Today for the second time, our team went to worship service in Lorega. Lorega is a place where the people are literally living among the dead. Above the tombs of a cemetary rise the homes of the people living there.
When we first went to Lorega, the team described that it felt very heavy there. As you can imagine, the spiritual world in a cemetary is very real and very thick. We made our way toward the church as we stepped around the tombs of those burried there. Following American custom, I tried my best not to step on them, but then I quickly noticed that this was not such a concern in Lorega. To my right, a goat sleeps under the hot sun on top of one tomb, and to my right a lady takes a siesta on one as well. All around me homes are growing up from the tombs. One of our hosts said “to some, the tombs are their dining tables.” It was quite the sight to see.
Yet amidst all the death and the darkness, a light rose out of this area in the form of Lorega Church. Under the cover of a tin roof, decorated with colorful cloth, and filled with plastic stools, was Lorega Church. It is the light in this dark place. The people of Lorega are plagued by gangs, drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution, and extreme poverty, yet this church is reaching in to the depths of this sin, and pulling people out alive. Though the congregation was small, their faith in the Father is very big. I was incredibly blessed to worship with them, to talk to them, and to see God work through them. This is God at work in its most raw form, and it is a beautiful thing.
