Last Sunday, I went to church at Living Stone Church, a local Congolese congregation. Over the past five years or so, the Cedar Valley has had quite an influx of residents from the Democratic Republic of Congo. I've been wanting to go to one of their churches for some time, and after the negative rhetoric in Washington DC last week, I figured the best time was now to go and worship alongside African brothers and sisters.
The first 45 minutes was praise and worship music and a very unique time where individuals all offered prayers aloud at the same time. Though I could not understand the French words spoken or sung, there is a common language to praise and prayer, and it was good to spend some time praying for our Congolese neighbors...for their lives in this new place, but also for their home country...where so many of their family and friends still live and where their hearts surely remain.
Many of our local Congolese neighbors came on the Lottery Visa system that is currently being negotiated on Capitol Hill. They didn't come without great difficulty and heart ache. One man I spoke with after the worship service just lost his mom who still lived in Congo. It's hard enough to lose a parent when you're near; how terribly difficult to lose a parent across so much distance.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has had decades of war, violence, and poverty. According to sources, it is a land full of natural and human resources that give it great potential, but it has had a history of colonial and commercial exploitation. With wide spread corruption and no solid infrastructure, the DRC is listed as the second poorest country in the world.
Issues of migration and immigration are no simple or easy matter. People do not generally wish to leave their culture and homeland without being desperate for their survival. Pray for our Congolese neighbors in the Cedar Valley today. And look for opportunities to show hospitality, listen, and connect with them in our community.
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