Longing to Be Home (1998)

Excerpt from the draft of “Apostle to the Pygmies – The Doctor Jerry Galloway Story”

The people in Kinshasa support Kabila because they do not want to be ruled by the Tutsis. Many ex-Mobutu soldiers have joined the rebel army. The people are angry because the rebels cut off electricity, and they have no running water. All the missionaries in Kinshasa are safe, including those in the rebel-held territory. They chose to remain to be with the people.

I wished I was in Pendjua to support the people during this time of crisis. I heard that Tutsi rebels in Kiver slaughtered 600 Congolese, including a priest and two Sisters. Many fear the insurgents will resort to genocide, especially if they begin to lose the war in the east. I pray that the chaos will not prevent me from being with my Botoa brothers and sisters.

In my free time, I wrote a summary of the mission team's activities. The group consists of two priests and me. The mission territory covers an area of 4,000 square kilometers. The 40,000 inhabitants consist of two races or tribes - the Bantu of the Ekonda tribe and the Pygmies, called Batwa. The Batwa (or Botoa, as I call them) make up the majority as 25,000 live in 76 villages.

The Botoa are victims of discrimination and oppression. They are the most impoverished people in the Congo and are marginalized and relegated to an inferior social status. Since 1981, the mission team has made special efforts to help the Botoa liberate themselves. We do this through evangelization, health care, economic development, and education.