♪♪
Welcome to Get Your
Spirit in Shape,
United Methodist Communications
and UMC.org's podcast to
help keep our souls as
healthy as our bodies.
I'm Joe Iovino. This episode
was a treat to record.
I got to meet and speak with the
Rev. Jean Claude Masuka Maleka
and Francine Ilunga Mbanga
Mufuk, who are United Methodist
missionaries to Côte d'Ivoire
originally from the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
Francine and Jean Claude are
a married couple and their
ministries complement one
another. Jean Claude is an
evangelist and church planter.
He currently serves Nazareth
United Methodist Church in
Abidjan. Francine ministers to
the young girls in the community
she shares with them the love
of Jesus and teaches them skills
that will help them
earn a living and survive.
Together, Jean Claude and
Francine teach a marriage
class in the church to help
strengthen marriages in
a culture where
divorce is prevalent
In our conversation we talk
about faith, love, and marriage.
Jean Claude and Francine's
first language is French,
but their love for Jesus
and their passion for people,
is communicated loud and
clear in any language.
Enjoy this conversation.
♪♪
 Joe: Jean Claude and
Francine, it is so good to
have you here today. I'm excited
to get a chance to talk to you.
So I know you're both from the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
You're both serving as
missionaries in Côte d'Ivoire
and you are a married couple.
And so my first question is,
were you missionaries
when you met?
 Jean Claude: No. We met...we
were students at university.
And it was... I was about
to graduate the university,
and Francine was in
the first year at university.
So we met and decided
to be a couple.
 Joe: Where were you in school?
 Jean Claude: We were at
college in DRC called ISP,
Institut Supérieur Pédagogique
in Lubumbashi town,
the second
largest city of the DRC.
 Joe: And you started
dating as students and
got married soon after?
 Jean Claude: No. We were
actually members of the same
church. And Francine was
living with... She came from
Kinshasa to Lubumbashi.
And when she came there
her big sister told me that
I have my young sister who
will come in the same department
like where you are studying. So,
can you help her when she has
a problem in school? So, that
was a good blessing for me,
because that was my starting
point. She will come with
assignment, and I would explain
how to do this assignment
and how to do this. And she
was getting more marks and
she was really excited and
said, "Oh, this guy is
very intelligent." And it
was also my...I would say,
I gave her an invitation to go
to the youth group because
she came from another town,
Kinshasa. So she was involved
in youth group where she was.
And she came and she was
introduced in our group, in
our church, local church,
in Lubumbashi. And she
was really involved.
And by being involved in the
church activities that was
pushing me now to see if
she can be a wife to me.
 Joe: Francine, were you
always involved in church?
Did you grow up in the church?
 Francine: Yeah, I grew up in
the church. I started very
young. I grew up in Sunday
school as we know every
child, and then scout movement━
especially scout movement. That
is our life...my life...because
both my parents, they were
scouts. So I was really involved
in scout movement and
the youth group.
 Joe: Did you go to school
to be a missionary?
Was that kind of your goal?
 Francine: No. I didn't plan
to be a missionary.
 Joe: What was the
thought originally when
you went to school?
 Francine: My vision was to
a mechanic engineer because my
father is a mechanic engineer.
Now in the town where
I was born they could not give
chance to girls to do mechanic.
But I learned mechanics
at home through my father. But I
did my primary school,
my second... my high school I
did sewing. I got a diploma
in sewing. And at university
I changed. I do sociology.
 Joe: I know as a married
couple in ministry together
one of the ministries that you
have is a school of marriage
for couples living in
the church that you serve.
Can you tell me about the
school and what are some of
the things that you teach?
 Jean Claude: Actually I will
say first for the vision first
of the school. The vision was
to respond to the needs in the
community. And serving in a
community where we have more...
many couples are divorced.
And many people are divorced.
So that's.... It was affecting
the way that the body
of Christ should be.
And if I will say that the
people maybe will say
'the body of Christ even with
divorce, yes.' I'm not judging
those who have divorced.
But we are giving like...opening
a way that we can learn some of
the things because many people
are entering into the marriage,
but they are not prepared.
Many people are entering in
marriage because they feel like
they can love each other, and
they see that, yes, I love you.
But marriage is beyond that
declaration. They're beyond that
because in marriage you have to
trust. You have to be faithful
to one another. And you have to
be together. And when I was
in my local church, before we
started that marriage ministry,
we found that many women were
affected by that, and men were
affected by that. And some
maybe in second marriage,
or third marriage. So they
divorced and divorced
and divorced. So then by seeing
that we say, "No. We can do
something to respond to that
need." And it's one of the
ministry that challenge our
church and even bring growth of
the church. When people are
educated, when people are
prepared, when people love
one another, that love from
their home will come to the
church. So the impact of their
home will come at our church,
and if all our couples,
all couples in the church, if
they're living in harmony,
in unity, their impact will
come to the church.
And it will transform the
church. We have a problem today
in the church because sometime
we are not having...taking more
attention to what is happening
in the houses of our members.
Many members are facing
challenges. Some are frustrated.
Some are traumatized because
of the marriage, and the
choice they made. And today they
are looking how they can change
those choices. So by doing
the ministry to couples,
you transform not just
individuals, you transform also
the church community.
 Joe: When you're talking
to couples, what are the
things that they need to know
to help their marriage? Or
what should people think
about before they even
enter into marriage?
Jean Claude: I'm talking in the
point of view as a Christian.
Some of the basics. In the
marriage we have respect and
we have also to give room....
If you have a partner who is
Buddhist, who is Muslim, who is
another...you have to give him,
also, room so that you can
show the love of Christ,
of loving everyone, of loving
everyone. But for those who are
in the church and those
who want to get married,
I will advise them to have first
Christ in their lives before
Joe: I like that idea of giving
room for the other person
in the relationship. What tips
do you give to people to help
them make that space?
 Francine: I think by teaching
them, things that we are doing
every day. Like, let me take
an example. Like washing dishes.
In Africa.... You guys here you
can do dish, men or women. But
in Africa is the wife the one
she will do the dishes always,
even to arrange the bed,
to arrange the house is the
wife. Now we can come up
with those subjects to say, in
marriage we have to accommodate
one another. Like some times
will come you have to
accommodate your husband. You
have to accommodate your wife.
If, for example, I'm doing some
work, my husband can look after
my baby. But there is some
cultures they cannot agree that.
They will say, "No, the wife
should take care of everything."
And it will create problem.
Sometime some people,
they are not aware
of many thing.
 Jean Claude: Yes. So another
issue that we always teach
is communication in the
marriage, how to deal with
conflict, how people who are...
They grow up in different
places, and God puts them
together, and how they can
accept each other. How they
can respect each other.
How they can communicate in a
way that is really effective and
that will bring love, and they
show to outside of their home
that really they are Christian.
They are Christian. So we have
different topics that we always
discuss. But it all is to help
the couples to see the will
of God in that marriage.
And the will of God is for them
to be in harmony, in unity.
We want couples in the church,
those who can come at
the church, and they're okay.
And not the people who coming
at the church and say, "I did
a big mistake in my life,
by marrying this guy or that
lady" or this and that.
So we want the people also,
those who have been married
for long time, but they
are doing different mistakes
like what Francine is saying
here, she was just explaining
examples, how they can correct
some of the things so that we
can have harmony in our
community. Many people,
you know, in different way,
people are getting married.
They are not trained by anyone.
And sometimes they will come
to the church, the pastor will
give them some of the training
that we have in the church. It's
like a book we always follow.
But it's not enough because
people want to begin━they
are fast, they are fast. They
want to organize quickly
their marriage and to be
together. And maybe the really
life comes now after marriage.
 Francine: And they cannot
accommodate each other.
When Jean Claude does something,
I will say, "No." They cannot
even ask for forgiveness.
They cannot have.... I'm running
out of words to put there
because some of them you advise
them, "You say 'no.' You have to
be patient." Be patient
observe God's rule, and pray.
They want God to answer
their problems today.
No. You have to be patient.
Look also back what you
are doing good, what you are
doing wrong so that you can
move together. If this one want
to be on top, the other one
also want to be on top. So,
who's going to come down?
No one. We have to
teach them those stuff.
 Joe: You talked a little
bit about having patience.
How... What helps you have
patience when things aren't
happening as quickly
as you would like?
 Francine: For me, I would say
first, prayer. I always listen
to God before saying something.
And I always.... I am... I don't
like to keep problem, to bother
myself, no. I normally talk and
then forget. I like that.
But prayer helps me a lot.
Listen to God. Sometime even us.
We are in trouble sometimes.
It's not always we have roses.
No. But we know each other.
And we know the rock of our
marriage is Jesus. I always run
to listen what God would tell me
to do. Even if it's not in the
God in his mood, I will wait. I
will pray. And then God will
give me the answer. And the
answer cannot come the same day,
even one month and God will
show.... Maybe I am the one who
I am wrong. He's right. And then
later on I will discover that
I am wrong. And then I have
to ask for forgiveness.
If he's wrong also, you ask also
for forgiveness. And then
we are moving. Yeah.
 Jean Claude: In the couple if
there is no people that value to
be patient, they cannot go far
in their marriage. So any couple
that is... I would advise
couples to have that patience
because the patience is one of
the fruit of the Holy Spirit. If
you are really Christian and
something happen in your life,
in your marriage, being patient
in the way of taking decision,
in the way of responding to
a partner, in the way also of
understanding, be patient.
God will show you the way
like Francine is saying.
God will show you the way.
Francine: It's a matter also of
prayer. It's a matter for prayer
also. We have also to pray.
All the couples, they have to
pray God to give them that fruit
of patience. Because without
that, no, you cannot make it.
 Jean Claude: I think the
church must take this ministry
seriously, to help couples, to
help not those who will start
their marriage, that say, Okay,
these are the people we have
to train. Even those who have 25
years, 35 years in their life,
they have to participate
in that ministry.
 Joe: Shifting gears just
a little bit, as as....
Is it unique for you to be
married missionaries,
both of you missionaries and
being married to each other?
Is that something that
happens often? Or is that....
 Jean Claude: No. We have
couples. The husband is
a missionary, and
the wife do other work.
And we have also women
that are missionaries
and their husband are not
missionaries. So it's a
matter of call. Think a
missionary is.... You have to be
called by God. And you have to
be sincere with God in what
you are doing. Don't be a
missionary because you
want a job. You'll end up being
frustrated. And it's not easy to
be a missionary. You have to
have that heart of being called,
and you respond positively to
that call. And we...we have more
examples of people who have
tried some ... Maybe the
husband's try, some of maybe the
wife try, and they end up being
frustrated and they say, We give
up of this work. We don't like.
 Joe: Is being married to one
another... And you have
individual ministries, right? Do
they overlap and does your
marriage help each ministry?
 Jean Claude: Almost I will say
we are accompanying each
other in the ministry.
 Joe: Tell me more about that.
 Jean Claude: Myself, I'm a
church planter. So doing
evangelism in the rural area
(take my example) ...in the
rural area and different places.
So my wife, she has a passion
and a ministry of helping girls.
And in the rural area where we
are serving, some of the people
don't have a chance to go to
school or being affected by
the culture━early marriage. So
those are girls. So by working
myself in the rural area, so
Francine she's coming in.
Like, now treating some of
the women that are in
that community. So helping...
So we are working together
in different way. And
that's helping each other.
So any place where I will go,
open a new church in a
community, Francine, she has
the eyes also of seeing what is
happening in that community. I
will say that we are lucky and
blessed because at the place
where we are serving, really,
all of us we are really fitting
in the same area of assignment.
 Francine: I think God calls us
to be together. Actually we
were born in the same hospital.
[Laughter]
 Joe: You didn't know
each other then.
 Francine: No. We didn't
know each other.
 Jean Claude: ... Four years
after I was born in the same
hospital in the same town.
 Francine: We didn't know
each other.
 Jean Claude: Francine came in
the same hospital, and you
was born there. So you know.
So we have some similarities
there. We come from one area,
and God prepared.... Even we
were different.... We grow up
different places. But God
sent us to be together.
And she's really a blessing to
me. Yes. She's a blessing to me
and the work that I'm doing. And
the advice that I always receive
from her. And really
God created her for me.
Joe: Francine, tell me a little
bit about your ministry,
 Francine: Okay. What
I'm doing with the young girls,
first of all, is reconciliation
with their God and their family.
First I help them to know the
word of God, after other thing.
Because they have first to
receive Christ in their life as
a savior. When they have now
those two of Jesus Christ,
now we can go to minister now
for...teaching them some skills
so that they can support
themselves. Reconciliation with
their God by receiving Christ
as their savior, reconciliation
with their family. Because if
they get pregnant, they are
rejected by the family. It's not
like here when a teenager
get pregnant the family, the
government, they will take care
of him. In Africa, most of the
country, when a girl get
pregnant you are rejected. So
imagine a little girl, 12 years
old, 14 years old, 16 years
old, 15 years old, rejected by
the society. So it's really
hard. It's the ministry that I'm
doing to give them the second
chance to reach their goals.
It doesn't mean when that
girl get pregnant she's not
intelligent to continue a study.
She can.... We are giving them
the second chance to go back
again to school. Those who are
not able to go to school, we are
teaching them skills so that
they can support themselves.
And most of the girls in
Ivory Coast in school there is
a big number in high school
that are pregnant. They are
getting pregnant in school.
And in the rural area also.
There is also young girls who
are pregnant. They are married
at the early age. And then will
they were when maybe 16,
they will run away from
that marriage. Now, when they
will be in the street, they will
be doing prostitution. They
will be looking for job,
being like housemaid. They
are just looking way to get
the shelter, where to eat. And
then they will pay them back.
They don't know even to do
housemaid's work. So I'm trying
to teach them those skills. And
after that, we will be teaching
them...our members...
 Jean Claude: Church members.
 Francine: ...church members, I
will be talking to them so that
they can take them as a
housemaid. At least they're
secure and they can have a
shelter. They can have food.
And at the end of the day they
can pay them a small salary
so that they can survive
and support themselves.
 Joe: That's wonderful and
really great to hear, and what
a difficult ministry, I imagine.
One of the things we like to do
on the podcast is offer people
ways that they can continue
in their spiritual growth. And
so when you are feeling
discouraged, when the work
is hard, where do you...
what do you do to regain
your encouragement?
What do you do to
regain your strength?
Jean Claude: One is we always
take time for ourselves.
When we reach the point that we
are discouraged and maybe tired
and maybe we are frustrated, we
always take time for ourselves.
When .... We always take time
for ourselves. So I will take
maybe 3 days of retreats for
myself. And maybe I will take
for the family, the whole
family, we will go somewhere
and just spend.... In Ivory
Coast where we are,
we have a beautiful beach. So
we can go there and spend
a little bit of, maybe 2 days,
there and just relax, and God
will give us again...restore our
life and give again the strength
to our spirits. Yes. It's really
a challenge, but you have to
know that God is there.
And it's not your work.
You are there because God sent
you there. So when you want to
have fuel in your engine, you
have to go to God who can refuel
again and you can have energy.
So we always take time for
ourselves. And when we feel
discouraged, when we feel tired,
we always take time for
ourselves so that God can
renew our lives. God can give us
again strength and go back
again to ministry.
 Joe: Something you said there
that just resonates with me:
'it's not your work;
it's God's work.'
A lot of times we...
 Jean Claude: Yes, we try to
fix ourselves everything.
 Joe: How about you, Francine?
You get to go to the beach, too.
You guys go together.
 Francine: Most of the time we
go together. But in my case,
when I'm hearing...I'm sharing
stories with those young
girls, I end up crying.
I cry because sometimes...
Imagine someone who come up with
a story how she was violated,
how she was abused,
it's really hard. Sometime I
can't show to my young girls
that I'm crying. Sometime I
will just do that and then
go somewhere and wipe my
face and then come back.
But when I will go back home I
can take even 30 minutes crying.
But then after that I will
listen to music. I take my time
to listen to gospel, English,
Swahili, French. It helps me
to be restored. Yeah, I'm trying
to do that because it's
not easy. It's not easy.
Sometime we are in big home,
and then we don't know what is
going outside. We have to go,
especially in the rural area you
cry. You cry. You know those
stuff we are using for
ladies, for period lady.
Some girls they don't know
even how to use them.
They don't know how to use them.
So when I'm going in the
rural area to minister I always
carry some stuff. I cannot go
there to teach them without some
examples. I have to go with
examples. After our teaching I
will give them and show them
how to use them.
 Joe: Yeah.
 Francine: It's really hard.
But it's not my mission.
It's God's mission.
 Joe: I just like that a lot.
I like that reminder that
it's God's mission.
One last question. How can
people support you?
How can people help you
or be a part of the work
that you're doing?
 Jean Claude: Yes. Actually
we are inviting friends and for
those who have that passion
also of making difference in the
world, they can be part of
our ministry. And the way that
they can do that is through
The Advance. We have different
Advance for me and for Francine.
 Joe: We'll put those on the
website. So people that are
listening will go
to our website.
 Jean Claude: We have
also for the project.
The project is evangelism
and church planting in
Côte d'Ivoire. So that
they...the place where you
can also send your support. And
not just money, but we need also
people who can volunteer.
And they say, "Okay, I have
expertise in marriage ministry,
Jean Claude, could you...may I
come for 2 weeks or 1 one to
share with couples?"
That will be great. And if, like
Francine, she's planning to,
also to open, to construct
a center for girls.
So we need support on that. And
where girls can learn skills
and to support themselves. So we
need a friend really to be on
our side so that we can make
difference in the world.
We are not alone. We are with
them and we are with Jesus.
And we thank God for that.
 Joe: Is there a website or
a newsletter where
people can keep up with
the things that are happening?
How do we find that?
 Jean Claude: Yes, we are....
Actually we always send
newsletter every month
to churches and friends.
And we have a blog, but at this
time it's not really activated.
It's Hope to Africa. And we'll
go...maybe we'll invite people,
those who want us, we have...we
are on the Global Ministries
website. So they can contact
us and we can respond to any
questions or they want to learn
more about our ministry and
mission in Côte d'Ivoire
we invite them to come.
We thank God because being there
we know that we have friends
all over the world. Those who
take their passion in church
planting and doing evangelism,
they are welcome.
Those who want to respond to the
need of girls in Côte d'Ivoire
they are welcome. So if you want
also to give like clean water
in the community where we are
serving, they are welcome.
So we thank God for all churches
and individual who will be
touched by that. They can come
and we can really respond
and work together. We are there
not for us, but for God's glory.
 Joe: And people that are
listening, you can go to
UMC.org/podcasts and find
the page for this episode
and we'll put links there.
So it'll make it as easy as
we possibly can. I have so
enjoyed meeting you.
And I have so enjoyed this
conversation. Thank you so much.
 Jean Claude: Thank you so
much and God bless you.
 Francine: Thank you.
♪♪
That was the Rev. Jean Claude
Masuka Maleka and
Francine Ilunga Mbanga Mufuk,
United Methodist missionaries
from the Democratic Republic of
Congo who are currently serving
in Côte d'Ivoire. To support
their ministries, go to
UMC.org/podcasts and look for
this episode that we've called
“Faith, Love and Marriage.”
We've put links on the page to
their Advance accounts where you
can support them financially,
and learn more about
them and their ministries.
Also, while you're on our page,
take a look at some of our other
Get Your Spirit in Shape
episodes and other podcasts
by United Methodists
that you might enjoy.
Thanks for listening. I'll be
back soon with another episode
to help keep our souls as
healthy as our bodies.
I'm Joe Iovino. Peace.
♪♪
