Living Dangerously for God

Living dangerously for God. What does this mean and why do i want to talk about it.

I have been reading Joshua recently. Near the end of his life, Joshua challenged the Israelites to make a life changing decision: Choose for youselves this day whom you will serve, whether the Gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the Gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24,15). The people responded with `Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other Gods (Joshua 24, 16). They were taken aback, perhaps even offended by Joshuas challenge.

Then Joshua emphatically stated `You are not able to serve the Lord, He is a Holy God, a jealous God (Joshua 24,19). Can you imagine the indignation you would have felt if you had not been in the crowd that day. I am not able. Who does he think he is?

Israel missed the point. Their faith was based on what God had done for them not who he was. Joshua meant that God is so holy that we cannot to begin to fathom the depth of his character. he is so jealous that he will not accept anything less than total commitment. A token resolution to follow God is not transformational. Joshua was not asking for lip service, but for a life of absoloute and constant surrender to God.

How does this work practically.Is God really first in your life? I feel like God has brought me to a place where I am not completely certain of where he wants me to be in the future, but still that i am completely walking in his will. I have an amazing peace about the direction my life is taking, I trust the Lord completely and I am very content to live out a dangerous faith. There is nothing to fear.

Engagement and marriage

I am very happy to say that Jennie and I announced are engagement just a couple of days ago. I spoke to Jennie`s father and asked for his permission to marry his amazing daughter. We are both very excited about what the future holds. God has opened up so much for us in the last few months, and we are excited to see what adventures he holds in store for us over the next few years. We plan to be married at the end of July, in Denver USA. This obviously means that I will not be extending my Medair contract at the end of May.

There are some things we would like people to pray into for us over the next few months

Fiancee Visa. To get married legally in the USA I have to be granted a fiancee visa. These normally take 5 months to process, and I will even have to go for an interview in the US embassy in London. So theroetcially, we should not have a problem with the timeframe. If you can pray for us anyway, that there will be no delay`s in this process.

From now until the end of May I will be living and working in the DR Congo. Jennie will be working in Kampala. I will be able to see Jennie on my visits to Uganda for holiday, but please pray for protection over us as we will sadly have to spend some time apart over the the next few months.

Please continue to pray for us as we prepare to get married and spend our lives us together, that the Lord will bless us, continue to guide us and show us exactly where he wants us to be. Please pray that God will always be at the centre of our relationship and that he continues to work so actively in our lives. Please pray we can surrender our life to him.

We are truly blessed.

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas from the Congo! Its strange being in a warmer climate at Christmas, especially when its snowing so much at home. I dont like being away from my fiancee Jennie or my family, but there is one good thing about being in the Congo at this time of year. I escape all the commercial hype that Christmas means in the Western world. A friend recently sent me a link to the Advent Conspiracy website. www.adventconspiracy.org/

The story of Christ`s birth is a story of Promise, hope and a revolutionary love.

So what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a Savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams and shopping lists.

And when its all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to clear, and this empty feeling of missed puropse. Is this really what we want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world changing event again?

An opprtunity to focus on the message Jesus brought to this world.

I will leave you with that message, a very merry Xmas to all.

Dungu Update

Sorry I have not written in a while, but Im in Dungu now...and there is very little internet coonection here. I took up my new role as base support manager 2 weeks ago. I had a fantastic holiday with the beautiful Jennie in SW Uganda, visiting Lake Bunyone and the Virunga volcano range. Pretty spectacular. (I'm sure most of you have seen the photo's on facebook by now - I certainly don't have the bandwith to upload any photo's here)

And now im in Dungu. Whats in Dungu..well not much to be honest. Its a small town in North East Congo, approximately 250 km from the Sudan border. About 1 year ago the LRA crisis exploded here. The LRA have long since been forced out of town, but they are not that far away. There are reports of LRA attacks about 60KM away from here, with Congolese and Ugandan armz forces present everywhere.

What are Medair doing here? We run an emergency health project, providng equipment, medication and supervision, in the main hospitals and health centres. At the moment, treatment for the local population and IDP's is completely free in all Medair programmes. Thats an amazing gift we can give the impoverished population here. Martin Luther King said it was every persons human right to have access to health care.

We have just had our programme extended here for another year Praise God. The LRA are still very much a present force in north Eastern Congo, and continue to penetrate CAR and South Sudan. so there is much work to be done.

I promise to write more soon. I will be in Congo for Christmas, in Bunia next week, so I will have a much better internet connection in the base there.

Bye for now.

Team Life

`Our life is full of brokenness - broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live with that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning again and again to God's faithful presence in our lives.` A quote from Henri Nouwen.

When I first started to think about joining Medair, one of the great attractions was the sense of community and belonging that a role with the organisation offered. Living alongside other Christians, from all over the world, all working together to serve the most vulnerable. To me, it sounded like an amazing opportunity to part of a unique community, living with like minded people.

Its therefore pretty ironic that this community has started to become one of the greatest challenges about being here in the DR Congo. Maybe i was naive, I would prefer to think that i was hopeful and optimistic. I have been surprised by some of the dysfunctionality that exists in our team here, and im talking specifically about the international team.

Of course, with our colleagues from the Congo, there are huge cultural differences which sometimes make it difficult to work together. I did not expect so many problems between a group of people who come mostly from Europe and North America.

Life in the field is intense, there is no doubt about that. People grow tired and weary, especially those who have been here for a longer period. Stress levels can be high emergencies can develop pretty quickly. We definately find ourselves under spiritual attack , we are working on the front line after all, soldiers for God. In Bunia, where I have been based for the last 3 weeks, there is a very heavy spiritual feeling. No doubt the results of many years of war and conflict and the terrible things that have been done here. There are all sorts of reasons that contribute to this level of dysfunctionality we are experiencing at the moment. Not that i think any of these are good excuses.

Christ says in Hebrews that we are a Royal Priesthood, that we stand out. Im not sure that we have been doing that as a team here recently. By my own admission I have pretty high expectations of myself and the people around me. Perhaps there is a lesson for me in all of this, to display the same grace God has extened to me, to show that grace and love to the people around me, I can be pretty impatient at the best of times .

Maybe its a lesson that we are all human, we all have weakness and people do from time to time disappoint us. Through the ups and downs Im being stretched and challenged thats for sure, and that can only be a good thing....

Prison Break

In my role as acting country director for the Medair programme, I am based in Bunia, the location of our main support base in the Congo. Bunia has been badly affected by ethnic conflict in recent years. Even today, there is a huge MONUC (United Nations) presence in town. The war that raged has all but ended, but there is still banditry and general lawlessness in town. I can hear gunshots most nights, especially fom the local Prison.

The conditions of the prisons in the Congo is quite frankly dreadful and to be quite honest, a complete affront to human dignity. Conditions are so bad that prisoners will reguarly risk their lives trying to escape, the exchange of gunfire that follows can be heard almost every night at the Medair compund.

The statement below comes from a recent UN report on social justice in the DR Congo. For Goma, read Bunia. The condition of the prison here is rumored to be equally as apalling.

`My interlocutors, including the Minister of Justice, who is responsible for the penitentiary system, unanimously agreed that prison conditions are atrocious. I visited the Central Prison of Goma and spoke with detainees there. In a prison built to hold 150, over 800 prisoners live in squalor. They receive one inadequate meal per day from the prison authorities, and rely essentially on food brought by their families. Because internal control of the prison is entirely left to the inmates, the stronger prisoners take the lion’s share of the provided food. The weaker prisoners and those without family nearby gradually become emaciated, and especially vulnerable to disease. Not surprisingly, many die in prison.

The number of prisons and prisoners in the Congo is unknown. Totally inadequate records of prisoners are kept and many are left rotting in prison even after their sentence has been served. The great majority of prisoners have never been tried before a judge. In essence, the prison system seems to be a depository for the enemies of the state and for those too poor to buy their way out of the justice system. The abominable conditions, together with corruption and minimal state control, mean that escapes are common, thus adding further to impunity`

How can anybody be expected to live in such a way. Some of these prisoners have not even been proved guilty, they are awaiting trial. The prsion sytem is just one of numerous problems this country has to overcome as they try to rebuild after years of conflict. But nobody should have their dignity stripped away like this?

The adventure continues

So the adventure continues. I have to say I was a bit surprised this week when Medair asked me to take over as the acting Country Director of the Congo programme. OK its only for 2 weeks but is still a big deal. You have to be fleixbile in this line work, no doubt about that. My move to Dungu has been put back by two weeks. Anyway, i was greatly blessed to recieve this message from Lynn, one of the pastors at my church back home in Manchester. Enjoy!

I am part of the “Fellowship of the unashamed”

I have Holy Spirit Power.
The die has been cast.
I’ve stepped over the line.
The decision has been made.
I am a disciple of His.
I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.

I am finished and done with low-living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colourless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, miserly giving and dwarfed goals!

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity

I don’t have to be right, first, top, recognised, praised, regarded or rewarded.

I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer and labour by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up or burn up till I have preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Christ

I am a disciple of Jesus, I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till He stops.

And when He comes to get His own. He’ll have no problems recognising me. My colours will be clear

Switzerland

So last week i was back in Europe for the first time in 5 months. I was attending the Medair logistics conference in Lac Neuchatel, close to lausanne. It was a great week, a fantastic opportunity to co-ordinate with the people who work in the other Medair country programmes, to generate ideas, see where we can do better and to plan for the future. Some photos from the week below.

The beautiful Geneva

Dungu

Sorry i have not updated my blog for some time. Its been a little busy. I took over as temporary base manager In Isiro fir a while. That coincided with demonstrations and security concerns arising in the town. The civil population decided that they were going to introuduce a `ville mort` in protest at the state of the roads in Isiro. A `ville mort` is when the local population forces the town to completely close down for 3 days.

The roads in and around Isiro are all in a dreadful state, and there is now no possible way to access Isiro by vehicle. This all despite election promises from Kabila in 2006 to improve the infrastructure. All to predictable! And of course the demonstrations turned violent, 2 people killed, looting, gunfire very close to our base. We had begun preparations to evacuate. The military and police finally brought the situation under control.

The other big news is that i will be leaving Isiro at the beginning of November. I will be taking up the position of base support manager in Dungu. You can see on the map above where Dungu is, in far North Eastern Congo. The LRA crisis touches the Northen edge of town, there are 500,000 IDP`s in the area. I will be taking over the role as Base Support manager, responsible for logistics, finance, admin, security and some donor relations. It will be a challenging environment, more basic living conditions, more insecure, just myself and 1 other expat, our medical co-ordinator. It promises to be be an interesting few months.

Reflections

My time in Uganda gave me the opportunity to reflect on my first 3 months in the Congo. It gave me the opportunity to answer some questions God was prompting me to answer. Tough questions, not easy questions. And while some questions are trivial matters with answers that have little impact in our lives, the really tough questions of life are different. We need to have an answer for those kinds of questions and we need to have the right answer because we are going to be charting our lives by them.

How do you know you are following God’s will for your life? How do you make decisions in a godly manner and then be happy with those decisions and not continue to second-guess yourself? Basically, am I on the right track? Am I in the right place? In Gods eyes.

These are questions many of us have probably asked ourselves. I know that I have asked them of myself many times and continue to do so. I felt God especially prompting me to reflect on these thoughts?

Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered, and endured, because he trusted in his Father’s wisdom, love, and word. He began learning obedience as a child in his home in Nazareth Remember, in Luke 2:51 after his parents found him , it says: “He went down with them then, and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.” He didn’t learn it through punishment as we often do, he learned it through knowing and experiencing that perfect obedience brought him perfect peace and union with the Father, even when what he had to go through was painful. He learned it through love. In the Gospel of John we have Jesus’ own words on his life in obedience to the Father.

In John 15:10-16 of Jesus’ last discourse, Jesus instructs his disciples and us: You will live in my love if you keep my commandments, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and live in his love. All this I tell you that my joy may be yours and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if You do what I command you. I no longer speak of you as slaves, for a slave does not know what his master is about. Instead, I call you friends, since I have made known to you all that I heard from my Father.” The blessing of obedience is complete joy in friendship with Jesus.

Obedience frees us for friendship, intimacy and union with God through Christ. Obedience makes us citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven where God’s will is done perfectly and therein lies all our joy and peace, our bliss, the beatitude of God.

I have to say, that right now, i feel a real closeness, intimacy in my relationship with God. A realm sense of peace. Its no secret I was very frustrated for my last 6 months at home, especially in my walk with Jesus. I didnt feel like I was in the right place, now I do. I looked around me and felt other people were growing in their faith but I was not. The decison to obey the Jesus and obey his commands has given me that sense of peace in my walk with him right now. I am confident I am in the place, on the right track. For now, anyway!!!

Kampala Riots

Im back in the Congo, in Bunia right now and travelling on to Isiro tomorrow. It was an eventful R&R, not always restful. At the end of our trip to Murchison National Park, we were involved in a road accident. Thankfully, nobody was injured but we rolled the car and the vehicle completely overturned. Of course, then comes the hassle of trying to sort all this out. For my dad, who was visiting and on his first trip to Africa, it is an experience that he is unlikeley to ever forget. The enduring image for me was sitting in a police staion in Northern Uganda for several hours, trying to report the incident to a policeman who seemed much more interested in talking about Premiership football and Manchester United. Of course, we needed the police report for insurance purposes.

Then on to Kampala and a much more serious discussion point. Last Thursday, riots erupted in central Kampala, leaving myself and my colleague Melanie in the Medair team house unable to leave for a couple of days. Evidently, we had enough food and water. People from the Buganda tribe had started to riot because the government had prevented their traditonal King from holding a rally. When Ugandan TV started to show pictures of what was happening on Thursday, we started to realise how serious things were getting. By Thursday afternoon, the protesters were engaged in running battles with the police and military, who were responding by firing indiscriminately into the crowds, beating people up, conducting house to house enquiries. By Saturday afternoon, the military seemed to have taken control of the city.

Tribial conflict always seems to be lurking just beneath the surface in this part of the world. Maybe the use of the word `tribal` is a little simplistic on my part, but many of the recent problems in Central Africa, whether Congo, Rwanda or somewhere else, do seem to have been split along these lines.

Uganda has a deeply unpopular president in Yoweri Musiveni, and with an elction scheduled for 2011 it will be interesting to see how things develop. For more info on the riots, Id suggest reading either the New Vision or Independent newspapers.

http://www.independent.co.ug/
http://www.newvision.co.ug/

Murchison, Uganda

A less serious post from me, to reflect my mood on R&R. I have posted some photo highlights of my trip to Murchison National Park in Uganda. Enjoy!!! My dad came all the way to visit me from good old Manchester, and we had great fun exploring the park and this part of Africa. An experience that will stay with both of us for a long time!

Field Trip

Im back in Kampala...relaxing and reflecting on the first 3 months in the Congo. This time last week I was in the middle of my first field trip, which proved to be very eventful. Myself and Karin visted the town of Wamba, about 2ookm North of Isiro, to visit some Medair projects going on in that area. The roads were terrible, the car broke down, we got stuck and even managed to visit some Pygmy villages. This is where Medair's programmes have become a bit blurred between emergency and development programmes. We have constructed some health centres, helped to provide some medical kit and trained some of the medical staff. Wamba is not an insecure area, but is desperately poor.


The road from Isiro to Wamba. Not exactly the M1. Its about 200km. It took us 11 hours.

Crossing the Poko river. North Eastern Congo.

A pygmy village. About 20km north of Wamba. There are about 50,000 Pygmies living in the forest that surrounds Wamba. They try to live their traditional lives as much as possible, but they are extremely poor, their tribes have been ravaged by illnesses such as leprosy and terbuculosis. They are a forgotten people, ignored by the government, reached only by a few NGO`s, missionaries and some inspirational individuals.

Im at the back of this picture with 2 friends, Dr.Jose and Fr.Justin, a Catholic priest. Both reach out to the Pygmy community, with pastoral and medical care. Some of the health centres have even built small huts for the Pygmies, as they feel uncomfortable inside the normal hospital strutures. Its small acts of community like this that really give me hope for the Congo. Individuals reaching out in love to transform lives. Amazing.


The Pygmies still hunt with the bow and arrow, poisonned lethally at the tip. This picture was also supposed to give you some idea of their size. The health centre in Wamba, built by Medair.

Inevitably we got stuck on the way back home. It looks more like a river than a road.

Effects of the War, Isiro

Yesterday myself and my friend Karin managed to take some photos in the old rail station in Isiro. Built by the Belgians, amazingly, it was operational until 1996 when rebels completely destroyed and looted it. It has never been used since. Too far away from Kinshasa to matter, it has never been restored. You can imagine what it was like in its heyday. Now just another symbol of a shattered infrastructure

The railway. You can see the power cables. Completely overgrown and left in ruin.

More pictures of the rail lines. I was stood on the platform taking the photo, but even that has been overtaken by jungle.

Not sure what this was. Could have been a taxi, or a bus to transport passengers. Its lying in the grounds of the station.

One of the train carriages, in the old maintenance warehouse

Some of the old machinery sat in the workshop. Apparently still in resonable condition, but it cannot be used because there is no power or fuel. The guy with me used to work at the station, since 1972 so he told me. They have not been paid for years, but him and few others turn up every day to guard the equiment and show people like us around. Can`t imagine there are many visitors. I have to say i don`t understand why they turn up everday. He told me they went on strike a few years ago but they were completely ignored, so eventually they just came back, presumably as they were unable to find jobs anywhere else. Maybe they have some blind hope it will be restored one day. Crazy!!!

I think this was a generator. Now just left there, never used. What a waste!!! More transportation. Burnt out and left to rot. In the grounds of the station.

The old entrance to the rail station. You cant really see it here, but there were obvioulsy some gardens in front of the station. They are completely destroyed now.

One of the old buildings still standing at the station. 1000 employees used to work here apparently, they exported coffee, soap, fruit all over the Congo.

Old fuel tank.

The old ticket office. Abandoned.

The reality

The reality of working in Africa can be quite difficult. There is a steep learning curve, it can be challenging and exhausting. I remember, back in Manchester a few months ago, I was talking with family and some close friends, how I needed a fresh challenge, that God was calling me to something new, away from a secure, comfortable, happy environment at home to something more unknown in Africa.

mmm..be careful what you pray for? No Im joking, so far I`ve loved every minute of my time with Medair in the Congo. Through the ups and the downs, I have a great sense that im in the right place and God is really at work. There are definately challenges to working in this part of the world though. I am enjoying being stretched in many different directions.

The strongholds of poverty and dependency can mean that a lot of poeple are out for something. When they see a white face, they see dollar signs. You have to be very careful about you present yourself and the organisation you work for. Its very easy, with a Western mindset, to see the material needs here....money, clothes, school fees etc. There is a huge danger of setting a precedent if you decide to give some support to one individual. Even letting somebody use your internet can cause problems...before you know it you have the entire community asking if they can use your computer, at all times of the day. Its almost expected. Knowing how to manage these expectations is a skill I am still learning.

Then there is the problem of corruption. Its endemic in Congolese culture. Mobuto, when he was in power, said in a national newspaper "If you want to steal, steal a little in a nice way. But if you steal too much to become rich overnight, you'll be caught.". Mobutu was a notoriously corrupt leader, rumoured to have stolen over $5bn. There is a natural level of mistrust and suspicion in Congolese culture. Meeting with Congolese customs officials in recent weeks has been a testing experience. Naturally, the office in Isiro seems to have made up its own rules, they are completely different to the rules employed in Kinshsasa. We had a tricky situation, trying to prevent some of our motorbikes being impounded. We managed to negotiaite our way out of it, with some prayer and divine intervention helping us on our way. They really wanted us to pay the fines more than anything else, despite the fact that that we are a humanitairan organisation here to help the Congolese. Also our motorbikes are pretty important as our medical supervisors use them to get out to the field. Aarghh!!!

Managing Congolese staff can be challenging. Proactivity, initiative, planning, all key activities in Western organisations, are ofthen skils that are missing here. These are, of course, generalisations but management skills, especially when managing projects, seem to be a particular area where we can really develop capacity. Timetables, schedules, deadlines are not really followed. Communication can be frustrating as well, especially when you have staff based in several locations. There is a real opportunity for capacity building here

Im loving all the challenges so far though, and I still have lots to learn. Its a steep learning experience, no doubt about that. I will be ready for my holiday, at the end of August. You certainly need the regular breaks when working out in the field.

For What Its Worth

I have just finished reading Simon Guillebaud`s `For what its worth`. Simon has been a missionary in Burundi for 8 years, living through some pretty interesting, dangerous times. The book is essentally a call to radical discipleship, to complete surrender of your life to Jesus. The book brings out some interesting points, many of which i was contemplating when deciding to come to the DR Congo with Medair.

Following Christ was never meant to be easy, comfortable or safe. Its supposed to be tough, real and impacting.

`Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a 3 piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fabrics, choose DIY and wondering who you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind numbing, spirit crushing game shows, stuffing junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing yourself in a miserable home, nothing more than en embarassment to the selfish brats you`ve spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future.Choose LIFE`

This, of course, come from the closing scene of the cult film Trainspotting. Its raw and cynical and relfects the grim pessimism which embodies the films central character, Renton, a heroine addict. While this is not representative of most people lives in our modern society, his sentiments that life are meaningless resonate with many. His escape is drugs, to get away from the mundane, but what choices do we have?

The choice I was confronted with was to follow Jesus, to really follow and trust my life to him. To go to the Congo or not. Either that, or settle, settle for less than what God had for me. Many Christians fall into this trap. They turn up for a church on a Sunday, they live a comfortable life but they are not fulfilled in their relationship with Christ, they complain and wonder why? My hope for myself, and for you, is that we can live a life where opportunites are seized, gifts maximised, risks taken, obstacles overcome, storms weathered, people impacted, and most importantly, our calling is filled.Choosing life involves embracing and enjoying Gods awesome creation and the opportunities life presents us with. As followers of Jesus, we have the choice to embrace or reject a life of puropse, fulfilment, meaning and challenge. Are we going to settle for the safety of existing, where life is comfortable, or will we choose to embark on the adventure of really living. Jesus is calling each one of us. will you say no or will you say yes?

Kivu, Rwanda and the Genocide

A few people have written e-mails asking me if have i met Hutu`s and Tutsi`s in the Congo. So I just thought I would write a little piece to explain the complexity of the political situation in Eastern Congo and why I have not met any Hutu`s and Tutsi`s. It makes my head spin a little but I will give it a go.

Isiro, where I am based, is located in Haut Uele Province and there are many tribes in this area. All living peacefully alongside each other, it seems. Of course, this region is now suffering because of the LRA attacks. Especially as you head further North towards the town of Dungu

Medair`s main base in the Congo is in a town called Bunia, in the Ituri Province. The two main ethnic groups in this area are the Hema and Lendu people. The conflict in Rwanda between the Hutu and Tutsi people is now well known throught the world, after the genocide in 1994 and events since. People tend to know much less about the conflict between the Hema and Lendu tribes, which was at its height in North Eastern Congo between 1998 and 2007.

If you head further south to the Kivu provinces, North and South, this is where you will find the ethnic hutu and tutsi people living. The FDLR (Democratic Force for the Liberation of Rwanda) are now the prominent hutu force in this area. Some of the guys fighting for this militia fled Rwanda after committing the atrocities in the genocide, they are formerly known as the Interhamwe. Others have joined as well.

In recent times the CNDP (National Congress for the Defence of the People), have also been operating in the Kivu`s. They are Tutsi rebels, apparently protecting the tutsi population. Their infamous leader, Laurent Nkunda, is an ordained Christian minister! In a famous piece of political manoeuvering, he was arrested in Rwanda in January.

As you can see its pretty complex. There are many other abbreviations as well. FARDC are the Congolese army, UPDF is the Ugandan military. I could go on...and you also have to think about the abundant supply of natural resources in the DR Congo and who wants to control what...that discussion is for another day. I can`t think of many other parts of the world which need the transforming power of Jesus as much as this forgotten part of Central Africa.

I have added the map as well, so you can see how the geography fits.

The Congo problem - infrastructure

One of my colleagues in the DR congo was recently on a field trip, for a construction project. Some of the photos above show you some of the challenges the team faced as they tried to drive across the Congolese roads.

Immediately you can see some of the problems faced by the DR Congo, particularly the Eastern Congo. The infrastructure is just devastated. Kemal Saiki, a United Nations spokesman, said recently that the Democratic Republic of the Congo does not "even have 2,000 miles of roads" . That is staggering, for a country the size of Western Europe.

For a distance of 210km, from Isiro to Dungu, it can take 2 days to travel one way when its been raining. You may think I exaggerate, but as you look at the photos above, you can see what the reality looks like for most people here in the DRC.

Infact, most people who do travel domestically in the Congo travel by air. Its by far the quickest way to get around, though not an always very safe way to travel. The domestic airlines here have an appaling safety record.

For wealthy `mizungus` like myself this doesnt really present a problem, as Medair, my organisation can pay for flights with international carriers, such as MAF or we can get access to donor flights. For the majority of Congolese though, it presents massive challenges. Conflict ongoing for the last 12/13 years has exacerbated the problem. As you can imagine, it can be very difficult to reach people in rural, remote communities, especially when you have cargo such as medical aid to deliver. Also, when there is an emergency what do these people do? its not always that easy for them to get the help they need.

Private and commercial road transport is almost non-existent and traffic is scarce. The few vehicles in use are run by the UN, aid agencies, the DRC government, and a few larger companies such as those in the mining and energy sectors. It makes it very difficult for thousands of people to get access to clinics, hospitals and sometimes shelter. Most people travel by bike, or just walk.

I hope to be going on a field trip of my own in the next couple of weeks so I will have some stories of my own. But i would recommend Tim Butchers Blood River - a pretty vivid account of what it can be like travelling across the Congo

Welcome to the jungle - Pictures of the Congo

One of the main streets in Isiro. For all you Mancunians reading, this is our equivalent to Princess Parkway.

A visit to a local school to present some gifts a colleague had brought from Canada. They even sang the Congolese national anthem for us.

This guy was carrying a coffin on his bike. He told us building coffins was how he made his living. Sadly, he also said it was a lucrative business in the Congo.

Isiro. the edge of town. The jungle is pretty thick already. Very beautiful. However, as you head north of Dungu, the LRA hides out in the forest. The miltary can`t find the rebels there its too dense.

The colour of a Congolese wedding!!!


Can you see that there is a guy riding a bike here..carrying the rack of clothes. Guys like this are a common sight in the Congo...carrying all sorts, bananas, cement, you name it. They are traders - and can sometimes travel for up to 2 week periods to sell their parcticular goods.


The view from the MAF flight. Down below you can see the dense jungle and Lac albert in the distance. i understand the Congo/uganda border splits the lake.


Beautiful Isiro - the forest of North East congo, Haut Uele Province

My team at work. Isaac and Baya repairing the Medair vehicle after a field trip. This is what the roads in the DR Congo do to your car. More on that later.

Joking around with some of the local kids. Pretty cute!!!

The garden in front of our house and the volleyball court. We even have a net..impressive!!!

Me and the volleyball crew. We try to play 2/3 times a week with some of the kids and teenagers from the local community. Its a great laugh and good excercise in the heat and humidity.

The lounge. Where the team comes together in the evenings and for our devotions. And where i spend most Sundays resting on the sofa after a tough 6 day week. Im only half joking!!!

The special bucket shower we use in Isiro. In fairness, it works very well

My new home above. The base in isiro. Welcome to the jungle - North Eastern Congo