The Poles are Here!!

FINALLY the long wait is over – the mounting poles have arrived! It has been six long weeks since we ordered these poles and until receiving them I have been unable to install the satellite equipment for the mountain clinics. This is the primary reason we are here so it has been a frustrating wait! I am learning the hype is right - things really do take longer here...

The dishes I will be installing are 2.4 meters in diameter (about 8 feet), quite heavy, and require a very sturdy mount using 6” steel pipe we cannot get in Lesotho. (Wait, I take that back… there was ONE pipe big enough in Lesotho, and we bought that one and welded it between two shipping containers to use for our training dish. It’s not going anywhere now…) So we special ordered galvanized poles from a steel plant in South Africa, which have to be made in two sections short enough to fit into the airplanes. They have been held up due to considerable issues in the steel industry in South Africa, which I understand is the result of rolling electrical blackouts in that country. Steel prices are surging here – poles for just the first 5 sites cost us over $3,500 U.S.

On Wednesday morning I met with the supplier at 8:00 AM to pick up the poles, and by 9:00 AM was on the MAF plane to the village of Nohana to get the first mount set in concrete. It was great to be back in the mountains! This week I will return to Nohana to install and commission the first dish, then fly to the village of Bobete on Friday to set the next pole. By the end of April we should have two clinics online (Nohana and Bobete) and a pole set in the village of Nkau. Everyone is anxious to get these clinics online and improve the processes and care provided by the medical workers in the mountains.

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As I prepare for the start of this VSAT project, I want to share something that has been on my heart recently. Since the completion of the VSAT training course in late February I have been thinking a lot about two people. Pastor Joséph Thontwa and Emmanuel Swebolo are Congolese men who traveled from their home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Lesotho to participate in the VSAT training. They represent CEUM – a large, growing Christian church in the Congo and Central African Republic.

These are incredibly strong Christian men. Pastor Joséph is the head Pastor of a church of 1070 members with two weekly worship services, in French and Lingala (the local language). He primarily gives the French sermon, although he speaks both languages fluently. In fact he reads, writes, and speaks FIVE languages fluently. Pastor Thontwa is married with four children.

Emmanuel Swebolo is a Deacon in the church, and the head of the Missions Board. He speaks four languages, and is also married and has five children. Together with Pastor Thontwa he will travel into the jungles of the Congo for up to a month at a time, ministering to the Pygmy people. They take whatever transportation is required including car, boat, motorcycles, horses, even walking for days into the forests to reach these isolated people.

The dedication these men have to advancing God’s Kingdom within their home nation of the Congo is astounding. Currently they desire to expand their ministry by adding distance education for college level Bible courses. This will require installing VSAT satellite technology at four locations in the Congo. When the opportunity came for them to receive VSAT training in Africa they eagerly registered for the course, despite knowing the great lengths they would have to take to get to Lesotho.

I have learned it is difficult to get into or out of the Congo. The Congolese government is very restrictive when it comes to issuing passports and visas to leave the country. Prior to travel, these men were required to apply in person for visas 10 DAYS in advance. This meant a trip of 1000 km from their home in Gemena to the capital city of Kinshasa. Their first application was delayed (resulting in missed flights) but thankfully they were approved two days later. At this point they had already been away from home and family for two weeks and the VSAT course had not even started.

Arrival in Lesotho brought another challenge. Congolese people are not trusted by most governments in Africa, and cannot enter a country without a pre-issued visa. When I went to the airport to pick them up I was met by huge smiles from Pastor Joséph and Emmanuel and very angry words from the customs officer who felt their paperwork was not in order. He was not at all happy about letting these men into Lesotho without proper visas. Ultimately they were released into the country with a 72-hour permit and we had to purchase them an extension for R 400 (about $50 U.S.).

I want you to understand that Pastor Joséph and Emmanuel are intelligent, educated, dedicated individuals. Unfortunately, they do not understand English very well (their sixth and fifth languages, respectively) and this resulted in frustration and confusion during the VSAT course. Ultimately these men left Lesotho without achieving the full requirements for VSAT certification and will have to take an exam in the Congo the end of May. To add further defeat, travel hassles kept them from getting home until a full week after the training course had ended, the airline lost one of their bags, and they had money stolen in the market during a layover in the Congo. They were away from jobs and family for a full month and endured some pretty frustrating experiences and STILL cannot install the VSAT technology they so desperately want to implement in their home country.

Laura and I were so impressed by the dedication these men have. We had them to our home for lunch one afternoon during their stay and despite language barriers were able to talk about families and the work they are doing for God in their country – which has been ravaged by wars and poverty. It was again humbling to think of how easy our life is (even here!) and how much we still take for granted. These guys have such limited resources yet do whatever it takes to spread the Gospel and reach the lost people.

I have stayed in contact with Pastor Joséph and Emmanuel. Tomorrow morning (Monday, April 14) Pastor is riding a motorcycle 200km on “bad roads” to another town to teach bible courses for a week. Please join me in praying for these men, for their families, their growing Christian church, and that God would bless their work and use them as powerful tools in a country that is in pretty bad shape and needs the Hope and Love of Christ more than we can imagine. And specifically that He would grant them travel mercies as they go about their ministry and that He would enable them to complete the VSAT training so they can further spread the Gospel through technology.

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I know this was a very long post, thanks for reading if you stuck with me. Also thanks so much for your prayers and support of our family and now our friends in the Congo. If you want more information on these men or how you can send them words of encouragement please let me know.

Traig