North Katanga Conference missionaries visit St. John’s UMC, make other stops

By Chris Garcia
St. John’s UMC, Corpus Christi
United Methodist Missionaries Gaston and Jeanne Ntambo from the North Katanga Conference in the Democratic Republic of Congo are visiting the churches throughout the United States that support The Wings of the Morning Flight Ministry.
St. John’s UMC, Corpus Christi, is a covenant partner congregation with Gaston and Jeanne.
The Ntambos’ May 24-27 visit to Corpus Christi, which came midway through their three-month sabbatical in the United States, was part of the every-three-year visit the General Board of Global Ministries allows missionaries to make to covenant-relationship churches. Other stops included Round Rock;
Little Rock, Ark.; and Toledo, Ohio.
Gaston Ntambo received his education and accreditation as a pilot and a mechanic in Ohio, so many of his supporting congregations are in Ohio, where nearly two-thirds of the family’s visitation time will be spent.
St. John’s covenant relationship with Gaston Ntambo developed from the church’s long-standing relationship with his father, Bishop Nkulu Ntambo of the Democratic Republic of Congo—a relationship strengthened through the Volunteers in Mission team from St. John’s that visited the North Katan-ga Conference in 2004.
The Wings of the Morning Flight Ministry has operated in Congo for more than 40 years. It is the only means for critically ill people in isolated areas to reach medical facilities. As the pilot, Ntambo averages about 300 flight hours a year in a country that is one-third the size of the United States, populated by more than 6 million people, yet with very limited roadways and a poor train system. He picks up injured or critically ill villagers and transports them to a hospital in Lubumbashi (the only medical facilities in villages are clinics, some of which are poorly equipped and are being rebuilt following a decadelong war).
“I believe God is using me as a tool to reach out and save lives,” Gaston Ntambo said.
Ntambo preached at all three St. John’s worship services Pentecost Sunday, May 27. As a part of the service, an altar cloth, designed and made by St. John’s women, was dedicated for the Ntambos to take back to St. John’s sister church—Kinkunki UMC—in Kamina, Congo.
The family was warmly greeted and entertained by several St. John’s families during their stay in Corpus Christi. Details of their ministry were shared at a UM Women-sponsored luncheon at the church, which guests from six other nearby congregations attended, and during the Sunday school hour. The couple was accompanied by their 4-year-old daughter, Eileen. Four other children remained with relatives in the Congo during their absence.
St. John’s invites other Southwest Texas congregations to support The Wings of the Morning Flight Ministry, Advance Special No. 08597A; Missionary Support Advance No, 14177Z (Pilot); and Advance No. 14176Z (Radio Operator).