Even after thirty years of communist indoctrination, today’s Angolan people remain inherently spiritual. They readily assure that there is indeed a God and exist powerful spiritual forces. To say otherwise, in this country, is folly. What’s more, even after the rapid exit of most all international Christians during the war years (1976-2002), indigenous Angolan churches continued to thrive.
I snapped this photo early Sunday morning, where families in our hospital’s Patient Village (you can view the hospital in the background), have gathered together for singing, prayer and inspiring words from their own spiritual leaders. The weather is cold, and many sleep on the ground. Food is scarce, and many are thin and malnourished. Cancer and tuberculosis occupy their bodies, and their confidence in the Good News is strong. For them, the words of Christ are most germane: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.