PCP executive director Byron Miller arrived in Congo on Sat., Sept. 13, for a month of assessment and planning with the leaders of the CEUM (Covenant Church of Congo). During his initial week of visits to CEUM/PCP project sites Byron was joined by Curt Peterson, PCP president and the executive minister of the ECC's Dept. of World Mission. As Curt left on Friday the 19th, Byron set out from Karawa by road with CEUM president Mossai Sanguma. The first night they stayed in Loko, then headed on to Gbadolite, near the northern border of the country. (Photo above shows Byron in conversation with the local agronomist at Loko.)

In Gbadolite, beginning on Monday the 22nd, the CEUM had organized several days of seminars for technical service people, pastors, and leaders in the CEUM medical and educational systems. Byron led the first day, focusing on development principles and accountability structures. President Sanguma followed him on Tuesday, and on Wednesday a representative of the organization Hope International spoke on microfinance.

Joining Byron in Congo was Dr. Roger Thorpe, the PCP's medical director and a veteran missionary doctor in Congo. Roger is assessing the current state of the CEUM medical system and working with its staff on future planning and proposals. He is based primarily at Karawa, and will leave for home on Tuesday the 30th.

And arriving in Gbadolite on Monday the 22nd was a four-person volunteer team from Kent (Wash.) Covenant Church. Jeff Heiss and Darren Willis are working together with local workmen to roof a school, and Rhonda Beilke is teaching English as a Second Language. Elise Nordman, a nursing student, joined Roger and Byron on a quick, three-day fly-around to visit the hospitals at Wasolo, Loko, and Karawa; she is spending the rest of the time working with Rhonda in the English class. Both Rhonda and Darren are veterans of an earlier Kent work trip, in Feb. 2007.

Watch for further updates as they become available. A Google map of the area has been prepared by Keith Gustafson, who is with Byron in Congo for the entire month. Keith placed the primary CEUM and PCP sites on the map, with a legend showing the primary ministries at each site. To access the map, follow this link. A similar map is available in PDF format, scanned from a portion of a map of the DRC published by Cartographhia (2nd ed.), with CEUM and PCP sites added by PCP staff. Access the PDF map at the symbol below.