A Long Journey Rewarded

FROM the Democratic Republic of Congo comes the report of two fleshly sisters who decided to make a long trip in a war-torn zone to attend the “Give God Glory” District Convention in Lisala. Apart from the spiritual instruction and Christian association that they hoped to enjoy at the convention, they looked forward to meeting representatives from the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kinshasa. Because of the civil war in the country, they had not seen anyone from the branch for years, and they wanted to take this opportunity to do so.

Traveling by pirogue, or dugout, the two sisters went from their native Basankusu to Lisala, a trip of some 200 miles [300 km] through forest and along two rivers. It took them three weeks to make the trip. Since both of them are in the full-time ministry, having served 3 and 19 years respectively, they took advantage of their trip to spread the Kingdom good news. They spent some 110 hours preaching to those they met along the way, placing 200 tracts and 30 magazines.

Along the river, they had to navigate between the hippos and the crocodiles that are common to that region. They could not travel the river at night​—no navigation after dark! They also passed through many military checkpoints.

Although this was a very long and tiring trip, the sisters were happy to make the effort. Both were full of appreciation and joy at being present for the convention in Lisala. Their hearts were burning with enthusiasm for the truth, and they were encouraged by the company of the 7,000 brothers and sisters present. After the convention, they met the same challenges on their trip home, where they found their families safe and sound.