Lightning, Ilebo Delayed, New Birth

From May 15-August 31st, very little rain fell at Nkara. Thirst-laden soil stopped producing greens, peanuts, pineapple, and papaya. Harvesting came to a screeching halt. This typifies the dry season in Congo. However, this year, it was particularly dry. Some have asked, "Is God punishing us?" The effort of prayer was redoubled as we saw the heat index soar day after day, followed by the stagnation and lack of relief caused by no rainfall.

August 30th was another hot and dry day. Then, the next morning, at 5:00 am, sound of distant thunder woke us; breezes turned into high, cooling winds, and the welcome sound of rain drops on the tin roof brought a feeling of refreshment and gratitude.

August 31st was a long-awaited day. That day our evangelism team would leave for Ilebo to hold a 10 day crusade in that port city which is spiritually dead. Prayers to the great waters of the Kasai and the Sunkuru, ancestral worship, and the idolatry of evil spirits and waste products under the bed (such as goat manure) have the population chained in darkness and terror.

So desiring to be a part of the freeing of their imprisonment by the power of the Holy Spirit, we had reached a "high" of anticipation, eager to see what marvelous breakthroughs the Lord would accomplish. About 15 minutes after the rain started, a roar of thunder was followed by an enormous boom and startling crash of lightning. We turned the radio on to see if Radio Glory was announcing...just static. As the sun rose, immense fog so hit the station you could cut it with a knife, blanketed the atmosphere.

We would learn later on in the day that Pastors Kasongo and Hosea were struck by that lightning boom, knocking Hosea to the ground in the studio, and burning Pastor Kasongo on both shoulders, which caused smoke to rise from his shirt and come out of his mouth. About 7 am, a new chubby baby girl (10 pounds!) was born to one of our professors at the Women's Literacy Center. As we looked down into her round, chunky-cheeked face, I wondered what her future would hold and prayed for her and her parents.

Ilebo disappated like the fog because the MAF plane was grounded at Kikongo and could not take off for Vanga where it would be refueled in order to come to Nkara to pick up the team. Eventually the fog cleared, but it was too late in the day for MAF to come to Nkara. You cannot get to Ilebo by truck, as it is up to a five day journey at the end of a long treacherous ride on the Kasai River. You need a large motored canoe.

Why of all days did the rain come after 45 days of no rainfall whatsoever on the very day set aside for Ilebo - a crusade planned for months and months? The Lord's ways are so far above ours. We are not going to waste our time trying to figure out why these events took place. But when such things occur, along with everything else that is happening out here, it causes us to look inward and ask, "Lord, we know You are speaking. Please tell us what are You saying?"

Thankfully, we are on the docket once again with MAF for Ilebo for September 10. Please, please pray. If Satan can hinder the apostle Paul, he can hinder us as well. We remember John's words, "Greater is He who is in You than he that is in the world." In the meantime, we marvel at and revel in the fact that the Lord, in His mercy, spared the lives of two special men on our staff. Radio Glory, praise the Lord, is just delayed in coming on. Please pray that we will be able to solve this problem as Jim Hulse just went back to the States.