Comfort International’s Operations Manager Rebecca Ndombe set out on her first ever trip with Comfort International this summer. Although this was far from being her first time in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before …
“My name is Rebecca. I had the privilege of visiting the projects in Africa this summer. I didn’t know what to expect but I was just ready for anything; personally I am a person who adapts well in any situation. I was born in Congo in Lubumbashi precisely. I had never been to Goma and this year was the very first time that I went there. When I got there, I was heart broken by the situation I had to see.
It started with when we arrived in Goma. We went to visit the people from the projects (Street Kids Rescue, Comfort Babies Congo, Children of Liberty and Heshima projects at the Village of Hope). We were very well received and I was glad to see the transformation of the beneficiaries. We sang, prayed and danced … it was so great. The next day we went to the hospital but on our way my heart sank in sadness because of all the Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps that we were seeing. I was heartbroken and I cried to the Lord in my heart to help us be strong. Then we spoke to some people and heard their stories and situations, and I saw the kinds of conditions they were living in and that was just so sad.
a look into life in and around the IDP camps in Goma
Once we left that side, we continued on to the hospital and to the welcome of our partners there. It was so great and I was glad to finally put some faces to names and people I had been corresponding with. I got to visit the hospital and I was impressed by the amount of work they do with very limited resources and I was mind-blown by the hand of God that is with the staff in the hospital. I was amazed at how many people go there and how the staff look after and care well for everyone. I am so grateful to be part of the work of Comfort and I am praying that God keeps on increasing the funds so that we will continue to help as many people has we can.
I had the best time on this trip and I would like to go back again. Like Callum always tells us; the reason we visit our partners and the beneficiaries is so that we build relationships and I understood that on this trip. The joy that was on the faces of the beneficiaries in Goma when they saw us and when we spent time together was priceless and I am glad that I got to play a tiny part in meeting them and reassuring them that we all belong to God’s family and we are brothers and sisters even when some had lost their biological parents or siblings. I told some of them that we will keep praying for them, praying that God would extend their family and they would no longer be alone. Thank you to Comfort International for organising this trip. I am looking forward to growing the relationships I started with all the team, our partners and the beneficiaries. Thank you.”
Comfort International is finalising details for the summer trips of 2024. If you would like to register your interest in visiting Africa on a trip next year, please get in touch before the 16th of September.