Freedom Found in Truth

Susan

"I told them that if they wanted food and water, they had to listen to my story. Then they came back when they were sober with two more women to hear the story again!"

Susan, a young woman who has been attending Bible study on Saturdays, was beaming today as she told us how she takes her Bible lessons home with her.

This was the first time I had met anyone from the Saturday Bible study, and it was fun to see her relating to Sarah as her teacher. It was amazing to hear her ask questions. It was beautiful to see discipleship in its rawest form.

The story was of Cain and Abel. This has never been my favorite Bible study, but I do love to focus on the window of grace and forgiveness that God gave Cain and extends to us as well. I love being able to tie it in with lessons from Luke 13 and the fact that life is so fragile -- a fact they know well in this land. However, I did not realize the cultural implications that this lesson would have for the Karamojong. Allowing Sarah, Esther, and Lillian to be the ones to teach it to the community gave them freedom to focus on how it would practically hit their tribe mates.

The Karamojong are a very complex tribe. The lesson on the fall into sin was what opened up a line of communication with my friends into the many layered beliefs of their tribe. It is a blessing to be allowed to see the underlaying tones that manifest themselves in the way this tribe relate to others, themselves, and God.

The way that they have interpreted Scripture, or to be fair, have been taught what is truth, has been very symbolic. For example, Eve did not literally eat fruit from a tree, but the first sin was intercourse between Adam and Eve. The implications this would lead to astonished me in regards to how they view marriage and sex within and outside of marriage. Allowing them to voice this belief was a stepping stone to other beliefs they would share in regards to Scripture and the spiritual realm of life that is very physical here.

Satan has a strong grip on this tribe by using fear. There are many beliefs that penetrate all religions as far as demons, "people of the water", and "white people who aren't real people". There are "prophets", who are higher up than the witchdoctors in line of demonic powers, who can pronounce death in a matter of time upon a man or woman who has wronged another. For example, if a man does not pay the bride price of a certain number of cows for the woman, they are not seen as a married couple. If another man approaches the parents of this woman with cows, they will demand that she marries this man and leave her husband and children so they are able to accept the dowery. If a woman refuses, the "prophets" might be sent after her. None of my friends' husbands have paid the bride price, so this is a real fear they face while traveling back to the village where their families stay.

This is a video of a woman who was passed down the line in a family in order for her family to be allowed to keep the dowery.


I love this tribe. I love that God has allowed me to see the complexity of what goes on beneath the drunken man and the fear I see in the eyes of my friends as they relate the news of the day. I love knowing how to pray for them. I love being able to share this, upon approval from my friends, with you.

My biggest prayer as of late has been for truth and freedom to reign in this community.

Would you pray?

"If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, 

and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." -- John 8:31-32