Mission Presbytery Congo Mission Trip

June 4 - 20, 2006

Would you like a different type of cross-cultural spiritual experience?
Have you always wanted to go to Africa?
Have you wanted to see the mission work that the Presbyterian Church has been doing in the Congo since 1890?
Have you ever thought of getting in touch with the deep faith and spirituality of the African people?
Have you ever thought of visiting African villages in the tropical forest? Can you enjoy a rough, pot-holed, bumpy 10-hour road trip?

Then consider a new life adventure by inhaling an exotic, surprising and energizing mission trip to bustling Kinshasa with its 10 million people, and to more traditional and rural Luebo, the oldest Presbyterian mission station, which at one point in the 1940s was the location of the largest Presbyterian Church in the world.

Led by Rev. Donald Bobb, former missionary who has lived in Lueba and in Kinshasa, the trip is the result of a two-year relationship between University Presbyterian Church, Austin, and the First Presbyterian Church, Lueba.

* Enjoy fellowship with Congolese Presbyterians at work, play and worship

* Enjoy the innumerable music groups and the music which fills the air

* Spend time with young students and children, leading Vacation Bible School classes, learning what they can teach us and we them

* Spend time in the hospital, recuperating from decades of neglect and anarchy

* Work two days on repairs to the old First Church

* Share in daily vesper services at sunset

* Spend time with church leaders as we work on a potential partnership between Mission Presbytery and Luebo-Mission Presbytery

* Dive into the congested, animated, humanizing life of Kinshasa – parliament, university, outdoor bar music, sidewalk and street life

WHO: Presbyterians with spiritual curiosity, open-mindedness, good listening skills and strong bodies. There are currently 8 spaces available.

COST: $ 2500 per person plus pocket money for African art and crafts. We are investigating availability of scholarship funds.

WHY?: God has been in the Congo a long, long time. We will experience deep faith and all-encompassing spirituality. We will spend time together at the end of each day, processing and debriefing all the happenings of that day. We will pray together and share together in an unforgettable cross-cultural experience with Congolese people.

If interested, please contact us at donaldbobb@earthlink.net or at 512-459-0299.