Unfortunately, for the Congolese, losing your children to disease is commonplace. Our housekeeper Jani is a typical example. She lost 2 of her 8 children in childbirth, 3 more to malaria, and finally her husband died of malaria also. Our watchman Malaise came last week to get an advance on his pay to treat his 8 month old daughter, who had a high fever. We gladly advanced him the equivalent of a third of his month’s salary. The next day, he returned and said the doctors had treated her with worm medicine and she was doing fine. By the time he reached home though, she was already dead––no doubt from malaria. We wept with him at the loss of his precious daughter presumably from a misdiagnosis and lack of proper treatment.

Tuberculosis and sleeping sickness are common here. No one boils their water in the jungle, and almost everyone has dysentery. Aids is on the increase with almost no education available. It is estimated that 45,000 are dying every month from disease. Won’t you consider helping us start a medical canoe ministry along the Congo River that can save lives and bring hope into the hearts of the people? Each death is one more person who will not hear the gospel on this earth.