Following the conference, we drove out to an area of the city that has never seen a white person, or so I am told. the level of poverty was new to me. I thought I had seen the worst, but......

There are probably even worse places, but it is hard to have those pictures in your mind!

these are the orphan children cared for by the church. They share generously form their nearly demolished resources!

walking on volcanic rock was very difficult for me.

These are some of the women cared for by the local church.

 stopped to pray for a blind/crippled man

 you can see that this volcanic rock is everywhere. they make fences, houses, and of course, the roads are VERY special!

There is a picture of this active volcano further down on this blog

Goma Pastor's Conference.......what an honour to stand in a room with these front-line heroes of the Gospel!

They say they were encouraged and strengthened by the Word of God during our tie together.

They face so much violence, danger, and poverty. God chose them for this position, they are so dedicated in spite of all the odds stacked against them!

Pray for them, there is nothing greater.

along the way, as I travel and preach, I make new friends, meet old friends, and get blessed time and again! These lovely ladies, on behalf of the women in our seminar, presented me with the material used as a uniform by the church women in the denomination (CEPAC). They tell me that when (not if) I return, I must wear it!

Goma

We are passing through Goma for a few days. As you can see, the city has a large looming volcano in the background.

Today is the first day of Pastor's Conference. We are expecting 80 pastors, and counting on God's presence with us in a special way!

These pastors are such dedicated, hard-working men, I am not worthy to stand before them.

Would you pray that the pastors will be encouraged, and strengthened?

My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me! (2 Corinthians 12:9)