FAQ about our trip to Congo

  1. Where is the Republic of Congo? It is a rainforest country on the western coast of central Africa, on the Equator. Impfondo is in the northern part along the eastern border, next to the Oubangui River.
  2. Are you crazy? Africa is no place for kids! Yes, we are. We are crazy enough to believe that it will be better for us to be IN God’s will than OUT of it. The best place for us to be is the place where God wants us to be.
    "Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for a life such as this." --Tombstone of William Whiting Borden
  3. What about the war going on in Congo? You’ve probably been hearing of the war that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is engaged in with itself and some of its neighbors. We will be in the Republic of Congo (ROC), which borders DRC. DRC was called Zaire until some new leadership toppled the old government in 1997 and changed its name. ROC is the traditional “French-Congo,” and since 1999 has experienced only occasional, limited fighting in the southern part of the country.
  4. So what’s this about a hospital in Congo? Global Outreach Mission is starting the Republic of Congo’s first-ever Christian hospital. Dr. Joe and Becky Harvey have already been working toward this end since the mid-nineties, and God is telling us now that he wants us to go join in the work.
  5. When will you leave the USA? Will you come back?? We expect to leave this winter, probably Jan. 2003, and return in 2004 or early 2005, whenever God shows us it is time.
  6. What about your house and cars and stuff here in the US? We rent our house, and will simply pack up and move out when the time comes to leave. We’ll probably sell one of our vans and store the other, having a friend drive it around from time to time. As for the “smaller” stuff, we expect to give, sell or store the bulk of it, and no doubt trash a little of it, too! Jay’s business will be “moth balled” for the time that we’re gone, so he can quickly get it going and earn some money again when we return. The hardest thing to part with has been and will be our three cats, two of whom we have recently found good homes for.
  7. What will you do there? We will be helping with the hospital project in whatever ways God enables us. For instance, Jay will end up doing mechanical repairs, handyman stuff, computer setup and maintenance, construction work, and perhaps leadership training or kids ministry in the local church. Crystal’s work will most likely include project administration, homeschooling our own children, communicating with people in the US, and teaching / mentoring young mothers. Jay, Crystal and the kids will all minister personally to the Harvey family (they have 4 children that get along very well with our own), as they are carrying the bulk of the hospital project’s burdens under God.
  8. Where will you live? Several brick houses are available among the missionary compound and the hospital grounds. We expect to live on the compound, but if that is full by the time we arrive, we’ll live on the hospital grounds instead.
  9. What’s the weather like there? Nothing too exciting to report here. The weather is typically hot and humid. They have a “Rainy Season” during our summertime and fall (April-December actually) where daytime highs are in the 80s, and the rest of the year is the “Dry Season” where the high temperatures are in the 90s. Click the following link to look at this week’s weather forcast for Impfondo at Weather Underground.
  10. Will you have to learn a new language? Yes, in fact we’ll have to get familiar with two new languages: French (the official language of Congo) and Lingala (an African dialect widely spoken in northern Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo). We have already begun learning French through tapes, books and CD-ROM courses. Crystal took a French class at a local community college this past fall. We all have a lot of learning to do!
  11. Are you going with your church’s denomination? We are actually going with an inter-denominational missionary organization called Global Outreach Mission, based in Buffalo, NY. This is the group that the Harvey family (leaders of the Congo hospital project) are part of. We may have been able to go through our church denomination (the Christian and Missionary Alliance), but we happened to apply with Global first, and they accepted us.
  12. How big is Global Outreach Mission? The mission was founded in 1943 as European Evangelistic Crusade. It was renamed to Global Outreach Mission in 1971, and now has over 346 missionaries serving in 39 countries.
  13. Are other people going to Congo, too? There are several families, couples and singles planning to go with Global Outreach Mission to serve for 6 months or more. Currently there are six adults and four children there. We met a number of them in June at the mission’s annual convention in upstate New York. The timing of when each arrives will depend largely on when their support is raised, and when they can leave houses and jobs. We are the next ones expected to move to the mission at this point.



    Part of the Congo Mission Team. June 2002, Olcott, NY


  14. Who will pay for you to go to Congo? We have been giving presentations to interested churches, small groups and families, specifically asking individuals to support us if God leads them to do so. While we’re not actively pursuing financial support through church mission budgets, we are exited to report that several churches have, on their own initiative, donated mission budget money to us, anyway!
    “I know your eagerness to help ... [you] were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred [others] to action.” 2 Corinthians 9:2
  15. How much money will it take to get you there? “Travel” expenses (not just airfare, but also immunizations, equipment, visas...) will be about $17,000, which has already been given. Living expenses (food, housing, insurance, administrative, communication, local travel...) for our family of seven is estimated to require $3,100/month, which can be provided through monthly pledges and one-time gifts.
  16. How much of your financial support have you raised so far? As of January 3rd, 2003, God has provided 100% of what we need for one year in Congo! God is really amazing, and we are humbly honored to be used by Him. We pray that the Lord will bless this month of packing so that we can be on our way! Please keep praying for the rest of the second year's support to come in.
    "Measure wealth by the things you have that you would not take money for." --Russ Crosson
  17. How can I give toward your financial or prayer support? If the Lord is telling you to help us in this way, you can fill out the Reply Form (available online and also on our prayer card) and send it back to Global Outreach Mission. Just indicate on it how you will help. Those who request our newsletters will receive regular news and prayer requests from us as we work in Congo. Thank you for joining with us!
  18. When I give money to Global Outreach Mission, does it go to a big “pool” for all their missionaries? If you send a gift along with our Reply Card, or if you put “Jay and Crystal van Achterberg” in the Memo section of your check, then your money goes directly into an account that GOM has setup to use only for our needs. This is why each missionary family is responsible to raise their own support, and why we cannot leave until we have full support.
  19. What are your current prayer requests? Our complete list of current prayer requests is on jayandcrystal.com. For starters, please pray that God will show himself to us and to the Congolese in a powerful way while we serve there. Please pray for our health, safety and for our whole family to adjust well to this new culture and climate. We also ask for God to make us into wise, obedient followers; people whom he can use in a mighty way.

 

Congo Area | jayandcrystal.com