Howdy and Merry Christmas! Brian Picchi here, I’ve lived and worked in the Wenatchee Valley (Washington State) for 30 years and currently I’m staying at the Moore and Ostrander residence in Minembwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo for the next two months. I would give you the zip code and address, but the best I can say is I live 300 yards northwest of the Minembwe airstrip that is currently covered in roaming cows. If you’re wondering what Minembwe is like, here’s my impression, bearing in mind I’ve only been here for two weeks. I love musicals and World War II stories, and here is what Minembwe reminds me of.
Have you ever seen the Sound of Music? Julie Andrews singing and twirling on a green hillside with a view of the Alpine mountains in the background? A wonderful story of love, family, and Nazis. All the beauty of Austria, the Alps, and the culture bowing before the overwhelming force of evil, and the Von Trapps fleeing for their lives. Well Minembwe is like that, it’s beautiful, rolling green hills with grassland and forests that go for days. It’s majestic; Julie Andrews singing here wouldn’t be out of place. BUT with the idyllic singing also comes the Nazis, here played by the Mai-Mai rebels, who are annihilating the people (destroyed 300 villages, killing many people and displacing tens of thousands), and the Congolese Army who steal, hurt, and rape when they should be protecting everyone; daily we hear stories of their terror. What do you do when you hear such things? It’s almost too hard to believe, yet I’m meeting the people who are suffering.
The question you ask yourself is, “Do I stay, or do I go?” Many might say, “The cause is lost and the danger too much, you should go somewhere safer.” But I am glad that those who stormed the beaches of Normandy or parachuted before the D-Day invasion didn’t think that. Or that missionaries like David Livingstone (one of my heroes and traveled close to this area), William Carey, Hudson Taylor and Eric Liddle heard and followed the call with their families. There are times that the few have made sacrifices, that bear a fruit that opens doors to many. Do you live among the hurting and desperate in order to provide what comfort you can? Yes, it is hard and dangerous, but it is also sweet. The joy and laughter is real and so much more precious when there is darkness all around. The victories are tangible, you see the effect that is being made.
The other day I got to be a part of handing out blankets to mothers with infants and to the elderly. These were refugees who have lost everything and are now living with other families or strangers, some have 20 people crammed into a house that is only 300 square feet. The blankets were given in order to warm those who have lost everything. This reminds me of the American cultural icon Rosie the Riveter and all the other people in industries and production facilities who tirelessly worked to get “the boys” what they needed on the front lines during World War II.
When in war, the question of whether you should be on the front lines or back home in support is moot; you need both. Without the front lines the war does not move forward. Without the supplies from those at home, the front lines eventually run out and fail.
We pray and hope for a day when the supplies no longer need to be sent. A day that these people, whose country has been tormented again, gain control and can go back to the normal life we all strive for. That they could simply live, love God, and love one another. Let us pray this Christmas that God would provide peace on earth and good will toward men. We sing, we pray, and we hope that the peace so needed comes through the power of Jesus our Savior. We know one day that Christ will completely reign, and we wait in anticipation for that day! No more suffering, no more pain, no more hunger, no more hatred.
I hope this Christmas you know and feel the peace of Jesus Christ, and that the people of Minembwe would know His peace in their hearts and in their land.
With love and season’s greetings from all of us to all of you!
Brian