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Frontline
Newsletter: Angolan Refugees for Reformation
The
ongoing wars in Angola and the Congo have led more than
220 000 refugees to flee from their homes to find sanctuary
in Zambia.
When
the Marxist MPLA forces launched a scorched earth offensive
against the people of south eastern Angola, hundreds of
villages were destroyed, thousands killed and tens of thousands
fled.
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Angolan
Refugees, many of them injured or crippled, receive
World Missionary Press Scripture booklets.
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It
was in the middle of the rainy season when Pastor
Marcos and his congregation were forced to flee from
the invaders. They walked through the bush taking
only what they could carry. They didn’t complain
about being constantly rain soaked as they trudged
through the bush. Had they been forced to flee in
the dry season, many would have perished from thirst.
As Pastor Marcos put it: "We suffered because
of the heavy rains, but without the rain we could
not have survived."
In
the Lord’s mercy, with the exception of one adult
male, the entire congregation escaped the devastation
and survived to reconstitute their church in the refugee
camp in Zambia. One Zambian government official who
had worked with refugees from many nations, recognised
the fruit of the Gospel amongst this tight knit community
by praising their high standards of self-discipline
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When
we arrived at the refugee camp I was given the opportunity
to address their community leaders. While 85% of Angolans
claimed to be Christians, many had actually put their trust
in man - not God. Some trusted in Augustino Neto or Eduardo
dos Santos (the Marxist dictators), others trusted in Jonas
Savimbi (the UNITA resistance leader). But now the long
suffering Angolans were being challenged to trust in and
obey the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Cursed
is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart departs from the Lord…blessed is the man
who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord "
Jeremiah
17:5,7
For
Sunday services the congregation of 2000 meet in an open
area. Fallen logs were their "pews." In spite
of the fact that the destitute refugees were dependant on
outside aid, during the offering nearly everyone would come
and pour a cup or two of dried maize kernels into the collection
bags.
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The
message delivered to these Angolan Christians was
"Why Does God Allow Suffering and Hardship?"
Sometimes God allows a people to suffer on account
of their own wickedness (Lev 26:14, 17). But Joseph
suffered because of his brothers’ jealousy. Through
no fault of his own, he became a slave in Egypt, was
falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and imprisoned.
But in all this God’s purposes were eventually
accomplished. What Joseph’s brothers meant for
evil, God used for good (Gen. 50:20). The Angolan
Christians were encouraged that even in their own
difficult circumstances our sovereign Lord is working
His purposes out. Instead of merely waiting to return
to Angola, Christians were challenged to be fully
engaged in the work of the Great Commission there
in the camp.
We
also held a Reformation Film Festival with the open
air screenings of John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, and
God’s Outlaw (William Tyndale) films — all
in Portuguese. These were a great success. The believers
were much encouraged, as the main issues of the Protestant
Reformation were clearly portrayed.
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Frontline
Fellowship missionaries minister to Angolan Refugees
in Zambia |
At
the women’s choir practice we saw that fewer than half
had hymnals. The hymnals that were available were very threadbare
and well-worn. The rest of the women had notebooks into
which they had hand scribed the verses of their favourite
hymns. We joined them for hymn number 227 in the Umbundu
hymnal, "Ombonge yetu Yehova" otherwise known
as "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." There is a
great need to reprint the Portuguese-Umbundu Hymnal which
has been out of print for nearly twenty years. Frontline
Fellowship plans to complete a reprint project as soon as
funds permit. There is also a great need for more Bibles
among the refugees, particularly in Umbundu.
"For a thousand tongues to sing," Angolan
Woman’s Choir with some of the few remaining Umbundu
Hymn books. |
Another
pressing concern articulated by Angolan church leaders
is the desperate need for training, theological and
otherwise. Because of the civil war, they haven't
had access to formal theological training since 1976.
We
are working on establishing a fund to provide theological
education in Portuguese for the refugees.
Rob
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Related
Resources:-
Angola, by the
Back Door (book)
Going
Through (book)
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