April 2000

Dear Pastor Session, Mission Committee, and friends,

We have been appointed as mission specialists (missionaries) by the Presbyterian Church (USA). We are to begin work at Good Shepherd Hospital in Tshikaji, Democratic Republic of Congo in August. I am a doctor of internal medicine and Sue reaches English as a second language. We have been residents of Ashland, Oregon, until April last year when we left home to prepare for our mission assignment.

We attended mission orientation in Louisville and Chicago, then were it the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University for four months and now are studying French language here in Jonquiere, Quebec, until July. We will return to Oregon mid-July to pack with intentions of arriving in Africa in August.

It is our desire to share our journey and experiences with your congregation. It is your church's mission as well as ours. We are not appealing for support, as you are already involved in this, We simply wish to report to you and communicate with your church congregation. We assume that your mission committee would welcome the information and that this association may enrich your Christian education program. If you accept our invitation, we will send you periodic newsletters and photos to reflect our experiences
arid activities. We envision mission interpretation as a joint venture between your congregation and the African congregation in Tshikaji. We can assist in the exchange.

Life in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) has been quite harsh and deprived for the past several years. Armies from six African neighbors, two refugee groups and three Congo rebel groups are fighting each other over possession of the country's rich natural resources. None of the parties have interest in the plight ofthe Congolese people. The economy, roads, communications, schools, heallh facilities, etc. are in severe disarray and decay.

Good Shepherd Hospital is part of the Christian Medical Institute of the Kasai and related to the United Church of Congo and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It has been training medical personnel in central Africa for many years, with a combination of African and missionary staff in Tshikaji, a small village eight miles from the large city of Kananga in the south central area of this country of 5.1 million people. Malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS, infectious diseases, malnutrition, and infant-maternal morbidity and mortality are major problems
there.

Hope for the county's future lies With the United Church of Congo and its leaders. They are outspoken and active in support of meaningful reform in the country. They recently held a conference in Kinshasa inviting all parties involved in the various conflicts and drew up a list of expectations. Following the conference many attendees were detained and questioned by the police, but not before publishing their wishes and demands in the press.

Our Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) feels called to support these people in their hope of realizing peace, justice, and opportunity for the future. The church is Preaching good news to the people of the country. The message is that God loves and cares for them and that they are invited (as we are) to share in His banquet.

Grace and Peace,

Sue and Bill Sager