DRCongo Update January 2012

Hello Friends!

Thank you for your continued prayer support for the Congolese people and for the process in raising the support to return to those in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I have driven many miles, but it has been a joy travelling to churches and schools to share about the DRCongo. Your prayer support is greatly needed at this time! Please pray for those who are affected by the rising tensions from the results of the election. Many do not agree with how the government has run the nation and the lack of resources that are available. Many families struggle with feeding their families and finding security in their own country. Please pray for them to find the Bread of Life and bring a peace that passes all understanding, which can only be found in Jesus Christ. The following article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells how some family members take turns eating:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12003/1200992-82-0.stm?cmpid=nationworld.xml

Would you be willing to fast one meal a week to pray for those who are without physical nourishment and spiritual nourishment? They need your prayers. Please also pray for the rest of my support to come in by the end of March. The Congolese and missionary colleagues are anxiously awaiting for my return. I am still needing:

62 people or churches to give $28/month - Twenty-eight dollars is equivalent to one family dinner out for four people or 4 meals out, a month, by one person. ($7 x 4 = $28) or

31 people or churches to give $56/month.

Would you prayerfully consider making a Faith Promise? Your prayer and financial support are needed. Since sending this out last week in an email, I have had 7 churches and individuals begin supporting me! Praise the Lord!

Thank you to all of those who are already giving to the ministry! You are a blessing!What an encouragement it is to receive emails, and notes with words of encouragement, letting me know people are praying and giving in all amounts. What a tremendous blessing! If you know anyone else that may be interested in giving financially or prayerfully, please forward this email or information to them. All gifts are tax-deductible.　 You can give online at:

the Missions Giving tab on the right side of this blog page

Your giving is helping to reach people in the DRCongo with the light of Jesus!

Merci beaucoup a tous!

The Democratic Republic of Congo Movie

"The Lord Reigns forever!"

“Rain! Rain! go away, come again another day…” Most of us have seen enough rain this spring to be happy with sunshine for the rest of summer. I know that I would not take the sunny days for granted. Recently, I was talking with the Lord about the amount of rain there had been over a period of a couple of weeks. I shared with Him my frustration of it being so gloomy & dreary and I just wanted to enjoy some sunshine, to brighten my spirits. While in a prayer service before a Sunday morning service, there was a song playing that sang, “God reigns, God reigns, God reigns!” This song brought a question to my mind, “How does God reign in my life?”My prayer became, “God reign in me! God reign in my day! God reign in my decisions, in my difficulties, and in my successes! God reign in all areas of my life!” In Psalm 96:10, it says, “Tell all the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’ The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. . .” He wants to reign in your life more than ever. When you allow the Lord to “reign” in your life, it will never grow gloomy or dreary. He has wonderful plans and blessings to bestow upon you. Walk in His “reign” today, and you will never be the same.
The last few months have been busy. I have traveled over 10,000 miles, visited many churches, and have met some wonderful people. Thank you for allowing me to spend time with you and in the presence of the Lord, while in your churches. God is moving in ways that far exceed our imagination! How blessed I have been to spend time with family along the way, as well. I continue to be amazed at God’s faithfulness and how He continues to help me in this process. I couldn’t do it without Him.
At the current time, I am at 46% of my monthly commitments. $3135/mo. is still needed. If you would like to give a monthly commitment or a one-time gift, you can click on the "Missions Giving" tab on the right side of the screen.

Prayer Requests:
-Strength, wisdom, and peace for those who have been displaced in the Eastern DRCongo
-For the pastors and leaders of government in DRCongo and around the world.
-For the children and youth camps in the DRCongo, that God would move among them in amazing ways!
-Total Financial support to be raised. 54% still needed.
-Traveling mercies as I continue to travel to various states
-Preparation for Language school and the return to DRCongo

"That None Should Perish"

March 2011

Dear Faithful Supporters,
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Our Heavenly Father is so loving and patient. He wants the best for us and does things in His perfect timing. His timing is never SLOW. Recently, I was sharing with a pastor and a couple of people, at lunch one Sunday afternoon, of my experience in leaving for Brussels, Belgium in 1997. I was to be there a week or two before school started, sometime in August. However, I wasn’t able to go until the middle of September. I told the pastor, “I was late in arriving to Belgium, but the Lord had a reason.” He responded with, “Were you really late?” I replied, “Yes, like I said before I didn’t arrive until mid September, and school had already started.” To which he repeated, “Were you REALLY late?” I finally understood what he was saying. The Lord is NEVER late! He is ALWAYS on time. It is just not “OUR time.” The Lord is coming very soon and wants everyone to have the opportunity to know Him personally, by repenting of their sins and accepting Him as Savior of their life. We do not know the day or the hour, that He will return for those who believe, but His heart is “not wanting that any should perish.” We must not sit around and wait for Him to come, but realize we have important work to do, because the time is very short. There are millions of people who are lost and without hope for their future. We need to find the time to reach out to this lost world, for the sake of the Kingdom. Jesus is the way to an eternal life with hope, love, joy, and peace! Wouldn’t you want someone to help you find your way, if you were lost?
Please continue to pray for the Congolese people, for President Kabila, and those in leadership positions. May they “not perish”, but find the truth that can set them free from their chains of darkness. Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support. Please prayerfully consider supporting me monthly in ministering to teachers and children’s workers in the DRCongo. I am at 20% in raising my budget. I would like to be at 50%+, but my timetable is not God’s timetable. “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
If you would like to give a monthly commitment or a one-time gift, you can go online to worldmissions.ag.org, and type my last name under the Missionary Directory to find my page. Or you can print off the commitment form, attached to this email, and mail it to the address on the top of the sheet.
PRAISE REPORT: The Lord is so faithful and He takes such good care of me. I was gifted four brand new tires for my vehicle in January. What a blessing it is to be able to drive in snow, without spinning. We have had a snowy winter and I can’t tell you how often I think of God’s protecting hands. Thank you all for making it possible for me to minister in so many churches here in the U.S. and to those I will minister to in the DRCongo. You are a blessing beyond words. This ministry could only take place because of your prayers and giving hearts.
Blessings to you,
Gloria Biffert
Missionary to the Democratic Republic of Congo
gbiffert@hotmail.com

Choices

Have you ever thought about the choices you make and how it would affect your future or someone else's? Have you ever thought about where you are in life and how you came to arrive at this place? Ultimately, choices were made for us by our parents at the beginning of our lives and we either continued in making the same kind of choices or strayed from what they chose for us. In the past several months, I have thought about my life and my heritage. I come from a Pentecostal background. If you go back a couple generations in my geneology, you will find that it wasn't always like that. My grandfather was a very different man when he enlisted in the army to fight in World War II. While in Japan, fighting for our country and our freedom, he saw many things. Things that we would find very difficult to face and understand. As the story has been told, he faced many challenges and at one point cried out to God for help. One day, while fighting in the fields, he found himself trapped and wondering if he would get out alive. He asked God, "God, if you get me out of here alive, I will serve you the rest of my life!" Needless to say, he got out of the difficult situation and God began to show him different things. There was another day during the war, that the Allied soldiers were under attack and they went to take cover in a bunker. My grandfather told of the Holy Spirit discouraging him to go to the bunker, but to take cover somewhere else and try to bring as many men as he could with him. Although it was difficult to go to this other location, he went anyway because it was such a strong urging. Some men chose to follow him, while many others did not. Later he realized the protection of God, as the men who took cover in the bunker were killed by a bomb. My grandfather accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and was committed to serve Him the rest of his life. When he returned home, he moved from his family's farm in North Dakota to Zion Bible Institute in Zion, IL. He fulfilled his promise to God, and became a preacher. He met my grandmother at Bible school and started ministering in Wisconsin. His choices to follow Christ and trust in Him for ALL things were instilled in his 8 children. Those eight children had a choice to follow in the same way. One of those 8 children, is my father. He taught us, along with my mother, the value of living for Christ and trusting Him for ALL things. We all have a choice to follow Christ or to follow someone else. I accepted Jesus Christ, as my Savior, at the age of 10. It was the most important decision I could ever make. A choice that I have never regretted making. There have been many trials and difficulties in my life, in which, the Lord has been by my side each step of the way. I hate to imagine what my life would be like without Him. What kind of choices are you making today? You may affect generations to come! Will you choose Jesus today?

Joyeux Noёl et Bonne Année!!

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.” Luke 2:14 (NIV)
Dear Family & Friends,
What an awesome proclamation this was for the humble shepherds to receive, while out in their fields guarding their flocks of sheep at night! Can you imagine being greeted by an angel of the Lord ‘and the radiance of the Lord’s glory’ surrounding you (vs.9) to give you one of the most glorious announcements? Would that get your attention? Then… “Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God…”(vs13) How many do you think that was? Are you still paying attention? I think they got the attention of every shepherd in a 100 mile radius! In the previous chapter, Luke1, tells us how Zechariah had been without words for months because of doubt in his wife, Elizabeth, being pregnant. It wasn’t until he wrote the name of his son on a tablet for everyone to see, that his words broke free and he began praising God. In verse 67, Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. He prophesied about the coming of a Savior who would redeem his people and that his son, John the Baptist, would prepare the way of the Messiah.(vs68-79) The last two verses are so amazing! “Because of God’s tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” Zechariah prophesied the night of Jesus’ birth, months before it happened! The night Jesus was born, God broke through the heavens with his armies of heaven and gave light to those in darkness and told them where to find the path to peace—JESUS CHRIST—born tonight in Bethlehem! The Lord Jesus Christ is still sending light down from heaven, in the human form of YOUR life. If you have accepted Jesus into your heart, believe he is the Savior of your life and for the world, and confessed you have sinned, then you are the Light of Christ. You were created for a special task in His Kingdom. As the shepherds spread the news of Jesus’ birth and the words of the angels, and John the Baptist would prepare the way for Jesus’ ministry, we are also given the task to proclaim the Good News of Christ’s return! Would you allow God to use you to bring light to those who are lost in this dark world? There is so much uncertainty & evil happening in the world, I sometimes find it overwhelming to know where to start. May the Lord help you to begin right where you are, with the people you are in contact with everyday! Open your heart to bring love, joy, hope, and peace to those who are so desperately searching for true happiness! May they find it in Jesus during this Christmas season.
Thank you once again to all my faithful supporters, for your continued prayer and financial support. It has been a privilege to share in many churches over the last 7 months during itineration. What a blessing! Please continue to pray for Monthly support to be raised, traveling mercies, for the Congolese and those who are ministering in the DRCongo, as there is much unrest in Eastern Congo. Pray for those in Congo who are sick with diseases like AIDS, malaria, typhoid, and polio, as most are unable to pay for treatment. If you know of someone who would like to give to the ministry in DRCongo or you would like to give on a monthly basis, please email me at gbiffert@hotmail.com or you can go online to http://worldmissions.ag.org/search.cfm?Display=Yes&churchdetail=AGFM5010. I would love to have the opportunity to come and share in a service, small group, or event with adults, youth, or children.
May you and your family have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Joyeux Noёl et Bonne Année!!

The Democratic Republic of Congo