Fohle: Need to Change Mission Mindset

CHICAGO, IL (April 8, 2003) - Fohle Lygunda has seen many mountaintops and has climbed out of numerous valleys during his life. He was born to a rich family, but when he was a year old his father was accused of being a spy and had to flee for his life. Within months Fohle's family went from the lap of luxury to a place of poverty.

In 1999, Fohle, now an adult, was among top leaders of the Covenant Church of Congo (CEUM). But during a civil war in Congo, his family was pursued by bandits and fled to the forest for six months to escape. He lost everything

Life has gotten better for Fohle and his people since then, but the CEUM is still struggling financially. Fohle, the director of the Cabinet of the president of the CEUM, communicated some of those needs to more than a dozen churches as he finished a whirlwind spring (2002) traveling in and around Boston as a guest of Trinity Covenant Church in Lexington, Massachusetts. His sponsor, Marilyn Moore, was a catalyst for a pastors-in-residence program that brought three CEUM pastors to the U.S.

"I was up on the mountaintop and now I'm going back to share that experience with the people of Congo," Fohle said. I had a mission to come here and I'm at the end of my mission. I am ready to go back."

Along with speaking engagements to more than a dozen Covenant churches, Fohle was involved in an extensive English language program in Boston. He was a quick learner - he participated in an interview for this story for a period of 30 minutes - solely in English. He also learned about the transit system in Boston after having never ridden a train before coming to the U.S. "People in Boston are all in a hurry. They get their newspaper (on the train) and they forget everyone else. It was strange."

Fohle, a resident of Gemena, is part of the Topoke people group from the Oriental Province of Congo near Kisangani. Lygunda moved with his parents to the Equator Province in 1964 because of the Simba rebellion. His father became a fisherman there and his family had little to live on. Still, Fohle managed to get a quality education, eventually earning a Masters in Theology from the Bangui Evangelical School of Theology (FATEB) in 1996. Fohle is married to Marceline Lileko Fohle and they are the parents of five children. Being away from family was difficult for Fohle.

"It was my first time to experience winter," Fohle said. "It was cold for me. Every morning I had to put on my tee shirt, heavy shirt, overcoat and gloves. Being inside so much was like being in jail. In my country, you only go inside to eat. And I was cut off from contact from Congo. I couldn't get information for three weeks. And it was a struggle to be away from my family."

Fohle often wore a red jacket to symbolize his reliance on the Holy Spirit. He recalled feeling the Holy Spirit's leading as he considered mission work to three people groups in Kenya, a country with a heavy Muslim influence. That mission, along with one to pygmies in central Africa, is among the new works being done through the CEUM.

Some might think that it would be difficult for someone from an underserved country to live three months in a country abounding in resources. Fohle will not have any problem returning to Congo in that regard, he said. But living in the United States has given Fohle a better sense of the sacrifices made by Covenant missionaries who served in his country from 1937 until being evacuated in 1997. He says he has a new respect for longtime missionaries like Vanette Thorsell, Theodora Johnson, Bob and Janet Thornbloom and others who gave up the comforts of the U.S. to serve in Congo (then Zaire).

"This is the issue I bring back home," said Fohle. "The issue is changing the mind of mission (the mindset Congo has about U.S. missionaries). For a long time, we had a vision for mission and our vision was characterized by misunderstanding. Sometimes, the national church had a negative judgment toward Western missionaries. But then I see the life here, how American people live. They have all of the comforts, two cars, everything in their house. They can go to the mall and the supermarket.

"But in comparison to our life in Africa, it is a sacrifice for missionaries to go from here to an impoverished situation like ours," he continued. "Those missionaries have made a commitment to us. They didn't come to exploit us. I will advise my people to change their attitude towards missionaries. And now that I've had to learn a new language here, I especially take my hat off to the missionaries who came and learned our language and translated the Bible in our language."

Three years ago, Fohle and the CEUM dealt with what he called "the most somber moments of our lives." The persecution he faced led him to write a book that advocates partnerships as a means for the greater church to survive. He is confident that he spoke that message clearly to those he met in the U.S. - in that sense he feels he accomplished his mission.

"My sermons were about 'going down' (from the mountain) because people here have been blessed by God and they've used those blessings to build barriers," he said. "It was my mission to help people to understand that their blessings were for other people, too. We were blessed for all of humankind."

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