Congo Hope Blog

Days in Congo Tonight is "Date Night at Ntshiangobo" The Congolese traditionally don't date. Usually, a man will see a particular woman in his village who is particular to his liking. If he exercises his good sense and has spiritual direction, he will inquire about her position in Christ and her character. She may be 10 or 15 years his junior, or she may be close in age. They promise themselvs to each other at the time. Then he asks her father if he can have her hand in marriage. In the time that lapses before the wedding date, he tries his best to fulfill the requirements as stated by his future father-in-law which may be as few as a case of coke, some sugar, and a pair of shoes for the father and maybe a blouse for the girl's mother to all of the above plus a goat, more clothes, such as a suit for the father of the bride, an outfit for the mother, pots and pans for the bride, dishes for the bride, and money on top of all of this for the bride's family. We call this a dowry. If the future bridegroom is employed, these items may be had in a relatively short period of time, say a year. If not, it may take several years to accumulate all the requested items. Sometimes the father of the bride will agree to partial payment in advance. In this case, the couple is permitted to marry before everything asked for is realized. In America, wives and husbands will pick out a night to go out to dinner and perhaps a movie, which is referred to as date night. That is not the case in the bush of Congo. Where would they go? Belatia's Bean Palace? Tonight (written on 5/30/12), at the village up the hill called Ntshiangobo (inch yian go bo) this is as close as it gets in our area to "date night." Pastor Kilasi, a graduate of LBI, also a professor at LBI, as well as our lab tech, has started a very good and rare program at his church. Two nights a month he calls married couples together to a conference on married lifel As pastor of this church, he is very interested in making couples aware of the importance of their marriage. The idea came to him last year after he and his wife with some other marrieds viewed the movie, "Fireproof" in our living room. The film sparked an incredible interest in the welfare of his own marriage and opened his mind to valuable insights into what consists of a good marriage and Who can deliver married couples who are in the pits. So, a few weeks ago he asked Jim and I if we would come to speak to his people at 4 p.m. and then follow that with the showing of "Fireproof". Quite frankly, I am so looking forward to the evening, praying that our words will be from God and that this movie will powerfully show its truth to this village way out in the bush, thousands of miles from the film's origin and heartfelt prayers that men and women would be impacted with power from this church in America that God is using to produce films with meaning, purity, and purpose.