How it all started from the Founder.
It’s just like God to start His ministry in the middle of Covid in 2020. While the world is shutting down, His work continues. In the spring of 2020, God had me begin to teach on Facebook which was totally new for me. Through that, He divinely connected me to a Pastor living in Kampala, Uganda, whose only request of me was to help train his people. As it turned out, this Pastor was a refugee from the Congo, a country that has been exploited and brutalized for decades, all for the sake of power, control, and money. This Pastor fled to Uganda from a small village near Moba, located in southeastern part of the Congo.
Six months later, in Feb 2021, I was on a plane to Uganda. During this trip I helped train with a local Pastor and Uganda team in a Refugee Camp of 125,000 men, woman, and children, mostly Congolese. We trained church leaders for three days and they were passionate and engaged. Yet, as always, the proof would be, “what happened after I left”. We had taught and encouraged them, but would they be obedient to Jesus? Would they share the gospel with friends, neighbors, and the community? Would they then make disciples?
The answer to my question has become a resounding YES! Here is just one of many amazing testimonies of how God is moving in the Congo.
A story from Elias:
Our tribes have been enemies and at war for as long as my family can remember. Tribal wars are not new in the Congo. However, when it’s your tribe, your family, and your community who are devastated, defeated, and have lost everything, it’s no longer just a story or headlines on the internet. We have all lost our homes, land, crops, and fields, but worst of all many of our parents, siblings, children, and in many cases entire families, have tragically been killed amongst all the atrocities that occur. This has all happened and continues to happen just outside of Bunia, Ituri Province, Congo.
My name is Elias, and I grew up in the Bahema tribe. The tribe of Bangiti is our enemy. I don’t know where to start honestly. There is so much loss, pain, trauma, and brokenness that even composing this story brings me sadness. There has been no hope for so long. To share with you in some way the magnitude of loss, the BBC reported this summary back in 2006:
“The conflict was extremely violent. Large-scale massacres were perpetrated by members of both ethnic
factions. In 2006, the BBC reported that as many as 60,000 people had died in Ituri since 1998.
Médecins Sans Frontières said “The ongoing conflict in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has
led to more than 50,000 deaths, more than 500,000 displaced civilians and continuing, unacceptably high,
mortality since 1999.”Hundreds of thousands of people were forced from their homes, becoming
refugees.
When I was a young man, the Bangiti tribe started using “poison blow darts” against my people, killing so many that I was forced to flee my homeland and tribe or die. So, I left my people and continue to this day as a refugee in Kyaka II camp in Uganda. Kyaka has 125,000 refugees.
Despite all this I want to tell you “No matter how tragic things are in this world; God is still at work, and He always has a plan”.
In 2021, The Rock Ministries from Texas, USA, came to the Kyaka II refugee camp. They taught us that we are “Ambassadors of Christ” and that we have been commanded by Jesus to share the gospel and make disciples. They trained and equipped us with simple tools. We experienced love and encouragement like never before. As a result, we are now sharing the gospel boldly wherever we are and wherever we go! God continues to add many people in Uganda and the Congo to His family every day, praise the Lord. We now have over 1,200 house groups in Uganda and the Congo.
A month ago, some of my Baheme tribe pastors asked me if I would return to my tribal area in the Congo to train and equip them so they too can make disciples. So, the door opened, and a small team including myself recently completed trainings for 175 leaders. However, there is more to the story. A few Bahema pastors stepped out in hopes of mending fences and invited some rival Bangita pastors to come join these trainings. The Bangiti pastors accepted, and the joint tribal
training has ignited a process of forgiveness and reconciliation through the Holy Spirit, which we only hope will carry through both tribes, and be an example for many other tribes everywhere.
We believe God is not done! The Bangiti pastors were so touched, that they asked the Bahema pastors to come into Bangiti tribal land to train and teach. This has never happened! The Bangiti tribal lands are controlled by armed rebels who are there to protect and conquer land for mining, as the Congo is a top source of cobalt and other minerals that fuel our modern world. The armed rebels agreed to give safe passage and protection to and from our training. Praise the Lord.
We have just completed the Bangiti training and there is now much hope in the Lord and many are beginning a new journey with God. There are no churches around and the existing pastors are ill equipped. However, the Holy Spirit teaches all things, and we trust Him. Please pray for these people.
The Rock Ministries is now starting to practically help the Congolese people to transform their future through vocational training, trauma and grief support, financial skills, medical assistance, health awareness programs and many other areas.
People ask me all the time, “how did you decide to go to Africa?” and “what did you do to expand like that?”. I share that it was not me who chose at all, but God who sent me to do His work. As far as expansion, it’s all the Lord, and it’s happening naturally through the people. God is in control, and I am trying to keep up most of time, which is the only way I would want it. A friend of mine who recently returned from experiencing Africa and how God was moving made the statement “my friend you have a tiger by the tail here in Africa”. It seems that way at times for sure. However, its God’s ministry, His tiger, and I absolutely love it and can’t wait to see where the adventure takes us, as we strive to reach and disciple all the people of the Congo, and beyond.
You are invited on this adventure too! Everyone needs an adventure. Come and See, will you?
Blessings,
Bill Crenshaw, Founder
bcrenshaw@therockministries.org
713-299-8171
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