Testimony of Pastor Dider

TESTIMONY OF PASTOR DIDIER KIBUNDJI MUKOTSHI 

I was born in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in May 25, 1969. I am married to Annie Mukotshi and we have 7 children (3 girls and 4 boys). 

Both my parents were Catholics. I left the family in 1990 at the age of 21 to Lusaka in Zambia with the intention to continue my trip to UK as it was easier at that period of time to get a scholarship from a Christian organization named Christian Council of Zambia. 

Things didn’t work as planned. I spent all my money without getting the scholarship. I experienced what it means to be an homeless young adult for 1 year and half. In 1992, a church named Kimbanguist Church in Lusaka will welcome us and we could now spend nights in the living room of his guest house. We were in the number of 8 people, all of us from Zaire (today DRC). As we were hosted by the church, we automatically started attending that church. 

FIVE PERSONS IMPACTED MY LIFE 

1. Rhoda M. SCHRAG(USA)
2. ERNEST TURNER( SA)
3. JIM SAWASKY( CANADA)
4. NZASH U LUMEYA(DRC)
5. JIM HAGGEN(USA)

1. Rhoda Schrag 

     She was a volunteer from MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) from Indiana, US. She was occupying 2 rooms from the Kimbanguist guest house while we were sleeping in the living room. She was teaching English for free to the Zambian members of the Kimbanguist church. About 95% of the people attending that church did not know how to read and how to write. As we were there, she admitted us to her class.

Mrs Rhoda was using the Bible all the time we were practicing to read in English. As we were reading the Bible everyday, the Lord used that to save me. I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord in May 1992 from the presentation of Rhoda.

Rhoda spent 3 years in Zambia before she returned back to the US at the end of 1993. From the day I knew her in 1992 we keep contact and she is one of the supporters of Compassion for Congo. I was able to visit with her in Indiana in 2014. Rhoda is a Christian woman attending the Mennonite Church in Indiana.

2. Ernest Turner

    In 1993, Rhoda finished her mission in Zambia. To help me grow in the Lord she put me in contact with another person named Ernest Turner, a missionary living in Lusaka with his family (wife and 4 children). Turner sent me to cooking school and I served at his house as a cook man until September 1994 when I decided to go back to my country. I received a very good Christian influence from all the time I spent with the Turners as I was staying with them.

3. Jim SAWASKY 

     In September 1994, after I left the Turner’s home, I crossed the border via Kasumbalesa to go back to DRC (formerly Zaïre). Once in Kinshasa, it looked to me like a new country after spending at least 4 years abroad. I was a little bit lost until I heard that there is a MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) office in Kinshasa. I remembered Rhoda my teacher, the person who presented me to the Lord Jesus and I decided to go to MCC there. 

I met Jim SAWASKY who was the legal representative of MCC at that time. I introduced myself to him as a former student of Rhoda from Lusaka, Zambia. He recognized her and asked me what he could do for me. I told him that I was looking for a job that could help me to go to college. He said: what do you want to do? Without thinking much I replied: I want to be the servant of the Lord Jesus. He took a small paper and wrote a few words, and sent it to a man called Nzash Lumeya. I took the note to Nzash. Probably he wrote: this young man wants to serve our Lord Jesus. See how you can help him...

3. Nzash U Lumeya

    I found Dr. Nzash U Lumeya who was the dean of the University Center of Missiology in Kinshasa (1990-2000). He did not know me but after reading the small note from Jim SAWASKY, he asked me one question: My friend, who is Jesus Christ for you ?. I replied “He is my Savior  and my Lord.” He said “Good...come tomorrow and you will start your training in theology and missiology. Automatically I joined his church (MCC) while I was having my training. After 5 years of training I got my license in Missiology (like a Masters degree today). I planted a new church in Kinshasa and the University used me at the same time as an interpreter as we were used to welcoming many good friends from English speaking countries as visitor professors in 2003. I met Papa Jim HAGGEN at the same university in 2004 for the first time.

5. Jim Nolan HAGGEN 

     As for the 4 other persons named above, Papa Jim HAGGEN is very special to me. His daughter NAOMI got married with Jacques IBULA from DRC. As a good father, he wanted to know the family his daughter was attached to. He traveled along with his daughter to Kinshasa where the family in law was located. Once in Kinshasa, he wanted to be occupied. He decided to fix all the toilets of the campus of the University Center of Missiology. All he needed was someone to interpret and to assist him. I was there to help and we were able to do all the plumbing work at the university campus. When he was about to leave my country, he asked me if he could see where I was staying. I said to him: come and see.

He was very touched and sad to see how poor I was. He could not keep his tears even though he is a strong man. He could not talk because all the time he tried to say something his mouth was shaking and his eyes full of tears. I understood that it was the Lord Himself who was touching his heart.

I was a pastor but I never received any salary until I met Papa Jim. And he asked me a question: Are you going to help others if I help you ? And I replied: Yes. 

“What are you going to do with the money I will be sending to you?”

I said “I will help my family, orphans and plant new churches.”

From the time I met Papa Jim, my life changed financially. He started sending me monthly some money from him and her daughter Naomi until they didn’t have money to send to Congo. He came to visit with us in Congo in 2009 and said to me “your vision is too big for me alone to help. I will take you to the US to meet my other good friends and brothers in the Lord. Maybe the Lord will convince their hearts as He did in my heart to partner with you and to help.”

He will contact first his church, the First Baptist Church from Idaho, Gold Country Church [Shingle Springs, CA), Community Bible Church (Placerville, CA) and from these three  churches many other churches from 2010.

The hand of the Lord Jesus Christ was with Papa Jim, Dr Nzash, Jim SAWASKY, Ernest Turner and Rhoda to help me become what I am today, one of the servants in the Lord Jesus’ field. 

May all the glory be to Jesus Christ.

Right now we have by God’s grace 4 churches established in Lubumbashi, 1 orphanage and 1 clinic.

By God’s grace we are praying for a modest school capable to train the children according to the word of the Lord.

Compassion for Congo, is the tool that the Lord Jesus Christ is using to put our energies together to accomplish what He is asking us to do for the good of His people and for His glory in Lubumbashi, DRC.

TO OUR GOD, the FATHER, the SON AND the HOLY SPIRIT BE THE GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER...Amen!