75 Kilometers to Listen to an Apostle of the Lord

75 Kilometers to Listen to an Apostle of the Lord
Two young men, Pierre (16) and Roger (17), of the new branch of Fungurume in Katanga in DR Congo, travelled 47 miles (75 km) on foot for the first time in their lives, to listen to Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speak in Likasi.
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On the left are Pierre Mubinga Bikon, President Mwanza Fidele and Roger Kazumba Ngudia.

“I’ve always loved the talks from Elder Bednar. He is one of the Church leaders who inspires me the most,” said Roger. “When I learned that he would be in Likasi to speak to members of the Church, I said to myself that I would give anything in the world for this opportunity to see and hear him speak in person.” Roger and his friend Pierre decided to go to Likasi.

Before leaving, Pierre said, “I had just 1,000 Congolese Francs (about U.S. $1) for the ration during this long trip on foot. My aunt, who is not a member of the LDS Church, gave me 500 CF to add to what I had. It was all she had. She asked me if we would be safe while travelling such a long distance just to listen to a servant of God, and I assured her that we would.”

Pierre’s mother said that his father would give him the money for transport before Saturday, but that did not happen, so the boys decided to leave on foot early the day before Elder Bednar was to speak, to avoid the risk of missing this unique opportunity that presented itself to them.

The teenagers walked 12 ½ hours that day. Peter said, “As we were travelling we were very tired. A pickup truck suffered a flat tyre just a few meters from us, and we offered to help with the repairs. After we helped, the driver proposed to take us to Likasi, which shortened our trip. Since we were exhausted, it was as if an angel was sent to succor us.”

When they arrived in Likasi, a member of the stake presidency offered them food and a place to rest. The next day, the young men were able to attend the meeting. It was a very special occasion for them. “After the meeting, we were very blessed to hear the questions and answers between Elder Bednar and the members. That gave us personal answers to some of our daily concerns,” said Roger.
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Another Church member, who became aware of their long journey, chartered his car to bring these two young men home to Fungurume, which saved them many hours of walking. They were grateful for the ride home, but even more thankful for the experience that they had to be in the presence of an Apostle of the Lord.

Read here about three other men who walked 520km to Likasi to attend stake conference.