Kasereka Kosomo: God Provided When We Had Nowhere to Go

I studied civil engineering at the University in Kinshasa in the Congo before Christ changed my life, and I entered ministry. After evangelizing and planting churches in Congo, I wanted to create a program of continuing education for pastors in Africa, so I pursued my master’s degree in Pasadena, California. When I finished, things were not going well in Congo. My wife and I received letters from my father and father-in-law, saying, “If you bring one American to Christ, heaven will rejoice as much as you bring a Congolese to Christ. Do the ministry wherever the Lord wants you to be.” And we took that seriously. We thought the Lord was speaking to us.  

We started a Bible study in our living room. When we outgrew our living room, we contacted a nearby church to see if we could meet there, but the price they offered was beyond what we could afford. So, I went through the yellow pages to find an evangelical church, and I found Oceanside Christian Fellowship (EFCA). When I called, a lady picked up the phone and asked, "Tell me a little bit about you," so I told her my story. 

She said, “It's unbelievable. This is not true.” 

“What is not true?” I asked. 

She said, "Just this Sunday at a missionary conference in our church, we talked about how God is sending the whole world to us––and now you’re calling." 

Soon after, the pastor and elders took me out to lunch and asked me many questions. Then, they said, "We will let you use our facility in the afternoon." 

I asked, "How much will it be?” 

They handed me the contract, and I looked for the price. It said one dollar a year. I started laughing and said, "Please, I'm not here for a joke. You probably made a mistake. How can it be a dollar?” 

They assured me they didn’t make a mistake. 

I said, “Can I pay for the year right now?” One of the elders took out a dollar and said, “I’ll pay for your first year.” 

I'm not someone who cries easily, but that day, tears came to my eyes.