Congo-Kinshasa (MNN) — Flash flooding devastated parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo over the weekend.
Sam Todd of Wycliffe Associates received a text early on Monday morning. “It came in at 4:18 [am] from our partner in Northeast DRC. It says, ‘Over 600 people have died in this (flooding) because of the rains; 2,500 people are wounded,’” he says.
“Thousands of people have been displaced in the last 48 hours; their lives have been upended.”
The region desperately needs rain, but recent storms brought more than the land could handle. Nearly 200 people lost their lives by Friday.
“You have these intense storms that create flash floods, and it’s coming [during] dry season,” Todd says.
“The ground isn’t ready for it. The people weren’t prepared for it. These floods just come through ferociously and wipe everything away: homes, buildings, people.”
The same part of the country hosts thousands of people displaced by ongoing fighting between the government and rebel forces. Clashes killed more than 150 people in two weeks in April.
(Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Associates)
Wycliffe Associates supports local Bible translation efforts in the DRC. More about that here. “We’ve worked very diligently with local teams to train and equip them to translate in a localized context,” Todd says.
“Our goal is to teach people how to translate accurately and in a way that’s not dependent upon time, place, circumstance, or anyone from the West.”
Use the prompts listed alongside this article to pray for Christians in DRC.
“We’ll mobilize relief and support as we’re able to create an opportunity for God’s people here in the States to rally around [believers] in DRC,” Todd says.
“One of the great ways that the American Church can support people internationally is to know what’s happening. Be connected, be praying for them.”
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of ZHANQUN CAI/Pexels.
