“The task was daunting,” recalled Barry Mosier, speaking of the work he and his family began three years ago as full-time missionaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Mosiers, originally from Minnesota, had spent the previous eight years as volunteer missionaries in Tanzania. They were accustomed to the missionary way of life and the dangers that go along with it. However, in the wake of the largest war in modern African history, Mosier knew the challenges he and his family would face in the Congo were unlike anything they’d experienced before. “Five million people had died in the war. We were the first white family to return…. There were no others within 300 miles of us.”
Their ministry: Congo Frontline Missions (CFM). Their mission field: some 14 million people, mostly in remote areas ravaged by war and disease—with no access to medical care or clean water.
One of CFM’s first tasks was to start training laymen to become church planters and soul winners. The first class had 74 people—all of whom ate, slept and attended class in one building. They desperately needed more space. But how would they get it?
When some undeveloped land in the jungle became available CFM took a leap of faith and purchased it. “I remember crawling on my hands and knees through that jungle wondering how in the world we would build a school,” Mosier said. “I was just hoping to find our way back to the car!”
However, the Lord provided funds for them to rent a bulldozer and blessings soon multiplied. “We found the property contained sand and gravel for building. Then we discovered that termite mounds make great bricks,” recalled Mosier. A container of one-day structures was also donated, and a campus began to materialize.
Since that time, CFM’s campus has grown to a fully functional evangelism training school complete with more than 14 buildings. To date, 215 laymen have been trained, with 52 of those now working as full-time church planters in formerly unentered areas. With the help of Light Bearers Ministry, Bible study materials and Spirit of Prophecy books are being distributed in three local languages. The result: more than 1,300 baptized into Christ!
Although the Lord has blessed immensely, there is still much work to be done. CFM is currently partnering with Adventist World Radio to broadcast the Three Angels’ Messages from the CFM campus. Plans are also underway to provide the villages with clean drinking water. “The Bible says, ‘Before they call, I will answer,’” (Isaiah 65:24) Mosier continued. “If we get funding, we hope to drill wells in the villages of our church planters. It breaks down prejudice and saves so many lives.”
Mosier, along with wife Mary Beth and two of their children, has moved back to the U.S. and will be working full-time for CFM from Minnesota. Mosier’s son Keith, president of CFM, along with his wife and children, will continue working in the Congo.
Congo Frontline Missions would like to thank their Mid-America family for their continued prayers and support. To learn more about Congo Frontline Missions or to volunteer or donate, please visit www.congofrontlinemissions.org.
