In the Congo

Pictures from Africa

Pictured in Rusty Pugh, a wonderful Southern Baptist missionary in the Congo.

When Rusty put his cowboy hat on, I had him pull it down over his eyes and sing,
“The devil went down to Georgia, looking for a soul to steal.”

He does resemble Charlie Daniels (especially when he puts the hat on.)

Rusty, a Lower Alabama native, is a relationship-building worker sharing Jesus with the folks in Congo. He is on Facebook for you social networkers out there.

Seriously, Satan is seeking to steal souls– not just in Georgia, but all over.
Especially in Goma, Congo.

Jesus identified Satan in John 10:10a, The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

Satan is busy killing, stealing, and destroying in Central Africa. Warfare, systematic rape by soldiers, corruption, AIDS– the list could go on and on.

However, Jesus continued with his statement in John 10:10b: But I have come that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.

Jesus gives life, and He gives freedom from the thief.

The red soil and black volcanic rock of Eastern Congo is a spiritual battleground. A place where the thief is busy destroying.
but Jesus, the Son of God, is powerfully changing lives. There is an openness to the gospel- the good news of hope.

Folks like Rusty Pugh and his wife Debbie, as well as the strong native pastors of the Goma area, are busy in the battle.

They need our prayers.
They need our encouragement.
They need our presence.

I’ve been there. The fields are ripe.
Let’s pray to the Lord of the harvest for workers.

Joy and Christian, their daughter Lovely and local boys

How Africa will be reached for Jesus

This is my third trip to the continent. I’m more convinced than ever of this: Africa will be reached by the good news of Jesus by Africans.

Westerners will not reach Africa.
White people will not be the vehicle by which the continent is won.
We Americans do not have all of the answers.

Africa will be reached by Africans.
Jesus-followers (the term I like to use. It denotes a relationship as opposed to watered down terms we’ve come to use.) who are African are the vehicle of hope.

Rusty Pugh shared this model for teaching and sharing: M.A.W.L.

Model
Assist
Watch
Leave

Rusty believes that anything we do should be, and must be, reproducible. In other words, it must be something folks can learn, adapt, and use in their culture.

I fell in love with the family shown above. Joy is the daughter of Pastor Habimana Athanase. She and her husband Christian are the parents of Lovely. They are a neat young couple building their lives for Jesus.

Families like this of committed Jesus-followers are the future of Christianity in Africa (as well as the United States and every other country in the world.)

Our job is to teach, equip, mentor, and encourage these younger Christians.

It’s how a city, country, continent, and world can be reached.