Gifts

Another of the lessons we have learned from Congolese Disciples is that the value of a gift has very little to do with the cost of the gift.  Value is measured by the thought put into choosing the gift, and the meaning the gift has for both the receiver and the giver.  Time and again, as we were given gifts, the symbolism of the gift was explained in great detail.  When we were given two fish, they were not just two fish - they represented the partnership between two churches, Indiana and Mbandaka.  If there were three fish, it did not mean that the catch had been larger that day - it was a symbol for the Trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Two men traveled 12 hours paddling a canoe, gave us a jar of honey, remained with us for about an hour, then climbed in the canoe and paddled 18 hours back up river to their home parish.  What is the value of that gift?  I can tell you, the honey tasted as if it had come straight from heaven - as it had.

We have thought long and hard about the gifts we are taking with us to our partners, and I am happy that we have chosen something that will speak of the value our partnership has for the Mbandaka District of the Disciples of Christ in Congo, and for the Christian Church in Indiana.


There is good evidence that we are learning about the value of meaningful gifts.  The offerings from our CYF (secondary school) and Chi Rho (middle school) assemblies, and possibly our summer camp offerings, are going to our partner's youth to help them buy musical instruments to share their faith.  One church had a "Step into the Waters" theme for Lent - and raised money for a well and latrine project in Congo.  Congregations with concerns about health have supported a nutritional clinic and the start-up of a pharmacy in Mbandaka.  Gifts to buy bicycles and a motorcycle, treasured in a country where transportation is always a problem, were linked to the Sabbatical theme for a pastor at one congregation.

Gifts with deep meaning, both for the giver and the receiver.  Valued by both.

Hospitality

It is very hard to describe the warmth and enthusiasm of a welcome celebration in DR Congo (or many other parts of Africa, for that matter).  Everyone who has experienced it seems to suffer for a lack of words that do justice to the experience.  You can get a glimpse of it in videos (2008 Partnership Video), but it is the very sense of being surrounded by people who are excited and overjoyed to welcome you to their home that is impossible to capture.  This is not something "staged" or arranged - this is so much a part of who the Congolese are.  They simply cannot imagine any other way to act when a visitor appears.

From the time we set foot on the ground in Kinshasa, until we finally enter the secure area at the airport upon our departure, we will be enfolded in the arms of the 10th Community - Disciples du Christ au Congo, and cared for as we would be nowhere else in the world.  For we are not just visitors,  to whom generous hospitality is always shown, but we are family.  In my last call with Rev. Ilumbe, I could hear the joy in his voice to speak of the "surprise" we will have on arrival in Mbandaka - what a blessing!

I have often imagined what it would be like if visitors in Disciples churches in the US received this kind of welcome.  What if we sang our joy at their presences with us?  What if we immediately invited them to share in our daily lives?  Would it change our very being?  Is this really a part of our faith?

"The Things We Learned"

Several of the titles of the "books" within the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (a great novel about the Democratic Republic of Congo during the time of independence and the following years) seem so appropriate for my Congo experiences.  Much of what we have received in Indiana involves learning new ways to look at the gospel, at everyday life, and our relationships with each other.

For me, I would count these as the most important things I have learned, and I intend to write about them in the next few blogs:

     Hospitality
     The Meaning of Gifts
     Joy
     Stepping Out in Faith (for this one, see a February post, "How Do They Do It?"

Diane Spleth described her Congo experience this way:  "I knew that I was coming to be changed, but I think that I have been converted anew".  It is one of my hopes for this trip that in some small way, all Indiana Disciples may share a piece of this experience.

To that end, I give you a new verse to a favorite hymn of Disciples in both DR Congo and the US, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus".  Perhaps you'd like to sing it during Congo Partnership Week, May 22-29 (Congo Partnership Week - Indiana).

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN CONGO

What a friend we have in Congo,

Far across the ocean wide!

What a joy to share our Savior

As our caring, loving guide.

What a faith we have in common,

What a heritage we share!

We will walk together onward,

And our joys and sorrows share.

"The Things We Carried"

Another appropriate chapter title from the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.  It's time to pack, and we have the usual problem - there is too much BAGGAGE!

In this case, it's actually a good problem, because we have a variety of gifts that we will be carrying to our partners, and the challenge is to fit it into luggage and meet the airline requirements.  Clothing is much easier, because we are going to a warm climate.  Weight is a bit of a special challenge on the flight to Mbandaka, because we are traveling on a small plane, but we will do all in our power to include the gifts and leave behind some of our "things" if necessary.

I have decided to take along my dulcimer to share with the students at the girls' school, and others as the occasion arises. This is an American instrument, created by early settlers in the late 1700's or early 1800's in the Appalachian area, close to the area where the Disciples of Christ began.  Rev. Ilumbe shared his songs and played guitar when he was here in 2009, and he was taken with the dulcimer because it was new to him.  I may include a native American flute, also.  These both fit in with the Congolese idea of making music from whatever is at hand.

The problem is that I can't really play well without music, so now I am having to choose my songs.  What shall I take?  I don't have room for more than a small notebook.  Some hymns, of course; definitely "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", shared by both Congolese and Indiana Disciples.  Some of the old favorites that have long been played on the dulcimer.  Some Celtic music that comes from my own roots.  Perhaps some African-American spirituals, returning to their roots.  The piece I'm working on for the lesson when I return, and the multiple pieces for the concert at Eagle Creek June  11.  Oh, yes - not to forget "The River and the Tree" - my own song inspired by my last sojourn in Congo.  I want to play that one on the porch as I look out at the Congo River.  And lastly, "Anywhere, Anywhen" - a song inspired by DisciplesNet Church that reminds us that our worship is not bound by time or geography.    And so it will be on this journey, we will be together in spirit with sisters and brothers everywhere and in every time zone.

Of course this is the most important part of the packing!

Partners

Indiana Disciples have received much from the Disciples in Mbandaka since our agreement was signed three years ago.  We have discovered a richness of faith that rivals, perhaps surpasses, the faith of those Disciples women who, in the late 1800s, insisted that Disciples of Christ must have a mission in Congo. They prayed, they sold eggs, they held fast, and the seeds of a mighty church were planted.  In return, the Disciples in the US were energized to share the good news with others.

Rev. Bonanga reminded us at the time of the signing of the agreement that this partnership between a region in the US and a district in DR Congo is a delicate thing, like an egg that is waiting to hatch, and that it will need to be nourished by all of us if it is to flourish.  The need for reciprocal visits were an important inclusion in the agreement.  Indiana churches were nourished and engaged through a video created from film of the first visit (http://blip.tv/file/1463643).  Congolese parishes were energized by the presences of their partners across the ocean.  In 2009, Rev. Ilumbe and his wife, Maman Rosette, visited over 40 Indiana congregations, camps, and other events.  In 2010, Rev. Linda McCrae of Central Christian Church, Indiananpolis, (and President of the Division of Overseas Ministries) journeyed to Mbandaka, and Rev. Maman Nzeba of the Church of Christ in Congo visited across Indiana and attended the Quadrennial, along with Maman Christiane Ikete.  And now, starting Sunday, May 22, 2011, eight of us will return to Mbandaka.

We have shared each other's joys (new church starts, births, friendships) and sorrows (floods and tornados in both countries, an Easter invasion, deaths) over the last three years.  We use Skype to hear and see each other from time to time.  We are no longer strangers, we are only friends and fellow Disciples separated by an ocean, but close in spirit.  On both sides of the Atlantic, we are richly blessed in a way we could not have imagined four years ago.

For the next few blogs, I want to reflect on some of the gifts we Indiana Disciples have received from our partners, and perhaps share pictures of some of the gifts we have given.

Blessings for the Journey

Today in each of our individual worship services, the pilgrims were "commissioned" for the trip to Congo.  It is a powerful reminder that we go, not for ourselves, but as representatives of our home congregations, the Christian Church in Indiana, and the Disciples of Christ in the US and Canada.  We carry a heavy responsibility.  Even more, we will return as missionaries and spokespersons for the Disciples of Christ in Congo.  We must remember that we do not carry this burden alone - we offer this journey to God, asking blessing and strength to complete it in accordance with God's will for this partnership and the world.

In my own church, the entire congregation gathered round us, some touching us, some touching others who were touching us.  The strength we felt from this support is powerful beyond words.  Just as we carry a responsibility, we will be upheld through the whole journey by the prayers of Disciples in the US and Disciples in DR Congo.  What a wonderful feeling!  Now we are prepared for what lies ahead.