The Power of a Conversation - An Update from Bunia
School children washing their hands with water from the new well.
As the body of Christ, we need each other for support and encouragement as we share one another’s burdens in ministry.
Bunia, DRC
Rev. Bisoke and his wife, Fuhara.
Rev. Bisoke Balikenga and his wife, Furaha, serve those living in refugee camps in Bunia, DRC. These displaced people have fled their homes to escape war and civil strife, and have faced violence, human atrocities, trauma, and starvation. Rev. Bisoke and Fuhara minister to their community in various ways, and in the spring of 2021 Holy Trinity Windermere in Charleston, SC decided to help by raising funds for a well so that local school children could have safe, clean drinking water.
The people living in Bunia experience hardship that most of us could not imagine, and Bisoke and Fuhara labor under difficult conditions to minister to them. Even though the situation is grim, there is hope when the body of Christ comes together in partnership. ARDF joined Holy Trinity Windermere to partner with Rev. Bisoke’s vision for wells at the Bunia Children’s Hope Center, and we are excited to report that the first well is complete and that funding has been received for a second well for the school!
Access to clean water is a luxury many of us in the United States don’t even think about, but for these children at the Hope Center it is a big deal to have a stable source of drinking and washing water. In that environment, talking about Christ as our living water has powerful meaning. Rev. Bisoke and Fuhara have dedicated their lives to meeting both the physical and spiritual needs they encounter, offering Christ as the living water to the broken situations around them. In July, Rev. Bisoke and some colleagues attended an Ekklesia Healing from Trauma Training in Uganda. Already the benefits of this healing ministry are being shared, and there are plans for seminars to train more leaders. Rev. Bisoke and Fuhara know that effective ministry happens in the context of partnership, and we couldn’t agree more! As the body of Christ, we need each other for support and encouragement as we share one another’s burdens in ministry.
Powerful Partnerships Transforming Our World
Three years ago, Rev. Bisoke was able to attend the New Wineskins Missionary Conference in NC. This was a wonderful opportunity for him to create more partnerships and share his story. Since that time, we’ve heard a few stories from different places about their connections with Bisoke in Bunia. Because ARDF is excited about sustainable partnerships, we decided to gather all these various connections in one place and host a zoom call for all of these friends of Bisoke! In July, ARDF joined Holy Trinity Windermere along with members from New Wineskins and several churches across the ANCA for a zoom call to get to know one another and share how we all know Bisoke. With a shared love for this area of the world and a personal connection with Bisoke, it was wonderful to see how each partner was working towards a larger whole. Moving forward together, they will be able to collaborate more efficiently than before, and brainstorm about how they can best partner with Rev. Bisoke and Fuhara.
The power of a simple conversation can go a long way! Rev. Bisoke’s conversations with Holy Trinity Windermere turned into conversations with New Wineskins and ARDF, which in turn brought conversation partners from all over the United States! We love it when churches can collaborate and share vision. Praise the Lord for this gift of fellowship in ministry!
Please keep Rev. Bisoke and Fuhara in your prayers as they continue to minister in such a hard area. Pray for the people receiving trauma healing ministry, and for the children at the Hope Center. If you are interested in Bisoke and his ministry, you can sign up to receive prayer updates through Julia Marshall from Holy Trinity Windermere.
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