A letter from Bob and Kristi Rice on home assignment from Congo
Advent 2013
The congregation at the Dikongayi parish on Christmas morning
The sun was already getting hot as we trudged through the sand at 8 a.m. We were on our way to church at the Dikongayi parish in Kananga. Kids shouted excited greetings, and family members brushed teeth, bathed kids, or drank tea in preparation for heading to church. It was Christmas morning! We gathered with Pastor Mukendi, the choirs, and elders outside the church to say a prayer and receive last minute instructions. The service started, and people trickled in, packing the pews full and making room for the kids on the floor. The church has five choirs – women, men, mixed adults, youth, and children. They each sang with energy and precision, celebrating the birth of the savior. The choirs are a highlight of the service in Congo, and on this special day their songs reflected long hours of practice. The level of energy throughout the congregation was high, and worship was exuberant. With people packed in so tight, it got warm and kids got fussy, but the excitement and joy were palpable. What turned out to be a four-hour service seemed to go too quickly.
The congregation at the Dikongayi parish on Christmas morning
This year, we are in the U.S. for Christmas. Seeing the leaves in their brilliant colors as the temperature drops, or the sun shimmering on snow in Illinois is a far cry from the sandy roads, palm trees, and energetic choirs in Kananga! We have had the privilege this year of visiting many of you in person, most for the first time. There were many occasions of meeting someone in person with whom we had been corresponding via e-mail for months or years. Most of the congregations we had been praying for by name each week, but we had never been there in person to know what they were like. Having faces to put with names makes a huge difference in how connected we feel. And having shared memories of worship together or conversations around the dinner table also makes our connection more solid.
Visitng Myers Park Presbyterian Church with Pastor Mboyamba
Imagine a similar process when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. People in Israel had known about God for thousands of years; they had tried and failed many times to worship God and to be obedient to His commands. At times God felt distant, and it was easy to rationalize that He didn’t really know me, anyway. But then Jesus was born, grew, and lived as a man in their own communities – God with flesh. You can picture the awe as it begins to sink in for a few people that Jesus is far more than just the man down the street. John the Baptist declares “The lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” and Peter affirms “You are the Christ, Son of the living God!” Even people who had not spent much time with Jesus could sense his uniqueness – a woman weeps at his feet in gratitude and worships as she anoints him with oil, and the soldier who oversees his crucifixion afterward declares, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” And, of course, as word spread there were stories of a real person, Jesus, who despite his power and position, was so full of love that He would die for our sins. This is God made flesh.
Sharing about Congo at Covenant Pres. Church in Johnson City, TN
We know the importance and power of personal connections. Despite our great technology and the ease of communication across great distances, nothing beats a face-to-face conversation. So, we are grateful for all of you who we did get to see this year in person. We lament that we did not get to visit all those we wanted to, and are grateful in those cases for technology and the hope of a future visit! We celebrate this Christmas that God made the supreme effort to bridge the gap and come to live among us. And that is one reason that we live in Congo. We want the church in Congo to know that there is an ongoing partnership with the church in the U.S. We serve as “representatives,“ a tangible reminder of all of you who remember them in prayer and care that the gospel spreads and transforms lives in a far away place.
Pastor Mboyamba and Kristi share during worship in Newark, DE.
And so we look forward to returning to Kananga to tramp down the sandy roads and listen to energetic choirs. And we celebrate with very grateful hearts that Jesus was born and lived on earth so that we could have a personal connection to remind us that God does know, and love, each of us more intimately than we often realize.
We visited twenty-five states this year – thank you to so many of you for your hospitality along our way. One of the highlights was a visit by our colleague in Congo, Pastor Mboyamba. It was his first time to travel outside of Congo! We spoke with him at a few churches about the work of the church in Congo, and he gave a presentation at the Congo Mission Network meeting in October. We have just started our second three-year term in Congo, and expect to return to Kananga in January. We treasure your prayers and support – they sustain us and bridge the miles.
Blessings to you this Christmas!
Bob and Kristi
The 2013 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 110
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