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Stories & Blog
A Dead City Alive With Love
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO — The violence began in a village 45 miles outside the city where Crossworld worker Wes lives. One tribe attacked another and killed 50 people before looting and setting fire to the village. The following day, protesters filled the streets of Wes’ city. When police opened fire on the crowd, the deaths of three people launched two days of la ville mort, or dead city. Stores closed, schools shut their doors, and everyone waited to see what would happen.
Then the refugees began to stream in.
Some came from the attacked village. Most fled the countryside for fear of future attacks. They arrived on foot with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and they inundated the local hospital looking for shelter. Enormous refugee camps, including the one pictured above, arose overnight.
The following Sunday, the pastor of Wes’ church preached on Abraham’s hospitality to three strangers, and he invited a refugee family to tell their story. When they finished speaking, the pastor began to sing, and the congregation joined in.
In the middle of song, Wes noticed a disturbance at the front of the church. Through the gathering crowd, he glimpsed a large, pink laundry basket — an invitation to give an offering for the refugee family.
Wes shuffled through the crowd to contribute, but as he neared the front, he saw that the basket was already full — more than full. A lump formed in his throat as he comprehended the sacrifice. In his city, $100 a month is a solid salary, yet the basket overflowed with bundles of cash.
“This week, we will gather here each afternoon to pray for our community,” the pastor announced. Then he began to ask for gifts from specific groups in the church: $50 from this Bible study group; $50 from that one; from the merchants in the church, $100; from the public service personnel, $100.
“We need your best food and your best clothes,” he said. “Bring them all next Sunday.”
And they did. The following Sunday, the offering was even larger. The people passed trash bags of clothes and food items over their heads to the front of the room. When one of the refugees said he sold chickens, the pastor held up a live chicken by its feet to start a bidding war in the congregation. The winner, a well-dressed man, bought the chicken for $200.
The violence that killed 50 people threatened to destabilize the entire region. But it hasn’t.
“Everyone agrees that the main reason this thing didn’t blow up is prayer,” Wes said. “Witnessing the responsiveness of the local church convicted us and gave us hope. We saw a church bold and free that didn’t bat an eye before running into the displaced masses. We saw nothing less than the light of the world — a city set on a hill whose burning light would not be hidden by the darkness gathering around it.”
Then the refugees began to stream in.
Some came from the attacked village. Most fled the countryside for fear of future attacks. They arrived on foot with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and they inundated the local hospital looking for shelter. Enormous refugee camps, including the one pictured above, arose overnight.
The following Sunday, the pastor of Wes’ church preached on Abraham’s hospitality to three strangers, and he invited a refugee family to tell their story. When they finished speaking, the pastor began to sing, and the congregation joined in.
In the middle of song, Wes noticed a disturbance at the front of the church. Through the gathering crowd, he glimpsed a large, pink laundry basket — an invitation to give an offering for the refugee family.
Wes shuffled through the crowd to contribute, but as he neared the front, he saw that the basket was already full — more than full. A lump formed in his throat as he comprehended the sacrifice. In his city, $100 a month is a solid salary, yet the basket overflowed with bundles of cash.
“This week, we will gather here each afternoon to pray for our community,” the pastor announced. Then he began to ask for gifts from specific groups in the church: $50 from this Bible study group; $50 from that one; from the merchants in the church, $100; from the public service personnel, $100.
“We need your best food and your best clothes,” he said. “Bring them all next Sunday.”
And they did. The following Sunday, the offering was even larger. The people passed trash bags of clothes and food items over their heads to the front of the room. When one of the refugees said he sold chickens, the pastor held up a live chicken by its feet to start a bidding war in the congregation. The winner, a well-dressed man, bought the chicken for $200.
The violence that killed 50 people threatened to destabilize the entire region. But it hasn’t.
“Everyone agrees that the main reason this thing didn’t blow up is prayer,” Wes said. “Witnessing the responsiveness of the local church convicted us and gave us hope. We saw a church bold and free that didn’t bat an eye before running into the displaced masses. We saw nothing less than the light of the world — a city set on a hill whose burning light would not be hidden by the darkness gathering around it.”
Your part in this story...
Crossworld worker Wes asks you to pray for these requests.
- Pray for our family’s language learning. We are now learning Swahili through French, our second language. It is very difficult, but our ability to communicate clearly in both French and Swahili will determine the effectiveness of this ministry.
- Pray for our relationships with our house helpers, fellow church members, and future coworkers. Pray that the Lord leads us into rich, fulfilling relationships with Congolese nationals that bring glory to our Father in heaven.
- Pray for my wife and I as we prepare to teach in the fall — for language ability, cultural sensitivity, and patience and faith in the Lord.
- Pray for our kids, who are intimately connected to this ministry. Pray that they learn to pray and trust God, and that they will adapt to their environment in the local school here while maintaining a fixed identity as children of God.
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