Gathering in remote village celebrates 10 years of children’s ministry
A little girl attended a Kids Action Network-sponsored Bible club in a remote part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At the Bible club, she learned to pray for people. Her friend was sick, so the little girl visited her and prayed for her. The friend got better, and now she attends Bible club, too.
This testimony was one of many shared at a gathering of more than 1,000 children and their leaders last fall in the town of Nioki. Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) pilots flew in Kids Action Network (KAN) leaders, as well as mission partners with the International Mission Board and Evangelical Free Church, to the gathering, a celebration of ten years of ministry among children in remote villages.
A child recites a memory verse at the Kids Action Network celebration in Nioki. Photo by Emily Hochstetler
In the DRC, 46% of the population* is in the zero to 14 age range—and yet churches, especially in remote areas, have neglected this population group until recently.
The ministry of KAN started when several mission organizations partnered together in Kinshasa to train children’s leaders how to use a storytelling method to reach children. MAF has played an instrumental role in getting KAN staff to the more remote areas of the DRC to conduct trainings.
KAN missionary Kennedy Fumba Gagaya leads Sunday school teacher workshops, teaching leaders how to use games, songs, and Bible storytelling to show children what it means to follow Jesus. He planned the gathering in Nioki to celebrate the fruit of their labor.
“The purpose of the celebration was to glorify God for ten years of existence,” Kennedy shared. “It was also an opportunity to contemplate the greatness of our God, to see how He impacts and transforms the lives of many people—children, adults, and parents—starting with the children.”
Kennedy said the children’s joy was on full display at the celebration. “I don’t know how to explain the children’s joy; they were very happy. They wanted to sing, dance, and share testimonies of the impact of God’s Word in their lives and families.”
Over 1,000 children attended a Kids Action Network in Nioki, celebrating 10 years of renewed kids ministry. Photo by Emily Hochstetler
MAF staff Valerie Hochstetler attended the celebration.
“We heard stories of children telling their friends what they had learned in Bible Club or Sunday school, and of those friends beginning to come to church,” she said. “Pastors approached the children’s leaders, asking for copies of their curriculum so they could teach the way children were learning. The amazing thing is, the children were simply learning exactly what the Bible says and sharing it with others.”
Pilots Emmanuel Mbodwam and Jacob O’Brien flew several flights supporting the KAN celebration and participated by listening to children give testimonies, recite memory verses, and sing. Afterwards, the KAN team and representatives from MAF handed out snacks and sodas.
“It’s hard to understand without being there how isolated these remote church communities are from all the Christian resources we enjoy—Bibles, Bible study materials, Sunday school resources—we have a seemingly unlimited supply of resources for Christian education,” Emmanuel said. “None of this is available in these places.”
MAF pilot Emmanuel Mbodwam shares at the Kids Action Network celebration in Nioki. Photo by Emily Hochstetler
Emmanuel said Kennedy told him how in one town, the Sunday school teachers had to borrow the pastor’s Bible to prepare their Sunday school lessons. Because Bibles and other materials are not available in these towns and villages, the KAN trainers use methods that don’t depend on nonexistent resources, and instead teach primarily oral methods.
Children enjoy snacks after the celebration. Photo by Emily Hochstetler
“Now Kennedy tries to take a box of Bibles along to sell at a discounted price, sometimes paid in bananas or whatever the villagers have to exchange,” Emmanuel said. “We also try to always have a box of Bibles in the plane with us as we fly around.”
For Emmanuel, flying in support of a ministry like KAN is exactly the kind of work MAF exists for.
“When we at MAF hear the testimonies of children finding joy and excitement in learning Bible stories and values, building a community, and then often bringing their parents to church (who had often long ago given up on church), it lights up our hearts because it aligns with our vision to see isolated people changed by the love of Christ,” he said.
MAF pilot Jacob O’Brien shows kids in Nioki his drone.
“We see it happening in living color in front of us because Kennedy and his KAN team make the sacrifice of traveling to difficult places at great personal cost to teach churches how to do Sunday school again. The end result is not just changed lives among the children, but their parents, their families, and their communities! It has been such a joy and encouragement for us at MAF to serve together with KAN to bring help, hope, and healing to these communities through aviation.”
*UN World Population Prospects Data
