The sun is falling behind the mango
trees, a deep orange sun. It is nearly 6:30, almost dark. To the
left of the trees a large crowd gathers along the road, all standing
around the police officer. I imagine he is interviewing people about
the truck that came and struck a small boy just an hour ago. By the
time we arrived the boy had already been taken to the hospital.
Apparently he is in critical condition.
It is my team’s day off today, so the
rest of Sofia is back at home in Soroti, probably eating dinner by
now. But Lazarus told me he was going to an open air meeting in a
village about 10 km away. He works for an organization that shows
films at these kind of open air meetings. I thought it would be
interesting and so I asked him to take me. So here we are, at a
primary school in Oculoi. Oculoi (Oh-CHU-lo-ee) is named after the
large rock, a volcano plug, which is just beyond the primary school
where we now are. It is the word for an adolescent chicken.
The crowd around the road is about the
same size as the one in front of the stage, the one listening to the
pastor preach in English, and the translation into Atesso.
“Thank you Jesus!” shouts the
pastor. He is wearing in an olive suit. Lazarus introduced me to him
a moment ago. He had that preoccupied expression of a man who is
about to give an important speech. “Thank you for your LIFE!
Thank you for your LOVE! We believe that ANGELS gather about this
place! In JESUS’ MIGHTY Name!”
I don’t know if I can describe in
words how Africans preach. To be honest I don’t know how they can
still talk by the end after shouting for 30, 45, or sometimes even 90
minutes. They like to say, “In JESUS’ NAME” a lot. Or, for
extra emphasis, “In Jesus’ MIGHTY Name!” Sometimes they’ll say
it a dozen times in just a few minutes.
equipment is blocking the stage so I can’t see the preacher, but
occasionally two black hands pop up over the truck, one belonging to
the preacher, the other to the translator. The hands point upward as
if to heaven.
done to the child! But God is GREATER! God is the bringer of LIFE!
What I believe God is trying to communicate to us!” Explanation
points alone can’t express the loud enthusiasm of the preacher. “It
is our belief that in God nothing is impossible! God can return
LIFE!”
