wfn.org | Re: Rebels pass through Zairian Mennonite area

[Mennonite Central Committee Communications]

TOPIC:  REBELS PASS THROUGH ZAIRIAN MENNONITE AREAS AS THEY MARCH ON
THE CAPITAL
DATE:   April 18, 1997
CONTACT:  Pearl Sensenig
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

AKRON, Pa. --  On April 13 Zairian rebels officially began their
offensive on Kinshasa, Zaire's capital.  As the rebels, known as
Alliance troops, advance toward Kinshasa they are passing through
areas where many Zairian Mennonites live.  Kananga, Tshikapa and
Kikwit -- towns with Zairian Mennonite church offices -- are on the
route to Kinshasa.

In an April 16 e-mail message to Mennonite Central Committee
(MCC) headquarters, Ann and Bruce Campbell-Janz  reported they had
heard of some looting.  "This is a difficult time; our prayers are
needed," they wrote.

The couple, who direct MCC's Zaire programs from Kinshasa, heard
the following news through ham radio connections:
  In Tshikapa two houses owned by the Mennonite Church of Zaire
(CMZa) have been looted.
  CMZa leaders visiting churches in Kasai Occidental province tried
to hide and disabled their vehicle when they learned soldiers were in
the area.  However, retreating soldiers discovered and stole it, leaving
the pastors to walk more than 30 kilometers/65 miles to a CMZa
church.
  In Kalonda a CMZa-managed hospital has been looted.  The extent
of the damage is not yet known in Kinshasa.  It is also not clear that
this incident is related to the current war.       

Since October 1996, Zairian troops have lost about one-third of Zaire
to the Alliance.  In many places defeated troops have looted homes
and farms as they retreated.  As they entered Mennonite areas,
however, people had hoped looting might be minimal as most Zairian
troops appeared to be trying to get to Kinshasa as quickly as possible. 
Terry Sawatsky, co-director of MCC Africa programs, says most
people do not fear Alliance troops and he predicts little displacement
of local people.

Alliance sources say their troops are within 140 kilometers/87 miles of
Kinshasa.  Sawatsky feels that while some units may have infiltrated
this far, it "seems more likely troops are somewhere between Mbuji-
Mayi and Kikwit," some 500 kilometers/310 miles east of Kinshasa. 
He speculates the Alliance will meet with minimal resistance -- as they
have since they captured the city of Kisangani several weeks ago --
until they are within striking distance of Kinshasa.

On April 13 Ann and Bruce Campbell-Janz attended church services in
Kinshasa.  Mennonite Pastor Kelendende preached on Matthew 8, a
text that tells of the disciples and Jesus caught in the storm on the
lake.  She compared the boat to Zaire with waves sweeping over the
side but encouraged the congregation to remember that Jesus is with
them in the boat.  

Zairian troops in Kinshasa are giving mixed signals concerning their
intentions.  Elite units attached to President Mobutu are saying
publicly they will resist.  Other troops have said they will lay down
their arms and join the Alliance.

MCC worker Mike Salomons, who lives in Kahemba, southeast of
Kinshasa, may return to Kinshasa in the next few days.  Local partners
advised the Campbell-Janz couple and Salomons to stay together, in
the event evacuation is needed.   

MCC workers Krista Rigalo and Fidele Lumeya are in Bukavu, Zaire,
which was captured by the Alliance in October 1996.  The war is now
considerably further west, and the couple is currently working at
reconstruction.  With local church partners, they are distributing
medicines and food.

As Alliance troops advance they are returning Zaire to its former name
-- Congo.  Provinces and towns are also assuming old names where
those names have been changed:  Mbuji-Mayi is now Bafwanga; Shaba
province is called Katanga.

                                    -30-

pls18april1997TOPIC:  AT THE URGING OF CHURCH GROUPS, CANADA REVERSES NORTH KOREA
POLICY
DATE:   April 18, 1997
CONTACT:  Pearl Sensenig
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

Editor's note:  This article updates "MCC supplies meat, grain to
help avert famine in North Korea," article #1 in the April 4, 1997,
MCC news packet.  Also see related story "Don't miss the boat" in
this week's MCC U.S. news packet.  

WINNIPEG, Man. -- Ten months of advocacy by Mennonite Central
Committee (MCC) Canada, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB)
and other Canadian church groups paid off in April when Canada
agreed to let the agencies use government money to help hungry
people in North Korea.

The decision will allow the CFGB to use $3.6 million Cdn. allocated
to it by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to
ship 15,000 metric tonnes (MT) of grain to North Korea.  Until now
the CFGB could not use CIDA money for that country since it is on
the list of countries ineligible for aid from Canada. 

"We're delighted with the government's response," said MCC Canada
Executive Director Marv Frey.  "The situation in North Korea is
critical.  We need all the help we can get to feed people in that
country."

MCC's efforts included a March 6 letter from Frey to senior
government officials.  In the letter he argued that the government
should let the agencies use the money because of the growing food
needs in North Korea, and because humanitarian responses can help
open doors of understanding between North Korea an exceptionally
closed and controlled society and the West.  He also pointed out that
the needs of hungry people should take precedence over Canadian
policy needs.

"We were initially told by government officials that North Korea was a
low priority for them," said Frey, adding that "advocacy by church
groups certainly helped change the government's mind."

The food shipment, which should arrive in June, is worth $4.5 million
Cdn.  It is being made possible by contributions from MCC, the
United Church of Canada, the Church of the Nazarene Canada, the
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, Presbyterian World
Service and Development, Canadian Lutheran World Relief, World
Relief Canada and the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada.  The
contributions will be matched by CIDA on a four-to-one basis.

Other recent MCC efforts:
  MCC provided $200,000 Cdn./$150,000 U.S. to purchase corn and
rice in Vietnam that is scheduled to arrive in North Korea this month.
  MCC shipped 115,200 cans of beef from its warehouses in
Pennsylvania and Kansas to arrive in North Korea by May.            

To contribute money to MCC's relief efforts for North Korea,
designate your check for "North Korea hunger appeal," #712-2015, and
mail to your nearest MCC office.

Canadian farmers can donate grain to the MCC food account at the
CFGB.  U.S. farmers can sell 

commodities on MCC's behalf, instructing that proceeds be designated
for North Korea and sent to MCC at P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 
17501.  

                                    -30-

John Longhurst, MCC Canada Communications

pls18april1997 TOPIC:  MCC REFLECTION:  LETTER TO MY MOTHER, MOTHER'S DAY 1997
DATE:   April 18, 1997
CONTACT:  Pearl Sensenig
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

KAMPALA, Uganda --
Dear Mother:

Some things in my life I will never forget.  

I will never forget the way you wept on the day I left for six years in
Africa.  At that moment, I caught a glimpse of how much a mother
could love a daughter.

Last week I met two Ugandan women I will never forget.  

In October last year Ugandan rebels broke into St. Mary's Women's
College in northern Uganda and abducted 149 young women, intending
to march them to Sudan.  The headmistress, an Italian
nun, gathered as much money as she could and followed the rebels
into the bush.  She pleaded with them to release the girls in exchange
for money.  The rebels were not interested.  She offered herself in
exchange for the girls.  They refused.  The rebels then decided to sort
through the abducted girls, keeping the "tall, light-skinned, beautiful
ones," and releasing the other 119 to the nun.  

Two Ugandan women I met last week had their first-born
daughters taken by the rebels with the 30 remaining girls.  They were
marched to Sudan and have since become "wives" of the rebels.                
The Catholic community now holds a day of prayer on the first
Saturday of each month with the parents of those young women.  They
also remember the many other young girls and boys abducted over the
past 10 years.  These children were taken to Sudan where they've been
forced to become rebels, "wives" or possibly sold as slaves.  We've
heard estimates of 3,000 Ugandan children abducted by rebels in
northern Uganda.

There is much in this world I will never understand.   I will never
understand man's inhumanity to man.  I will never understand fully a
mother's love for her child.  I will never understand what it is like to
lose a child to death or to crazed rebels known for their atrocities.  I
will never understand the fear and anxiety of wondering if my child is
alive or dead.

I am thankful for this one thing this Mother's day:  that you will never
know what it is like to have your 14-year-old abducted by rebels.  
  To wonder if she is alive or dead.
  To wonder if she has been raped.
  To wonder if she is forced to kill in order to stay alive.
  To wonder if she will be caught in cross-fire between rebels  and
government soldiers. 

I am blessed knowing that no matter how I die at this point in my life,
even if I die a violent death, you have seen your first-born daughter
live, laugh and love.  You have been her
friend, advisor and confidant.  You have celebrated her marriage and
you've watched her walk with God on this earth. 

Through this experience I've gained new appreciation for the
celebration of Mother's day -- maybe because I understand a bit more
about a mother's love for her daughter. I will celebrate on this day
your love for me.  I will also celebrate the love I've seen and felt by
many of these nuns who have committed themselves to pray, fast and
work for the abducted girls as if they were their own daughters. 

I will never give birth to a daughter but maybe I can learn how to love
my nieces and other "daughters" as those nuns love.  To give my life
to pray, fast and work for peace for all daughters in this world.  To
hope and pray they will only see peace and goodness in life.  And to
support them with love and hope in the face of man's inhumanity to
man.

Sometimes I regret not being a mother.  Yet as I mourned with these
women the abduction of their daughters I gave a secret, selfish prayer
of thanks that I will never experience what these women have.  I
spend too much of my life fretting about how powerless I am.  I
cannot make wrong right, keep rebels from abducting or injuring
children, or end suffering and pain.  But through the experience and
testimony of these mothers and nuns I've seen hope and love in a new
way.

I know these Ugandan women will never regret giving birth to their
daughters.  I admire greatly their ability to live with heartache, and to
hope and pray for their daughters' release.  I will never forget their
strength, hope and love. 

And I will never forget your love for your first-born daughter.

Sincerely,

Pam 

                                    -30-

Pam Ferguson, MCC Uganda

pls18april1997

MCC photo available:  Pam Ferguson. (MCC photo) 
Pam Ferguson and her husband, Ron, direct MCC's Uganda programs. 
They are from Melba, Idaho, where they are members of Melba
Friends Meeting. TOPIC:  EASTERN AND WESTERN MEDIATION MEET IN SUBCONTINENT SEMINARS
DATE:   April 18, 1997
CONTACT:  Pearl Sensenig
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

AKRON, Pa. -- Half a world away from her home in Virginia,
Kathryn Fairfield found that people in very different cultures are
avidly interested in mediation.  Fairfield and several Indian colleagues
conducted mediation seminars in India and Nepal in February and
March.

Students at India's Calcutta Bible College and Allahabad Biblical
Seminary saw mediation as a tool to accompany pastoral counseling. 
They hope mediation can contribute to new understandings and better
communication within the Indian church, says Fairfield.

Students and staff at the Henry Martin Institute of Islamic Studies in
Hyderabad, India, believe mediation may help them defuse religious
conflicts.  Seminar participants want to teach mediation to
schoolchildren so young people of different faiths can learn new ways
of relating.

Fairfield went to India at the request of Mennonite Central Committee
(MCC) India staff, and conducted the seminars along with MCC India
workers Stephen Gonsalves and Cynthia Peacock, and MCC partner
Glory Vijaycumar.  The seminars were part of an increased MCC India
emphasis on peacemaking and conflict transformation.

Fairfield has collaborated with Gonsalves, Peacock and Vijaycumar to
develop mediation training appropriate to India.  "We worked to draw
out what is of a problem-solving nature in their culture, building on
that to develop a program suitable for that culture," says Fairfield.

North America and the Indian subcontinent have both similarities and
differences in dealing with conflict, Fairfield observes.  Universals
include bringing disputants together, listening to and summarizing
differing viewpoints and enunciating what participants have in
common.

"The village elders are skilled at these things; the difference is that
they tend to give a decision, enforced by their power and reputation in
the community," explains Fairfield.  "They either persuade participants
to accept the ruling or say, `This is what you must do.'"

In North America, a mediator is most often a disinterested outsider;
people in the East prefer a trusted insider who knows the disputants
and "can help them save face by preventing knowledge of the conflict
from getting to outsiders," Fairfield says.  For her, the Eastern view
sheds light on personal qualities a mediator needs to build trust and
function effectively.

In Nepal, Fairfield led a seminar in Pokhara with Nepali rural
development workers of United Mission to Nepal.  New development
projects often unearth old conflicts, participants told her.  As relative
outsiders in the villages where they work, they hope to help mediate
these disputes in collaboration with local people, and to encourage
mediation in other family and community disputes.

Fairfield also met with students of a conflict transformation class at the
Islamic University of Afghanistan in Peshawar, Pakistan.  MCC worker
Jonathan Bartsch and his Afghan colleague, Professor Taj, teach the
course to students who are Afghan refugees.

Taj and Gonsalves of the MCC India staff will be studying conflict
analysis and transformation at Eastern Mennonite University this
summer.

Fairfield is from Harrisonburg, Va., and is a member of Parkview
Mennonite Church there.  A lawyer working mainly as a mediator and
mediation trainer, she was one of the founders of Community
Mediation Center in Harrisonburg, the first such center in Virginia. 
She has done mediation and training since 1982.  She and her
husband, John, served with MCC in Nepal in 1995 and 1996, when
she twice traveled to Calcutta to do mediation training, and also served
with MCC in Brussels and Zaire from 1970 to 1973.

                                    -30-

Ardell Stauffer

Ardell Stauffer is a free-lance writer from Akron, Pa. 

pls18april1997

MCC photo available:  Kathryn Fairfield.  (MCC photo)
TOPIC:  MCC'S ONCE LONELY VOICE ON THE PROBLEM OF UNEXPLODED BOMBS IN
LAOS HAS SWELLED INTO CHORUS OF CONCERN AND ACTION
DATE:   April 18, 1997
CONTACT:  Pearl Sensenig
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

U.S. government, United Nations and many others now involved in
de-mining 

AKRON, Pa. -- Capt. Johnson of the U.S. army special forces crisply
outlined the problem.  The United States had dropped 2 million tons of
bombs on Laos during the Vietnam War.  Many bombs didn't explode
on impact as designed, and today they continue to kill.  Cleaning-up
these defective bombs is now proving difficult and expensive.  

Titus Peachey listened in amazement to this Pentagon briefing in late
1996.  For 15 years Peachey, a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)
worker, had been working to draw attention to the U.S. secret air war
in Laos and its devastating aftermath.  Now Peachey was hearing a
U.S. military official utter the very phrase he and his wife, Linda, had
used in their advocacy efforts -- that Laos had averaged one bombing
mission every eight minutes around the clock for nine years.

Times have changed.  MCC's once lonely voice on the problems
caused by unexploded bombs in Laos has swelled into a chorus of
concern and action, including from the U.S. military responsible for
the carnage in the first place.

In May 1996 the U.S. government began providing equipment,
vehicles and technical staff to train Laotians -- to date, 150 as de-
miners and 32 as community awareness staff.  At the end of 1995 the
United Nations established a trust fund for de-mining in Laos.  Eight
countries have now pledged a total of more than $7 million U.S. to the
fund.  Through an institution called "UXO Lao," the Laotian
government is coordinating these on-going de-mining efforts, which
have spread to four provinces.

Many credit MCC's advocacy, de-mining experiments and three-year
bomb removal project for leading the way.  MCC workers were among
the first Westerners to live and work in post-war Laos in 1975.  They
soon learned of the anti-personnel cluster bomblets, known in Laos as
"bombies," that continued to kill and to keep fearful villagers from
farming some land.  In the following years MCC workers and Laotian
villagers experimented with various de-mining methods, including
equipping a tractor with a flail, then driving through fields to unearth
and detonate bombies.  These endeavors met with limited success.

In 1994 MCC embarked on a three-year collaboration with Mines
Advisory Group to train de-miners in Xieng Khouang Province.  MCC
supporters' generosity helped make this multi-million dollar project
possible.  Children emptied their piggy banks, quilters donated their
handicrafts and churches shared their offerings.  Some congregations,
such as First Mennonite Church in Denver, Colo., "adopted" a Laotian
village, pledging money to clear the site of surface bombs.

Through these persistent, pioneering efforts, MCC became known for
its commitment to disarming cluster bombs.  Before U.S. forces went
to Laos, for example, they phoned MCC for information.  At the
December briefing, Capt. Johnson told Peachey that MCC's materials
on Laos had been very helpful.

MCC's partnership with Mines Advisory Group ended in June 1996
when it became clear that Mines Advisory Group was able to attract
financial support from larger organizations.  Mines Advisory Group
continues to train de-miners and now most of the clearing work is
being done by Laotians.     

MCC is now focusing on assisting bombie victims and preventing
accidents through educational efforts.

MCC contributed $7,000 Cdn./$5,000 U.S. to a "war victims' medical
fund." Among those assisted are a boy injured in a November 1996
accident.  He and two other boys were digging for field crickets when
they hit a bombie.  One child was killed instantly and another received
minor injuries.  Shrapnel hit the third boy in the eyes.  Treatment for
him was not available in their village so the "war victims' medical
fund" enabled the family to travel to the capital city for treatment. 
Although his sight could not be fully restored, the boy now has some
vision.

MCC also plans to work with teachers in 87 villages to develop
materials and curriculum that will warn students about the dangers of
bombies.  These villages are in Phongsaly province where MCC has
health and community development programs.

                                    -30-

Pearl Sensenig, MCC Communications

18april1997

MCC photo available:  Young Laotian women transplants rice
seedlings.  Vietnam War-era, unexploded cluster bombs buried in
fields continue to make farming dangerous in many parts of Laos.
(MCC photo by Howard Zehr)TOPIC:  MCC COMMENTARY:  CAMPAIGN TO BAN LANDMINES AT A CROSSROADS
DATE:   April 18, 1997
CONTACT:  Pearl Sensenig
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

MCC supporters should urge the United States to attend
December conference in Ottawa

AKRON, Pa. -- The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) effort to
remove unexploded cluster bombs from Laotian villages makes
Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches likely supporters of the
current international campaign to ban landmines.  Both landmines and
unexploded cluster weapons cause injury and death long after wars
end.

Now the international campaign to ban landmines is currently at a
crossroads.  The U.S. and Canadian governments are taking  strikingly
different approaches to the worldwide tragedy of landmines.  MCC
supporters on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border are uniquely
positioned to help determine the outcome of the effort to ban
landmines.

The United States recently announced a permanent ban on anti-
personnel landmine exports, but has consistently refused to set a
timetable for the elimination of landmines from its arsenal.  Instead,
the United States is working within the framework of the United
Nations Conference on Disarmament to negotiate a treaty.  This
process includes Russia and China, two countries opposed to any real
limitation on the production and use of landmines.  The result will
likely be a long, protracted time of negotiation.

Canada has already declared its own ban on anti-personnel landmines,
and has destroyed its existing stockpile.  Additionally, Canada has
initiated an international process to sign a treaty by the end of
December that would ban landmines.  This initiative is gaining
significant momentum.  Mozambique and South Africa recently
announced unilateral bans on landmines.  Observers expect the
December Ottawa conference to welcome participants from more than
70 nations, building strong moral suasion for an early ban on
landmines.

Thus while the campaign to ban landmines has enjoyed widespread
support among many nations, the largest military powers, including the
United States, have yet to commit to a specific timetable.

U.S. citizens can help the campaign by urging their senators,
representatives and president to join the Ottawa initiative, and to
declare a specific end to anti-personnel landmine use.

Canadian citizens can write letters of support for Canada's initiative to
Lloyd Axworthy, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs.  Additionally,
Canadians can send letters to the U.S. embassy in Ottawa, urging U.S.
support for the Canadian initiative.  The address is Mr. Thomas
Weston, Acting U.S. Ambassador to Canada, U.S. Embassy, 100
Wellington Street, Ottawa, ON  K1P 5T1.

A silent player in the effort to ban anti-personnel landmines is the
growing debate within militaries about the usefulness of landmines. 
One symbol of this debate is an April 3, 1996, advertisement in the
New York Times, signed by retired U.S. military officers, including
General Norman Schwarzkopf, the Persian Gulf War commander.  The
ad states:

     "Given the wide range of weaponry available to
     military forces today, antipersonnel landmines are not
     essential.  Thus banning them would not undermine the
     military effectiveness or safety of our forces."

Schwarzkopf's allusion to other weaponry reminds us that the
military's primary concern is not humanitarian. In fact, some of the
"other weaponry" that reduces the military's need for landmines, may
be equally reprehensible.  Such is the case with cluster weapons.

Some 34 million cluster munitions were used during the Persian Gulf
War.  As in Laos, many failed to explode, and have caused thousands
of casualties in post-war Iraq and Kuwait.  Cluster weapons have also
been used by Russia in its war with Chechnya, and by combatants in
the former Yugoslavia.

Cluster weapons can saturate a large area with thousands of flying
metal projectiles.  Unlike landmines -- which sit silently and wait for
the individual civilian or soldier -- cluster weapons kill and maim
immediately when they function as designed, almost guaranteeing
"multiple kills" when used against troops.

In 1997 the United States will spend at least $1.3 billion to research,
test and produce new cluster weapons and their launching systems. 
This averages $3.5 million per day, or three times the $1.1 million
MCC provided to the Laos bomb removal project over a three-year
period, 1994 to 1996.  (All figures are in U.S. dollars.)

MCC's experience in Laos has heightened our awareness of weapons
that kill indiscriminately, both during and after wars.  We believe all
weapons systems are contrary to the spirit and teaching of Christ.  Yet
the campaign to ban landmines provides a practical opportunity to help
bring an end to one specific worldwide tragedy.

More information about the campaign and sample letters supporting the
Ottawa initiative can be obtained from MCC U.S., 21 S. 12th St., Box
500, Akron, PA  17501; phone (717) 859-3889; e-mail:
tmp@mccus.org, and from the MCC Canada Ottawa office, 803-63
Sparks St., Ottawa, ON  K1P 5A6;
phone (613) 238-7224, e-mail: mccott@web.net

We are monitoring the potential for a future campaign to ban cluster
weapons.  MCC U.S. has compiled information on current cluster
weapons production in the United States, including weapons system
descriptions, budgeted amounts and prime contractors.  This
information is available from the above address.

                                    -30-

Titus Peachey, MCC U.S. Peace and Justice Ministries

pls18april1997 TOPIC:  DON'T MISS THE BOAT!
DATE:   April 18, 1997
CONTACT:  Pearl Sensenig
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

Editor's note:  This article updates "MCC supplies meat, grain to
help avert famine in North Korea," article #1 in the April 4, 1997,
MCC news packet.  Also see related story "At the urging of
church groups, Canada reverses North Korea policy," in this
week's MCC news packet.

AKRON, Pa. --  The events of April 1 were no joke for Kevin King. 
By the day's end, he was teary eyed as he recounted the series of
"small miracles" that had taken place.

As Mennonite Central Committee's (MCC) material resources director,
King's task on that Tuesday was to find a way to move 115,200 cans
of beef from Pennsylvania and Kansas to North Korea, the world's
most politically isolated country.

After a long Easter weekend, King had arrived back at work to find
his desk piled with paperwork.  But a phone conversation with a
United Nations official made it clear what he needed to work on first. 
The official reported that on a recent visit to North Korea he had
observed hungry people scavenging corn cobs and pine bark to
supplement their small rice ration.

King's next phone call was to "Joe," a freight forwarder in New
Jersey.  Joe reported a ship would sail directly from Texas to North
Korea the following week.  This would shave off precious time,
getting the food there faster.  There would be room for MCC's meat,
Joe said, if MCC could obtain all the clearances and get the meat to
the harbor on time.

King prayed:  "Lord, if you want this to work, you'll have to make it
happen because it's not humanly possible." 

The day unfolded.  An energetic youth group could help prepare the
cans of meat for shipping.  A trucking company agreed to haul the
meat to Texas.  "Tom," a Washington official knew of Mennonites --
he attended their "quilt sales" and enjoyed their cheese -- and was
willing to expedite the paperwork.

The export office in Harrisburg, Pa., had one last copy of the six-page,
BXA 748P form.  An official happened to live near King and would
bring it home from work.  A staffperson overheard a phone
conversation about how to get the completed form to Washington.  He
was taking visiting relatives there the next morning and offered to
hand-deliver the document. 

By the end of the day, King was breathing a prayer of thanks.

But the saga continued throughout the week.  Tom called to say
MCC's shipping license needed approvals from both the U.S. State
Department and the Department of Defense.  Joe called to say the ship
was planning to load three days early; MCC's meat could not be
loaded on the ship until the approvals came through.

Finally, Tom called to report MCC's request to ship the meat had been
approved.  "There must have been a lot of prayers," he observed.  The
process that normally takes 30 days had taken just four and a half
days.

Panicky MCC staff from Kansas called.  One truck had not arrived to
pick up the meat.  King found a trucker willing to make the overnight
trip but knew it would probably make it to the harbor too late.

Then it rained in Texas.  Dock workers had to wait to load the ship. 
"It's a good thing God controls the weather too," a relieved King
chuckled.

The ship, called the "Xian Xia Ling," set sail from Texas on April 15,
carrying the 100 tons of MCC meat and other donations from the
United Nations and church groups.  It is set to arrive in Nampo, North
Korea, in May when people will have eaten food from the last harvest
and will not have new crops until October.

In addition to getting food to desperately hungry people, King can't
resist mentioning that "God's way" had also saved money.  This
shipment had cost only 17 cents a can, rather than the usual 22 cents.
                                    -30-

Pearl Sensenig, MCC Communications

18april1997

MCC photo available:  At the Ephrata (Pa.) material resources center
Kevin King (right) and a teen from Sommerville Baptist Church in
South Carolina prepare cans of beef for shipping to North Korea. 
(MCC photo by Tony Siemens)