Rebuilding hope in Democratic Republic of Congo

Believers across Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continually endure the legacy that persecution leaves – bereavement, poverty and destruction. But in that legacy, God is weaving powerful stories of hope and healing.

When someone else answered her husband’s phone, Valence* knew that something was wrong.

The family farm was in another part of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Valence and her children live. What should have been a normal trip for her husband, Pastor Mbusa Lisasi, to gather essential supplies from the farm soon became a turning point in Valence’s life.

Her husband and his brother departed for the farm, and a week passed. No word, no sign, nothing from her husband arrived.

“A student pastor came and told me, ‘Mama, we are calling your husband, but another person is answering his phone’,” Valence remembers. “Immediately, I became afraid because the ADF [Allied Democratic Forces] regularly operated around our farm.”

Then, what Valence had most deeply feared became a reality – a reality facing hundreds of families of believers across DRC and sub-Saharan Africa.

Valence was invited to a meeting with some staff from the Bible Institute where her husband was a student. “There I was informed that my husband and his elder brother had been kidnapped by the ADF and that the military forces were searching for them.”

Weeks turned into months – when her church reverend tried the phone number, another voice again answered but refused to state where her husband had been taken. Then, the number became unreachable. He was gone.

Light in the dark

Eventually, Valence had to accept that her husband was not returning to her any time soon. Grieving and heavy-hearted, the family held a memorial service. But the difficulties didn’t stop there – members of her husband’s family sold a plot of land belonging to Valence and her children. Though they promised that the money would go towards supporting them, they refused to supply what Valence desperately needed to keep her and her family afloat.

Eventually, part of the money was given, but her relatives still denied Valence the full amount. “I endured a life of suffering. There was not enough food for the children, medical costs were difficult to cover and paying school fees became a challenge,” she shares.

Open Doors local partners then came to learn of the family’s situation and gave Valence the support she needed to begin an income-generating business. “I started buying cassava [a kind of root vegetable] chips, processing them into cassava products ready for flour production, and selling them so that my children can have food and medicine.”

Soon, the nerve-wracking uncertainty of the future was replaced with hope and confidence – in significant part thanks to your support and prayers.

“If they had not helped us, I do not know how I would have managed with the children,” Valence testifies. “That is why I say thank you, and may God bless you.”

Returning to worship

In the Ituri province of DRC, another community has endured the destructive effect of ADF violence. But, instead of moving from the area, the church has set down fresh roots.

“When the ADF terrorists arrived in the village, they caused enormous damage,” shares Petro, an elder of the church. “They set fire to houses and also to our church. All the properties that belonged to the church were burnt.”

On that terrifying day a few years ago, seven people were killed and around ten were taken hostage. Villagers fled to a nearby town for refuge.

“We were deeply traumatised. Our loved ones were slaughtered, and we watched our homes burn. Other Christians were abducted, and to this day we don’t even know if they are still alive,” Petro recalls. “Five months after fleeing, I decided to return here to check if the area was safe enough to live in again. But everything was destroyed; all the houses set ablaze. Almost the whole village was burnt down. The village had been destroyed by the enemy and was reclaimed by the jungle.”

“Please keep praying for us”

Slowly, the handful of believers who had returned began to restore what was lost. As the numbers of those returning grew, as did their collective vision to rebuild – both their church and their community of faith. Brick by brick, the church began to take physical shape again.

“We never ceased to pray to God. First, we prayed at a believer’s house. Then we began gathering under a tarpaulin. And now, we have rebuilt the church,” Petro shares.

Though the village remains vulnerable to ADF militants who continue to roam the area, the number of Christians worshipping at the church is steadily climbing. Pastor Marko has recently joined to lead the congregation. “When I arrived here, there were about 70 people coming to church,” he says. “But now when we are gathering for Sunday service, there are about 150 believers. Please keep praying for us, because without the power of prayer, nothing can change.”

“The fighters of the ADF have burnt our church, but they cannot take away God from us,” Petro affirms. “God lives within us and we know that we are His church.”

Thank you for standing with believers in DRC facing violence and injustice for their faith. Please continue to intercede for them in prayer.

*Name changed for security reasons