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This is a brief article I wrote for HOPE International’s quarterly newsletter. I will ask HOPE to put some of my friends and family on their mailing list so that you can learn more about what we do. Some people are infuriated by mail, unless it’s a handwritten letter from a cherished friend, (and those are rare these days). If you hate mail and you are afraid that I might be sending you more of what you truly despise, just send me a message and I will never send you anything but personal correspondance.

(They asked me to write something about my first impressions arriving here to work.)

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Congo makes a powerful first impression. The moment I stepped off of the airplane and into the Congo night I felt the heavy, humid, balmy air on my face. I thought to myself, “Alright, this is home.” That night at the airport things were a bit chaotic. Despite the melodrama, we made it through passport control, baggage claim, and customs in quick order. I will always carry a mental snapshot of HOPE Congo Director Nate Hulley’s smiling welcome as we hurriedly greeted one another at the terminal door.

I am blessed to have traveled to a small handful of the over 50 countries in Africa and experienced the continent’s incredible diversity. Within the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s vast borders alone there are hundreds of distinct cultures and languages. Yet Kinshasa does not feel foreign to me. The cars move quickly and make herky-jerky moves while the people on the street play it cool and search for a bit of shade. People are making efforts at business almost everywhere you look and the informal economy is in motion. Infrastructure bends and sags, often unable to meet society’s demand for transportation, electricity, water to drink, healthy food to eat. Poverty is pervasive and people are fatigued, but they thrive. By the grace of God, given the chance to escape poverty, they will rise.

Last Tuesday I attended a loan disbursal meeting of one of HOPE’s community banks. There were about 35 women and one man there to get their third loan. I was asked to greet the group of mamas gathered there in the mud brick church. I told them that I was happy to witness them receive these new loans because I know that their small businesses are growing. When they have more money in their pockets they are better able to give their children the food that they need, support their churches, and bless their community. They smiled and cheered at the recognition of these good things that they are accomplishing. I watched HOPE’s very capable loan officer Seguy Ngeleka lead the meeting and help the group to individually disburse the loans.

I am impressed with the staff here in Congo and with the progress that HOPE has made in light of the unique challenges to success in this work and in this place. I am thankful for the welcome that has been shown to me. I am excited to begin coaching the staff in Kisangani as we work together to build a sustainable financial institution there.

I’ve known the feelings that surround the ministry of directly meeting material needs. It certainly feels good to be the one who gives a cup of cool water to the one who thirsts, even as it can often be an awkward, even humiliating moment for the one in need. What I saw there in the community bank was something different. As the women were given their loans the look on their faces spoke of empowerment.