BMS World Mission mission workers Graeme and Jenny Riddell are serving with BMS partner, the Baptist Union of Uganda (BUU), in the west of the country. Graeme formerly worked as a geography teacher and Jenny as a solicitor. They are now involved in educational and legal work, seeking to improve the lives of many disadvantaged people, especially women and children.
Fleeing insecurity
Pastor Kamasa fled the fighting in Congo with his family 12 years ago. Today he lives in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, in the North West of Uganda along with thousands of other Sudanese and Congolese long-term refugees waiting for an opportunity to go home.
At least that is the case for those who have been there for many years like Pastor Kamasa. During our stay we witnessed daily arrivals of hundreds of refugees from the current crises in Congo carrying what few possessions they had managed to salvage when they fled home.
Each new family was allocated a plot of land and given some plastic sheeting and rations to see them through the first six months until they are able to build a house and plant some crops. For many it will be a long stay.
There are five Baptist churches in Kyangwali supported by the BUU to whom we travelled to run some seminars together with the BUU Western Region Overseer, Pastor Kaiso.
Showing Christian unity, leaders representing all denominations gathered at one of the Baptist churches for Bible teaching on leadership, conflict resolution and refugee law led by us and Pastor Kaiso.
On the Sunday morning the Baptist churches from across the camp came together for a united service leaving standing room only.
Difficult questions
Life for the refugees at Kyangwali is not all a rosy picture as evidenced by the difficult questions Jenny had to try and answer during the seminar on refugee law – “How can I get a pass to leave the camps?” “Why is it that a man who defiled a girl some weeks ago is now walking free around the camp?” “Who will inherit my property back in Congo if I die in Uganda?”
The hope is that as church leaders become equipped to answer these questions the church might be a vehicle by which the rights of the refugee can be upheld and the most marginalised protected.
The church at work
It is evident that the churches in Kyangwali are making a real difference to the camp community. The churches have started a small, if struggling, school for both refugee children and those living outside the camp.
As someone who knew what it was like to suffer and having been an alien in a foreign land himself for 12 years, it was humbling to watch Pastor Kamasa walking amongst the newly arrived refugees spending their first few nights under the stars. He welcomed them, listened to their stories and comforted them with God’s love.
"The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God
Leviticus 19: 33 NIV