Phil, an AIM Air pilot, was working among the Lopit in South Sudan.
‘It happened while I was flying missionaries into a remote Lopit village. As soon as we arrived, people gathered around us, repeating the same word over and over – “mong, mong, mong” – while vigorously shaking my hand.
The first time I saw it, I was genuinely concerned. I wondered if the missionary beside me was unwell or having some kind of episode. Only later did I learn that this was simply how the Lopit greet one another.
A growing Christian witness among the Lopit people
Missionaries have worked among the Lopit for many years, and progress has been slow. There are only a handful of believers in this remote region. As one missionary, Robert, walked me through the village, we greeted everyone – endless handshakes, endless “mong, mong, ogolo.”
Occasionally, after greeting someone, Robert would quietly tell me, “That was one of the believers.”
And after a while, I began to notice something. These believers looked no different from their neighbours. They dressed the same, spoke the same…and yet something about them stood out.
There was a joy, a hope, a quiet confidence that couldn’t be explained.
Eventually, I found myself saying to Robert, “That was a believer, wasn’t it?” I could just tell.
Because the Lopit believers, few as they are, cannot hide the light of Christ shining through them.’
How wonderful to see the light of Christ shining in new places. We’re working towards seeing Christ-centred churches among all African people groups – including the Lopit!
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