A tribute to Pastor Sorie

Yesterday I got one of those calls that you dread getting: a call telling me that someone I dearly love had died. Pastor Sorie was the Pastor in Banta. He was a man of God, full of integrity. It was so shocking to hear that he is gone; that I won't ever see him again. I remember saying goodbye to him at the hovercraft. I didn't think that was the last time that I would ever see him. Death has a way of shaking you up, making you think, making you cry, questioning why?
Pastor Sorie was one of those people that you meet that you automatically see and know that something is different. He always told Kristen and I, that he was going to write down his life story for us. Since he can't do that, I am going to write it for his, as best as I know. His story is a testimony to the goodness of the Lord.One that should be shared.
He grew up in a Muslim home, but started attending a good news Bible club where he later accepted Christ. He was the only Christian in his family for a while and suffered persecution for accepting Christ. He never faltered in his belief. Most of his family have now become Christians.
He has been working with COTN as a Pastor in Banta Mokelleh. Living in Banta is not easy. He went there with out knowing what he was getting into. He was left there with only a suitcase in his hands, not knowing the tribal language, or knowing another person. But that didn't stop him. He started a church with only 4 members and helped it grow to the 40-50 members that it is today. He then moved to a new village to begin starting a new church. Ministering in Banta is not easy. The village is a Muslim village, and they do not want the church. They want the development that COTN is bringing, but they do not want the church. Pastor Sorie has undergone intense persecution, but has never stopped preaching what he knows to be true. He devoted his life to loving the people of Ngolala.
In March, Pastor Sorie was accused of impregnating a girl in our school. This was such a lie that the family made up because they wanted someone to support the girl and her baby. Everyone who really knows Pastor Sorie, knows that he is a man of integrity, and that this story is just not true. For the past 6 months he has been dragged through the courts and has had to deal with the lies that people are accusing him of. He always had a good attitude and remained faithful to his Savior. He knew that God was faithful and lived as if that promise was true. At times, I would be so frustrated about the whole situation, and angry at the people who were spreading the lies. Pastor Sorie was always the one who reminded me that we need to love them. And he did, he loved them in spite of the lies they told about him.
A few days ago, Pastor Sorie was hospitalized for a hernia. They operated on him, but there was heavy internal bleeding. The doctors went back to surgery and discovered that the wound was infected on the inside. The details after that are a bit fuzzy of what happened, but he late on Wednesday night he passed away.
My heart is grieving over the loss of a good friend and an amazing man of God. I don't understand why, but I do know that he is in a better place. I talked to Aunty Chris on the phone, and I wish that I could be there grieving with those who loved him. But I can't, so I will grieve with them even though I am across the ocean. He was a good man and I know that the Lord will reveal his glory through the life of his servant. He no longer has to deal with the evil that was attacking him. He is now safe at home with our Savior. I talked to Pastor Sorie last week on the phone and I am glad that I did. Even though I didn't know it, that was my goodbye.