A letter from John and Gwenda Fletcher in Congo
July 4, 2010
Dear Friends,
At times we can get pretty discouraged with all the things that don’t work out, with the frustrations of life in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but at times things do amazingly work out! We would like to tell you about one such success.
The Nursing and Laboratory Technology School (ITM) of the Christian Medical Institute of the Kasai (IMCK) has had a dream for at least 10 years to establish a computer skills training classroom and to obtain Internet access both for student education and for faculty research and continuing education, and of course to allow e-mail communication. This sort of project would require multiple partners/contributors in order for this to happen.
Prior to our return to the DR Congo Gwenda and I began to think and pray about these needs of the IMCK. In communication with the IMCK we established a project to extend the Internet connection from the Good Shepherd Hospital to other areas of the Institute and to upgrade the existing communications infrastructure. Due to the frequent (and very severe) lightning storms that occur in our area, the use of regular wire for longer distances is not advisable, and therefore we needed to purchase fiber-optic cable. This was made possible by generous donations from and through our home church, First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Yuma, Arizona. In addition we received generous donations of used network equipment and computers from Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) (the hospital where John was in practice during our recent years in Arizona). The Medical Benevolence Foundation generously stepped up to provide the absolutely critical funds needed to ship this equipment from Yuma, Arizona, all the way to the village of Tshikaji in the interior of the Democratic Republic of the Congo!
Once the equipment had all arrived in Tshikaji there was a lot of work to do. We needed to dig about one-half mile of 3-foot-deep trenches in order to bury the fiber-optic cable within protective PVC pipe and we needed to connect all the cables and install all the computer and network equipment. Tatu Nkashama (the IMCK electrician) did the cables and installations, and as witness to the real interest of the ITM in having the Internet connection, the students (both girls and boys) dug trenches with shovels (no backhoes out here!). Once the pipes had all been buried, the fiber cables were pulled through the pipes in a real community effort with Prefet Jacques Mpoi (the Principal/Headmaster of the ITM) even helping out. Next, equipment racks that had been built by Tatu Katujudi (the IMCK welding specialist) were positioned and the equipment gived by FPC and YRMC was installed and connected. When the system was powered up, the ITM had Internet access for the first time ever. The timing worked out well as the ITM had recently been selected by the Ministry of Health of the DR of Congo as one of only three sites in the DR Congo to be provided with funds and several computers as a pilot project evaluating training in the use of computers as part of the ITM curriculum. Both the students and the staff were really excited to see the realization of this dream. We are thrilled to see students (girls and boys) getting their first chance to learn how to use computers — a very important skill for their future professional lives!
Many thanks to all of you who played a role in making this project become a reality. This project demonstrates not only that we can accomplish great things working together, but also that there is a real need for technical expertise even in the mission field in the DR Congo. We would gladly welcome any of you out there who might have skills in IT or network and server administration and could volunteer some time to help out. God grants each us (different) skills that we can use to the glory of God. God has a place for you to put your skills to use, NO MATTER what your skills are. If you have an interest in volunteering at IMCK or with the Congolese Presbyterian Church (CPC) Education or Medical Programs, please feel free to contact us at fletchers@imck.org. We promise to do all that we can to help you or your church get connected to God’s mission in the DR Congo!
Grace and Peace,
John and Gwenda Fletcher
P.S. We apologize for the lateness of this letter. John’s father, Archibald Fletcher, became seriously ill, necessitating our return to the United States. Dad was found to have advanced lung cancer that was untreatable. We had the rare and wonderful privilege of being with him and caring for him during the last weeks of his life and are thankful to God for that blessing. With his family at his side, Dad passed into the warm embrace of his Lord and Savior on May 7.
The 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 55
