1997 Harvey Holiday

HIGHLIGHTS

All Saints Day

Dear Family of Friends,

GREETINGS from rural Perry, New York! Since being evacuated from Congo in June, we've been "on the road." This has been a bittersweet time for us. We enjoy sharing with others how we have seen the Hand of God at work in our lives, particularly in light of our recent experiences. But at the same time we are aware of the toll uncertainty and miles of travelling have taken on our family. Now like most of our neighbors in Brazzaville, we have returned to our village to be closer to family and avoid becoming casualties of war. We have found a home in the parsonage of a country church on the outskirts of Becky's hometown. We intend to settle here for a time of healing and to prepare for our next step in ministry.

FAMILY NEWS

OLIVIA has enrolled in first grade at our one room, one student, one teacher school. After several field trips, she is enjoying learning how to read & write. CLAIRE may get to go to pre-school, but for now we are enjoying her fun-loving personality at home all day long. ISABELLE is trying to keep up with her big sisters and has already learned the art of tormenting them (i.e. crashing into their elaborate imaginary scenarios and running off with some key figure clutched behind her back while Olivia squeals a complaint and Claire dives after her to forcibly retrieve the stolen goods). TOGETHER they're a mix of mischievous, hilarious, sweet, exasperating, insightful, poignant, sincere, boisterous, creative and cute. We praise God for His gift of our children!

WILL YOU PRAY with us? Pray that He will strengthen and equip us to be worthy of the high calling He has given us as their parents?

WHAT'S GOING ON IN CONGO?

THE CIVIL WAR in Republic of Congo is contributing to the environment of instability in the whole Central African region. Recently the ongoing fighting has intensified as neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (ex-Zaire), former Zairian soldiers, Angola government and UNITA rebel troops, and Hutus from Rwanda have all entered into the conflict on one side or the other (sometimes both).

ON THE STREETS of Brazzaville, dogs continue their unnatural feast. Bloated bodies continue to float down the Congo River. Church clinics have had to close. Government hospitals have been abandoned. Across the river, in Kinshasa (capital of the former Zaire) the situation is quite tense. Many there have had to leave their homes in order to avoid the artillery shells coming over from Brazzaville.

WILL YOU PRAY that revenge killings will cease? Pray that the political leaders will seek peace. Pray that the African church will take the lead in the reconciliation that is so needed.

GOD USES A DOCTOR'S DEATH

PHILIPPE HEUGENIN was a good friend, and a fine young physician. He worked for the Salvation Army and was the only other missionary doctor we know of in the Congo. Before the war, we were away on a trip to the Likouala, planning for our move when he got sick. He was admitted to the university hospital, and died the next morning. Only upon our return did we learn how his life had ebbed away, leaving his wife SYLVETTE and children Severine, Jeremie, Joelle, & Stephan... in the waves.

God used Dr. Philippe's death to expand our vision. For years we've been planning to establish a church-based community preventative medicine program in the Congo. Philippe had just started such a program, and it was beginning to expand. What Congo needs now is a functioning hospital. Without a place to adequately treat patients when they get sick or injured, people will soon lose hope in even the best prevention program.

WILL YOU PRAY for Sylvette & her children? Pray for God's comfort in the midst of grief for all of us who miss him. Pray for the Salvation Army community medicine program to prosper against all odds. Pray for God to send reinforcements for the work yet to be done.

A NEW VISION

Our VISION is now to establish the first-ever Christian Hospital in Congo. The need for compassionate medical care in Congo is greater now than ever. Even in times of peace, scores of people die every day of malaria, diarrhea, AIDS, tuberculosis, and other preventable diseases. During war, epidemics of measles and cholera rage out of control. What's worse the tidal wave of Sleeping Sickness that is crossing Central Africa threatens to make AIDS look like a ripple in the pool in terms of the number of victims it will leave behind. Effective screening and treatment programs must be put in place soon.

In North America we talk about ACCESS to medical care. In Congo, we're talking ABSENCE of medical care.

WILL YOU PRAY that God will prepare us for this task? Pray that He will bring it to pass in His time. Pray that God will continue to use you & others as partners in this ministry.

THE NEXT STEP?

In order to gain experience in keeping with this vision, we plan to visit and work at mission hospitals in other countries, since our returning to Congo at this time would not be wise. In studying how they work, we hope to discover what may or may not work in Congo someday. We are considering as our first stop, the Evangelical Hospital of Vanga, in the former Zaire.

WILL YOU PRAY for God to guide us in planning for the future? Pray that turmoil in the region will calm enough for us to get to Vanga soon, if it is His will.

It is painful for us to realize that our dreams for Congo have been put on hold indefinitely. But we are trusting God's wisdom and His ability to work in the affairs of men. We firmly believe He gave us this dream. We know that His heart bleeds much more than ours for a nation, a continent, a world, of wounded and suffering. He died for us. And rose again. He wants us to minister healing in His Name, and will enable us to do so.

DO YOU ACCEPT His love for you, and His plan for your life? Pray in faith believing. He will provide.

THANK YOU for your prayers and support. Stay tuned.

In His Service,

Joey & Becky, Olivia, Claire & Isabelle

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