Their Most Treasured Possession: Congolese Believers Receive Bibles from Partnering Ministries

By Terry Wilson

When Congolese believers are asked to name their most treasured possession, most will answer without hesitation, “My Bible.” Even to this day, people in the Democratic Republic of Congo remember and revere Gertrud Harlow for her years of tireless work translating the Bible, hymnbooks, and study material into Congo Swahili. Gertrud firmly believed that the Congolese needed tools to help them study the Bible.

Her husband, Dr. R. E. Harlow, once said, “Gertrud, with God’s help, I want a commentary in simple English for every book in the Bible.” And Gertrud replied, “Good, I’ll translate each one into Congo Swahili.”1 These commentaries launched the ministry of Everyday Publications Inc. (EPI).

Congo seems to be almost continually at war. Even today, many militia groups raid villages and destroy hospitals. Death and destruction continue regularly. People flee from their farms and homes in unimaginable suffering. The spiritual need among the Congolese believers is greater than we can imagine. It is EPI’s privilege to provide spiritual resources for these believers.

After the Lord provides what is needed to produce Bibles and other materials through our partners, EPI arranges for the printing and shipping so that Congolese believers receive God’s Word in their own language—at no cost to them.

God’s provision
Congo’s Christian community has urgently felt the need for Bibles and Christian literature, especially in the last few years, when the spiritual leaders had run out completely. In a recent, large, collaborative project, the Lord guided the partners listed below—despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and shipping disruptions—to print and then ship seven containers of Bibles, hymnbooks, and copies of William MacDonald’s Believer’s Bible Commentary (BBC) from Belarus to their final African destinations.

Since then, EPI has also printed 110,000 Bible study books (one container load) to fulfill current needs. We have an agreement with the leaders in Congo: distribute Gospels of John for evangelism, provide a New Testament when someone trusts the Lord and joins a Bible study, and give a Bible and hymnbook to a believer who has come into fellowship.

The Bible’s power
The leadership of the nearly 300 assemblies in northeastern Congo, headed by a believer named Jeremie, recently organized a 28-day gospel campaign using Gospels of John. As believers preached the truth from God’s Word, at least 2,092 people professed salvation and roughly 166 were restored to the Lord. Several new assemblies were established, and a new assembly district (comprising several assemblies) was formed.

The Lord’s people
We are so grateful the Lord has connected to EPI people who are uniquely gifted to minister to Congolese believers. Let me share about two such individuals:
Bob Watt (Missionary Prayer Handbook Day 1) served the Lord for more than 25 years in Congo. He currently serves as co-chair on the EPI board. He also heads a Congolese Swahili translation team. To date, Bob and his team have completed William MacDonald’s Believer’s Bible Commentary: New Testament, revised portions of
the Bible text for greater accuracy, translated new Bible studies, and developed test questions for study books.

Rex Trogdon served the Lord in Congo with CMML for more than 10 years. Today, Rex serves on the EPI board and provides a Bible teaching session during our monthly online meetings with the Congolese and Ugandan leadership. For the last year, Rex has also been producing two-minute devotional videos based on
John’s Gospel—“Feed My Sheep” (“Kulisha Kondoo Zangu”)—in both English and Swahili. The people absolutely love it!

The video ministry has expanded its reach into 14 African countries as well as Pakistan and the Philippines. We praise the Lord that many CMML missionaries, including Terry Barham (MPH Day 2), Jeremy Bassett (MPH Day 1), John Kinlaw (MPH Day 3), Lucas Richard (MPH Day 2), and Lois Wheeler (MPH Day 2), use this resource in their ministries.

The big picture
We watch with deep concern as the current conflict in Congo has displaced nearly six million people within the country and another million who now live in neighboring countries.2 The refugees have lost their homes, communities, schools, hospitals, and livestock.

However, though they leave almost everything behind as they flee, we were reminded recently that when they run, they run with their Bibles. The displaced believers living in refugee camps in other countries have become evangelists. God is using them to build His church. The Lord is working in these ways in Uganda. Fourteen Congolese assemblies now exist in that country, many within refugee camps. There are also many gatherings of God’s people scattered here and there. Yes, what the devil intends for evil God superintends for good.

Recently, the believers in some of the refugee camps in Uganda received Congo Swahili New Testaments (Agano Jipya). One believer said, “I thank you so much for receiving the Agano Jipya because I lost my Bible when I was running from the war in DRC to come to Uganda.” Another shared, “To get Bibles and hymnbooks is very difficult, especially since it requires money, which is hard to find. But today God has shown grace and done a miracle to provide these books! God bless all those who have thought to provide these sweet books for us! These will lead many to eternal life!”

Your part
Please pray that the Lord will continue to bless the distribution of His Word and that many will be saved. Also, pray for the strengthening of our partnerships with assembly ministries that share our mission of getting the Gospel to the lost, especially in some of the neediest places in Africa. 

Terry Wilson, commended worker and president of EPI

Originally published in Missions magazine, July 2023. For more content, sign up for a free subscription (US) to Missions at CMML.us/magazine/subscribe.