Simon said: ‘Master, we worked hard all night long but caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the net”. Lk, 5:5. The image of Simon and his fellow fishermen being on the water the whole night came into my mind in the experience I had on water for 22 hours with Fr. Patrick Lonkoy Bolengu,mhm. As the saying goes, experience is the best teacher, the 22 hours on water experience has taught me a lot.
It was on the 25th February 2025 that we started our journey from Basankusu to Mbandaka on water. After our successful Mill Hill annual assembly in Basankusu, we who came from our Mill Hill parish, Mose, in the Archdiocese of Kinshasa, had planned to return back by Air transport. However, on the day of travel we were humbly informed that we lacked space in the plane because all the seats were occupied. This news was disturbing to our planned programme but we had to adjust and look for another means of transport.
Being in the hands of our capable and hardworking area contact person, he quickly looked and acquired a boat for us to start our journey back to Kinshasa. The journey with the boat meant that we would not reach our parish as planned but would reach after few days. Although traveling by boat on water was disturbing and unfortunate, however, it gave me an experience I had not had before. The journey of 22 hours on water, was a journey of sitting, praying, no sleeping, no standing apart from the little breaks for nature calls.
The 22 hours on water journey to Mbandaka from Basankusu started on the night of a Tuesday, 25th February 2025, at exactly 8:45pm to 18:30pm of a Wednesday 26th February 2025. This night journey being my first brought a lot of questions in my mind but the greatest thing was the hope to reach Mbandaka early the next day and probably catch a flight to Kinshasa. However, the hope of meeting a flight the following day was not met since we reached Mbandaka late in the evening. Throughout the 22 hours on water, what kept me moving was the faith and hope in God as the journey started with a prayer from Fr. Frederick Botaka, mhm, who entrusted the journey into God’s hands.
The 22 hours’ journey on water was a success but there were also some challenging moments. At the start of the journey, one of the lingering questions in my mind was, if anything bad happens to us on this boat in the middle of this river at night, who will come to help us quickly? However, the people we travelled with were experts in swimming so there was great hope in them.
As the journey continued, we met some good rain on the way. The strong winds of the rain caused the water waves to be strong. The bouncing and dancing water forced our boat to follow their rhythm and a call to seek shelter. Faced with the strong waves, it reminded me of the experience of the Apostles and Jesus, and it also made me ask the question, Master, do you not care? we are going down? Mk, 4:39. My trust was in God. Jokingly, my brother, Fr. Patrick Lonkoy, told me can you please calm the wind down like Jesus. Then I quietly smiled and said in my heart, Jesus will help us out because we are his servants.
As part of being alert and vigilant in the journey, I kept my eyes wide open throughout the journey with 5-10 seconds of dozing. If Jesus was to come at that time, He would have found me awake both physically and spiritually. Interestingly, I voluntarily starved myself from eating even if before the journey, we were provided with food for the journey. My choice not to eat on the way was a precaution to having some stomach related issues on the way. I willingly told myself to eat only after coming off the water, Fr. Patrick did the same, maybe because we are used of eating always together. The drinking water kept us moving throughout the journey.
The 22 hours on water experience although scary and challenging as it was, gave me a chance to experience what people whose livelihood is much dependant on fishing go through every day on water. Looking at the different kind of people who moved on the water, the young, the middle aged, the old, men and women with their little children on their backs moved me to tears. It also brought a question, why do rich people not care much for the less privileged? All this painful experience called me to at least offer a little prayer to God for them. It also paused a challenge to me of daily offering prayers for the people whose lives are more dependant on water and travelling by water.
Furthermore, this journey renewed my spiritual life as I offered different kinds of prayers throughout the journey. I am forever grateful to God for letting me have such an experience. It gave me another reason to appreciate the missionary life and to continually pray for all missionaries working in different parts of the world. As we alighted at the port, the prayer of gratitude was unconsciously present in my mouth. I said thank you God three times and a big thankyou to the sailor who stood for 22 hours without sitting to ensure that we reached safely.
This small writing will not be enough to express my entire experience. However, the 22 hours on water was a journey of anxiety, challenges, learning, appreciation, trust and hope in God who sustains all creation. Looking and reminiscing every bit of the journey, the need for a speed boat (which we are in the process of getting soon, thanks to the Christians of St. Joseph Parish in the Maidenhead and the Mill Hill Missionaries in the Dutch Region) would really help to shorten this distance. Furthermore, it will also reduce the rate of accidents and death which occur in the river. As you get a chance to read this piece of writing, I implore for your support towards the mission of Christ especially in the DRC. This journey echoed the words of St. Augustin of Hippo, “Lord our hearts are restless until we rest in You.” Indeed every longing in this world can only be fulfilled in and by God.
To love and to Serve.
Fr. Joseph Emeru, mhm.
