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Book distribution in Congo to go forward despite unrest

For years, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been plagued by suffering and unrest. The weakest members of society are the victims of massive human rights abuses and cannot access resources to fulfill their most basic needs, reports MNN.

"You think of all the suffering that's going on, people being displaced over and over again," said Sam Vinton, president of Grace Ministries International. "There's a calm there at this time, but the people who are inciting the problems or having the rebellion are still there, so it's always something hanging over the people."

A recent report by the United Nations has accused Rwanda of supporting Tutsi rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"People in Congo are very, very concerned about the way Rwanda, they feel, is helping," Vinton said. "Whether this is completely true or not, we do not know."

Despite the situation, the ministry continues to go forward. GMI is launching an initiative in partnership with Book of Hope to reach every child in its over-200 Congolese schools with the Book of Hope and the GodMan film.

"If we waited for things to come down to 100% peace in Congo, I think we would have left many years ago," Vinton said. "But we really feel the Lord has put these 40,000 students especially right where we can reach them."

Grace Ministries International trains leaders for over 500 churches in the Congo, and the national church operates 75 high schools and 145 grade schools. Many of the schools are in remote locations, and they are very difficult to reach.

"The biggest focus that we have set for next year is how do we reach into those villages where you cannot get in by car, most of them maybe a motorcycle, but people [are] walking through there taking the Gospel out to those areas," Vinton said.

Grace Ministries plans to use a small plane to deliver the materials from Book of Hope, which has already shipped 30,000 Books of Hope -- 20,000 in Swahili and 10,000 in French -- from Argentina. The books should arrive in Bukavu, Congo by January of 2009.

"They developed a 16-page, very colorful booklet called the Book of Hope, which deals with not only the Scriptures...but issues that they deal with," Vinton explained. "Everything from AIDS, to marriage, and so on that will affect them in one way or another."

Book of Hope also sent equipment for showing the GodMan film to the students. In October, missionary Bill Vinton trained 50 school administrators, 20 evangelists, and nine leaders for the evangelistic thrust.

"I think our prayer, first, is for the literature to arrive there safely and for the production of other materials," Vinton said. "And #2, for those men and women who have committed themselves; they've set a goal that they want to see at least a thousand students come to Christ in the next year. So that is what I think we need to pray for, that God will really work in the ministries of these leaders as they reach out to our young people."

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TAGS: Congo Rwanda book distribution human rights abuses GodMan film Christianity

[12/19/2008]

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