April 8, 1997
We have just received the following URGENT message from the General
Secretary of the Bible Society of Zaire:
"The situation in Kinshasa is confusing, but we are still working. We don't
know what will happen.
Although the situation is calm, we are not sure for how long. We hope that
the negotiations that are going to take place in South Africa will help
to bring peace to Zaire. We are getting tired of living in such a confusion
in our country for so many years now. Please continue to pray for us and
for the peace in this land."
Please join with us in praying for the staff of the Bible Society.
The following brief message was received from the Bible Society of Zaïre (BSZ) on February 17, 1997:
"Despite the pressures faced in this country recently, the BSZ saw an increase in distribution during 1996. The situation in the east, both in the north and southeast of the country remains confused. An important Scripture distribution centre at Katanga has been paralysed by the recent troubles. The centre is run by a British missionary and sees thousands of Swahili Bibles distributed every year. No-one knows what has become of the stock there.
"In the wake of this we received a message from David Gaze, the coordinator of the Kiluba translation project - Kiluba is the major language in Katanga. According to Mr Gaze, all the missionaries are leaving the province due to the current crisis, and in particular those involved in Scripture distribution.
"Katanga is one of the last provinces to see the missionaries leave. They were active supporters of the Bible Society and accounted for a large proportion of the Scriptures distributed through the Katanga depot: 35,000 Bibles, 5,000 New Testaments and 10,000 Portions.
"Our country's economic and social structure is breaking down due to events in the east. We ask you to join us in praying for peace to be restored here."