Signs of Transformation

Signs of Transformation

Growth is often slow and goes unnoticed until you pause and look back. Have you ever seen a door frame marked with a child’s height over the years? While each new mark shows evidence of growth, the new mark rarely seems far from the last, but over time, the distance from the first to the most recent tells a story of change.

How do we know transformation is happening in our schools around the world? One school in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) shows evidence of small markings over time. The culture in the DRC values a quiet childhood. Children are to be silently reverent towards adults. A meaningful relationship is not valued, rather it is one of fear. However, as visitors entered the halls of Fateb Kinshasa Academy, that is not what was experienced.

Over 10 years, teachers and school leadership have been preaching the gospel alongside education, and the Spirit has transformed this school culture. Recently, visitors were impressed and overwhelmed with the joy of life that children had and how that overflowed in conversation with adults. One visitor had tears in his eyes because the children asked them questions out of joyful curiosity and didn’t shy away in fear.

In Fateb Kinshasa Academy, you feel a different atmosphere. You see the signs of transformation. You see what Christ’s love can do through teachers. “It doesn’t come from an amazing whiteboard and special paints. It’s what Christ does through teachers and the leadership of the school.”

And when growth happens in one place, it doesn’t stay contained; it spreads. The impact seen at Fateb is reaching beyond its walls and all the way in Kikwit.

Off in Kikwit, a considerable 500 kilometers/310 miles east of Kinshasa, is an orphanage busy with children who have lost parents to a war. Fima Héritier, TeachBeyond National Director, DRC, and his family have regularly made trips there bringing goodness in the form of supplies, clothes, and shoes all donated by the families of Fateb. But that isn’t the only goodness the children received. Fima’s family also diligently ministered to their hearts. Even his young daughter at only age 12 provided the only true comfort, reminding these children that they are held by their Father in heaven, even if they can no longer be held by their earthly one. While loneliness threatens their everyday life, they are not alone: Fateb is full of families who love them and pray for them.

Through these encounters, the orphanage in Kikwit has now opened the doors of a new school. They are currently serving 23 children, a combination of both orphans and local children. May Fateb Kikwit be a place of tremendous comfort and peace as they seek to follow in the footsteps of Fateb Kinshasa as they follow our Lord.