32: Bridging the Gap Amidst War and Adversity

What's the Story
Written By Matt Edmundson
 

Today’s Guest: Pastor Alexandre

In this episode, we delve into the heart of war-torn Congo, where amidst chaos and adversity, hope blossoms. Join us as we unfold the inspiring journey of Pastor Alexandre, a beacon of resilience and compassion, who has bridged the gap between despair and hope. From establishing healthcare facilities for refugees to providing nourishment for malnourished children and cultivating self-reliance through land projects, Pastor Alexandre's tale is a testament to the human spirit's undying resilience. Tune in to 'Bridging the Gap Amidst War and Adversity | Pastor Alexandre,' where faith meets action, and miracles happen every day.

Here’s a summary of this week’s story:

  • Amidst the ongoing war and economic hardship in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pastor Alexandre has initiated several community projects. These include a healthcare clinic offering free treatment to refugees, a kitchen for patients, a room for pregnant women to receive antenatal care, and a future operating theatre.

  • In addition to healthcare services, other projects have been launched to combat malnutrition and land scarcity. A program that provides porridge to malnourished children has been implemented, and a land project provides families with pieces of land to cultivate crops, fostering self-reliance.

  • Further efforts to uplift the community include the establishment of a school, the provision of clean water, and a special program for Pygmies orphans. These initiatives aim to improve quality of life and provide basic necessities to the most vulnerable members of society.

  • Pastor Alexandre and his team rely on a combination of local church donations, external charity organizations, and payments from those who can afford to pay for services. Every contribution, regardless of its size, significantly impacts the lives of these vulnerable people.

  • Despite the dire circumstances, the community exhibits a strong sense of faith, hope, and resilience. Their deep connection with God and reliance on divine intervention is evident in their daily lives. Pastor Alexandre's primary appeal is for peace, as it forms the foundation for any sustainable development and progress in the region.

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  • Pastor Alexandre

    Sadaf: [00:00:00] Hey there, and welcome to What's the Story. We're an inquisitive bunch of hosts from the What's the Story team on a mission to uncover stories about faith and courage from everyday people. In doing that, we get the privilege of chatting with amazing guests and have the opportunity to delve into their faith journey, the hurdles they've overcome, and the life lessons they have learned along the way.

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    Crowd Church provides a digital sanctuary, a safe space to explore the Christian faith where you can engage in meaningful conversations rather than just simply spectating. So whether you're new to the Christian faith or in search of a new church family, visit crowd. church. And if you have any questions at all, just [00:01:00] drop them an email, hello at crowd.

    church. They would love to connect with you. And now let's meet your host and our special guest for today.

    Matt: Okay, so welcome to the podcast.

    I'm here with Pastor Alexandre all the way from the Congo and Pastor Alexandre is right here. Great to have you with us. Thank you for joining us here in the studio. How are you today? Are you

    Pastor Alexandre: good? I am good. Thank you to welcome me in this studio also.

    Matt: And we were talking, um, before we hit the record button, weren't we?

    That, um, your first time in our recording studio?

    Pastor Alexandre: Yeah. It's the first time to be here. Yeah.

    Matt: Yeah. Well, it's great to have you. Uh, great to have you. So you have flown in from the Congo. You've DRC. Um, what, [00:02:00] what brings you to

    Pastor Alexandre: Liverpool? Okay. Uh, first of all, I want to thank God because He gave me this opportunity to come, uh, from a democratic Republic of Congo, uh, our country where I live.

    And, uh, I've come here to visit, uh, our partners, uh, Frontline Church, and, uh, Imagine If, and, uh, also A New Hope Charity. We work together from Liverpool, UK and we have a link in Congo and they work about evangelism and we have social works, compassion and humanitarian works and also medical works also.

    Matt: Yeah, yeah, you guys do some. Some great things over there [00:03:00] and I, I get to see all the, all the video and I get to see all the photographs and I get to hear all the stories and um, it's fair to say if you're a regular to crowd, if you've been on crowd, you will have seen James Sloan on the feed, you will have seen John Sloan, Dr.

    John Sloan on the feed and James is the head of, imagine if, Trust and John is James's father and both James and John and imagine if I'm front line, then are very connected with you on name in the work over there. So what kind of things do you do over in the Congo? You talked about humanitarian compassion.

    You've got the medical center. What? Just go into a bit more detail. Yeah.

    Pastor Alexandre: First of all, I am a servant of God, a pastor. Uh, I lead a church. Uh, a mission called Spiritual Revival Center in Congo, but we are based in Butembo town. [00:04:00] Yeah. And, uh, we have, uh, many branches in the country. Uh, I lead the church as a, a, a bishop and, uh, you know, we have many program also evangelism and the other things that we, we do in the church to help people.

    Uh, and uh, as God has asked us to, to, to help people in different way, uh, is what we are, we are doing. We, we plant churches, we do missionaries. Uh, work. And, uh, we, we go many time at is a unenriched villages. Uh, we wanted to, we bring them the good news of, of Christ, uh, for them to, to become a Christian. Uh, that is what I do first.

    And, uh, also because now we are in the place, we [00:05:00] have people who are in need. Venerable people now for that, we try also to help them, uh, in a, uh, in, in the realm of, uh, compassion to see how we can help them, uh, give them a, how they can live and, uh, other things to help people.

    Matt: Fantastic. So you do this, um, role where you help people spiritually, you're a church pastor and you plant churches, but you also help people physically and with their physical needs as well.

    So it's both, both, isn't it? It's not just all spiritual, but it's practical and practical needs met. So how did you, um, Pastor Alexander, how did you, how did you become a pastor? Was this something that you always did? Is that your background or was this something? Um, that happened to you later in life?

    Pastor Alexandre: No, before I come to be pastor, first of all, [00:06:00] I was working.

    I was working in the bank and I was a assistant manager. Okay. Bank. It's a bank. I was assistant manager for a long time. After my, uh, my school, uh, I found is a work at the bank. Uh, I, I do, uh. accountant in the bank studies and the leadership. But when I was working in the bank, it was a way of God to find me and call me now.

    Uh huh. In the work now. Okay. To be now a minister. Yeah. And I leave the bank and I come now to... To work an awful time in the ministry, but it was not easier and I did it because I heard the voice from God. One day we have been in the church [00:07:00] and it was a time to give to God offering. And when I was taking now, I want to go to give, to offer to God now.

    I hear the voice come to me, right audible to say, give me your work. Okay. Give me your work. Mm-hmm. . Now I say, how will give the work? Here we are asking to give, offering. Mm-hmm. how will give the, the work is impossible to, to bring all the bank and put it in the basket. Uh, and now from, from that time, this voice, have been there, we finish the service, I go home, this voice continue to, to come.

    Oh, wow. Uh, and when I reached the home, because my wife also, she was at the service. Now I tell her, I said, it's something that I don't [00:08:00] understand. There's a voice who is coming to me. Say, give me your work. Give me your work. Even now we are speaking, that voice is there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I say, I don't understand that.

    As the first time we don't know or understand that it was a voice from God. We think that is a devil voice. It come from satan for devil that my wife says, no, we have to pray. Uh, to chase away that voice to don't come again.

    Matt: We have to pray that we no longer hear God's voice. Yeah, yeah. Now we prayed.

    Pastor Alexandre: We chased away that voice to don't come again. But when now is the time to sleep, uh, comes. The voice [00:09:00] start to come, all the night, up morning. Now I tell her, we have prayed, but the same voice remain, still coming. Now he say now, if that, there is some servant of God visit us, in the, in the town.

    Can you go there to, to, to ask them to pray for you, for you to have peace. I said, okay. And I go, I find them. One of the, the, the team of the servant of God. I explained to him what I'm hearing. And they said, okay, wait, he goes, he call other, uh, servant of God, the pastors over there. They come now in his room.

    And he explained, I explained to them. Yeah. And after that he say, okay, okay. Knee down. I knee down. And now they start to pray. Now, [00:10:00] when they start to pray for me, I was waiting. Now they will chase that spirit. They burn it and punish it. Don't come again. But now I say, I hear them say, Oh, thank you, Lord.

    Because the harvest is big, but a few workers. Thank you because... You brought another, uh, workers in the, uh, the field. I said, Oh, that is what kind of power of prayer. I opened my eyes. I see them. I was just thinking, thinking God. I said, Oh, thank you, God. I say, call upon the Holy Spirit to come on me, to help me, to understand what is the calling of God.

    And, uh, after that, they say now. What you are hearing is a voice from God. Now God need you in his work. Even you have been doing it, but now you have to be in full [00:11:00] time. I say, how I will live my, my, my job? I'm working, I'm the chief in the bank, manager. I receive a good salary, everything. How I will live it?

    I say that And, uh, from that time now and there's the Holy Spirit and the other people start to come. Yeah. Uh, to tell me. But it was not easy. I was been fighting. Yeah. Wrestling. It was the battle. I say, no, that can cannot be done. That how I come at, at the work of to be. Pastor. Yeah. Uh, but before that I was working, working in the bank, uh, bank and when God called me and, uh, uh, and also I remember one thing because I, it was, I was saying all that it can be sometime in the, it's not a good, uh, but when I was [00:12:00] being resisting now one day.

    The morning when I was preparing to go to, to the work. Yeah. Morning I see a man who come. Mm-hmm. escorted to my, my, by another young man to my home. Mm-hmm. . And when he entered in the room, He see me. He say, that is a man I'm looking for. And that man was in our town, Butembo, three days. Wow. God, in the dream, He showed someone that it was me.

    Wow. But he don't know the name. Yeah. He don't know me, but God said to him, go. Butembo from three, uh, hundred kilometers. Oh, wow. He come? Yeah. Now he's looking someone only, but [00:13:00] know by name. Mm-hmm. , but he have now to look that man physically. Wow. Now he have been in the town three days looking Wow. They bring him to this pastor when he saw his No, no.

    He's, he is not the one, they bring him another person. Up. He come to my place. Wow. And when he saw me, see that is the man I'm looking for. Wow. Is you. Wow. Now you don't know me. I don't know you. I have a message from God. Now God say is now the time for you to come to work for him. Wow. You have to leave the bank.

    And if you don't do that, you will find God in your way. And that man, I tried to convince them to, to sit down. Take the breakfast. I want to say, no, I tell him my wife, [00:14:00] look, something money. We want to give him the money go. And when we tried to look for him up to today, we don't know. You don't know where he is.

    No. And for that, we have talked with him. This can be an angel. from God. We must be careful now. And after that, sometime, I resigned. I

    resigned from the bank. I say I leave now, I go for God business. Wow. That's

    Matt: amazing. What an amazing story. And so, So how old were you when, when you left the bank?

    Pastor Alexandre: I left the bank at the time I, it was in two, I can't say, in 2000. That time, because it, I was 40. Okay. 40, 40, 39.

    Matt: [00:15:00] Okay, so that was in the year 2000?

    Pastor Alexandre: Yeah,

    Matt: 39. Oh, wow. Yeah. Okay. So 39. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So you, when you, I mean, you're 40 when God tells you to leave, um, 40, I mean, he's young. Yeah. I mean, I think it's young, but it's not young at the same time. You know, you're kind of established in life. So how did your, how did your wife. respond to, you know, the, the, the, the people in church praying for you and telling you that this was from God, it wasn't a, you know, an evil spirit.

    How did your wife respond to, um, this guy who traveled 300 kilometers just to find you, you know, um, had, had, I'm curious, what was her response?

    Pastor Alexandre: Uh, first of all, he was not, uh, have, he's not accepting. Uh, that message, they will say that cannot be because in the bank, the life was [00:16:00] a good leave. Now our, our, our job ended to go to, to the church where we cannot find anything.

    Yeah. Now, uh, first of all, it was a difficult, but according to that message, when he saw that man, I said to him, this can be now a problem that money come. And they don't accept anything present from us that must be from God. And my wife also, when he saw that, he started now to, to say, ah, that can be God.

    That can be God. And now we had a time. I say, no, we have to pray. And she said, okay, also, yes, we have to pray to see. What is the will of God and, uh, starting to pray to see how it will be done. But, uh, the[00:17:00]

    big question was now when it was come the time for me to resign. Because in me, I was now feeling that I cannot continue to work. I have to leave. But I have to tell her. Now I'm ready to resign. Mm-hmm. . And they say to me, give me a time, I will pray for God to dispose my, my heart. Okay. To, to see. Yeah. Yeah.

    And uh, when I, I was saying, no, I, I cannot continue. I have to, today, I have to write, uh, tomorrow to write the letter. He say, okay, if he's a will of God, God. He'll take care for us. Yeah. And accept it. Yeah. But good things because she, she have also, uh, Christian and, uh, she knows also to look, uh, uh, say, say, say, say, [00:18:00] say the will of God and prayer.

    Yeah. That was helping me.

    Matt: Yeah. Yeah. So it's fair to say then it, it was a season, wasn't it? It took, it took a bit of time for you and your wife. To accept what God was telling you.

    Pastor Alexandre: Yeah, yeah. Because I, I was, if I forced it, it will bring a problem. Yeah. But the one who received the message and the voice is me.

    It was not her. Now it was, now for me a good time to, to handle that thing with her up. She, she, she reaches a level to accept also. .

    Matt: Yeah. Fantastic. So did you and your wife, um, were you, were you always Christians? Did you grow up in Christian families or did you become a Christian later on in life?

    Pastor Alexandre: Okay. Uh, our family was not a Christian.

    Mm-hmm. , my father and my mother. Not a Christian, not servant. [00:19:00] Mm-hmm. served. Uh, but it was from my, my grandmother. Okay. Uh, the mother of my father. Mm-hmm. . Uh, we live together and, uh, she came to our home when I was, uh, I think nine, nine years old. Now she came to, to live with us. Yeah. And now she have been a Christian.

    Now every morning, every time he have to take me to the, to the church. Morning glory every day have would to wake up me and to bring me at the church and glory every day, every Sunday, every time. When is there is a service have to, to, to, to bring me mm-hmm. At the church and other thing. Now starting out to grow Yeah.

    Me up now or it comes a time to, to accept Jesus that I was, I, I [00:20:00] think 12. Okay. And, uh, Um, I accepted Jesus and, uh, I have been baptized and now I grown now in the church because of my grandmother. And when I was in the senior two. Uh, secondary two. Mm-hmm. , she, she pass away. Right. But that, uh, things Yeah.

    Was already already

    Matt: in you?

    Pastor Alexandre: In me. Yeah. Yeah. And they to like that I grow the church and they doing service. I have been teacher for children. Yeah. Sunday school and up, up to entering the Yeah. The ministry.

    Matt: Fantastic. So what would, um, What would your grandmother say to you now if she was here, do you think, seeing, you know, this nine year old kid going to church, but here you are 50 odd years later, [00:21:00] um, and she, you know, you're, you're doing the, the, the church planting, you're pastoring a church, you've got all the works going on over there.

    What would your grandmother think to all of that?

    Pastor Alexandre: Now, my grandmother for, for her. I don't know what God they have show have in me because, uh, in, in, in our family, we, we, we have been, we are 10 mm-hmm. . Okay. And others were there. Yeah. Yeah. But she, she was very, very, very focused to me. Yeah. I don't know what got her to, to me, but he was many times.

    Or telling me that one day you'll be a pastor. Right. Uh, even I remember in the church, our home, home church, community church mm-hmm. , uh, he, he was many, many [00:22:00] work to, to, to do. Mm-hmm. , he was sending me Yeah. To go to clean the church. Because Bo was, we have been near our, our Chapo. Yeah. And I say, no, go to clean the church.

    Go to do that. And uh, will say, no, you, one day you, you will be a pastor. He was there to encourage me. Yeah. No, go be that. And, uh, now I'm, I'm in

    Matt: that. Now you're, now you're doing that. Yeah. That's, I mean, that's incredible, isn't it? What a great story. So tell me, um, Pastor Alexandre, about the church in the Congo, what's the, what's your church like back home?

    Pastor Alexandre: Okay, you know, Congo, in the Congo, we don't have a, a, a church or religion for the, the country for the government, you [00:23:00] know, the country they like now, but, uh, most of who People in Congo, uh, are Christian. Okay. 70, 80%

    of people, they are Christian. Okay. And now the, our church Mm hmm. Uh, that's what is coming. Uh, after Protestant and the Catholic, Catholic is in the higher level, many people, the Catholic. And uh, when God called me, he gives me a message. Mm-hmm. , I received the message, uh, in 1994. Mm-hmm. , it was in September.

    Now, God. Is he showing me that I have [00:24:00] to do his work and the, uh, for bringing people to him by doing that. Now, what it was a vision. I was sold the revival. I've making revival to that bring people who are not saved. To bring them to back to God. Yeah. Uh, and also the one who are now

    they have abandoned the, the, the faith. I can, I go to them now to give them again, uh, the word of God. Mm-hmm. and to bring them back to God. Okay. And, uh, gives me also the, the verse. Vice it was in the Roman Roman 13. 12 to 13. Okay. Uh, where he [00:25:00] talking about is the time now to, to wake up. Yeah. The time to wake up because now the day he is coming of Jesus.

    Yeah. Now when I found this and I take time to pray mm-hmm. to God. To, to know what I will, I will do. It was the first time to start how will start the, the church. I was in the church, but now I will started How? Yeah. And God, uh,

    uh, helping me. Mm-hmm. , it was, it was now in January, uh, 1895 that I started. The church after the time, I think three or four years. Okay. Praying. And, uh, now our church is there. We planted the church. I started it. At that time I was in the bank.

    Matt: Okay. I started, you started the church when you were in the bank?

    Yeah, yeah,

    Pastor Alexandre: yeah, yeah. [00:26:00] The bank and I planted 2, 2, 3 churches. Okay. When I was, I was in the bank.

    Matt: So you were, you were doing, um, you were doing. Uh, you were doing vocational work, so you were doing, you were both in the bank and you were pastoring and planting churches at the same time.

    Pastor Alexandre: Yeah. I, you know, when I, at same time my holiday time mm-hmm.

    I, I, I go in the mission mm-hmm. , I was, it was at that time where I was now go to plant church. Right. Uh, it is a time of my holiday day when mm-hmm. . One month holiday from the bank. Now I can go now to mission and branches at two churches after the main church in Butembo. Wow. It was like that.

    Matt: Wow. So actually, when you, when you experienced then this call of God [00:27:00] from the bank to full time ministry, at this point, you're already in part time.

    ministry as we would say, you know, you were, you were working in the bank, but you were also doing the church planting. So when you left the bank, did you have quite a strong vibrant church at the time or was it a small church? What was the church like when you left?

    Pastor Alexandre: You know, uh, when I was a Working the bank, uh, it was a more easy for me to plant church and to do many things because I have getting some income to work on it.

    And then now when after leaving the bank, I continue to plant the church, but it was not easier. That is a beginning. Yeah. Because I, I, in me, I have that, um, uh, calling to go to [00:28:00] people and the rich people villages to start the work of God now, but it was not a easy, like when I was in the bank, but God was with me.

    Yeah. Uh, because after bank, I planted, I think if he. Fourteen or, or, uh, six, six, sixteen, sixteen, sixteen, uh, uh, uh, churches. Wow. After that, uh, even now, I, I am planting

    Matt: and continue to plant churches. yeah. And is, uh, coming to church planting then? Is church planting? Um, a good strategy for you in the Congo.

    Does that work? You go into the villages that, you know, unreached villages and you, you show them how to do church and start church. Is that, does that work well for you?

    Pastor Alexandre: Yeah, exactly. It's [00:29:00] different from here. Here it can be, as I see, it can be more difficult, but in our place, you know, it's a village. Yeah.

    It's far. And, uh, they have not received the, the good news. Mm-hmm. . And when we go there, we talk about Jesus. We show them the, the good news of Christ and you see people Mm. Come in, in Jesus. Yeah. Why we planted churches. Sometimes people say, no, you can make, you can. teach evangelist lies, lies the people without planting church.

    I say, okay, but these is people they have already accepted Jesus. Mm-hmm. , you, you how will will grow? How will they will know the, the, the, the word of God. Mm-hmm. how will, will how [00:30:00] the time to pray. Now you have to gather them. Mm-hmm. and there to start now the church there. Yeah. Where you will now start to, to.

    Teach them to make them a disciple is good in the church where they can meet and study to, to pray in, in a, in any Richard, uh, places, uh, is, uh, is, is not very difficult if you go there, the problem is, uh, is, uh, uh, What we called it is a town. Okay. Uh, when, when to come. Now at the time, at and is a time is a town is not like in an richer places.

    Yeah. That you have to make an effort to bring this in. This, because they have already here. It's a word of [00:31:00] God, it's radio, it's a campaign, many things, uh, uh, it's a, it's a town, it's sometimes a problem, but it is a villages except, uh, um, without many problems, uh, and we'll plant it, uh, directly and, uh, what we do when you, I go, I start, I preach.

    Some people they are saved. I make them disciple and at that time I started now to see who can remain there because it's good to have a servant from there who can continue to lead this way. The

    Matt: church. Okay. So you, you, you, you go into these villages, you preach the gospel, people get saved, you start a local church, um, using obviously people from the local community and they run the church.

    Um, and do you go [00:32:00] back and visit those churches?

    Pastor Alexandre: Yeah. Yeah. That now is now my missionary work, right? Uh, I have now to visit them to go to visit every church, every church, and to give them also the, the word of God to continue to help them spiritually for them to grow as Paul was doing. Yeah. I was making the tour in passing, go and come back and to see how they are.

    Uh, going on and to help them for other problem and what do they need spiritually to, to guide. Fantastic.

    Matt: Fantastic. So what's the, um, the work in Butembo, the, the, with the clinic, um, through Imagine If and your other partners, what sort of things have you got going on there? So we mentioned at the start, you have the medical center.

    [00:33:00] Right. What else do you have going on in the,

    Pastor Alexandre: in the town? Okay. You know, in our country we have, uh, the war. There is no peace. Yeah. Security. The war is there. Now more than 20 years. Our eastern party. We are in the war. And the rebels are killing people day by day. Wow. And when they reach the place. They started now to kill people.

    People now flew. They leave this, this place. They go now to look the place where is the at least safe to be there. Now, many time when they come from their places, they come like Butembo, where is the at least safe. They come directly to the churches. Right. Or they come to schools. Mm-hmm. , because they don't have where to, to, to live or to, [00:34:00] to the place of accommodation.

    They come to the, the school. Mm-hmm. , they enter in the classroom room, uh, or in the church. You are there. They come like frontal lines. They come, they are there. Yeah. Now they will starting out to sleep in the church. Right. At that times, the church now have now to see how to start to help. Mm-hmm. The people now is like that.

    We received these refugees from different places. Yeah. When they come to the church now we, we cannot church them. We have now to see how we help them, even if it's a little, we have, how they can live during that time. Yeah. And now we are in Butembo. But, uh, where there is many [00:35:00] refugees is Kasindi. Okay.

    Okay. Kasindi is at the Uganda border. Okay. And when people now, they, they come from their places fearing for their life because of the rebels. In their mind, they wanted to cross to go to Uganda. Okay. But now, in Uganda, they say, no, how you can cross, everyone will cross. Yeah. The government also, even in the Congo, block them there, they cannot cross.

    Oh, okay. Now, they are there. But in Kasindi, it's at least safe. It's why people, they run away in Kasindi, to go in Kasindi, because it's safe. And, uh, when we have a church there in Kasindi and you see the life of these people is very bad, bad, bad. They don't have accommodation, no [00:36:00] feeding, no healthcare, no school, everything, nothing.

    Can you say it's a government that's not do anything for them now is now become the work of the church church. Yeah. And from that, when we see people, especially the children, the women, uh, pregnant women, they are suffering so much now because my daughter. She did medical, uh, studies. Yeah. Uh, now we opened a dispensary mm-hmm.

    before in, in Kasindi, which now we have started now to help these people. Right. Uh, giving them, uh, medicine. Mm-hmm. , uh, even free because I don't have, uh, uh, there the capacity to, to pay. Yeah. And it was at that time, When we met [00:37:00] with Frontline Church, uh, through also Dr. John, now we say no, no, we have now to, to, to, to do the, the clinic mission.

    Yeah. That mean we come, we make the consultation, we consult people, we check people, and we give them the medicine free. Now we start to do like that because people that was more there's a problem there now they say no we we plan to to build a clinic which can be big because we have what we have to the small things like that now they started now to found it and to help we bought the land and there we started to build the The clinic.

    Yeah. Uh, it was good. We finished it. Yeah. And it is now working now. [00:38:00] Yeah. Many refugees, people, they come there to receive free treatment. Yeah. Uh, but you, you must be a refugees. Right. You have must be recorded and we see your card. Now they can receive healthcare there. We build also the kitchen where the patient can cook when they are there.

    It's a good toilet for them. Uh, the wall. We have the room where pregnant, pregnant women, they come and they can be tested there and receiving some teaching about how they must be at that time. And because now people, they are coming and we see the need. Now we have decided now to [00:39:00] build another building.

    Okay. Uh, which now is the, the is we are working on it. Right. Uh, and for, for that what, what, what is the the, the objective is to have a good, uh, theater operating. Oh, wow. Yeah. Where we can start to operate. Yeah. People. Because now, uh, Dr. John and, uh, a doctor from Uganda mm-hmm. Uh, Dr. Francis Frank, mm-hmm. , uh, they're working in a partnership and that one is very, very specialized in the surgery.

    Yeah. Now we say, no, we can't. I have a good, uh, operating room where now we can start now to operate [00:40:00] people. Yeah. Even not only these refugees, but the people who can be able to pay. Yeah. And from that money, it can now help to sustain some project for these refugees people. Fantastic. Now see what now we are, we are doing.

    Uh, I think, I know that, uh, if, uh, we get, uh, found, it will be a good, uh, place for treatment. Yeah. Uh, that is what now we are working to do. And also, we, we, you know, uh, the problem of disease, it come also because of the water, that water. Yeah. They use the, that water of the river. Yeah. Uh huh. That's what it was using.

    Yeah. But if, imagine if, uh, we, we make a well. [00:41:00] Oh, fantastic. A well, uh, it can, uh, they have two tanks. One of 5, 000 litres and another 3, 000 litres. Wow. And now that water is used. for the clinic, the hospital, and for the community. Fantastic. Now the community can have now the good water. They've all got clean water as well.

    Clean water to help them to...

    Matt: So disease has fallen quite a lot because of the water aspect of it. Yeah.

    Pastor Alexandre: Fantastic. We have also the program of malnutrition. Malnutrition, okay. Yeah, we give children Uh, porridge, porridge, porridge,

    Matt: uh, or oats oatmeal, as they call it in America.

    Pastor Alexandre: Yeah. Yeah. Uh, we, we take ba oil, we take, uh, [00:42:00] other things put together mm-hmm.

    and we give them full time by, by week. Mm-hmm. , they can come and they have a bottle of food. of that. Fantastic. And to help them for their life, because if you see them very, very, very, very, you see children, very, my, my, uh, the question of course is, is, is higher. Yeah. And for that also, we, we bought a land, like three acres, uh, that we divide, we have divided it.

    by 80, 80 pieces, 80, 80 pieces. Yep. And we gave for the family. Everyone, 80 families can cultivate in. After three months, they remove their crops, they [00:43:00] harvest. Other, they go there. Right. After that, other, they go there. Yeah. Because they don't have capacity to, to, to, to find the land where to cultivate. Yeah.

    Now we do that, is helping them. Yeah. How they can do something when they get, because we, we, we put there maize and beans. After. Harvest. He can have some kilogram. Yeah. But can't help him. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, uh, after that, others, another team come. Yeah. Another group come. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what

    Matt: we... And it just keeps going.

    Yeah. Oh, wow. Uh huh. So there's lots going on. So you've got the medical center, you've got the water. You've got the feeding program. You've bought some land that people now farm. And the school. And you've got the school. Yeah, and the school. Man, you must [00:44:00] be, um, you must be really busy.

    Pastor Alexandre: Yeah, but we have a committee.

    Mm hmm. I'm not the one in charge of all the things. We have the one who are the... Working for the medical, others are in charge of children, schools, others for, say, malnutrition. We have people who are working for that. So

    Matt: how many people are on the team? How big is the team?

    Pastor Alexandre: We can say, but the big team is in the hospital.

    Because there we have, uh, The leader, the administrator. Mm-hmm. , uh, who lead a hospital. We have doctors. Uh, they can be I think, uh, 16. Wow. No, 16. 16. [00:45:00] 16. Mm-hmm. , uh, 16 people working on, say, clinic there. And for the, the one who work for the, the, malnutrition. There are three. Okay. Three people work for the management.

    We have, uh, also, there are four, who work for the, who lead the, this land for, to cultivate. Yeah. Because sometimes it bring problem. But they all know to me, me, me now have to, to be there to handle these things very, very, very well. And the schools. We have a school in Butembo and we have a school in, uh, in Kasindi.

    Mm-hmm. . And we have the master in the ca we have three head master. Mm-hmm. Butembo. We are also three head master and [00:46:00] lead this school. And lead the school and teach. Uh, but now last year we get. Another group of people. Pygmies. Mies. Yeah. Okay. Even now they orhan the Pygmies orphan. Okay. Uh, they have parent have been killed in the bush by the rebels.

    Ah, now we have them. And you know, these people, they have another. Culture, to live because I was born in, I've been in the bush. Now we have, we have a big, big, big work to do for the people, to let them to know and to start now to live a good life with other people. How to eat, how to put clothes, you can give him the clothes.

    They close now, but after one hour, she remove [00:47:00] it, take it away because they still be without it. Yeah. That now we are working, that is a special, that is a special, how

    they live difficulty. Yeah. Now we are working. With them and now that is since last year, but we thank God because they started now to, to change, to be like other people, other children, starting to fit in, yeah,

    Matt: yeah. Connect with the other kids. Yeah.

    Pastor Alexandre: That's amazing. What we are doing through your prayers and you support because you cannot do.

    Well, that was

    Matt: going to be one of my questions, um, pastor. I mean, you know, you've got the, the hospital that gives away free medicine and does free treatment, you've got, um, [00:48:00] schools, which have got headmasters and, and teachers working in, you've got, obviously you're buying land to farm. Where does. Where does your support come from?

    How does that, where does the medicine come from, for example, to, to give to the patients? How do you get a

    Pastor Alexandre: hold of that? Okay, we have, can you say, we have three ways to, to get a fund. First of all, it is a church. We ask to the Christian, even if they don't have all sorts, they are poor, but we're going to say you, you are poor, but that one, they are more poor than you.

    If you can find anything, it can help. Now, every, every month we ask people to bring anything that can help. These people. Mm-hmm. , they can bring money, they can bring clothes, they [00:49:00] can bring food that we, we try to help them. Two is from most of all from, uh, imagine if mm-hmm. , imagine if, and, uh, also, uh, new Hope Church here.

    Mm-hmm. , uh, because they support. Uh, you see teacher summaries? Yeah. Yeah. Uh, buying the, the land. Yeah. Uh, make construction. Mm-hmm. , uh, that, and they also to have some, uh, medicine. Now, the second way is now be because at school we have other, Children who can pay something. Right. How they can pay, it help.

    Yeah. At the hospital, [00:50:00] we receive also the people. Yeah. There is a community who come. Yeah. For them, they have to pay. Yeah. They are not refugees. Also this help to... To fund it all. to have medicine and sometime to run this project. Wow. Yeah. For them, they

    Matt: have to pay. Well, well, well, I mean, it goes without saying, obviously, if you would, um, if you would like to support, uh, the work in DRC and you're in the UK or in the States or anywhere in the known world, you can do that through Imagine If.

    So Imagine If is a charity here in Liverpool. It's connected to our church, um, and you can, uh, donate funds to that charity and they will go through to you. The incredible work that you guys are doing over in, in DRC. So what's, what's the, I'm really curious pastor, because here, um, you know, [00:51:00] in, in Liverpool, uh, we have.

    You know, how can I put this? We have a lot of problems, right? So there's, there's, but their problem's very peculiar to Liverpool. And if I compare the problems we have here and the problems you have in the Congo, in Liverpool. We are safe, we don't have, um, a war going on for the last 20 years. We have pretty clean water.

    Um, most of us have houses. Do you know what I mean? There's a lot of stuff going on here. Um, and I'm kind of curious, you know, what's, what's the, I've heard James talk about this when he goes over to the Congo, he says that the Christians, um, who live over in the Congo or some of the. Most joyful people that he knows, you know, because they live in the midst of, um, [00:52:00] suffering and persecution, but they just have a real passion for the things of God and they're not blaming God for what's happening, but they're inviting God into what is happening.

    Um, I'm curious. How do you see that? I mean, you, you, you come to Liverpool and you see what it's like here. And then obviously you live in the middle of the Congo, this war torn, uh, country. How do you, what are your thoughts on that? I'm, I'm just really interested in, in what you think about that.

    Pastor Alexandre: Yeah. Uh, you know,

    exactly. Uh, our, our big problem is the war. But also leadership, government, we cannot, uh, uh, forget that, that is because when is a leadership is not good, we will have all this problem. Now [00:53:00] the economy, the economy is very low. Yeah. Nothing. We don't have job work. Uh, that, uh, you can say the company, no, nothing you can study, you finish school, but you cannot have the job.

    The level of the life in in less than 2 by day. Wow. By person. Wow. You see, it's a kind of life. Yeah. Now, if now he's working, and he get one dollar or less, if you take two dollars, by month that will be sixty dollars. When he have to pay? house, home. Yeah. Children. And you know, we have many [00:54:00] children. A lot of children.

    Yeah. Children. You see, we have the poor. Mm

    hmm. Even as a country, it is rich in resource. Yeah. It's a rich country. Yeah. In resource. Mm hmm. But. Economically. Yeah. Socially. Yeah. And in the development we are, they're very poor. Yeah. Cause there is no work. That is what to bring also the problem. Mm-hmm. now people when, now they, they are in that situation.

    What they will do if is not to seek God. Yeah. Now, now they put their hope and their faith in God only. Mm-hmm. , no one can. Do anything. Even if they are blocked, they can do anything. They can't do the government, nothing. Now what they can do is only [00:55:00] to seek God. And at that time, they don't have problem for God.

    Even when they are living. For them, it's a miracle. You can say, ah, that is God. If I can sleep today and I wake up, it's God only. Others have been killed. If me, I continue to live, that is God. That's why people, they are very committed to God. Because they see, we see the hand of God. The mercy of God, the love of God, which we see, and we say, no, if we leave God, it will be now the end, we have now to be in good relationship in God, and we cannot condemn him, but we see, okay, God is helping us somewhere, that is why we are committed [00:56:00] to God, and we see, Only.

    Only we, our, our, our slogan. Our slogan is Only God. Yeah. For us, it's only God. Ah.

    Matt: Like that. Yeah. That's, I mean, that's super powerful, I suppose. Because I think in, when you're in Liverpool, medical care, you can get a hold of food, you can get a hold of, you've got housing, you've got water. And so I think you can take for granted, uh, life, um, whereas in the Congo, you don't, you can't take anything for granted, can you?

    And so, um, you become very grateful for your, for your creator, you become very grateful for

    Pastor Alexandre: God. Exactly. Exactly.

    Matt: Yeah, it's really interesting. In the book of Acts, we've been going through that in crowd church, in the, through the book of Acts. And you see a lot of persecution. You see a lot of suffering and the church

    Pastor Alexandre: grows.

    Yeah. [00:57:00] Yeah.

    Matt: Yeah. Yeah. That time of course. Yeah. Yeah. But when you see comfort. When you see things coming easy, you see the church shrink. Yeah. Um, and it's really fascinating, you know, when you, when you sort of see that in, in life,

    Pastor Alexandre: you know. Yeah, yeah. That is true. That is what we, we, we, we get and is experience for us.

    And if you don't, we say, if you don't pray, ah. We don't know what will be done tomorrow. We have to pray. We have to look the face of God. We have to be in good communication, good relationship. With God. Yeah. Cause he's, he's the one who can help us only. Yeah. Uh, that is what Yeah. Yeah. We, we are doing, and also we cannot, uh, forget other people who, who, other people who [00:58:00] prayed for, for, for us.

    Yeah. Uh, there is many people in any other countries Yeah. Where they're praying for Congo. Yeah. For people of Congo. Thank you for everyone who take the time to pray for us. Yeah. Because we, we follow in, uh, we send some requested and the people, they are praying for us and we say is only this prayers mm-hmm.

    who is helping us because someone who is now running because of the, the war, because the rebels, he will not have the time to pray. We not get the time to pray. Yeah. But now other people, as you are doing, you pray for us, you pray for Congo, for the peace God is hearing. Yeah. That's Even though we, we are, we are, we are suffering, but there is something which God is [00:59:00] doing.

    Good for us. Yeah. When we see our life and the like thing going, we say No, today this is a hand of God. Yeah. And must be the something which come after other people. Yeah. Pray. And uh, also we thank God because he's touching people, uh, to have compassion. Mm-hmm. compassion to help. Yeah. Our people. Because you cannot understand sometime the team who come from here to go there.

    Yeah. You, you, you can think that sometime people say, oh, I have only, uh, 1, 1, 100 pound.

    What, what, what 100 will do there? Mm-hmm. But I can tell [01:00:00] you, One hundred pound, that can help even fifty families. Yeah. I can take an example. If I get one, uh, hundred pound, that will help us to buy, uh, uh, uh, one hundred kilogram. Beans. Wow. Or, uh, rice. Mm hmm. Now, if you can give two kilogram by family, that is a 50 families, yeah, we have to eat for two days.

    So we have the food for two days. Yeah. And it will help them to live. Yeah. That mean every, uh, pound [01:01:00] you can give It's doing a lot for these people and we thank you for these people who have compassion and helping our people in the

    Matt: Congo. Yeah, you're right. I mean, it's amazing, isn't it? How far either a pound or a dollar, which doesn't, you know, two, three, you can only buy a cup of coffee for like four or five bucks now, but how much more good that does.

    In places like the Congo when it gets into the right hands, um, and, and there's a lot of good over there. So what's the, what does the future look like for you guys? What are you trying to do over the next few

    Pastor Alexandre: years? No, what we need, what we need is only the peace. Because if peace will not be there, if this war cannot [01:02:00] stop.

    We cannot be able even to continue to, to help people because the number is, is going higher every, every, every time, every time, because everywhere today, when I was here, this last Sunday, they attacked the village. You can see here and is a bunch of people. In his vehicle. Now, these people, the remaining in that village, flew to another places.

    Now, what is needed, only everyone to pray and to do what he can do for us to have peace. To stop this war, the rebels, to, to, to... To leave that, uh, things to kill people and the people to come back if they come back to their [01:03:00] places mm-hmm. , they'll leave it without a problem. Yeah. And they think it will be good.

    Yeah. That what is important for us. We are praying and asking for peace. For peace. Uh, if all the war world can stay, stay seat. Mm-hmm. and see how to bring peace. Peace in the Congo, how to stop the war and it will be very, very, very, very good thing for us. Wow. That is what, because it can be difficult if we can continue that situation.

    Tomorrow we cannot be able to support and to help these people. Yeah. It was a number. It's growing every day. More and

    Matt: more. More and more. Yeah. Wow. So praying for peace. Yeah. And that's the best way, the best prayer people can pray for you guys. Yeah. And just pray

    Pastor Alexandre: for peace people to be there and also God, [01:04:00] to continue to touch the heart or for the people to continue to have mercy, compassion.

    Yeah. To our people. If they can help, God can help them to find, uh, some. thing to help us. Yeah. That we can pray God also to continue to bless people, to continue to help. vulnerable people in the DRC.

    Matt: Fantastic. Well, listen, Pastor, I'm aware of time. It's been a great conversation. Uh, it's no, it's brilliant.

    And, um, just to say again, if you would like to connect with the work that's going on over in the Congo, you can do that through Imagine If Trust, you can reach out to Pastor Alexandre, uh, through Imagine If Trust, not a problem at all. But yeah. I genuinely really appreciate you coming into the studio, coming in and sharing what's going on over there.

    And we're going to pray for peace. [01:05:00] That's what we're going to do. We're going to pray for peace and we're going to hopefully in the West figure out how we can give more to those in need over there. But pastor bless you. Thank you for coming in. It's been an absolute treat and an absolute pleasure.

    Pastor Alexandre: Thank you for receiving me also in the studio.

    God bless you, Matt. I'm very, very happy. Very happy. That is a good experience for me. It's not easy to be in the studio. Yeah. To say what we are talking about. Yeah. I know it will bring good things. Yeah. Prayer will bring some solution and the people also. Yeah, they will hear and have compassion and to help.

    Thank you also to welcome me here. God bless you more and more. And bless this work. Uh, it must be good work. We must go [01:06:00] and touch many people in the world. Yeah. Thank

    Matt: you. Amen. Bless you. Thank you.

    Pastor Alexandre: Thank you. And just like that, we've reached the end of another fascinating conversation. Remember to check out CrowdOnline Church at www. crowd. church. Don't forget to subscribe to What's the Story on your favorite podcast app. We've got a treasure trove of inspiring stories coming your way, and we'd hate for you to miss any of them.

    Sadaf: What's the Story is a production of CrowdOnline Church. Our fantastic team, including Anna Kettle, Matt Edmundson, Tanya Hutsilak, and myself, Sadaf Beynon, work behind the scenes To bring these stories to life. Our theme song is a creative work of Josh Edmundson. If you're interested in the transcript or show notes, head over to our website, whatsthistorypodcast.

    com. And while you're there, sign up for our free newsletter to get all the goodness delivered straight to your inbox. That's all from us this week. Thank you so much for tuning in and we'll catch you in the next episode. Bye for now. [01:07:00] [01:08:00]

 
 

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