We recently had a video crew from International Ministries come to Congo to document the various ministries that the American Baptists have been undertaking in Congo for over a hundred years in response to a Biblical command to make disciples of all nations.

Francisco and Jason trekked in and around two provinces in Congo with sacks of video tape, capturing events such as hospital ministries, public health endeavors, Bible training, HIV awareness & care programs, evangelistic events as well as agriculture, nutrition and development work; no small feat in a country where just taking a picture from a still camera on the street can land one in jail for a month.

I accompanied them on one of their journeys and noted after a while their desire to be ‘part of the picture' rather than just ‘record it'.Three women dying from AIDS in a dark corner of a hospital ward had their hands held and were told that God loved them; a woman critically ill with tuberculosis was sharing a bed with her one surviving child, and they looked past the camera and asked what would become of this child when its mother died.They joined in song when two midwives in the maternity started singing to console a woman who had lost her baby in the middle of the night after she delivered by the side of the road, halfway into a 4-hour walk to the hospital. The IM crew broke all the rules of passive observers; they wanted to talk with people along the paths, help lift a bucket of water for a woman by the stream, play with the children who had come to look at these two with tripods and tape players and sophisticated cameras …..punctuating their work with times of laughter, empathy, compassion and praise.

I was reminded that we were not created to be spectators in life; to sit behind a camera or in front of a screen, passively observing the rich flow of life (good and bad) which characterize our world.Indeed as believers we are called to be ‘salt and light' to the world.

God has put us in places such as Congo, Latin America and Southeast Asia as well as the towns and cities of the United States to flavor our world with Kingdom values and morals and principles and love….bringing hope and compassion to a world in need of both. As bearers of light we are to illuminate the ‘dark corners' of our world bringing redeeming messages of hope to those like these women, stigmatized with AIDS; and facing a lonely and painful death.

We are in effect to live so openly and publicly that people can't help but look up and take note of us; receive our touch, hear our singing, see our joy and feel our compassion….just as Jesus did!

Our colleagues were nearly arrested as they left Congo with ‘a contraband load of tape'. It turns out we had received authorization for them to tape record but forgot to obtain the permit allowing them to take that tape out of the country.I heard they were non-flustered at the airport as soldiers and security police and immigration officials argued and threatened and schemed; trying their best to thwart the work that God had intended.The Holy Spirit and a young man named Chinois got them through without mishap.

When we are ‘salt and light' to the world we can't help but bring attention to ourselves.And when our faces portray peace and tranquility and assurance and joy……. the world takes note and says: "Wow! What is it about you…. that makes you so different?Tell us more about your God" Then as Peter sat down with the Roman Centurion in Joppa and told him about the Master…… we too have the opportunity to tell that story and color the world with the good and joyful news of Jesus Christ.

Bill and Ann Clemmer

International Ministries

Kinshasa

Democratic Republic of Congo