May 5, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been a week now that I have been back in Cameroon, having just returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Though it is hard for me to believe sometimes, it was my fifth trip there in the past two and a half years. This trip, however, was by far the best for me. It wasn’t that travel went any smoother than usual. In fact, it took me 26 hours to get to DRC from here—just two hours flying time away. And road trips proved more challenging than ever. Part of the reason was that I was able to be and work with dear friends and fellow missionaries for about a week during that time. Mostly though, I saw energy and passion in the churches that I hadn’t experienced before around AIDS issues. Where I had expected to see much of the same, I saw change, and an openness of spirit to change that seemed to me a fingerprint of the work of the Holy Spirit.Your prayers are working!

My first 10 days were spent in Kinshasa with the Presbyterian Church of Kinshasa, (CPK). They have an increasingly active AIDS ministry in the CPK that was originally started through the departments for women, health, and youth. Over time they developed an AIDS team that consists of the major department leaders. It is led by Monique Misenga, the women’s leader, whom I have written about before.

People who are HIV positive have started coming forward as well—not to speak publicly about AIDS, but because they are in great need—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And they are finally beginning to see the church as a place where those needs are met. The CPK wanted to “break the silence” around HIV/AIDS, and it has made a good start. The challenge for them now is to continue the discussions about AIDS, but at the same time to respond concretely to the many needs they are facing.

They are responding to the physical need of hunger and lack of income through a micro-loan project organized by the women’s department. This consists of 12 income-generation groups of six women each. The groups are made up of women with HIV/AIDS, some of whom are widows, as well as healthy women who have no means to feed and educate their families. The women feel this project addresses a need caused by AIDS—poverty—and at the same time provides a way to prevent AIDS—through giving women a means to earn income for their families.

Each group has been trained to produce some product, such as fermented manioc, salted fish, charcoal, soap. Then each group is given a loan of 100 dollars to start their work. The group buys their supplies together, makes the product together, and then sells their products either as a group or individually. Each week the group pays back a portion of the loan, around three dollars. The women’s department monitors them and gives necessary technical and spiritual support. I met with some of these women. They are proud, grateful, and feel they have concrete hope for their lives and the lives of their families. It is really a wonderful thing to see.

During this last trip, blessed by the presence of my dear friend Sally Ivaska, the CPK narrowed these themes into three categories of related subjects: (1) sexuality, (2) church, tradition, and culture, (3) the church and HIV/AIDS. The group, which represented all people groups in the church, almost unanimously chose to start with the theme of sexuality. This meant that they wanted to study issues such as Christian marriage, sexuality as a gift from God, living the single life, immorality and Church discipline, and so on. Sally spent more than three days with us in which she trained the group in how to write small-group studies. The group was taken through three such studies and, in the end, it caught fire. They are so excited to think that they might be able to change life in the church. They are determined to start with leaders in the churches because they believe change needs to start with them. They also have decided to write these studies in French and Lingala, the languages used most throughout the regions where the CPK has ministry. Lingala is significant because this is a key factor in making these studies accessible to women. Since we left, I have already had word that the group has met twice to carry on in the process. Their passion is evident. The Holy Spirit is working in each and all of them. Praise God for what He is doing and will do through them!

My last 10 days in DRC were spent with the CPC, the Presbyterian Church of Congo. I traveled down country to the Kasai region, specifically to Kananga where the church headquarters is located. Though I spent some of my time there as a participant at the board meeting of IMCK and Good Shepherd Hospital, most of my time was spent with the leaders of APCS, that is, Action Presbytérienne Contre le SIDA, or “Presbyterian Action Against AIDS.” It was this time with APCS where I saw evidence of significant change.

Presbyterian Action Against AIDS

APCS was started with the vision of Pastor Albert Kabué and endorsed by the General Assembly of the CPC as their primary channel for action around AIDS. Pastor Kabué and a handful of others began work with youth and couples primarily, leading discussions and trainings around AIDS and issues such as Christian marriage. They also used the radio and written word to reach a vast public audience. They consulted in schools, local churches, in villages, wherever they were invited. It became clear to them that they could no longer “do it all” or be in many places at one time. So in December, with the encouragement of their General Assembly, they decentralized their structure, which now includes a management team that represents people throughout the church.

They formed a number of committees—schools, communication, youth, people with AIDS. I met with these committees one afternoon and saw pride, energy, passion, and hope for change. It was the first time I saw this kind of passion other than with Pastors Kabué and Mukendi. For me, it was truly exciting and a sign that the Holy Spirit is at work.

Now I am back in Cameroon—and am beginning the process of change myself. On May 29 I will leave Cameroon to go the United States on interpretation assignment through December 2004. Then in January 2005, I will move to Accra, Ghana, to be regional liaison for West Africa for the Worldwide Ministries Division of the PC(USA). I will continue with the AIDS work, though will focus on West Africa with our church partners in Ghana, Togo, Nigeria and Niger. I have asked to be able to continue the work in DRC and Cameroon as well—until no longer necessary.

Please pray for me in this transition time. Though the new position sounds exciting, I dread the thought of moving and starting over, especially in a place where there are no other PC(USA) missionaries. I especially ask for prayer for finding friends, fellowship, and a local church home. It will be crucial this year to pray for our partners here in Cameroon and DRC too. The moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, the Rt. Rev. Nyansako-ni-Nku, was recently elected president of the All Africa Conference of Churches, (AACC). He is calling a meeting for the leaders of all churches in Africa to come together and discuss and strategize around AIDS during the first week in June. Please pray that the meeting will be a time of deep and honest discussion and of spirit led action. And pray for the CPK and CPC in Congo, that the work of the Holy Spirit might grow and flourish. God is using AIDS, horrible as it is, to bring new kinds of hope and renewal in the churches, families, and communities where they are open to Him. May His will be done through us, and with us all.

Please feel free to be in touch with me while I am in the United States. I’ll be living in Evanston in a mission house provided by my wonderful home church, First Presbyterian in Evanston. I’m willing to visit you all, and be available to you during my stay home. Email is the surest way to contact me, as I’ll be traveling much of the time.

Thank you for your prayers, your support, and your love and generosity toward me and the churches I work with here. We are so very aware of you all, and the way God has used you to bless our lives. I could never be here without you. Know you are in my prayers too.

With much love to you all, because of the love God first showed us.

In Christ,

Caryl

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 38