Latest News

Africa Trip Highlights May - June 2010

Henry Leleeuw, an orthopedic surgeon who works out of South Bend, IN., and a member of the Gideons, traveled with AIMM Executive Coordinator Rod Hollinger-Janzen to DR Congo in May. Rod continued on alone to Botswana and South Africa during the first half of June.

Mbuji Mayi, DR Congo: Worshipping the Lord on May 16, 2010 at the Dipumba Plaine Congregation of the Evangelical Mennonite Church of Congo

Congo Highlights included:

Distributing New Testaments and gospel tracts to over 600 prisoners at Mbuji Mayi's Central Prison;

worshipping with Mennonite congregations in Mbuji Mayi and Nyanga;

meeting with researchers who are conducting interviews and documenting stories of faithful Christian witness on the part of Congolese Mennonites over the past 100 years, as part of the Congo Story Gathering project;

observing the progress made in gathering construction materials for the Centennial Welcome Center in Tshikapa;

enjoying hospitality and fellowship with Pastor Benjamin Mubenga of the Evangelical Mennonite Church of Congo, and Pastor Komuesa Kalunga of the Mennonite Church of Congo, along with their respective natio

nal executive committee members.

Tshikapa, Dr Congo: Congo Story Gathering Project Researcher Dominique Yona poses with the motorbike purchased to provide transportation for the interviews he conducts.

Botswana/South Africa highlights included:

Gaborone, Botswana: worship on Sunday May 30 with the Revelation Blessed Peace congregation.

Francistown: engaging members of Head Mountain of God in dialogue about future Mennonite work in Botswana

engaging in conversation with a number of long-time church partners in Botswana, in order to discern the nature of continuing inter-Mennonite involvement in that country;
experiencing Sunday morning worship in two of these churches, Revelation Blessed Peace in Gaborone, and Head Mountain of God Apostolic Church in Zion in Francistown;
gathering a number of significant partners together for a final discussion and discernment session in Gaborone on June 9;
significant interchange with a wonderful cross section of South Africa partners on June 14-15 during the South Africa Partnership Council meeting.

Pietermartizburg, South Africa: Pastor Lawrence Coetzee (low center) of Grace Community Church addresses the South Africa Partnership Council, as (above, left to right) Christine Lindell Detweiler (Mennonite Mission Network), Karen Suderman (Mennonite Church Canada), and Melanie Quinn (Mennonite MIssion Network) listen.