March 23, 2007

Dear Friends, Family and Supporters,

Warm greeting from our family in Yaounde, Cameroon. Last May, the International Health Ministries office organized a seminar in Kinshasa for Congolese church workers responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis. The seminar highlighted roles and attitudes during counseling prior to and after HIV testing. It also modeled a process for empowering communities to transform their environment and conditions. The participatory method employed stories, skits, and images, an approach that fit well with the animated group.

I (Jeff) was asked to participate in the workshops so I could follow up with the 26 participants. When I visited Congo again in December, I was struck by how a story from the seminar, “The Rabbi’s Gift,” had deeply touched nearly every participant, but not all in the same way.

A once great monastery had fallen upon hard times. Only the abbot and four very old monks remained. Fearing the death of his order the abbot sought advice from a wise rabbi. On hearing his concerns the rabbi could only commiserate with him; he too experienced that the spirit had gone out of the people. As the abbot prepared to leave without the advice he sought, the rabbi said, “the Messiah is one of you.”

The abbot shared the message with the monks, who shared his confusion. They pondered the mystery for months, and then they began to look differently at each other, wondering “could he be the Messiah?” Thereafter, they treated each other with extraordinary respect, as if the other were the Messiah.

The people who visited the monastery began to sense the profound respect the monks had for each other, which attracted people more and more people. Then someone asked to join. Then another and another joined until the faith community was vibrant once again.

This story led some participants to a greater appreciation for the value of each member of their community group. Others felt empowered as they realized that within them lies the capacity to effect meaningful change in their communities. They are now sharing that transformative experience with others.

Throughout the region, our partners say that poverty contributes to the spread of AIDS. Income generating projects help women care for their families and decrease the threat their daughters will engage in risky behavior. In December, I met with widows in a loan program that got a grant from the PC(USA). They asked me to transmit the group’s collective thanks to our church. When I asked a sub-group of women selling tea and sugar why they chose those items, one explained that it was her normal activity. With the loan though, she increased her stock. Nearly 50 widows working in about 13 groups have received loans to help them expand their small activities—selling daily quantities of charcoal, peanuts, dried fish, palm oil, maize, and used clothes.

The women were encouraged by the support, but frustrated that their stock is decreasing due to high inflation. By the time they have sold their products the cost of restocking has risen again. After repaying their loan they would have nothing left to sell. The benefit of their daily sales should help their families, but their “profit” is just too small to do that and buy new supplies. This is complicated by the fact that many women sell the same product in the same place for the same price. Matthias says this is a “perfectly competitive” market, but I think something is not perfect here. Seeing the mass of vendors is enough to understand the challenge of finding a niche market.

In such communities the church in the Congo is found. These women reflect the membership of the church. We are invited to join them in common worship, friendship, and shared ministry. As depressing as these experiences feel, our hope may be renewed by the deep faith expressed by our Congolese brothers and sisters. People living on the margin, yet supporting others when the need is greatest, bear an exemplary witness to us all.

Our time in the United States

From late June to December we will be in the United States to visit churches and presbyteries and share about the work of the church in this region and how we participate in it. You should have received an email from me about this. If you haven’t, then either we don’t have your correct email address or our message was blocked as spam. Please contact us at jcmsnboyd@gmail.com if you want a copy of that letter or if you want to invite us to visit.

Both Christi and I are participating in Mission Challenge ‘07, an ambitious attempt to send PC(USA) missionaries to 120 different presbyteries for one week this October. Please encourage your presbytery and church to participate in this effort. To find out more, go to the Mission Challenge '07 Web site or contact Bruce Whearty at (888) 728-7228 x5826.

Matthias will be graduating from high school this year and looks forward to study international development in college. Matthias was not yet 2 years old when we were commissioned as PC(USA) mission co-workers.

Please join us in prayer:

• That the Mission Challenge ‘07 may reverse decline in the number of PC(USA) mission co-workers.
• For our partners, the Eglise Presbyterienne Camerounaise and the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, who celebrate this year their 50th anniversary as autonomous churches.

Peace be with you,

Jeff (and Christi)

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 318