ANGOLA ALONE

Volume 4 1995

A Frontline mission team has safely returned from a six week, 5 500 km field outreach to war devastated Angola. As Maretha is expecting their first child, she remained behind at a forward base, taught a 4-day Sunday School course to teachers in the area and conducted 12 other women’s Bible studies and children’s evangelistic meetings. George evaded the shoot- on-sight military patrols enforcing the UN blockade and crossed the border with a truck-load of Bibles and relief aid. Military patrols shot at, wounded and imprisoned others crossing the border during that trip.

George visited 9 remote congregations and conducted Discipleship Training Seminars for each of these churches. He also conducted 19 church services and Bible studies, screened the “Jesus” film on two occasions and delivered 380 Bibles, 10 000 Gospel booklets and boxes of tracts in Portuguese, Umbundu, Luchazi, Kwangali, Kwanyama and Chokwe. He reported much church growth, yet desperate suffering. The ongoing UN sanctions against even medical aid and food entering the UNITA controlled South is causing many unnecessary deaths and excessive suffering. Below are extracts from their report:

Although peace negotiations are in an advanced stage and the cease-fire is maintained to a large extent, sanctions against UNITA controlled Southern Angola are still enforced. Life has developed into a battle for survival. The suffering has greatly increased since our last visit. Food and medicine is extremely scarce, some schools have closed because of hunger. In some areas people are foraging up to 40 km away seeking food. Those who attempted to cross the border into Namibia in search of food have been shot at, imprisoned or even killed.

To bypass the military patrols and gain access to Angola we had to cross the river at night in dug-out canoes. The Christians received us with much joy. The pastors listed their greatest problems as their frustrating isolation from other believers outside the country, lack of Bibles, Gospel literature and the lack of leadership training facilities.

They again reminded us that Frontline Fellowship has provided their only contact with the outside world and their only source of Bibles and medicines. They also expressed great appreciation for the fact that we continued to breach the blockade to visit them and deliver Bibles and relief aid even after our team was ambushed and arrested last year. The news of our capture had shocked them deeply and the fact that we continued to come was a great encouragement.

Often the people welcomed us with enthusiasm and showed intense interest in the seminars, film and services. Some churches have grown dramatically. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Angola - that they may continue to grow in grace and effective discipleship, for peace with justice, and for the blockade to be lifted.

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