This piece tells the story of our trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda in 2008. It was written during the planning stages by Kirsty who is now married and living in the UK. Herman has since become a husband and a father. What an amazing adventure the three of us had then!
It is 19:00 on a Thursday evening around a kitchen table in Constantia Park. Maps are studied, flight times checked and budgets calculated around an open Graham Beck 2004 Merlot bottle and four empty pizza boxes.
What do a tall, chemical engineer who owns his own investment company, a young Cape Town born business consultant with a passion for training and development and an energetic servant leader who has devoted her life to serving the Kingdom of God, do in their spare time?
They organise a humanitarian trip into Africa!
On Monday morning of 22 September 2008, three ordinary people who met each other at the previous Alpha Course will board a plane to Nairobi, Kenya and experience the first day of a life-changing adventure.
Herman Lombard, Kirsty Screen and Leani Wessels in partnership with ALARM (African leadership and Reconciliation Ministries—www.alarm-inc.org) will embark on a 12 day journey to Kigali, Rwanda and Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo via Kenya. We plan to facilitate both leadership and micro-business workshops for church and community leaders.
The areas where we will serve have been devastated by colonialism and civil war for decades. Rwanda and the DRC are both in a vulnerable peace-accord. Communities in these areas need support as they try to rebuild their society and regain some of their own identity and self-morale. ALARM has been taking the lead for the past nine year in resolving conflict in eight African countries, equipping and encouraging communities in this major reconstruction of their known world.
Leani studied with the founding member and president of ALARM in the USA and met more of the resident ALARM staff in Uganda at the historical Amahoro Gathering (www.amahoro-africa.org) during in May 2007.
Two weeks later, Leani and her father, Louis returned to Central Africa to help a church community in Rwanda with their building project. They drove four hours west to the DRC and saw first-hand how desperate civil-war survivors were for help and education in this massive refugee population ‘living’ between these two countries on the north shore of Lake Kivu.
That experience became the inspiration for this journey. It has been a dream of Leani to conduct leadership skills training in African realities like these. Her vision for Africa can only come from God. She is a true woman of Africa and this has built a curiosity for our continent in both me and Herman.
I have never been to another African country. I do not know what Africa looks like. Our beautiful country is the opposite to 99% of Africa. Herman has travelled a bit in Lesotho and some of our other neighbouring countries, but he too has never experienced a journey like this.
God has truly blessed us so far in our preparation for this expedition. We thank you—our Oosterlig family—who has given us both financial assistance through the donation of Bibles and soccer balls for the workshop participants as well as prayer and fellowship. We appreciate all the support and encourage you to pray for these communities, ALARM and us.
So, with our Yellow Fever injections completed we will be leaving on a jet plane with our backpacks, 80 Bibles, 80 bound manuals and a bunch of soccer balls. Pray for our trip and that by God's grace we will be able to teach a few people in two countries about Jesus' love, leadership and servant hood.
All three of us will depart knowing that “The LORD your God is with you; His power gives you victory. The LORD will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you, as joyful as people at a festival.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
Written by Kirsty Screen, photos taken by Leani Wessels
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