Congo: A Land of Incongruity

Our time here in Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa has only just begun, but I feel that I have already learned and noticed so much. Bunia sits in the Great Rift Valley in the heart of Africa. It is a fertile land with amazing produce, beautiful rolling hills, and enough natural resources to make this country one of the most successful economies of the modern world--or at least in Africa.

But this success has not arrived. As one turns from the beautiful vistas and scenic landscapes, you noticed homes separated by barbed wire, children running in dark streets at night and and elderly women stopping cars to beg for money.

A few years ago, the conflict that seemed to engulf much of the entire continent reached Bunia and the Congo. Families were separated permanently. Children carried weapons in the streets, and husbands witnessed terrible atrocities against their wives. Lives were utterly destroyed, to put it mildly.

It all started when two tribal groups, the Lendu and the Hema, began fighting. The two groups had lived together for years--centuries even--with only slight disagreements. But this time was different. This time was like no other time before it.

But those years have gone, and peace has returned to the Bunia region. Despite these hardships, Christians in Bunia kept the faith. They continued worshipping amid the fighting, and now the churches are stronger than ever. Many worship together as brothers and sisters, disregarding the fact that they may belong to two different factions that were once killing each other with little attention from the outside world.

We are here to tell their story. It is a story of reconciliation and forgiveness. A story of faithfulness and triumph. A story of hearing God speak their language--their heart language, the language that they think in and feel in and worship in.

This is the story that we are here to share.

But there is so much else going on in Bunia. The Congolese people are addressing the growing AIDS crisis through mother-tongue scripture and meeting cultural challenges head-on. They are educating translators that will carry God’s Word back to their home village so that they, too, may understand. They are returning to normal lives even after “the angels had left them.”

It is an amazing story, and we get to tell it. What an amazing privilege.

What an amazing responsibility.

- Dustin