Hochstetler Heirways: Tabitha Center Installations #9 and #10

Last Friday I had the privilege of being chauffeur for three of the ladies that work for the Tabitha Centers, Claudine Selenga, Marie and Charlene. You can click here to read my first blog about the Tabitha Center. During the week they installed four new centers. On Friday I was there for two of the installations.

Lovely mud! How do Congolese people stay so clean?

Supporters of our ministry have very graciously helped us with our transportation and so it was an honor to help others with theirs. First we went to Claudine's house and loaded up 14 hand crank sewing machines and two treadle sewing machines. The truck isn't a big one so we could only fit two passengers in with all the cargo.

Of course, after I got stuck I saw how all the taxis were getting through.

We planned to deliver the sewing machines to two different neighborhoods. The first neighborhood is Makala which means charcoal. We traversed through some very rough streets. I got stuck in the mud at one spot and about 10 men came along and helped us get out. I did learn how to use the 4 Wheel Drive sort of. It wasn't until evening that I realized I had kept the truck in 4 Wheel Drive all day. Oops! The good thing about Kinshasa is that when you get stuck there are usually people around happy to make a little money by pushing you out. So it cost me a few dollars but it was another story to add to my adventure. There was almost a riot too, I think because some didn't think I had paid enough. That was when we stopped and prayed out loud, not that we hadn't been praying silently before. Right after we prayed the young men stepped back from the truck and we were able to drive on through the muddy street.

When we arrived at the place for the first installation I found that we were at a house. It was the house of the President of the women's ministry for the church that would be sponsoring the center. It was basically just a little blue gate behind some ladies selling corn flour at a table.

The story of Tabitha, written in Lingala

Inside the gate I found a very organized group or crowd of women all ready for a ceremony to begin their Tabitha Center. Claudine Selenga and her friend and accountant, Marie were ready with a program. We sang some songs and prayed. Then Charlene showed up. She couldn't be in the truck with us because there was no room left. She had taken a taxi. She actually was the teacher among them. She had us turn to Acts 9:36 to read the story of Tabitha. She taught about how Tabitha sewed for the women and children and how Peter came and raised her from the dead. Then she had the women turn to Proverbs 24: 30-34. There she discussed how the sluggard is a fool and it is important for all of us to work. I was very impressed with the way she expounded on God's word.

After Charlene shared the scriptures, we sang again. Then Claudine stood and presented the materials to begin the Tabitha Center. An essential part of the Tabitha Center is using the Bible and teaching from it. So the new center was presented with four Lingala Bibles and one French. From my observation, most of the teaching in the Tabitha Center is done in Lingala. The Government language of the Democratic Republic of Congo is French. People with education in this country speak French. So far I have stuck with the uneducated, what little French I know gets lost in my Lingala.
Another essential part of the Tabitha Center is the study book, Choisis La Vie, put out by World Relief which teaches young girls about their position in life. It also teaches them basic facts about sex as well as their relationship to men. It encourages respect for themselves.

After presenting the books, the sewing machines were presented. Being a woman that sews, I found this very exciting. I believe all the other ladies did too.

Of course, I enjoyed the photo ops at the end of the program. There is more below about the next place we went too so keep scrolling down.


Funny how I don't blend in like Waldo. :)

The pastor and friends helped us tie down the rest of the sewing machines.

The New Tabitha Center in Lemba was already established.

Only the leaders were there when we arrived.

The next part of the trip we were able to be a little less conspicuous by laying the treadle down in the back. We all prayed that we would not be stopped by the police. God made the way and we got all the way to the next Tabitha Center with no problems. The next center was an already established program which called themselves, Dorcas which happens to be Tabitha's Greek name. We had the installation at a beautiful Presbyterian Church in a neighborhood called Lemba. (Lemba means tired in Lingala). The women were already teaching other women how to crochet, I bought a hat crocheted out of plastic bags for Lydia. This program provided school supplies for the orphan children in the neighborhood in September when school starts. They also provide some special foods for the children at Christmas time.
Only the leaders were available when we arrived. Charlene did a great job of changing her teaching from Proverbs 24 to Proverbs 31, to encourage the women to press on in the work they were already doing.
This is a ministry of Reach Global, one of the missions Rod and I worked with during our first years in Congo. Our daughter Emily, is applying to come and work alongside these women in ministry.

Please enjoy the pictures below of our time in Lemba.