For each of us who work here at Tearfund, the underlying goal, the motivating factor is to love like Jesus. To go where the need is greatest. To serve. Jonas and John were doing that last week when the tragic events unfolded here in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On Sunday 30 June, a convoy of Tearfund staff was travelling in five vehicles that had arrived in Butembo when they were attacked and Jonas and John were killed.
Just a couple of days before the incident, I was visiting with Jonas and John where they were working. Tearfund’s country director for DRC was there too. We were talking and encouraging them, and one of the things we discussed was the difficult conflict situation they were facing on the ground.
I asked them, ‘Guys, how are you feeling about being here? How do you feel about continuing to work here with the risk that you're facing with all that's happening? Jonas responded, saying, in his good French way, ‘Director, we are here because this is where the need is greatest. We know the issues, the security situation, and the challenges that are there. We do everything as an organisation to stay safe in the midst of this, but we can't run away from it.
‘This is the time when we are needed the most in this place. This is the time where we are needed, and therefore we will continue to serve. We follow Jesus where the need is greatest. This is the time when Jesus wants us here.’ This is who Jonas and John were.
Both Jonas and John had worked for Tearfund for a good number of years, in different places and provinces in the DRC. Both were involved primarily in work to help people access clean water and sanitation and to protect them from dangerous but preventable things like diarrhoeal diseases.
Jonas held a place in the team as the elder – the man that people look up to. In the local way, they call him Mzee Jonas, which translates literally as ‘Old Man Jonas’. But this is actually a sign of respect, meaning ‘Elder Jonas’. He was the guy who people knew had a lot of experience, had worked in many provinces, and had a lot of wisdom. People came to him.
I recall sitting with him, discussing the best designs for sanitation infrastructure, how to optimise things, and how to do things even better in our work. He was the person people go to for advice, the counsellor in the team, the one people seek for comfort and guidance.
Jonas leaves behind a wife and five children.
