THE LION'S

"See the Lion of the tribe of Judah ... has triumphed"

IN
BOB & DAWN BAIRD
Elizabeth, Rachel & Joshua

ZAIRE
AFRICA

March 1987

"Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip. 'Go

south to the roadthe desert roadthat goes
down from Jerusalem to Gaza',. .The Spirit told
Philip. 'Go to that chariot and stay near it.'" Acts
8:26,29

if you look at a map of Africa you will see that Ethiopia is

only just northeast of Zaire, We all know the story of the im
portant government official on his way back from Jerusalem.
A God-fearer, but not a Jew, and not allowed into the inner

worship because he was a eunuch. We know that from this

story we can see that God was concerned about the details of
this one man's life, and the whole African continent. We also

see that Philip was as concerned to complete all of God's

details for this one man.

On Sundays, in the afternoon. Dawn qoes out with the

ladies from church to visit and pray for people in their
specific needs. Sometimes it is for an illness, sometimes for
a death in the family. On one Sunday they were visiting a
very sick lady, her body wasted away to just flesh over bones.
As they were praying for her it was like the Spirit asked
Dawn, "What are the details of this woman's life?" So Dawn
asked that question of the others. She found out that she was
like the eunuch, a God-fearer, but not having fulfilled all
righteousness.
She was waiting to be baptized at
Christmas (a custom promoted by the church???). Would
she live until Christmas? Would she live through being
baptized in the very cold stream? Would she survive being
baptized in heated water in a bathtub? Yes! So they carried
her to the bathtub, baptized her and then we brought her
home in the truck. This Christmas she celebrated face to
face with Jesus. She did not make it to ours, but she went to
His.

Would we have fulfilled all the details in God's plan if we

had ingnored His voice. God still speaks, and He is still
concerned about details. The question is, are we listening?

THE CHURCHES
We here in Zaire, we Christians, need your
prayers for "Spiritual Mature Leadership" for
our churches. We have a problem here, which
has been working under the surface, but has re
cently been revealed quite plainly. The problem
is leadership, or the lack of it. In Bafwasende it
was revealed that the preacher here has been
involved in adultery for the last 5 years. I think
that we, the Bairds, were the only ones that did
not know about it. It's not only a revelation
about the leadership of the preacher, but what
about the elders? Nothing was done! Everyone
was ready to accuse, but no one tried to bring
this man back to the flock. No discipline, no re
buke, no help! Soon afterthis we also heard that
the preacher of our largest church in Kisingani
was removed for the same reason, adultery.
Where did this start? When all this happened,
we began to re-evaluate what had been done in
the past. Bible Institute is the preacher training
program that we have here in Zaire. For our
area, because
all of the teachers lived in
Bukavu, it took that program 10 years to
prepare 12 men for the role of preachers. These
men finished their program just as Dawn and I
returned to America for furlough. For a year
before they received their diplomas they served
in the church. It was a trial period. During that
time, half of those men got into some kind of
trouble. One ingenious fellow sold tickets to

expect you to stop praying forthe spiritual wellbeing of all of us here in Zaire.

TRAVEL TROUBLES
When we think about traveling in Zaire, our

first thoughts turn to our Twin Engine Piper

Aztec and our pilot, Tim Doggett. We. and he,
request your prayers for a problem with the air
craft. The problem is small, but could be poten
tially hazardous. During take-off, and
sometimes in flight, when there is a change in
stress on the engines, one suffers a minor loss
of power. Tim has checked and rechecked. He
has asked everyone who knows anything about
aircraft engines and has tried all their
suggestions, but to no avail. This started about
the middle of January and still persists. Tim is
not a pilot to take chances so he has had to shift
his flying load over to the MAF (Missionary
Aviation Fellowship) pilots stationed in Bukavu.
In the middle of February he will fly to Nairobi,

Kenya where there is a large mission hanger

and more testing equipment available and he
will not return to Zaire until the problem is
solved.

What does this mean to us? MAF has one air

craft in Bukavu and lots of responsibilities to

other mission organizations. Our next flight in

here will be on the 12th. On that flight Dawn and
Elizabeth will be going out to Rethy to visit

communion in order to increase his income.

Rachel and then on to Nairobi for an ortho

The past record is demanding a change for the

dontist appointment. They will be returning to

future.

Bukavu on the 19th. After that we do not know

course, is spiritual maturity for all Christians.

For all of us to grow up in Christ. We here in

when they can get back up here. Also, because

the TEE and clinic flight demands an overnight
in Bomili. we have had to cancel the one for
February because MAF does not have the time.
Besides that, there are the cargo flights with

Bafwasende are resolved to take a more active

needed items and mail, that will become much

part in the leadership of the church. Before, we

assumed a leadership that we could and would

also.

This whole situation not only made us re

think our programs, but also our relationship

to the local congregation. The Biblical goal, of

work under, but the truth is that we need to start

from the beginning and train men to be

prepared to hearthe call of God. This will really
be a new concept here, that the training does
not automatically assume the position, but it is
still in God's hands to make the final choice.

This is a very big job that we are looking at

and to begin with, we are only talking about one

more irregular. Please pray for this situation

In Zaire there are very few "Real" roads. The
main east-west road in Zaire runs through
Bafwasende and connects us with Kisingani.
Since November that road has been closed

because one of the spans of the Tshope River

bridge collapsed under the weight of a log
truck. In America, along the highways, we have
weigh stations to check the weight limits for

Church. Please pray for us in the matter and for

commercial

the church and continue to pray until you hear

checks, so we have trucks loaded beyond the

limits and the final straw broke the bridge's

that all is resolved. This means that we never

vehicles.

In

Zaire

we

have

no

ment, which is called Office de Route. We make

back. In Zaire we do have a Highway Depart

sistant. Of course, there were a lot of spills of a

wide variety duing the early stages. But finally

a lot of jokes about them, but they were given

the job of fixing the bridge anyway! After re
moving all the debris and reassembling the
span, they promptly dropped it into the river. So
they removed it, fixed it, got it into place and it
bent! Somehow they resolved the bend and
opened the bridge for traffic on the 8th of
February.
While the bridge was out it really changed the
support job. What happened was that we
returned to ordering most of our supplies from
Bukavu and air freighting them in. But the
closed road did not keep me off the road. Since
November I have spent many days at the bridge
picking up supplies and people for the hospital.
Sometimes it was a trip to take people back to
the bridge so that they could go on to or return
to Kisingani. Needless to say, the bridge's
being out was the proverbial "Monkey Wrench."
Right now we are really praising the Lord for
this situation being resolved.

one successful trip followed another until he

was an expert. During this time of learning his
best friend was always there to cheer him on
and then to learn to ride the bicycle also.

Sometimes it was a short safari. . ,

JOSHUA
We have decided that in the next few issues

we are going to devote the pictures and a

section to one of our children. This month will
be Joshua's turn.

Two big events happened for Joshua since

returning to Zaire. First of all, he learned how to
ride a bicycle. As you can see from the photos,

. . -but finally success

Joshua's friend's name is Gbongdongo, which

is his father's name also, but also like hisfather,

he has a European name, Rafael. Rafael and

Joshua both not only ride the smaller bicycles,
but are now riding Elizabeth's bicycle.

The second big event was his 7th birthday on

Getting started with help

his progress was like every other child's. First

he started out with training wheels, which were
exchanged for the gentle hand of a willing as-

December 15th. Joshua planned the whole

thing. We had chili to eat (that's his favorite
food), we sang songs and he gave me the job of
telling jokes. Of course, there were the usual
cake and presents, most of which we brought
from America with us. After the food and gifts,
we watched two McGyver tapes which is

Joshua's favorite TV program. Those tapes

came from our friends at Chillicothe, Illinois.

His favorite gift was a Knight Rider bicycle, so

now he and Rafael both have a bike to ride.

Joshua is doing fine in first grade with all of

his studies. He is reading and learning more and
more words that he recognizes without

sounding them out. As an added benefit from

living in Zaire, he is becoming more and more
bi-linguai and is also teaching Rafael some
English.

Joshua loves living here and considers this

his home. We want to thank you for your

prayers for him, for the protection and love that

you surround him with. Please continue to pray
for his learning and his growth.

PRAYER REQUESTS
1.

That the church will be receptive to growth

2.

Leaders

3.

ACM flight program

Gymnastics with friend, Gbongdongo ("Rafael")

KOUWAKDING AGKNTS:

FIEIJ) ADDRESS:

Jack ami Elva Lou Warner

The Boirriit

Box oTl

Box .5.'D:trK.\(:M-Bukavu)

Hellendorf, lA 52722

Nairobi. Kenya, .Africa

Before you move, pieasesend the mailing label below, along with a copy of yournew address to;
MISSION SERVICES ASSOCIATION, P.O. Box 2427, Knoxville, TN 37901-2427.

Mission Services

PO Box 2427
Knoxville, TN 37901-2427

Non Prolil Org

U S Postage
PAID

Knoxville. TN

37901-2427

ADDRESS CORRECTION RtQUESTEO

Permit 374

THE LION'S
"See the Lion of the tribe of Judah .. . has triumphed"

BOB & DAWN BAIRD

Elizabeth, Rachel & Joshua

IN
ZAIRE
AFRICA

June, 1987

LEARNING THE RIGHT LANGUAGE

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children:

instead, bring them up in the training and in

struction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4
In Zaire when a child is born, whether he is born in a

remote village or in the capital city, he Is born Into a multi-

language situation. He in his lifetime will learn at least two

and probably more. There is his tribal language, of which
there are about 250, a trade language, maybe 5 of those, and
the government language of French. Many people here are
trilingual and some speak even more fluently. But where do
you start with a child? I asked that question of our Legal
Representative Kotonepo. He explained it to me this way. If
he lives in the tribal area, such as living in Bafwasende
speaking Kibali, he would first teach the child to speak
Swahili because he will need it when he goes to school. He
does not have to worry about the Kibali, because that would
come naturally from living in it. If they lived outside of the
tribal area he would first teach the child Kibali so he knows
who he is and where he comes from and how to think. The

other language will come from his associations with the

people around them. The Tribal Language is the link
between that child and his whole heritage, no matter where
he lives.

So much different, so much the same. At first glance you

would say there are no similarities between Zaire and

America. But look closer, look at the Church, look at parents

who are assuming that someone else will train and instruct
their children In the ways of the Lord. Even without Christian
Education Departments, and Youth Ministers and Camp
Programs, they are making the same fatal mistake that we
make in America, "Someone else will teach my children."
Coming to Zaire has put our family in the position to see that
there is no one else except us parents. If our children,

Zairean or American, are going to learn the

values and heritage of our "Tribe" then they
must learn them at home. If ourchildren are to

learn to speak the "Language" of our tribe they

must learn it first, from us, because we are all
living outside of our tribal area. We cannot and
must not exasperate our children with a

confusion of languages. We must speak to

them clearly and with love to prepare them to
speak that same language, no matter where
they find themselves.

students to become.

The program itself would follow this pattern;

I

Learning to be a Disciple

II

Prayer Life, Bible Study (personal). Wit

nessing and Service.
Learning to Serve

Includes six books with evaluation of:

Six books and evaluation of: Discipleship

Objectives, Recognizing and Applying
III

Gifts, Prayer and Witness.

Learning to Teach
Twelve books with evaluation of: Teach

ing Experience, Witness, Teaching

Others to Teach, and Ability to Study a

A NEW PROGRAM
In our last Newsletter we shared with you the
situation concerning the Churches here and
about the need for change. One of the programs

Given Book.

IV Learning to Lead

Twelve books with evaluation of: Spiritu

that has come under our close concern is the

Theological Education by Extension {hereafter

called TEE), In the past, this program, especial
ly in the area of Bafwasende and Bomili, has
gone on at a very slow pace. Every month the
students would complete two weeks of work.
They would have a tape to listen to and sup
posedly a teacher to help them. This TEE has
gone on for years and what we have are a lot of
people with some information and very few
doing anything about it.
In April we were in Bukavu and while there

ACM got together a TEE Retreat for the purpose

of rethinking the TEE program. Other missions
were invited so that we could pool ourthoughts
on the situation and what to do about it. Besides
ACM

there

were

four

other

missions

represented and our problems were the same;

TEE as it is is not meeting the need of the

Church.

al Development, Christian Service, Wit

ness and Bible Study.
Learning to Pastor

Twelve Books, and by this point we

would hope it to be obvious.

We are thinking in terms of I and II being in

that order and then after that by the leading of
the Holy Spirit and spiritual guidance from the
leaders the person would go on where led. We
are thinking that those who finish III will then in
turn be ready and willing to teach I and II to
others. We want this system to include all the
present Elders; even If they are illiterate they
can listen and participate. We are also thinking
that levels I and II can be kept at the local level
and those who go on could be brought into a
center for III, IV, and V. We might even be able to
work those last levels into the Bible Institute
program.

door on anyone due to cost, so we are

redesigning the books to shorten them, change
the binding and lower the cost. Another prob

As you can see. there is a lot of "thinking"

going on here. We have to first confer with the
leaders to see what they think of it and what
value they find in it. If they do not value the pro
gram then they will not promote it. Then we
have to select people to be trained to teach in
this program. We will not start with a program to
reach everyone; that is impossible. We will
probably have five teachers for the Bomili area

lem is the teacher needed to lead the new pro

and five for the Bafwasende area. We will have

As a result of this meeting we are working

toward instituting a new TEE program, but
before we can start we have some other prob
lems to contend with. One is cost. As the prices
of the materials to print the books rise, so does
the cost of the book. We do not want to close the

gram. The new program will be going on weekly

and besides having tests to see if the students
are retaining the information, there will also be
life-style evaluations to see if the Word is having
an effect on the students. We want students

who are learning from the program, doing from

what they are learning, and becoming what the

learning and doing leads to. So we first have to
have teachers that "are" what we want the

to "advertise" the program in those areas to get

the people excited about it. We will also be

doing a pilot program to see how it goes and to

show the people what can happen. The
program is not complete even in the fact that we
need to develop some of the material needed
for the various levels.

Does it look like a big job to you? It does to me

and I'm right in the middle of it. Not too big of a

job, but a job that is going to require much

prayer. Last Newsletter we asked you to pray
that the Church will be receptive to growth, and
that is still our request. Pray for this new pro
gram that it would be used by God in a great and
mighty way for His people here in Zaire.

TRAVEL TROUBLES

nally expected. Tim, our pilot, is very pleased

with the results and while he was at it he even

got the plane painted. Not only does it fly like

new, but it looks like new. Thank you!
Now we have a new one for you to pray about.

Our truck, which is a Chevy, has been having

transmission problems. In fact we have not
been able to use 2nd gear for a long time. That's
like driving on 3 wheels here2nd gear is that
important. So we were really perplexed as to
how to get the repair parts from America and
how to get it fixed. Well, God is very good, be
cause we found a transmission for it here in

Zaire. Ray Harkema found it in Bukavu for $150

which is probably less than what it would have
cost us to get it here. It is not identical because it
is for a 2 wheel drive and mine is a 4 wheel drive.

At my writing of this letter I have removed the

drive shaft, exhaust system, transfer case and

the transmission from our truck. Since they

have different drive shafts in them I will have to
break down the two transmissions to make one

You might recognize this title from our last

Newsletter and will probably find it in others as

long as Zaire remains Zaire. In the last report we

advised you about the bridge situation and in
that report it had already been repaired, but we
did not have any pictures. Now we do, so I want

good one. Tomorrow, when the plane comes, it

will bring me a book to show me how to do that. I
have never attempted anything like this in my
life. By the time you read this, one way or the
other, it will be all over, but for the grinding of
some gears. Still, if you pray for us concerning
our travel here, and the vehicles we use, it will

cover us for any future trouble. Thanks again.

you to see what it looked like and also the back

up of commercial traffic because of that bridge.

ELIZABETH

Both of these pictures were taken early on when

the bridge first went out. By the time the bridge
was completed the line of trucks was twice'as
long and on both sides of the road. There was

also, in every little space, a temporary building

thrown up to sell food, beer, soap, cigarettes, or

ours in America is but it is event oriented. For

anything else that might be needed by those

truckers who were temporarily stuck there.
We also want to thank you for your prayers for
the ACM Flight Program, because the plane is
back in service and in better shape than origi

example, we plan a trip knowing how long it will

take to get there, how long we will stay, and
when we will return. Everything in its "TIME."
The African plans a trip and if it takes a week or
a year it is of no matter, because the "EVENT" of

The culture in Zaire Is not time oriented as

getting there is what matters. We have also

started, in a small way. to feel like that. So we

being counted with the rest. That is why she is

holding the leaf; it is the way they count how

will talk about some of the events in Elizabeth's

life.

many people have come.

First of all, our big girl had her birthday in

December and is now fifteen years old. For her
birthday, she had her favorite desert, cream
horns, fifteen of them with candles in them. We
had presents that we had brought from America
and also some that we bought here locally. She
had one special guest at her party, Genna
Anderson, who is working with the Peace Corp
here in Bafwasende on Rural Health. Elizabeth

and Genna have become good friends since we

got back and Elizabeth has spent the night out
at Genna's house at the hospital.
Another series of events this term have been

trips to Nairobi for her to go to the Orthodontist.

We are supposed to be doing this once a month,
but since that costs round-trip $520 we only do
it every two or two and one half months.
Elizabeth loves it. The big city is such a nice
change, with restaurants and shops and
movies. On two of the trips over, we went with
the kids that were going back to RVA (Rift
Valley Academy) from break. So, for one night
she had other kids her age to talk with and be
with, instead of just the old folks.
Since coming back to Zaire, Elizabeth has fit
right back in with all her old friends and has
made some new ones. She really picks up on
songs, whether they are Kibali or Swahili and
loves to go to a Makutano (Special Church
Gathering). She loves being with all the people
and singing praises in whatever language and

Last term her best friend was Zola, but this

term she has a new friend named Jaane. They

play a lot of Barbies together and even some
times they get Joshua and Rafael involved in the
stories they are developing. Another thing that
they like to do is sit together and look through
the Good Housekeeping or other lady's
magazines that Dawn gets from time to time.
Jaane has been a real blessing to us because
Elizabeth has really missed her sister, Rachel,
who is away at boarding school.
Elizabeth loves Zaire, but she has a very big
heart with room enough in it for America. From
time to time, after looking at some pictures or
reading a letter, she gets very teary eyed and
wants very much to go "home." The people here
love Elizabeth because she loves them without

reservation. Please continue to keep her in your

prayers, to protect her spirit with your prayers
and to help her to continue to grow education
ally, emotionally and spiritually.

Before you move, please send the mailing label below, along with a copy of yournew address to:
MISSION SERVICES ASSOCIATION. P.O. Box 2427, Knoxvllle, TN 37901-2427.
Mission Services
PC Box 2427

Knoxville, TN 37901-2427

ADDRiSS COARfCnON AeQUCSTBO

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PAID

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THE LION'S
"See the Lion of the tribe of Judah... has triumphed"

IN
ZAIRE
AFRICA

BOB & DAWN BAiRD

Elizabeth, Rachel & Joshua

September 1987

FINISHING THE SAFARI

99

. .Not that I have already obtained all this, or

have already been made perfect, but I press on
to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took

hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself

yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:

Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead. I press toward the goal
to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:12-14
I recently had a very good example of this concept of
straining toward what is a>ead. I was on my way to a village
called Bakiliso which is about 44 miles from Bafwasende.

Nineteen of those miles are on the big road and then 25 are
off Into the jungle via an almost road. I was traveling on the
motorcycle of our Legal Representative, Kotonepo. Five
miles from Bakiliso the cycle died, dead! So I parked it at the
preacher's house and walked in. That was nothing! Sunday
afternoon and Monday morning were the "Pressing and
Straining." Twenty-five miles seems like nothing until you
have to do every one of them with your feet. By the end of the
trip I was not thinking about what was behind, and was trying
not to think about the pain in my feet and legs, but 1concen
trated on going forward and the reward of reaching the end
of the road. Aching muscles, bad blisters, days of recuper
ation. all meant nothing for the great joy I felt in getting
home.

The joy of this world is but a shadow of the joy in heaven.

We are called forward and upward to a prize of joy that is

beyond our comprehension from this end of the safari. But

there is nothing in this safari that is worth our stopping or
turning around. On Monday when the pain was the worst, 1
found it was better not to stop to rest, because it was so hard

to get going again. Isn't that the truth? When

indigenous church has continued to grow, the

we find some reason to quit the straining and

pressing toward the prize, then it is so much
more difficult to get started again.
We are called to finish the safari. The prize is

Babali have demonstrated little growth in Scrip

tural comprehension or spiritual maturity be
cause they have had no nurture in their own
native ianguage. We beiieve that the Bible in
Kibaii is a necessary first step for this tribe ever
to be regarded as truly discipled for Christ.
The Bible had not previously been written in

ahead. Our home is prepared for us. Letusaii

put aside those things that hinder our safari and
press on to win the prize to which God has
cailed us.

Kibaii because NO BOOKS have been written in

"TRANSLATION
TEAM REPORT

99

I am very glad that Bob and Dawn have asked

us to write an article for their newsletter. Ever

since they have come to Zaire, they have been a

big help to us and have enabled our translation
to progress at a much faster pace than it could
do without them. I am sure that they have
explained many times about the difficulties of
just living in a jungle village. By working
together as a team, each of us doing his/her
part, we are able to reach more people with the
word than if everyone tried to be his own
handyman, supplier, evangelist and transiator.

We regard the Bairds' service as invalualDle in

the shared goai of getting God's Word to the
Babali people.
Our task here in Zaire is to translate the Bible

into the Kibaii language. This is the language of

the Babali, a tribe of about 40,000 people in
northeastern Zaire. The gospel was first
preached to these people some thirty years ago
via the trade language, Swahili. Although an

this language. It is among the world'sestimated

3,000 unwritten languages. Therefore, our
mission includes not only the tasks of Biblical
exegesis and translation skills, but also the job
of language analysis necessary to develop an
adequate writing system for Kibaii. The phono
logical and grammatical discoveries will also be
the basis of the literacy program which another
missionary family will eventually begin here, if
we do our jobs well, the Babali will not only
fHAVE Bibles, but.they will READ them with an
UNDERSTANDING that will result in changed
lives.

Because the Babali are not yet used to

reading their language, we thought that it would
be best to begin translating booklets of selected
Scriptures especially for new readers. These
booklets will also give us an opportunity to
develop our skills as translators without our
early mistakes being printed in the Bible. We
will also be able to see how the Babali react to

our choice of words from their language to

express the ideas and truths taught in God's
Word. The booklets are being published under
the auspices of the United Bible Society which
has sponsored such projects in many other
languages. Such an arrangement provides us

Huddlestons and Tim Doggetl (L-R; Martha, Tim. Nathan, Jeremy. Jonathan, Matthew and Mark).

with UBS consultation when we run into prob

lems, quality control, and aid in paying forthe
printing of the books.
Recentiy a UBS consultant visited our village
and worked for a few days with our translation
team. He was pleased with ourwork and we now

V Oiu'|i

have a new deadline to shoot for. If we can get

all the booklets printed up neatly and all the
copy errors corrected, then I will be able to give
them to him when we meet in Bukavu in August.
He will take them to Kinshasa for formatting
check and approval, and thenassuming that
there are no bottle-necks in the budget
approval processthey will

be returned to

Bukavu in camera-ready form for Ron Butler to

print. Of course, we do not know how long all
the paper-work will take, or when we might
hope to see the first books in print.

The formatting of these books has been one

of the most tedious aspects of this project. Be
cause we are writing for new readers, we must
make sure not only that we choose the words
that they will best understand, but also that we
put the words on the page in a way that a new
reader can follow them. That means that at each

stage, i.e., for each booklet, there are strict rules

regarding how many spaces we can have per
line, how many lines per page, and how many
pages per book. The more difficult task is to
ensure that each line is divided at a good spot
that does not interrupt the flow of meaning. Not
only must we not divide words with a hyphen in
the first five booklets, but we must not even

divide nouns, phrases or prepositional phrases

or other primary units of meaning. This means
that we must count every letter of every word
and determine where best to begin every line of
every page. Every time we make improvements
in the choice of words or even just correct our
speliing, we must again go through the
counting process for those lines to see if they
still fall within the guidelines.
The books are designed to begin with
someone at about 3rd grade reading level and
to increase by the 5th book to the level of the
eventual New Testament (6th or 7th grade
level). The first book has only 24 pages with lots
of pictures, and the fifth and sixth books will
have around 72 pages and fewer pictures. Be
cause there is no present literacy program in

Rachel and Sharon Cook holding the school banner.

This is Rachel's month for an article in our

Newsletter and I have a difficulty. I could say

lots about how well she is doing at school,
Honor Roll, or how well she has adjusted to the
school and living away from home, but that is
evident by her grades: or to say how proud we
are about this and that, but if I talk a lot there will

be few pictures. I think that the pictures speak

about her far better than I do. so here are five

photos of Rachel that we took at a "Long

Kibali, the first users of these booklets will be

the estimated 20% of the people who can read

Swahiii.

Submitted by Mark Huddleston

Rachel competing in the long jump.

Weekend" program we attended at Rethy. Four

of them are at the Field Day competition. We en
joyed that time very much and we hope that you
will enjoy it now also.

Back to classes on Monday.

. V

The results of a lot of practice and hard work

'' s

Rachel and Elizabeth in Rachel's room. Rosy complexions

from a day in the sun.

PRAYER REQUESTS
1.
2.

3.

Parts and repair of "Our" cycle.

Getting everything ready for December in
Nairobi with Dawn's sister, Holly.
Continued blessing for Rachel. Elizabeth,

4.

The

5.

(PTL), but the starter is now acting up.

The "New" TEE program.

and Joshua in school.

from the Biggy Dorm.

transmission

is fixed

on

the

truck

Before you move, please send the mailing label below, along with a copy of yournew address to:
MISSION SERVICES ASSOCIATION. P.O. Box 2427, Knoxvllle, TN 37901-2427.

uu

Mission Services
PC Box 2427

Knoxville, TN 37901-2427

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PAID

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37901-2427

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6/ S

THE LION'S
"See Ihe Lion of the tribe of Judah . .. has triumphed

IN
ZAIRE
AFRICA

BOB & DAWN BAIRD

Elizabeth, Rachel & Joshua

October 1987

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down

from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change
like shifting shadows." James 1:17

A gift waiting to be received.

God's gifts are good and perfect and this never changes.
Do we evaluate what we receive to the extent that we see

what He has given us? For instance. . .and you might be

asking what this picture could possibly have to do with
"gifts?" Well, for instance, the gifts started with a breakdown,
a situation beyond us and an opportunity from our Father for
Him to give to us. How could you possibly find a replace
ment for a Chevy in Zaire? A gift! Since all the exhaust

system is original you'll twist off some bolts! A gift! You can't
take it ail apart by yourself! A gift! When the transmission is
off, how will you break it down without any"specialtools?"A
gift! How will you know what to do, you are not a mechanic?
A gift! It works!!!!!! A gift! And through the whole process of

major repair God gave people. People \who

found parts, people who prayed, people who
used their strength and people who were in the
right place at the right time to see what I had
missed.

Jesus is both the gift and the giver. He is the

reason we have contact with "every good and
perfect gift." But what good is a gift that Is
missed. They come wrapped in our lives and in

the lives of people around us. From age to age,

God does not change. Let us strive to properly
evaluate the gifts that we have already received,
and give real thanks for those before we seek
others.

VISITING

THE CHURCHES

. .so what's new?

daysSaturday and Sunday. On Saturday we

examined what the Bible says about the Head of

our Churchthe great "I am." On Sunday after

seeing clearly that our religion is from God,
then we searched to see what part of our life is
required for His religion. We have had some
very good responses and feed-back from these

meetings.
We have visited with 6 Churches and planned
a 7th that I could not go to because of illness.
Most of the villages were of a medium size, 1500
people. One was 25 miles off the main road with

about 150 people in the entire village. The one

that I missed was the center of a Zone and had

probably about 8-10,000 people.

The chauffeur and his assistant.

Last term I started visiting the Churches

along the Kisingani-Bunia road and some off of
the main road. This term I continued that same

program with the help of our Legal Representa

tive, Kotonepo. His help was double in that he
set up where I would go and made all the con
tacts and 1 used his motorcycle when I went.
(On my last safari the Suzuki died.)
The purpose of these trips was to share some
basic Biblical Principles, and by bringing con
gregations together to show our unity to the
community. We designed the meetings for 2

The "New Church" at Babonde. a section of NiaNia.

All different types of things happened on

these trips. On one trip I rode right by the
Church at Babonde and went on for a ways be
fore I was flagged down by a Christian who was
on his way to the meeting. Joshua went with me
to Bafwanezo and we had two surprises! First,
the Church building was falling down so they
decided to build a temporary building for our
two day meeting, which they started to build the
day we got there. Second, even though they
knew that Joshua was coming, they only
supplied us with one very short and very skinny
bed. i did not sleep much that night. One
Church, at Bakiliso, got the dates wrong and
there was no one there when I got to the
Church. I wound up going back another time.
My second trip into Bakiliso was when the
Suzuki died and I wound up doing a lot of walk
ing. When you start a safari over here you never
know what is going to happen.
The trip we planned to Wamba, the center of
another Zone, was special because the Church
there is our first work in that area. It is also

another language group. The Church is very

small and weak. Usually when we plan these
trips, the host Church provides most of the food
and all the housing. Sincethe Church at Wamba
was so small we decided to take everything we
needed and not burden them. We had a total of

40 people, which included: 4 Preachers, 3

Choirs, and extra. We planned to go in the big
MAN truck from the hospital and just sleep in it.

The trip really went well even if i did not get to

go along, and we made a good impression on
Wamba for Jesus and the Church.

Right now we are planning a walking trip up

the Bomili road, probably to Bafwazagba. We

are hoping that we can draw Christians and
Choirs all the way down from Bomili and as they
move they will be making a joyful noise unto the

Lord. Again, this kind of a meeting can create a

unity among our Churches that we need.
Please keep this particular part of our work in
your prayers. Right now, neither I nor Kotonepo

have the means to go nor a way to fix the Suzuki

(there are no parts available in Zaire). Pray that
we can continue to serve the Churches here in

this way and to help them to make an effect on

the world for Jesus.

CHRISTMAS
CELEBRATION
A lot of what we do at Christmas is culturally
oriented. The tree, the presents, what we eat,
the programs that we have at our Church.
Christmas in Zaire does not have trees deco

rated in every living room, no presents, and the

programs are geared to what the Zaire people
would do in a celebration. They always have a
Christmas Eve program that lasts all night.
That's cultural. If they have a celebration or
even a funeral the setting of the sun does not
stop what must be done. For Christmas Eve
they sing, and because we are the center of the
Zone, many Churches celebrate their Christ
mas Eve here, so we have lots of singers. They
have preaching and they perform many plays
through the night. They do Biblical plays from
specific events in the Bible as well as plays from
life that reveal or teach Biblical principles. All
night long they go on and at various times dur
ing the night the choirs go out singing through
the town. The whole event is lighted by fires and
kerosene lanterns.

Christmas day is a more "usual" service with

the addition of baptisms. You know in Acts

The Choir at Babonde practicing for the big program.

when people believed they were baptized, but in

Zaire they believe, they go through classes,
then they are baptized. They give lip service to
what happened in Acts, but in reality they fear

two things. First, and this is the least of the

fears, that the person involved will not under
stand enough to be baptized. Second, they are
afraid of breaking with a tradition that they can't
remember how it started. Christmas and Resur

rection Sunday, with a few other baptisms

"sprinkled" through the year are the two major
occasions.

This year as you celebrate Christmas in the

way that seems most proper for you, remember
that Christians all over the world are celebrating
also, with traditions and customs that seem

appropriate to them. In Zaire we'll be staying up

all night before and then baptizing people into
the Lord Jesus. Maybe some of them should
have been baptized months ago. A tradition
should never cover nor distort the real thing
should it? Let us pray for each other as we
celebrate the birth of our Lord in a way that will
please Him.

"Baptizing them. . ." in the Mangada Creek at Bafwasende.

Before you move, pleaie tend the mailing label below, along with a copy of your new address to:
MISSION SERVICES ASSOCIATION. P.O. Box 2427, Knoivllle, IN 37901-2427.

Mission Services

PC Box 2427
Knoxville. TN 37901-2427

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U S Postage
PAID

Kno*ville, TN
37901-2427

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