better life."

"I am happy about the teaching. The training tells us that as women we can support our families and ourselves. If we do not do this, we will continue to suffer. We are now full of hope with the possibilities. We are learning how a woman can have money."

And, a testimony from one of the ladies who completed the program last year:

Haci Rajabu - Haci went through the training in 2012. Two years ago she stayed home doing nothing, waiting and hoping that the husband would find work and bring home money. Then, she started going to the training. She learned budgeting and how to use money well in business. Today she lives well. She buys things here and then sends them to the villages in exchange for the vegetables grown there to sell in the city markets. She also buys clothes and fabrics taking and selling them in nearby Tanzania. In the training she learned not to "eat money." Her husband is proud and happy and together they are doing very well, paying school fees for 9 children. When I asked about her spiritual life, she laughed and laughed. She said everything is different now. She is happy and strong and confident. She has a house church that meets in her home with all of her family and her neighbors.

On behalf of all the ladies who have been trained she wanted us to know that many were in a very low and bad condition and then they go through the training. They learn many things about God, about themselves, about how to extend life in a good and healthy way. Because of this she is able to help to train with budgeting now. She encourages the ladies to know the Word of God. When you know God and what it says in the Bible, then you know a new way of living. "No man can change a woman; only God can intervene and completely change a life."

Please pray that in a very, very dark and truly demonically oppressed country that God's Kingdom would come and His will would be done. Without divine intervention the generations of rape, war, crime, and corruption will continue. As we pray for this nation, please know how much these particular women and 50 others like her appreciate the ongoing work in Uvira, DR Congo. Thank you!!