A letter from John and Gwenda Fletcher in Congo
June 2011
Dear Friends,
What do President Franklin Roosevelt, Rambo, and the organization Presbyterian Women have in common?
A Congolese teacher of English named Willie Lushimba!
Well, OK, we might have stretched it a bit. The Rambo in question isn’t the film hero but Dr. V. Birch Rambo, well-loved Presbyterian missionary who used to work at the Institut Medical Chretien du Kasai (IMCK). Willie Lushimba is the now adult son of the former head mechanic at IMCK. He contracted polio when he was 9 years old and was left unable to walk and with only limited use of his arms. Willie’s parents were naturally distraught about their son’s prospects until they talked with Dr. Rambo. Birch told them that Franklin Roosevelt had also contracted polio and was confined to a wheelchair when he was elected the 32nd president of the United States. After hearing that, Willie’s parents began to see that there was still much he could do. With the financial help of the Rambos and other missionary families, Willie was able to attend the best high school and then college, in the region, where he excelled—especially in English. Last year, at age 40, Willie moved from Tshikaji into Kananga, where he is living on his own for the first time in his life and is earning his living teaching English.
And what is the link to Presbyterian Women (PW)? PW has just generously awarded the Presbyterian Community of Congo (CPC) a Thank Offering grant that will fund a program designed to improve the employment prospects of Congolese high school girls by teaching them high demand skills in computers and English. You guessed it—Willie will be one of the English teachers in this program!
PW has long been a stalwart supporter of international missions, and their grants have made a big difference in the Congo. Some of you may have read in the 2011 Mission Yearbook about Pastor Jacky of Bulape, one of the Congolese Presbyterian Church’s six ordained women pastors. PW awarded a Thank Offering grant to a project for teaching basic literacy along with income-generating skills to illiterate women and teenage mothers in Bulape. This project was conceived and is overseen by Pastor Jacky.
Our Congolese partners have great skills, dedication, vision and faith. People like Birch Rambo and organizations like Presbyterian Women add the helping hand, the financial boost, the expression of confidence that help our partners put their skills, dedication, vision and faith at the service of God and those God has called them to serve.
Thank you for being part of the body of Christ in God’s work in the Congo.
Grace and peace,
John and Gwenda Fletcher
For more information about Presbyterian Disaster Assistance:
pda@pcusa.org
www.pcusa.org/pda
(888) 728-7228, x5838
The 2011 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 61
