ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) - On the seventh try, a suburban Grand Rapids couple finally were able to leave Congo after their missionary stay had been extended by a civil war and uncooperative officials.
''We're tired and smelly, but we're happy to be back,'' Chad Zuber said Monday evening, shortly after arriving with his wife Becca at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The Zubers, both 21, live in Jenison near Grand Rapids. A third West Michigan native, Steve Vinton, flew to Houston to be united with his family there, Chad Zuber said.
The Zubers were teaching English at a Bible institute in Kindu, Congo, when civil war broke out five weeks ago. They tried to leave the country one week short of their intended stay but failed when officials told them they couldn't leave.
The governor of Kindu told the couple six times that they could leave, Zuber said. Each time, the couple walked 45 minutes to the airport, only to be turned away by gun-carrying officials.
''It was a complete letdown. Each time, I told myself, 'I'm not going to get excited,''' Becca Zuber said.
Finally, the Zubers managed to get the governor's promise in writing, and a six-day trip home with several stops in Africa and one in Amsterdam, Netherlands, followed.
The U.S. Embassy and all other Americans were evacuated from Congo on Aug. 15, but the Zubers and Vinton were accidentally left behind, U.S. Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mich) said in a statement. Abraham worked with the families of the Zubers and Vinton to help the three make it home.
Becca Zuber said she and her husband planned to resume their missionary work after the violence started in early August. But as things got worse, they stayed in the house where they had been living for their three-month stay.
09-09-98
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