God Meets Us in Exile
Pastor Oryem Lordovick has spent much of his life far from the home he once knew.
Originally from South Sudan, he came to Uganda as a refugee after years of conflict and instability. During that time, he was kidnapped five times by Joseph Kony’s rebel army. When he finally escaped, he led 52 others to safety.
Today, Oryem lives in a refugee settlement in Northern Uganda with his wife and eleven children. The settlement was never where he imagined building his life, yet it is where God has called him to serve.
Pastor Oryem
Northern Uganda Church Planter
Ministry in a Place of Deep Need
Reflecting on the challenges facing the community, Oryem shares:
“Life in the refugee camp is incredibly hard. Food and clean water are scarce, and the living conditions are brutal. One of the most heartbreaking things is seeing parents abandon their children, unable to care for them. Many of these children, left to survive on their own, turn to prostitution and theft just to get by.”
The suffering runs deep. Hunger, unemployment, and hopelessness shape daily life for many families. Some have resigned themselves to the belief that they will never return home.
It is in the midst of this reality that Oryem serves every day.
As an Assemblies of God pastor, he disciples believers, prays with families, cares for those who are struggling, and shares the hope of Jesus.
Oryem has also witnessed people set free from spiritual oppression and others experience miraculous healing through prayer. In a community wrestling with poverty, trauma, and hopelessness, these testimonies are reminders that God sees them and is with them.
Looking back on his own journey, Oryem says:
“I’ve spent most of my life in a refugee camp, but through every trial, God has never left me.”
Seeking the Good of the Place God Has Given You
Oryem’s story brings to mind the words God spoke to His people through the prophet Jeremiah.
The Israelites were living in Babylon, far from home and wondering when their exile would end. Many longed for the day they could return to what they had lost. Instead, God gave them an unexpected command:
“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce… Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” — Jeremiah 29:5,7
God did not tell His people to put their lives on hold while they waited for better circumstances. He called them to invest where they were. To build homes. To plant gardens. To pray for their neighbors. To seek the flourishing of the very place where He had placed them.
And that is exactly what Pastor Oryem has done.
The refugee settlement was never the future he would have chosen. And yet, he has sought the good of his community. Through that faithfulness, a church has been planted as a Community Hub of Hope.
Faithfulness in Exile
Most of us will never live in a refugee camp, but many of us know what it feels like to find ourselves somewhere we never expected to be.
A difficult season. An unexpected loss. A closed door. A future that looks different than we imagined.
Our instinct is often to wait for things to change before fully engaging with the life God has given us. And yet, Jeremiah’s message points us in a different direction. God often calls us to faithfulness before He reveals the full picture.
The lesson of exile is not simply endurance. It is remaining faithful where God has placed us and trusting that God is at work, even when we don’t understand the whole story.
Pastor Oryem’s story is a powerful reminder of what faithfulness can look like when life doesn’t unfold the way we planned. And his story is not over.
A Prayer for What Comes Next
As the ministry continues to grow, Pastor Oryem carries a simple prayer request: land.
He hopes to secure a permanent place for the church to gather—a place where future generations can be discipled, children can learn, and the Gospel can continue to spread throughout the community.
It is a prayer that reflects the same faithfulness that has marked his ministry all along. Not a desire to escape, but a desire to keep building.
Plant gardens.
Build houses.
And seek the good of the city.
— Paraphrase of Jeremiah 29:5,7
Walk Alongside Church Planters Like Oryem
Across East Africa and beyond, indigenous church planters are faithfully serving communities facing uncertainty, displacement, and deep spiritual darkness. Through the generosity of this community, Petros Network is equipping local leaders to share the Gospel, disciple believers, and plant churches where hope is needed most.
When you partner with Petros Network, you help strengthen leaders like Oryem who are already seeking the flourishing of their communities through the transforming power of the Gospel. Together, we can help more churches take root and more lives be transformed by the hope of Jesus.
Petros Network is a faith-based organization equipping indigenous leaders to share, show, and spread the Good News of Jesus among their own people and end spiritual and physical poverty. Partner with us.
