Justice

Many times people want to know what a typical day is like for us here in Kinshasa. It's often hard to say - we don't have an "exact" routine that we repeat everyday, but today I had an interesting experience that is really quite typical for many people living here, so I thought I'd write about it.

I went downtown for a "quick trip" (famous last words) to buy a few groceries. As in many parts of Africa, I had to park on the street and arranged to pay someone to "guard" my vehicle.....meaning that you're paying them to NOT slash your tires or steal anything. Whatever, I've lived in Africa long enough, this is just part of the landscape and I don't really even think twice about it anymore.

However this time when I came out of the store someone had put a tire lock on my tires so that I couldn't leave. There was no rhyme or reason for them to do this......I was not parked "illegally", etc. but the bottom line was that I had to pay $50 to have the lock removed. There were several people around - men that make a living repairing shoes on the street, selling belts, etc. They were all on my side and I had quite a little support group. Our vehicles say very clearly "Assembly of God" (only in French), so they knew I was a "Mama Pastor" and were very incensed that this happened to a missionary.

However, as is often the case, reason didn't prevail. The little gang of men with the lock keys came and went, often leaving me for 30" at a time to ponder my fate, with the hope that I would then whip out $50. Honestly, I was about to do it.....I am not at all in favor of bribes, but when you live in places like this, there are just times when you are between a rock and a hard place....I couldn't give up our Speed The Light vehicle for $50! Even though I had done nothing wrong, it was looking like I would not be able to save the vehicle if I didn't pay and frankly, my Toyota Land Cruiser is worth the $50!!

I had called our missionary colleagues at one point, just to see if they had any thoughts on the matter - this was the first they had heard of this particular scam, so they were a bit baffled too. But they are friends with a man who is quite high up in the police department here. A few minutes later they called me to say that he was sending a representative to help me. I stood outside for about 15" when a very important looking man in a uniform showed up. To make a long story short.......after much talking (on everyone else's part, not on mine!) and a fair amount of yelling from the huge crowd that had formed around us (fortunately this crowd was mainly on "Mama Pastor's" side) my car was released and I did not have to pay a thing!

Though this time I got off free and felt somewhat of a sense of justice.......I realize that things like this happen very often to the Congolese. And if you don't have someone in a higher place to call upon, you become another victim of another scam. It's easy to get very caught up in the "principle of the matter" and the "sense of justice, or injustice". But the bottom line is that we live in an unjust world. Though I'm all for as much justice as I can find while I'm here, it's a good reminder to me that we serve a just God. Jesus is our advocate - though it sure was nice to have a representative of a "bigger man" come and help me out, I realize that my ultimate help is from Christ and he is the ultimate "big man."