Date: Saturday, August 9, 1997

I have talked to Sabastian Johnson who finished the Branch School and went to Germany on vacation. I talked to him there. Everything is fine in Kishasa. Easy to come into the country now. Never been easy. Seems as the theocratic work is ripe to move ahead. They have already had a DC assembly and should have 2 more. Reckon they would, in all, get up to some 150,000 in attendance as well as some 10,000 baptized.

All missionaries are back at the Bethel functions. There are a couple of missionaries who have preferred to change assignments, otherwise all are back. Some of the have been in Europe by the help of the French Army, evacuated from Brazzaville.

On the other hand, the missionaries from Brazzaville are all out, and waiting. It might take some time, as the last time there was fighting between 'warlords' in Congo, it took close to 18 months before relative peace settled down on the city.

Missionaries from Guinia Conakry are on vacation here in Denmark. They tell about several southern/eastern parts where the rebels have a tendency to come over the border from Sierra Leone as well as Liberia, making it sometimes perilous in those areas. All the missionaries are out of Sierra Leone, the new Bethel is closed; only local brothers are there to keep someone on the property. They are all awaiting the situations to develop. In the meantime, the missionaries are waiting around in the bordering countries.

Love and Hugs
Veg and Lisa While
South African Bethel