D E MO C R AT I C R E P U B L I C O F CO N G O
Pioneering the Streets of Kinshasa In this Mission Spotlight story, Gary and Rick reminisce about one of their favorite Global Mission pioneers. Gary: Rick, we’re thinking about that visit many years ago to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, West Africa. That was quite a trip.
Gary Krause, Adventist Mission director
Rick Kajiura, Adventist Mission communication director
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Rick: Yes, I remember going into the city and seeing lorries, or trucks, filled with people in the back. That was their transportation into the city. And so it was a huge challenge—you’ve got a small number of Global Mission pioneers trying to reach many people. Gary: We were there for a Global Mission pioneer training, and I’ll never forget the person who really stands out to me—Pastor Jeremiah, a former pioneer who led the singing for the event. He was so enthusiastic and had such a wonderful story that you suggested we take him out on the street so that we could film him in action.
Rick: It was. It was my first time visiting that country, so it was eye-opening.
Rick: Yeah, so we went out right in front of the church and set up there. He started playing music, and immediately he had a crowd. His personality is so infectious. He’s just so vibrant and has this life about him that people are just drawn to it, I think, even without the music.
Gary: In Kinshasa, you’re looking at [a city of] 17 million people, and it’s growing rapidly. It seemed like every one of them was out on the street when we drove in from the airport. Just an active, vibrant, happening city, and there we have Global Mission pioneers through the years who’ve been planting churches.
Gary: He had his two little kids with him, Benji and Josie. Josie had been sick. She’d had malaria. She also had ulcers on her leg, so she doesn’t look overly happy in the video, but she sang! They had walked two hours to come to the event, and that evening they were walking another two hours back home. 1
