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Missionaries bring back tales of life in the Congo
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Missionary Debbie Pugh answers questions about her ministry in the Congo. - photo by Photo provided
What is life like for children in the Congo? Children in Rincon had an opportunity to learn about boys and girls in Africa from missionaries Rusty and Debbie Pugh, who spoke in morning worship at First Baptist Church of Rincon and then met for an informal question and answer session over lunch hosted by the GA’s (Girls in Action) of the church.
 
Children in the Congo love to play soccer and basketball. They get to see elephants and lions, but not many small animals, because if they see any cats and dogs, they eat them, since many of them go hungry. They must walk everywhere they go. They usually have no shoes and only one outfit of clothes, and they only get to eat one meal a day. In the eastern part of the country, some of the children never get to go to school, because of a war.
 
The Pughs were the first Southern Baptist missionaries to enter the Congo. From their base in Kinshasa, the capital city of 10 million people, they
traveled around the country teaching people how to have clean drinking water. According to Pugh, 67 percent of the deaths in the country are a result of drinking dirty water. As they meet physical needs, they share the gospel and start churches. 
 
In recent years, they have trained Baptist pastors in the war zone to share the gospel with rebel soldiers, and more than 500 rebels have converted to Christianity.
 
First Baptist Church of Rincon hosted the Pughs as a part of its annual Week of Prayer for International Missions. The church has set a goal of giving $45,000 to its mission offering, in addition to giving 13 percent of its regular budget to Southern Baptist missions.
 
For more information on international missions, go to www.imb.org.