Justice

It has been an interesting couple of weeks here. I’ve actually been sick which doesn’t happen to me very often. I think I caught a parasite from drinking some bad water and it has manifested in all kinds of stomach issues. It’s been pretty inconvenient but I’ve found ways to continue ministering. Of course God is always faithful He gives me the ability to do all the things I’m called to do.

My recent illness is hardly why I am writing today. Something far more tragic occurred to a member of my church. A police officer who was 36 years old and a husband and father of 2 was brutally beaten to death in the Shituru section of Likasi. Gecca Mines, the government owned mining company here in Katanga province mining mostly copper, uses police or military for their security at the mines and the factories. Kalombo had been working security for a while at the Shituru factory where the copper is processed. One night a group of men came to steal from the factory and when Kalombo refused to allow them to steal they beat him until he died and left him there to be found the next morning.

It is a demonstration of how morally bankrupt people are here in Congo. Of course not all people are so heartless but there just seem to be far too many people who lack a moral conscience. Greed seems to be the driving motivator. Perhaps the hardest part for me is Kalombo is one of the few Congolese people who would actually stand for righteousness and justice. Most individuals in his position would have gladly been in on the thievery. He keeps his mouth shut and helps you break into the factor in exchange for a few hundred dollars. The difficulty is he won’t be given any respect for what he did and the lesson most people will learn from his death is doing the right thing kills so you might as well be corrupt and line your pockets.

The justice system in Congo is swift. They caught people they believe murdered Kalombo and those men will be executed. The government can’t afford to run prison facilities. They exist but hundreds and thousands die regularly because of lack of food and unsanitary living conditions. A prison sentence is usually a death sentence just in a much more painful manner. Another issue is the justice system is obviously corrupt like all of Congo. What if these aren’t even the right people? There is no drawn out trial with a jury of your peers or the possibility of establishing reasonable doubt as a means to protect the innocent. I’m not even sure if there is a trial at all. Where is the example or even existence of justice here?

Church on Wedneasday and Thursday was canceled. People here are very communal so instead of meeting at the church all members were encouraged to visit the homes of family members of Kalombo to encourage them or distract them or just be there as a form of comfort. The Bible instructs us to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and mourn with those who are mourning. Some times going over to Kalombo’s sister’s house and distracting the whole family with a game of dodgeball where we laugh together and afterward pray together for God’s strength and peace looks way more like the church. There are certain things Congolese people do really well and community is one of them.