top of page
TRAUMA RECOVERY HEALING CENTER
In 2021, Pastor Bienfait Mulamba
began the Trauma Recovery Healing Center
with just a vision.
In his city of Goma, DR Congo, 70% of women have been victims of abuse, violence, and rape.
Many have witnessed husbands and children killed by rebel militants.
Majority cannot read or write.
...A defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.
Psalms 68:5
About 300 women gather twice weekly for teaching, prayer and hope in the Trauma Healing Classes.
Requests for Bienfait to bring Trauma recovery classes keep pouring in.
These 3 women have suffered from sexual, physical, and emotional abuse.
Pastor Bienfait's big vision is to serve
2,000 war-torn, hurting, and traumatized women in the next year.
Have you ever experienced any traumatic experience or know of others who have been abused, battered, on drugs, or even sold into sex slavery? Do you know of anyone who has suffered severe loss - either of loved ones or economically?
We all probably know of someone, maybe even ourselves. The pain and ripple effects of the trauma in their lives can be seen in every area of their relationships, family, and work.
While our pain is severe and we do not want to minimize it, in the USA we have many resources available to help our loved ones or to seek help ourselves.
We have books, classes, podcasts, trauma groups, recovery groups, therapists, counselors, and many other means to become free from the emotional scars.
The women in the DR of Congo have none of these resources available.
What started as a pilot program for Bienfait has now grown to over 300 women in two locations and the numbers are growing.
Women are desperate.
REACHING ORPHANS
5 Million children in the DRC are left orphans due to atrocities of rebel militants, HIV, and other causes.
According to UNICEF, 10,000's of children, ages 6 to 14, are recruited by militants to be child soldiers, kill, steal, serve as spies, or for human sex trade trafficking).
Friends of Jesus Charity, led by Bienfait, regularly serve over 500 of orphans in their war-infested region, doing what they can to "wipe away their tears."
A team of 12 provide food, clothing, comfort, and love, partnering with orphanges.
I (God) am...A Father to the Fatherless
Psalm 68:5
They are given the Father's love, acceptance, and belonging.
Not only do they feed their bodies, but also their souls by bringing fun and Jesus to them while they eat.
Joseph, age 6, saw his parents being killed.
Friends of Jesus Charity has been building an orphange to house 50 children and 6 staff. It aims to open 2023.
UPDATE: Thanks to donations, the orphanage has opened as planned!
It is common for children to have seen their parents killed in front on them and suffer from severe trauma.
Brick by Brick the House for Children becomes a reality.
SERVING THE PGYMIE PEOPLE
Below: Bienfait speaks with Pygmie lady sitting in the hut
To the left: Bienfait stands next to Pygmie Hut.
Pygmie Children
Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for such is the Kingdom of God. -- Matthew 19:14
UPLIFTING WOMEN OF HOPE PROJECT
A visionary, Bienfait
saw the immediate needs of the women and a way to bring them out of poverty. So, he obtained a micro-business loan, bought a coffee plantation, and
hired women affected with HIV/AIDS or sexually raped.
Although it is a smaller plantation, he manages to market to the city of Goma and pays these women to work in the business. When society has alienated these women, Friends of Jesus Charity embraces them.
He has also begun sewing classes with just a few sewing machines. Many more machines are needed for more women to learn how to sew to earn a living.
Meet Pastor Bienfait Mulamba
Pastor Bienfait, known simply as Bienfait, grew up on a remote island in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Idjwi Island in one of the largest inland islands in the eastern DRC. He was born into a poverty stricken family and his father conducted a sewing business. His father, as he says, "Did his best" and sent him to school.
From this upbringing, he always had a vision for helping people and fighting poverty. And so he received his Bachelor Degree in Politics and Administration to make a difference,
The DRC currently ranks 175th in poverty out of 185 countries (Wikipedia). Poverty is one of the greatest barriers to the people in the DRC and makes the work of the ministry challenging for the needs of the people are severe.
For example, over 10,000 Congolese children are slave laborers in the cobalt mines of the DRC. Cobalt is needed to make lithium batteries for electronic vehicles worldwide. China buys this cobalt, makes these batteries and then sells into the US market for production of electronic vehicles.
A year after graduation, The Holy Spirit led him up to pray with 700 other Christians on a mountain top. It was on this mountain when he heard the voice of Lord speak:
"It is TIME for you to save lives, give hope, and encourage the broken-hearted people.
Bring them back to Me (God)."
The next day, God divinely showed him a field of widows and orphans weeping. All the Lord said was, "Wipe away the tears of these people." In this spiritual encounter, Bienfait began to wipe the tears from these people. He hasn't stopped since.
Religion that God accepts as pure and fautless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress... James 1:27
In the past 7 years, Bienfait planted 7 churches. He founded Friends of Jesus Charity guided by James 1:27 and its mission is to:
-
Help and Feed people as Jesus did
-
Serve people as Jesus did
-
Love others as Jesus did
-
Minister as Jesus did
-
Bring healing to people - women, men, and children suffering from the effects of trauma
At age 32, Bienfait and his wife, Charlotte, have two boys and one girl. They live in the city of Goma, eastern DRC. They also share their home with up to 7 orphans at any given time.
FINDING MY FATHER'S CONNECTION
Childhood Dream Fulfilled
Little did I know that a dream of mine since elementary school would be fulfilled - and that was to be a missionary to French Speaking Africa. I majored in French and Political Science/International Studies to accomplish this dream.
But, I never got there...
THEN ONE DAY in 2021
Finding My Father makes it to French-speaking Africa.
At a pastoral prayer luncheon, a longtime friend and missionary to Africa, Jon Shinaberry, Missionary and Founder of Global Harvest Missions, Inc., shared he was leaving for the Congo. My heart leaped - I knew it was French speaking and that Jon did not know any French. So I asked, "Does the pastor you are visiting speak English?" As soon as Jon answered, "YES," out of my mouth came, "Would you take my book, Finding My Father, to him?" Again, he said, "Yes."
After Jon arrived, I received a message from him with the photos below.
While Jon was there, we spoke at least 2 times face to face. After that, a longterm relationship was established between myself, Bienfait and his people.
You see, God moves in ways when we least anticipate. I did not know that my book and story were an answer to Bienfait's cry for help in ministering healing to the victimized and traumatized women and orphans.
Before I knew it, Bienfait took lessons from my book and began to conduct Healing from Trauma classes to 100's of women, starting with "Life Influencers." The women responded well and wanted more.
Bienfait's first Trauma Healing Class
Since then, I have begun to re-write my 12 week course into a study guide with outlines to teach Bienfait and his leaders how to bring healing to these women that give them lasting freedom for a lifetime. This project is ongoing as of today. I send each lesson to him as soon as I complete them.
He now teaches 100 women off island and about 200 women on the Idwji Island, and he has leaders being trained at the same time.
His goal is to reach 1000 women in 2022, 2000 women in 2023, and more in following years to come.
He has more women seeking help that he cannot yet reach.
He has also been teaching his congregation on Sundays.
Costs for transportation to and from locations and food to feed the women and children are a constant burden and limit what he and his team can do.
By God's provision, a former translator from the Wickliffe Bible Institute in the country of Togo, Africa is now partnering with me for French translation and contextualization of the course for the African mindset. This, too, is ongoing and is all volunteer.
In a digital society, a computer, projector, and other technologies that we take for granted in our Western culture are very much needed for his ministry to be more effective and to reach more people. Again, Wickliffe Bible Translators is also assisting with this need and is searching for compatible equipment to send.
I knew immediately that I wanted to do something to help these women and this ministry. So, I decided to donate %10 of proceeds from my trauma recovery courses to Bienfait and his trauma recovery center in Doma, DRC.
I also wanted a way that anyone can be a part of ministry to these severely traumatized women and their children who have nothing and are constantly experiencing traumatizing events on a daily basis due to the militants, the poverty, sickness, and natural disasters.
In the DRC, the US dollar goes a long way and every dollar donated will go directly to the Friends of Jesus Charity and the Trauma Healing Center (s) that Bienfait and his team will build.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
You and I can help them by supporting the work in action and prayer that Bienfait and his team are doing to bring the Hope, Love, and Healing Power of Jesus into their lives.
$25 a month will sponsor 5 women to attend free Trauma Healing Classes for 4 weeks every month.
25 = 5x4 = 20 women
This $25 goes towards the high transportation costs to travel to the women, food, materials, and any other costs incurred. This does not include any salary for Bienfait. He does not take anything for himself, but gives to the women and blesses his team when he can.
$50 a month will sponsor 10 women/4 weeks.
$100 a month will sponsor 20 women/4weeks.
One time donations can also be made.
All monies will be donated through Global Harvest Missions, Inc., a non-profit to the African nations which supports a variety of relief aid directly to the indigenous ministries, not an organizational bureaucracy.
To the Left:
Jon Shinaberry of Global Harvest Missions with Bienfait and orphans.
To the Right:
Jon prays for an
orphan girl
HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
PRAY and ask God how He wants you to respond.
Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38:
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.
Pastor Bienfait and Friends of Jesus Charity are an answer to this Matthew 9 prayer You can also be a part of this sending team and reach a dying, desperate nation by donating on a one-time or monthly basis. Prayer support is also very important and both ways of participating in what God is doing in the Congo will accomplish much for the Kingdom.
Bienfait on far left with 3 of the pastors of his church plants. They are on Idwji Island and traveled by boat to minister there.
Team on Idwji Island who assist Bienfait; many have experienced atrocities in their lives, and now help other women become healed and whole. What Jesus is giving them, they freely give away.
Thank You for visiting this page and seriously considering how you can help!
Together, we can make a difference for eternity.
Marian
bottom of page