May 8, 2024 • 32 mins
In the latest episode of Generous Impact, our hosts, Bret and Amanda Brummitt, welcome Dr. Amy Goddard, a seasoned physical therapist and devoted board member of Transform DRC. Spanning from Webb City, Missouri to Texas and making significant strides in healthcare, Dr. Goddard shares her inspiring journey, engaging endeavors, and how her life experiences have fueled her passion to transform lives beyond the physical therapy landscape.
Amy details her first mission trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and her subsequent volunteer work in several African countries such as the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, and South Sudan. It was during these travels that she met two extraordinary individuals, Marie Jeanne and Theo, whose selfless contributions to their community left an everlasting impact on Amy and her 60-year old mother who accompanied her on one of these life-altering trips.
The episode also delves into the troubling history and present-day challenges of the Democratic Republic of Congo, covering chapters from being colonized by King Leopold II of Belgium to the ongoing modern-day slavery and exploitation related to cobalt mining. Throughout the profound conversation, listeners gain an enlightening perspective on Transform DRC's mission and the inspirational stories of resilience and transformation.
Providing a compassionate narrative attached to Transform DRC's formation and progress, the episode highlights the pivotal contributions of their many programs. The episode ends on a hopeful note, emphasizing the immense value of empathetic involvement, individual efforts, and every act of goodwill. It underscores the necessity to continue shedding light on the under-reported humanitarian crisis in the DRC, as we collectively strive for significant, lasting change.
Learn more at TransformDRC.org.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Generous Impact. This is Bret Brummitt. And this is Amanda Brummitt.
We are joined today by Dr. Amy Goddard. She's a board member for Transform DRC
and a gifted physical therapist.
In this episode, you'll hear how Transform DRC is empowering women,
healing trauma, creating leaders, and training the people on human rights and laws.
(00:21):
Amy, thank you so much for taking the time to be here with us today.
Brett and I are so fortunate to be able to call you our friend and are so amazed
by all the volunteer work that you do.
So when I saw that you were a new board member for Transform DRC,
I just knew we had to invite you to be on the show to tell the world about this great project.
(00:43):
Sure. Yeah. Thank you, Amanda and Bret, so much for having me.
I always love spending time with you both and love your generous impact,
Humans Making the World Better podcast.
That's what what you guys both do through your businesses and your platform.
So I'm honored to be your guest and excited about the opportunity to talk about Transform DRC.
(01:05):
So I grew up in Webb City, Missouri, right outside Joplin.
Started college thinking I'd go to med school, but after two years switched
gears and pursued a bachelor's of journalism from the University of Missouri.
And from there went to Washington, D.C., working at a think tank called the
Brookings Institution.
And while there, I started volunteering at an inner city health clinic.
(01:28):
And through that experience, I decided that I wanted to be in a health care profession.
So after completing a year of prerequisites, I was accepted into the physical
therapy program at Texas Woman's University in Dallas.
And I graduated with a master's of science in PT, worked for five years at Baylor
(01:49):
Irving, and then took the plunge and opened Goddard Orthopedic and Sports Therapy.
Later shortened to GO Sports Therapy in Coppell, Texas, and ran and operated
that for 22 years from 2000 to 2022.
Then after the pandemic, I ended up selling Go Sports Therapy to a friend of
(02:10):
mine that you all know, Tim Spooner.
He's a fellow private practice owner.
So the plan was to continue to work at the clinic, but four months into my first
year with Spooner, my dad died unexpectedly.
And that changed everything for me.
I was able to finish the year at Spooner, and after a four-month sabbatical
(02:33):
while living at my dad's house in Joplin, I decided to move back closer to family.
And I was given a wonderful opportunity at Joplin's nicest fitness facility,
Millennium Family Fitness, and rebooted GO Sports Therapy and started offering
personalized one-on-one sessions on a cash-pay basis.
(02:56):
And this has allowed me to continue to do what I love, which is see patients,
but with some margin that I haven't had before and within close proximity to my family.
So I'm loving being closer to my family.
I enjoy being an aunt to some amazing nieces and nephews.
(03:16):
I miss my friends in Dallas. Many had become very close friends that I've shared life with.
I have a core group that I call my chosen family, and we've traveled to some
amazing places together.
So being physically active has always been important to me, but now it's even
(03:38):
more important because I want to continue to travel and be active even when I'm old.
Awesome. Well, and having met Cole and Levi and Jada of said nieces and nephews,
I can see why you'd want to move back to be close to them.
Although we definitely miss you being in Coppell.
It was a much closer drive, both to hang out and for physical therapy.
(04:01):
Yes. Thank God for telemedicine though. Exactly. So Amy, tell me what sparked
you to start traveling to Africa for mission work?
Well, in 2006, I was invited to travel with a group from my church to Nairobi, Kenya.
And I remember our missions leader saying that once you experience Africa,
(04:23):
you will be ruined for the ordinary.
And she was exactly right. I've been to Africa eight or nine times since then.
Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, and South Sudan.
And those aren't exactly easy places, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
(04:43):
So in 2008, I traveled with a group, including my 60-year-old mother,
who had never been outside of the United States.
I took her to Goma, Congo, DRC, Democratic Republic of Congo,
to work with an organization there doing peace and reconciliation and women's
(05:04):
microfinance projects.
Projects goma is the largest city
in eastern drc it resides
in the shadow of mountaineering gongo which is an active volcano that had a
few years prior erupted and had spilled molten lava all through the city and
now the streets are made of this hardened black lava so that the streets are are black.
(05:30):
The volcano is still spewing black soot everywhere.
Lake Kivu, it's a beautiful lake on the outskirts of Goma, but it's a limnic
lake, meaning there are poisonous gases from the volcano trapped underneath the weight of the water.
And if that somehow turned over, the gases would would escape and would kill
(05:54):
everyone within a 20-mile radius.
Our first few days there, we visited five different IDP encampments.
So these are internally displaced people.
So mothers, fathers, teachers, farmers, students, children.
Who'd all been driven out of their village by these violent armed groups,
basically living under tarps provided by the UN.
(06:17):
And we were there to provide support.
And halfway through our week, my mom was just overcome and looked at me and
asked, where have you brought me?
And it was a hard trip, but I realized it was where I was most fully alive.
And so my mom
(06:40):
too was forever changed by that experience and this
is where I first worked with Marie Jeanne and Theo and their team who live and reside
in Goma and just work tirelessly day in and day out on behalf of the most vulnerable
there and it was through them that
(07:02):
we saw a glimpse of God's heart through the work they do.
How do you think your mom saw you differently after that trip?
You know, I think my mom saw the world differently. And now it's a shared experience
so that when we talk about it, she's been there.
She knows that her heart was broken, you know, like all of us.
(07:25):
And it's funny because on that trip, she was the oldest one there.
And so the, all the young people, I mean, you know, started looking at her almost like a grandmother.
And so they started calling her mama Susie.
And so she's still known as Mama Susie by Marie Jeanne and Theo.
And so, yeah, yeah, she, she was changed.
(07:51):
And I, now it's just, it's a shared experience that we have now. It's really cool.
That's pretty cool. Yeah. It's really cool to have a shared experience,
especially like when you have parents. It's probably really,
especially parents or family members that have no context or concept of the
time you spend to have that shared experience.
So, all right. So I, I know I threw you a curve ball that when you weren't prepared for.
(08:12):
So no, I love it. Yeah. I mean, so as you've gone on the trips and you're engaging
with people in your regular day-to-day life,
you work as a medical practitioner, you work on motion, physical motion,
modalities, movement through the world.
You're traveling to these different regions, and I know you see some of the
(08:32):
same, but you mentioned where you're fully alive.
You're obviously connecting on a spiritual level with people that have a different
life experience than you. You're having a different life experience than you have.
How does that spiritual, physical difference, how do you navigate that?
How has that aspect transformed you?
(08:54):
Oh, gosh, there's so many experiences to draw from.
I would say probably one that really stands out was my first trip to Africa in 2006.
I was standing in the Masumara, two hours outside of Nairobi,
Kenya, at the Ilmaman Baptist Church.
(09:14):
How do you remember all these names? I could never do that. We'd go places,
and I'm like, it was there.
Well, I don't know why I remember that. that probably because of this experience
that's been imprinted on my heart.
You know, our group was, we were traveling in two different vans,
and my van got there first, and as we got out of the van, a group of Maasai
(09:36):
women came walking and chanting,
Om, Om, up a hill toward us.
And, I mean, I had never experienced anything like that. I mean,
envision the National Geographic pictures of women dressed in bright red dresses,
colorful beaded jewelry around their necks and ears and wrists.
(09:57):
And, you know, the other van that had the more experienced travelers hadn't
gotten there yet. And so I just, I really wasn't sure how to respond.
But when they got within arm's length, it was just all hugs.
And even though we came
from different places and looked different it was
a recognition of a shared humanity and then
(10:19):
later that day in the church they were
sharing their testimonies and quoting scripture and talking about how a relationship
with Jesus had changed their lives and I'm embarrassed to say but that was the
first time I realized that we served a global God And my view of God until then had been so small.
(10:41):
Crazy. I mean, not crazy, but just the crazy experience. Yeah.
So that was 08.
You had that experience. And now what does the DRC, that Democratic Republic
of Congo, was it even called that at the time? And what does it look like today? Yeah.
(11:01):
Yeah. So it's roughly the size
of Western Europe, and it's the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
It was colonized by King Leopold II of Belgium in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
And under his rule, he subjected the Congolese to enslavement and cruelty,
(11:23):
mainly to extract rubber from the region's trees, primarily to fuel the burgeoning
automobile industry's demand for tires.
And in all, King Leopold, he exploited the land, he committed atrocious crimes against humanity.
And under him, more than 10 million Congolese died during his reign of terror.
(11:47):
So I highly recommend reading King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild for a
complete history of that.
It's a really interesting read. but today
modern day slavery still exists today
in the DRC around the cobalt
(12:07):
mining so DRC has more cobalt reserves than the rest of the planet combined
and cobalt plays a crucial role in manufacturing lithium-ion batteries which
power our cell phones our computers and increasingly increasingly, our electric vehicles.
So cobalt mining in the DRC has been linked to human rights abuses,
(12:32):
including forced labor, child labor, working in dangerous and often subhuman conditions.
There's a fairly new book called Cobalt Red, How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives.
So if you want to read more about what's going on around cobalt mining in DRC.
(12:52):
But basically, Millions have been displaced because their village has either
been bulldozed to make a place for mining, concessions, or...
Corruption has allowed these violent armed groups or militias to operate there with impunity,
and they use conflict and violence to create an instability in the name of profiting
(13:17):
off of the cobalt mining.
So many, as you can imagine, flee this violence, seeking refuge in overcrowded
IDP camps on the outskirts of cities like Goma.
I think now there's probably over a dozen of these IDP camps outside Goma.
And then compounding all of that is the M23 militia group that has now besieged
(13:43):
and surrounded Goma, obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid,
food, and basic necessities, and that has caused inflation to soar.
So food is more expensive in Goma, Congo, than it is in Dallas.
And eastern Congo, where Transform DRC functions, is entirely in crisis with
(14:07):
millions of refugees, more refugees just in the past six months.
So despite being the world's richest country by natural resources,
DRC ranks fourth from the bottom of the world's poorest countries.
So about 65% of the country's 100 million people get by on less than $2 a day.
So I want to back up real quick so I don't leave too much to the imagination.
(14:31):
When you say still in modern-day slavery or slavery, what does that look like?
Who's the perpetrator and how does that affect the people that are in slavery?
So what I've read about the cobalt mining is that supposedly there's people
(14:52):
that are trying to do it the right way where they bring in technology.
But then there's a lot of these, they call them artisanal mines.
And it's literally a lot of times these people are being forced to work with
pickaxes and their hands and they'll,
(15:15):
you know, just working hard every day with their hands trying to get cobalt.
And it's very dangerous.
A lot of the tunnels will collapse, causing death, amputations.
Cobalt itself is very.
If you inhale it, and I mean, these people are inhaling that cobalt dust all
(15:38):
day long, and they're just, they're being exploited and forced into slavery.
So some of these militia groups that operate will, you know,
abduct children and force them to work in these camps.
Camps and honestly the people
(15:59):
are so poor there that you know they'll pretty
much do anything to get a dollar a day so they're
being taken advantage of and so that that's what i mean by modern day slavery
yeah i just i just want to try to get a picture of you know if we're talking
a a class system or outside force so that's you know a lot to deal with that's
(16:22):
terrible yeah and you say the
word exploit it sounds like they're exploiting the people they're exploiting the
land and then the militia is exploiting the situation just bad
compounded with bad yes yeah
okay so inadvertently i think we've done a beautiful job of setting the stage
for drc needs help how does transform drc do that what kind of work you guys
(16:47):
doing and and how do you work in a in an environment like that Yeah.
So I would say, you know, in the midst of all this bad, there's the paradox
of Africa, which is there's all this good, right? Right.
And Transform DRC was formed in December of 2023 with the help of our friends,
(17:14):
Steve Reese and Carrie Ward from Waters Basic.
And it was born out of continued support for the work of Marijan and Theo and
a staff of 10 that all live in Goma, Congo,
and minister throughout the region of Eastern Congo, which is,
(17:35):
like we said, one of the most difficult regions of the world.
And Marijan and Theo have served in positions as leaders in.
In service to their communities over the past 20 years.
So they're well-respected in their communities. They guide and direct the ministry's
focus and initiatives and programs.
(17:57):
And they work to serve the most vulnerable there.
So they're a force for good and hope in their community.
Their programs include women's empowerment.
So that's done through the Women's Leadership Training Institute,
which is a three-year curriculum that helps women be better leaders in their communities.
(18:22):
It's also microfinance for women, helping women start small businesses and intervening
on behalf of women in the cases of trauma or wrongful incarceration.
So being advocates for women. And then they also do trauma healing.
So everyone there in some way has experienced trauma, usually on a daily basis,
(18:44):
like trauma that we can't even imagine.
And so they do training for pastoral and women leaders on how to minister to
those that have been traumatized.
So they use the theology of suffering and lamenting.
They do exercises that have been proven to be practical in healing,
(19:06):
such as breath work and storytelling.
And so just helping people.
You know, that have been traumatized and really need community help and support on how to move forward.
And then they have the Pastoral Leadership Training Institute,
and that's a three-year curriculum that helps pastors become better spiritual
(19:28):
leaders in their communities.
And then there's the Human Rights kind of rule of law and basic law training,
and that That includes training judges,
lawyers, prison guards on the fairness of true justice and helping those that
have been wrongfully incarcerated.
And then I actually, on one of our trips, actually went inside the prison.
(19:55):
It was an interesting experience. And then we also partner with Waters Basic
to build rain catchment systems. So these are large cisterns that are built
by a team there, Beatrice and her team.
Beatrice is a horse, and they build these large cisterns, and they'll place
(20:17):
them strategically underneath,
like, four corners where houses
come together to catch the rain off of the roofs of these four houses.
And then the cistern fills with the water, and then there's a spigot,
and there's one person that has the key to that spigot.
They're the water cop, because that water is precious.
(20:41):
And then they will give the water, the people come and collect the water through
the buckets, and then put the water in filters.
And so they have their own filtering system there.
And at their home. So providing clean water in an area where a lot of,
(21:03):
there's been a lot of other failed water projects and water is basic in their
team are, are figuring out and making it work.
Those all sound like amazing programs. All, all four of them.
Yeah. Yeah. With so many programs in DRC in such a different area.
I mean, we're talking about an NGO out of Flower Mound, Texas.
(21:27):
How does that organization know what's the relevant knowledge for the people
going through that being so far removed?
And how does Transform DRC from good old Texas know actually how to make that impact?
Yeah, so I think on the U.S. side,
we stand in a very personal role,
(21:50):
personal connections and partnerships with lots of different groups that have
gone to Congo or supported them, lots of churches and partnerships.
And so we provide emotional,
spiritual support to Marie Jeanne and Theo, but we also raise funds through our
(22:14):
different partners and churches that help the people in the programs and the projects of the DRC.
So it's these longstanding relationships that we've had, and people wanted to
continue to support them.
And so Transform DRC was really born as a way to continue these longstanding
(22:35):
relationships and partnerships with local people that have been there or church mission groups. Yeah.
You know, personal experiences. Obviously, I mean, you guys,
we went to South Sudan together last year that when you can go and see it, it changes everything.
(22:58):
And that's kind of, you know, being able to go and see gives you that deeper understanding.
It makes you more committed to the cause. And that's what helps,
I think, bridge that geographical gap. Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah. Once you see it, it's a game changer. Yeah.
So, Amy, it sounds like you, while Transform DRC is a fairly new organization,
(23:23):
their programming and what they're doing isn't new, that you've worked with
them and they've done this for a long time.
You also, as a business owner, you understand operations and how to properly run an organization.
And so I know you well enough to know that if you'd agreed to be on their board,
that you're impressed with what they're doing.
So what does make you proud about the operations of Transform DRC?
(23:46):
Well, we have the opportunity to be on a call with Marijan and Theo every other
week, actually, or more if needed.
But every week when we talk to them, we ask them, how are you doing today?
And their answer, always and without drama, is, by God's grace,
we are still alive. life.
(24:07):
And so they lead, you know, just they're exposed to so many different things
throughout their day and a lot of times, you know, risking, risking their life.
And so, but, and yet, you know, here they operate in a very hard part of the world.
And yet there's still some of the most joyful and faith-filled people that I know.
(24:31):
So that's what's inspiring to me. I'm inspired by, by them.
I'm challenged to be more sacrificial. I hear the things they go through and
I'm rebuked for the inconveniences that I complain about on a daily basis.
And I'm also joyful that I have these friends that know how to laugh and love in the midst of sorrow.
(24:59):
So they've taught me a lot. So I'm humbled to know them and humbled to actually
be a part of the great work they're doing.
I can totally empathize with that. Everything that I get mad about in life is
so trivial when I think about things like what's going on in the DRC.
(25:19):
It's just, there is no problem in our American lives that is even close to what they live with.
Well, you know, it's so weird because I remember once I was over there and I
think it was when M23 had first, you know, had first invaded Goma.
(25:40):
I think that was like back in 2012, maybe.
And I was watching Al Jazeera. So when you're over there, that's the main newscast
that you get. And they did a 20-minute in-depth story on the M-23 and what was going on over there.
And I got back to the United States. And you know what the headline news was?
(26:04):
No. Britney Spears had cut her hair.
I mean, and so you go from that world and you come back to our world.
And sometimes it's just hard. Yeah.
It feels very trivial sometimes. I mean, with that, I mean, you have to strap,
you know, straddle both worlds.
(26:24):
You have this tremendous understanding of, you know, the needs we are,
our basic needs are met so well here.
I mean, so being a supporter of someone there or for those people,
even when you say being on calls with them and providing emotional support,
I mean, how does that role you play as that support supporter actually create
(26:48):
real impact for them? Yeah, I think, you know.
One of the things that I learned about going to Africa is that I'm reading Cole Arthur Riley's book,
and she talks about this story about how when she was in her 20s,
she used to go and eat lunch with these people under the bridge and how she
(27:11):
at first thought she was doing it because it made her cool or kind.
And then she started going because
of the stories they held and she remembers activist john perkins saying we don't
give dignity but we i want to make sure i say it right we don't give dignity
(27:33):
we affirm it and so the idea is like when we when we go over there we're not we're not going over
there to, to, to give them dignity.
We're going over there to affirm them in their work and tell them that we stand with them.
And, you know, the other thing I've realized is that, you know,
(27:55):
not everyone's willing to go to these places.
Like you guys experienced South Sudan yesterday or last year, we went together and,
you know, not ever, not everyone is willing to go
to these these broken places but when
you show up there you know
they they know that they are not forgotten by the world and i don't know why
(28:22):
it is but whatever happens what happens in the drc does not get the press that
it probably deserves like the
humanitarian crisis and you just don't, it's not in the evening news, you know?
And so it's kind of this forgotten war and forgotten situation. And so,
(28:43):
When you travel halfway across the world and you show up, that means something to them.
So the blessings always flow both ways in those situations.
Well, I mean, it's probably also very poignant, but the riches that we perpetrate
as part of the system off them flows both ways too.
(29:05):
And we receive a lot, which is probably why we conveniently are able to overlook some of that.
Yes. That's a whole nother show, Brett Roman. But I'm sorry.
But, you know, I would say, you know, just being aware.
So one of the best things I can do to support them is to help bring awareness,
(29:28):
you know, to their situation and what's going on.
And so that's why I so appreciate being on this podcast with you all today and
the opportunity to talk about this, because this is one of the one of the very
best things I can do to support them.
Get the word out well i mean so i
think you've given us you know one awareness to
homework you've got two reading assignments for
(29:51):
us yeah but what are the actionable things that
our community beyond just this 30 minutes what can we actually do for the organization
well i think you know obviously contributing financially so you can do a one-time
donation or recurring monthly pledge through our website, transformdrc.org.
(30:15):
We're trying to get through this current kind of humanitarian crisis so that
we can then focus on the long-term strategies for recovery.
Community building. So any kind of financial support is greatly appreciated.
And then advocating through your different groups that you're involved with,
(30:38):
your missions team at your local church, and then also participating in trips to the DRC.
So you guys should come the next time we go there.
And then we also have a Facebook page that you can follow all of our work and share it with friends.
(31:02):
So like I said, they need to
be remembered by the world
and by the church and so anything you
can do on that regards is just helps
helps them move forward in a hard in
a hard place it's fantastic and and honestly i'm sure less atrocity happens
(31:27):
if there are more eyes not turned to the side so thank you for that that's right
the world is watching yeah well thanks Thanks for giving a little insight, perspective,
sharing the experience that you shared with your mom so many years ago.
Hopefully we all can actually have that context with you in the near term future.
(31:48):
That would be awesome. That's our next trip.
BRC. All right. Thanks, Amy. Thank you guys so very much. Appreciate it. Thank you.
You what an amazing organization doing things in one of the hardest places on
Earth. I love Amy's heart for Transform DRC, her heart for all of Africa and frankly
(32:14):
for humanity. I hope that you are inspired by her journey and check out TransformDRC.org.
Welcome to Generous Impact. This is Bret Brummitt. And this is Amanda Brummitt.
We are joined today by Dr. Amy Goddard. She's a board member for Transform DRC
and a gifted physical therapist.
In this episode, you'll hear how Transform DRC is empowering women,
healing trauma, creating leaders, and training the people on human rights and laws.
(00:21):
Amy, thank you so much for taking the time to be here with us today.
Brett and I are so fortunate to be able to call you our friend and are so amazed
by all the volunteer work that you do.
So when I saw that you were a new board member for Transform DRC,
I just knew we had to invite you to be on the show to tell the world about this great project.
(00:43):
Sure. Yeah. Thank you, Amanda and Bret, so much for having me.
I always love spending time with you both and love your generous impact,
Humans Making the World Better podcast.
That's what what you guys both do through your businesses and your platform.
So I'm honored to be your guest and excited about the opportunity to talk about Transform DRC.
(01:05):
So I grew up in Webb City, Missouri, right outside Joplin.
Started college thinking I'd go to med school, but after two years switched
gears and pursued a bachelor's of journalism from the University of Missouri.
And from there went to Washington, D.C., working at a think tank called the
Brookings Institution.
And while there, I started volunteering at an inner city health clinic.
(01:28):
And through that experience, I decided that I wanted to be in a health care profession.
So after completing a year of prerequisites, I was accepted into the physical
therapy program at Texas Woman's University in Dallas.
And I graduated with a master's of science in PT, worked for five years at Baylor
(01:49):
Irving, and then took the plunge and opened Goddard Orthopedic and Sports Therapy.
Later shortened to GO Sports Therapy in Coppell, Texas, and ran and operated
that for 22 years from 2000 to 2022.
Then after the pandemic, I ended up selling Go Sports Therapy to a friend of
(02:10):
mine that you all know, Tim Spooner.
He's a fellow private practice owner.
So the plan was to continue to work at the clinic, but four months into my first
year with Spooner, my dad died unexpectedly.
And that changed everything for me.
I was able to finish the year at Spooner, and after a four-month sabbatical
(02:33):
while living at my dad's house in Joplin, I decided to move back closer to family.
And I was given a wonderful opportunity at Joplin's nicest fitness facility,
Millennium Family Fitness, and rebooted GO Sports Therapy and started offering
personalized one-on-one sessions on a cash-pay basis.
(02:56):
And this has allowed me to continue to do what I love, which is see patients,
but with some margin that I haven't had before and within close proximity to my family.
So I'm loving being closer to my family.
I enjoy being an aunt to some amazing nieces and nephews.
(03:16):
I miss my friends in Dallas. Many had become very close friends that I've shared life with.
I have a core group that I call my chosen family, and we've traveled to some
amazing places together.
So being physically active has always been important to me, but now it's even
(03:38):
more important because I want to continue to travel and be active even when I'm old.
Awesome. Well, and having met Cole and Levi and Jada of said nieces and nephews,
I can see why you'd want to move back to be close to them.
Although we definitely miss you being in Coppell.
It was a much closer drive, both to hang out and for physical therapy.
(04:01):
Yes. Thank God for telemedicine though. Exactly. So Amy, tell me what sparked
you to start traveling to Africa for mission work?
Well, in 2006, I was invited to travel with a group from my church to Nairobi, Kenya.
And I remember our missions leader saying that once you experience Africa,
(04:23):
you will be ruined for the ordinary.
And she was exactly right. I've been to Africa eight or nine times since then.
Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, and South Sudan.
And those aren't exactly easy places, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
(04:43):
So in 2008, I traveled with a group, including my 60-year-old mother,
who had never been outside of the United States.
I took her to Goma, Congo, DRC, Democratic Republic of Congo,
to work with an organization there doing peace and reconciliation and women's
(05:04):
microfinance projects.
Projects goma is the largest city
in eastern drc it resides
in the shadow of mountaineering gongo which is an active volcano that had a
few years prior erupted and had spilled molten lava all through the city and
now the streets are made of this hardened black lava so that the streets are are black.
(05:30):
The volcano is still spewing black soot everywhere.
Lake Kivu, it's a beautiful lake on the outskirts of Goma, but it's a limnic
lake, meaning there are poisonous gases from the volcano trapped underneath the weight of the water.
And if that somehow turned over, the gases would would escape and would kill
(05:54):
everyone within a 20-mile radius.
Our first few days there, we visited five different IDP encampments.
So these are internally displaced people.
So mothers, fathers, teachers, farmers, students, children.
Who'd all been driven out of their village by these violent armed groups,
basically living under tarps provided by the UN.
(06:17):
And we were there to provide support.
And halfway through our week, my mom was just overcome and looked at me and
asked, where have you brought me?
And it was a hard trip, but I realized it was where I was most fully alive.
And so my mom
(06:40):
too was forever changed by that experience and this
is where I first worked with Marie Jeanne and Theo and their team who live and reside
in Goma and just work tirelessly day in and day out on behalf of the most vulnerable
there and it was through them that
(07:02):
we saw a glimpse of God's heart through the work they do.
How do you think your mom saw you differently after that trip?
You know, I think my mom saw the world differently. And now it's a shared experience
so that when we talk about it, she's been there.
She knows that her heart was broken, you know, like all of us.
(07:25):
And it's funny because on that trip, she was the oldest one there.
And so the, all the young people, I mean, you know, started looking at her almost like a grandmother.
And so they started calling her mama Susie.
And so she's still known as Mama Susie by Marie Jeanne and Theo.
And so, yeah, yeah, she, she was changed.
(07:51):
And I, now it's just, it's a shared experience that we have now. It's really cool.
That's pretty cool. Yeah. It's really cool to have a shared experience,
especially like when you have parents. It's probably really,
especially parents or family members that have no context or concept of the
time you spend to have that shared experience.
So, all right. So I, I know I threw you a curve ball that when you weren't prepared for.
(08:12):
So no, I love it. Yeah. I mean, so as you've gone on the trips and you're engaging
with people in your regular day-to-day life,
you work as a medical practitioner, you work on motion, physical motion,
modalities, movement through the world.
You're traveling to these different regions, and I know you see some of the
(08:32):
same, but you mentioned where you're fully alive.
You're obviously connecting on a spiritual level with people that have a different
life experience than you. You're having a different life experience than you have.
How does that spiritual, physical difference, how do you navigate that?
How has that aspect transformed you?
(08:54):
Oh, gosh, there's so many experiences to draw from.
I would say probably one that really stands out was my first trip to Africa in 2006.
I was standing in the Masumara, two hours outside of Nairobi,
Kenya, at the Ilmaman Baptist Church.
(09:14):
How do you remember all these names? I could never do that. We'd go places,
and I'm like, it was there.
Well, I don't know why I remember that. that probably because of this experience
that's been imprinted on my heart.
You know, our group was, we were traveling in two different vans,
and my van got there first, and as we got out of the van, a group of Maasai
(09:36):
women came walking and chanting,
Om, Om, up a hill toward us.
And, I mean, I had never experienced anything like that. I mean,
envision the National Geographic pictures of women dressed in bright red dresses,
colorful beaded jewelry around their necks and ears and wrists.
(09:57):
And, you know, the other van that had the more experienced travelers hadn't
gotten there yet. And so I just, I really wasn't sure how to respond.
But when they got within arm's length, it was just all hugs.
And even though we came
from different places and looked different it was
a recognition of a shared humanity and then
(10:19):
later that day in the church they were
sharing their testimonies and quoting scripture and talking about how a relationship
with Jesus had changed their lives and I'm embarrassed to say but that was the
first time I realized that we served a global God And my view of God until then had been so small.
(10:41):
Crazy. I mean, not crazy, but just the crazy experience. Yeah.
So that was 08.
You had that experience. And now what does the DRC, that Democratic Republic
of Congo, was it even called that at the time? And what does it look like today? Yeah.
(11:01):
Yeah. So it's roughly the size
of Western Europe, and it's the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
It was colonized by King Leopold II of Belgium in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
And under his rule, he subjected the Congolese to enslavement and cruelty,
(11:23):
mainly to extract rubber from the region's trees, primarily to fuel the burgeoning
automobile industry's demand for tires.
And in all, King Leopold, he exploited the land, he committed atrocious crimes against humanity.
And under him, more than 10 million Congolese died during his reign of terror.
(11:47):
So I highly recommend reading King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild for a
complete history of that.
It's a really interesting read. but today
modern day slavery still exists today
in the DRC around the cobalt
(12:07):
mining so DRC has more cobalt reserves than the rest of the planet combined
and cobalt plays a crucial role in manufacturing lithium-ion batteries which
power our cell phones our computers and increasingly increasingly, our electric vehicles.
So cobalt mining in the DRC has been linked to human rights abuses,
(12:32):
including forced labor, child labor, working in dangerous and often subhuman conditions.
There's a fairly new book called Cobalt Red, How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives.
So if you want to read more about what's going on around cobalt mining in DRC.
(12:52):
But basically, Millions have been displaced because their village has either
been bulldozed to make a place for mining, concessions, or...
Corruption has allowed these violent armed groups or militias to operate there with impunity,
and they use conflict and violence to create an instability in the name of profiting
(13:17):
off of the cobalt mining.
So many, as you can imagine, flee this violence, seeking refuge in overcrowded
IDP camps on the outskirts of cities like Goma.
I think now there's probably over a dozen of these IDP camps outside Goma.
And then compounding all of that is the M23 militia group that has now besieged
(13:43):
and surrounded Goma, obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid,
food, and basic necessities, and that has caused inflation to soar.
So food is more expensive in Goma, Congo, than it is in Dallas.
And eastern Congo, where Transform DRC functions, is entirely in crisis with
(14:07):
millions of refugees, more refugees just in the past six months.
So despite being the world's richest country by natural resources,
DRC ranks fourth from the bottom of the world's poorest countries.
So about 65% of the country's 100 million people get by on less than $2 a day.
So I want to back up real quick so I don't leave too much to the imagination.
(14:31):
When you say still in modern-day slavery or slavery, what does that look like?
Who's the perpetrator and how does that affect the people that are in slavery?
So what I've read about the cobalt mining is that supposedly there's people
(14:52):
that are trying to do it the right way where they bring in technology.
But then there's a lot of these, they call them artisanal mines.
And it's literally a lot of times these people are being forced to work with
pickaxes and their hands and they'll,
(15:15):
you know, just working hard every day with their hands trying to get cobalt.
And it's very dangerous.
A lot of the tunnels will collapse, causing death, amputations.
Cobalt itself is very.
If you inhale it, and I mean, these people are inhaling that cobalt dust all
(15:38):
day long, and they're just, they're being exploited and forced into slavery.
So some of these militia groups that operate will, you know,
abduct children and force them to work in these camps.
Camps and honestly the people
(15:59):
are so poor there that you know they'll pretty
much do anything to get a dollar a day so they're
being taken advantage of and so that that's what i mean by modern day slavery
yeah i just i just want to try to get a picture of you know if we're talking
a a class system or outside force so that's you know a lot to deal with that's
(16:22):
terrible yeah and you say the
word exploit it sounds like they're exploiting the people they're exploiting the
land and then the militia is exploiting the situation just bad
compounded with bad yes yeah
okay so inadvertently i think we've done a beautiful job of setting the stage
for drc needs help how does transform drc do that what kind of work you guys
(16:47):
doing and and how do you work in a in an environment like that Yeah.
So I would say, you know, in the midst of all this bad, there's the paradox
of Africa, which is there's all this good, right? Right.
And Transform DRC was formed in December of 2023 with the help of our friends,
(17:14):
Steve Reese and Carrie Ward from Waters Basic.
And it was born out of continued support for the work of Marijan and Theo and
a staff of 10 that all live in Goma, Congo,
and minister throughout the region of Eastern Congo, which is,
(17:35):
like we said, one of the most difficult regions of the world.
And Marijan and Theo have served in positions as leaders in.
In service to their communities over the past 20 years.
So they're well-respected in their communities. They guide and direct the ministry's
focus and initiatives and programs.
(17:57):
And they work to serve the most vulnerable there.
So they're a force for good and hope in their community.
Their programs include women's empowerment.
So that's done through the Women's Leadership Training Institute,
which is a three-year curriculum that helps women be better leaders in their communities.
(18:22):
It's also microfinance for women, helping women start small businesses and intervening
on behalf of women in the cases of trauma or wrongful incarceration.
So being advocates for women. And then they also do trauma healing.
So everyone there in some way has experienced trauma, usually on a daily basis,
(18:44):
like trauma that we can't even imagine.
And so they do training for pastoral and women leaders on how to minister to
those that have been traumatized.
So they use the theology of suffering and lamenting.
They do exercises that have been proven to be practical in healing,
(19:06):
such as breath work and storytelling.
And so just helping people.
You know, that have been traumatized and really need community help and support on how to move forward.
And then they have the Pastoral Leadership Training Institute,
and that's a three-year curriculum that helps pastors become better spiritual
(19:28):
leaders in their communities.
And then there's the Human Rights kind of rule of law and basic law training,
and that That includes training judges,
lawyers, prison guards on the fairness of true justice and helping those that
have been wrongfully incarcerated.
And then I actually, on one of our trips, actually went inside the prison.
(19:55):
It was an interesting experience. And then we also partner with Waters Basic
to build rain catchment systems. So these are large cisterns that are built
by a team there, Beatrice and her team.
Beatrice is a horse, and they build these large cisterns, and they'll place
(20:17):
them strategically underneath,
like, four corners where houses
come together to catch the rain off of the roofs of these four houses.
And then the cistern fills with the water, and then there's a spigot,
and there's one person that has the key to that spigot.
They're the water cop, because that water is precious.
(20:41):
And then they will give the water, the people come and collect the water through
the buckets, and then put the water in filters.
And so they have their own filtering system there.
And at their home. So providing clean water in an area where a lot of,
(21:03):
there's been a lot of other failed water projects and water is basic in their
team are, are figuring out and making it work.
Those all sound like amazing programs. All, all four of them.
Yeah. Yeah. With so many programs in DRC in such a different area.
I mean, we're talking about an NGO out of Flower Mound, Texas.
(21:27):
How does that organization know what's the relevant knowledge for the people
going through that being so far removed?
And how does Transform DRC from good old Texas know actually how to make that impact?
Yeah, so I think on the U.S. side,
we stand in a very personal role,
(21:50):
personal connections and partnerships with lots of different groups that have
gone to Congo or supported them, lots of churches and partnerships.
And so we provide emotional,
spiritual support to Marie Jeanne and Theo, but we also raise funds through our
(22:14):
different partners and churches that help the people in the programs and the projects of the DRC.
So it's these longstanding relationships that we've had, and people wanted to
continue to support them.
And so Transform DRC was really born as a way to continue these longstanding
(22:35):
relationships and partnerships with local people that have been there or church mission groups. Yeah.
You know, personal experiences. Obviously, I mean, you guys,
we went to South Sudan together last year that when you can go and see it, it changes everything.
(22:58):
And that's kind of, you know, being able to go and see gives you that deeper understanding.
It makes you more committed to the cause. And that's what helps,
I think, bridge that geographical gap. Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah. Once you see it, it's a game changer. Yeah.
So, Amy, it sounds like you, while Transform DRC is a fairly new organization,
(23:23):
their programming and what they're doing isn't new, that you've worked with
them and they've done this for a long time.
You also, as a business owner, you understand operations and how to properly run an organization.
And so I know you well enough to know that if you'd agreed to be on their board,
that you're impressed with what they're doing.
So what does make you proud about the operations of Transform DRC?
(23:46):
Well, we have the opportunity to be on a call with Marijan and Theo every other
week, actually, or more if needed.
But every week when we talk to them, we ask them, how are you doing today?
And their answer, always and without drama, is, by God's grace,
we are still alive. life.
(24:07):
And so they lead, you know, just they're exposed to so many different things
throughout their day and a lot of times, you know, risking, risking their life.
And so, but, and yet, you know, here they operate in a very hard part of the world.
And yet there's still some of the most joyful and faith-filled people that I know.
(24:31):
So that's what's inspiring to me. I'm inspired by, by them.
I'm challenged to be more sacrificial. I hear the things they go through and
I'm rebuked for the inconveniences that I complain about on a daily basis.
And I'm also joyful that I have these friends that know how to laugh and love in the midst of sorrow.
(24:59):
So they've taught me a lot. So I'm humbled to know them and humbled to actually
be a part of the great work they're doing.
I can totally empathize with that. Everything that I get mad about in life is
so trivial when I think about things like what's going on in the DRC.
(25:19):
It's just, there is no problem in our American lives that is even close to what they live with.
Well, you know, it's so weird because I remember once I was over there and I
think it was when M23 had first, you know, had first invaded Goma.
(25:40):
I think that was like back in 2012, maybe.
And I was watching Al Jazeera. So when you're over there, that's the main newscast
that you get. And they did a 20-minute in-depth story on the M-23 and what was going on over there.
And I got back to the United States. And you know what the headline news was?
(26:04):
No. Britney Spears had cut her hair.
I mean, and so you go from that world and you come back to our world.
And sometimes it's just hard. Yeah.
It feels very trivial sometimes. I mean, with that, I mean, you have to strap,
you know, straddle both worlds.
(26:24):
You have this tremendous understanding of, you know, the needs we are,
our basic needs are met so well here.
I mean, so being a supporter of someone there or for those people,
even when you say being on calls with them and providing emotional support,
I mean, how does that role you play as that support supporter actually create
(26:48):
real impact for them? Yeah, I think, you know.
One of the things that I learned about going to Africa is that I'm reading Cole Arthur Riley's book,
and she talks about this story about how when she was in her 20s,
she used to go and eat lunch with these people under the bridge and how she
(27:11):
at first thought she was doing it because it made her cool or kind.
And then she started going because
of the stories they held and she remembers activist john perkins saying we don't
give dignity but we i want to make sure i say it right we don't give dignity
(27:33):
we affirm it and so the idea is like when we when we go over there we're not we're not going over
there to, to, to give them dignity.
We're going over there to affirm them in their work and tell them that we stand with them.
And, you know, the other thing I've realized is that, you know,
(27:55):
not everyone's willing to go to these places.
Like you guys experienced South Sudan yesterday or last year, we went together and,
you know, not ever, not everyone is willing to go
to these these broken places but when
you show up there you know
they they know that they are not forgotten by the world and i don't know why
(28:22):
it is but whatever happens what happens in the drc does not get the press that
it probably deserves like the
humanitarian crisis and you just don't, it's not in the evening news, you know?
And so it's kind of this forgotten war and forgotten situation. And so,
(28:43):
When you travel halfway across the world and you show up, that means something to them.
So the blessings always flow both ways in those situations.
Well, I mean, it's probably also very poignant, but the riches that we perpetrate
as part of the system off them flows both ways too.
(29:05):
And we receive a lot, which is probably why we conveniently are able to overlook some of that.
Yes. That's a whole nother show, Brett Roman. But I'm sorry.
But, you know, I would say, you know, just being aware.
So one of the best things I can do to support them is to help bring awareness,
(29:28):
you know, to their situation and what's going on.
And so that's why I so appreciate being on this podcast with you all today and
the opportunity to talk about this, because this is one of the one of the very
best things I can do to support them.
Get the word out well i mean so i
think you've given us you know one awareness to
homework you've got two reading assignments for
(29:51):
us yeah but what are the actionable things that
our community beyond just this 30 minutes what can we actually do for the organization
well i think you know obviously contributing financially so you can do a one-time
donation or recurring monthly pledge through our website, transformdrc.org.
(30:15):
We're trying to get through this current kind of humanitarian crisis so that
we can then focus on the long-term strategies for recovery.
Community building. So any kind of financial support is greatly appreciated.
And then advocating through your different groups that you're involved with,
(30:38):
your missions team at your local church, and then also participating in trips to the DRC.
So you guys should come the next time we go there.
And then we also have a Facebook page that you can follow all of our work and share it with friends.
(31:02):
So like I said, they need to
be remembered by the world
and by the church and so anything you
can do on that regards is just helps
helps them move forward in a hard in
a hard place it's fantastic and and honestly i'm sure less atrocity happens
(31:27):
if there are more eyes not turned to the side so thank you for that that's right
the world is watching yeah well thanks Thanks for giving a little insight, perspective,
sharing the experience that you shared with your mom so many years ago.
Hopefully we all can actually have that context with you in the near term future.
(31:48):
That would be awesome. That's our next trip.
BRC. All right. Thanks, Amy. Thank you guys so very much. Appreciate it. Thank you.
You what an amazing organization doing things in one of the hardest places on
Earth. I love Amy's heart for Transform DRC, her heart for all of Africa and frankly
(32:14):
for humanity. I hope that you are inspired by her journey and check out TransformDRC.org.
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