Rebel forces are rumored to have staked a claim to the interior and much of the south. Kabila, meanwhile, is said to be planning a counterattack using gunboats, laden with rocket launchers, traveling up the Congo River. The Crowes and several other missionaries have again been forced to evacuate. They now wait in Kitwe, Zambia, for the fighting to die down. Despite the unrest, Christian influence in the country is growing.
Citizens enjoy freedom of religion despite living under a dictatorship.
Sharon Crowe said people experience constant pain and grief as their loved ones die from sickness, hunger, or combat. Yet spiritual commitment seems strong. When you are on your knees, the only way is to look up. Southern Baptist missionaries Rusty and Debbie Pugh also see growth and commitment in the Congolese Christians. They work with a Christian leader whose congregation has started 12 new churches.