Unfortunate Reminder

It was an eerie afternoon here at Diitabiki today. Around 4:30pm or so, I saw little kids and grown ups alike passing my home and heading down to the river. There was a death in the village this week and they had been digging at the burial grounds for two days already, today made the third day. I knew that all those passing by where heading to the river to see the boats “play” and then watch the antics and spiritual ceremonies unfold on the river bank as the spiritists and drunken men made there way to the dead house not to far from my home.

So, I lifted up a short prayer that the Lord would go before me and with me and I too headed down to the river to watch the events unfold for my first time here at Diitabiki. The sky was black, rain was beginning to fall and the sound of thunder, which is unusual, was echoing in the far off sky.

I made my way down to the river just in time to see a man dancing and thrashing around the river bank scaring everyone in his path. They told me “the spirits have climbed upon him”. I watched as he stumbled around until another man grabbed a hold of him and slowly and methodically began hitting him on his neck. For some reason, the commotion stopped there but began again in another crowd as two other men, who were carrying one of their “gods” on a pole, began their charade.

These two men are supposedly in tune and in touch with the god and they carry him around on a pole, “made by human hands”. As I watched them, I continued to keep my eye on the first demon possessed man, who now had one man still hitting him and another man spitting liquor into his face. The man now stood still, in what seemed to be a trance. As for the other two men carrying their god, they continued to “dance” around. Others where yelling, some running, others just watchin in awe.

I stood in the distance by myself most of the time, not very amused, but saddened at another display of satan’s grip upon these people. I thought of all the people in the Bible who served and worshipped false gods and unknowingly, satan himself.

As the procession moved closer to the dead house, everyone followed right behind. I took a loop around the other side and continued to watch the events unfold. The drunken men where now marching in front of the two men carrying the god, and they were playing drums as everyone followed behind.

I was further perturbed and somewhat upset to see one of the young boys who has been coming to hear the Bible stories at my home also walking and drumming with the adult men. He was following in the footsteps of these lost souls. I hope and pray he comes to know the one true God, who walks before us. A God who leads us, not one that you have to lead around on a stick. A God that serves and loves us. A God that doesn’t need to be carried around under a sheet on a pole, with possessed men carrying Him around where He wants to go. But rather a God who lives inside us, in our heart. One that anyone can carry with them wherever they go.

Days like this, are the more obvious reminders of where I am, and who these people really are. Who they serve. Who they worship. And just how horribly oppressed they truly are. I don’t know much more of what happened after all this. I had to go and get ready to share on the radio.

Please continue to pray for these people. The Aukan people. People who are in desperate need to come to know, love and serve the one true God, our Father in Heaven.