KISANGANI, CONGO (November 29, 2004) – Most of the 11-member delegation representing the Evangelical Covenant Church returned to the United States over the weekend, bringing to a close an emotion-packed visit in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the death of Dr. Paul Carlson, Covenant medical missionary to Congo who was martyred in November 1964.
The group was co-led by Lois Carlson Bridges, who with Paul served the Covenant mission stations at Wasolo and Karawa in 1964. In addition to Lois, members of the delegation included the Carlson’s son, Wayne, and his wife, Rebecca, and their son, Paul; Carlson’s brother, Dwight; Rick Carlson (unrelated) who was the producer of the new documentary Monganga unveiled at this year’s Covenant Annual Meeting in Minneapolis; Bob and Jan Thornbloom, well-known Covenant missionaries to Congo for many years who continue to work with various Covenant ministries; Curt Peterson, executive minister of the Department of World Mission; Jim Sundholm, director of Covenant World Relief and the Paul Carlson Partnership; and Pete Ekstrand, regional coordinator for Africa who also is serving on this trip as a special correspondent for Covenant News Service. (Top photo shows members of the delegation, including, from left, Sundholm, Dwight, Lois, Wayne, Rebecca, grandson Paul, Jan and Bob Thornbloom, Rick Carlson and Peterson. Ekstrand is not pictured.)
Traveling with the American delegation are CEUM President Mossai Sanguma and Vice President Mawe Sema, as well as Keith and Florence Gustafson, Congo coordinators for Covenant World Mission, and Covenant missionary Nancy Jo Hoover.
The final stop in the two-week tour of Covenant mission operations and historic sites came Thursday in Kisangani, formerly known as Stanleyville and the place where Carlson and others were imprisoned in November 1964 after being seized by rebel forces led by Simba leader Gbenye. It was in Stanleyville, following intense international negotiation efforts, that Belgian paratroopers stormed the city in an effort to free the prisoners. It was during the melee that followed that Carlson was fatally shot by a rebel soldier as he attempted to scale a wall and escape to freedom.
Seven delegation members accompanied Congo Covenant Church (CEUM) President Mossai Sanguma and Vice President Mawe Sema on the two-and-a-half-hour flight from Karawa to Kisangani. The group was scheduled for a brief time on the ground – only three hours – so had to cover a lot of ground in very little time.
“We arrived on time,” noted Rick Carlson, but the group was detained at the airport for 45 minutes while passports were checked. Following a 20-minute ride from the airport into the city, the group was taken to the home of an assistant to the town’s mayor, waiting another 20 minutes to be admitted, only to learn they would have to speak with that individual’s supervisor.
“Then we were driven to the house of the bishop of the local Protestant church where . . . we had to politely decline the meal prepared for us,” Carlson continued. “Then to the mayor’s office where we waited another 20 minutes until the assistant mayor came out to greet us.”
The mayor accompanied the group to Martyrs Plaza, a memorial established to remember those who died in the 1964 event. “Lois and Dwight were given flowers and were taught how to slowly walk up the stairs and place them on the ledge,” Carlson said. “Then, each of the members were allowed to walk up two at a time. The mayor was in a hurry, so we started walking down the street where they said the massacre occurred. It was difficult to tell which was the house near where Paul was killed because they don’t look the same as the pictures from 1964 (Carlson was very familiar with the photos from that time, having worked with the Monganga documentary). To see additional photos from the Kisangani visit, please see Kisangani.
“We walked 200 yards to the Victoria Hotel – now apartments – where Paul and the other hostages were held from November 19-24, 1964. We asked if we could go to the prison where Paul was held for over a month, but that request was denied. The drivers began to take us back to the bishop’s house, but by now we only had 20 minutes to get back to the airport, and if we didn’t leave at 2 p.m. local time, it would be too dark to land back at Karawa.”
The return trip was in itself an adventure. On the trip back to the airport, one of the vehicles ran out of gas and 12 people had to cram into a seven-passenger vehicle. Following another 20-minute wait at the airport while passports were again checked, the group boarded for the flight to Karawa. “We were looking forward to a Thanksgiving meal back at Karawa – we hadn’t eaten since breakfast,” Carlson said. (Bottom photo shows delegation members enjoying their Thanksgiving meal at the home of Covenant missionaries Keith and Florence Gustafson, Congo country coordinators for Covenant World Mission).
Although the time was brief and the visitation hurried and confusing at times, the impact of what happened at that place four decades ago was not diminished. “During the quiet moments, to be aware of the fact that this is where Paul was killed, was sobering,” said Dwight in reflecting on the time there, to which Rick Carlson added, “It was still holy ground.”
Following the group’s visit to Kisangani on Thursday, they traveled to Gemena on Friday where they visited the headquarters of the Congo Covenant Church (CEUM), as well as the Bokonzo Health Clinic, before heading on to Kinshasa. To see photos of the work at the Bokonzo Health Clinic, please see Bokonzo.
A highlight Saturday was an interview with former Simba leader Gbenye, a key figure in the rebel activities in 1964 that eventually led to Paul’s capture and imprisonment. The interview was conducted by pastor Rick Carlson, who directed production of Monganga, the new documentary on the life of Dr. Paul Carlson. Members of Paul’s family – Lois, Dwight, Wayne, Rebecca and grandson Paul – along with Jan Thornbloom listened to the interview with Bob Thornbloom interpreting for Gbenye. Rick Carlson later described the interview as “fascinating and revealing,” with Gbenye telling his side of the story.
Members of the delegation arrived back in the United States Sunday afternoon. Peterson was scheduled to return later Monday.
To read earlier accounts of this visit and see additional photos, please visit the following stories:
- Covenant Delegation Warmly Welcomed in Karawa.
- Carlson Family Visits Former Home in Wasolo.
- Forty Years Later: ‘Who Could Have Imagined?’.
- Capacity Crowd Greets Delegation at Loko.
- Former CEUM President: ‘Forgive Us’.
(Editor’s note: to read more about the life of Dr. Paul Carlson, please see Dr. Paul Carlson.
Copyright © 2011 The Evangelical Covenant Church.
