New pastor takes ‘long road’ to Iowa
Willy Mafuta couldn’t help but chuckle when he was asked about snow; after all, the pastor at the United Methodist and United Church of Christ churches in New Hampton and the UCC Church in Ionia was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I’ll never forget when I first saw snow,” he said with a smile, “and I thought, ‘What is this?’ I’ve been here [in the United States] for more than 20 years, and I’m used to it, but I don’t think I’ll ever like it.”
But the chance to impact lives, to show that the church is the place where people are given their most precious gift — the opportunity to love — and to help pour that love back into a world that desperately needs it makes it all worth it.
For more on this story see the October 1 Tribune.