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Compassion Visits at Runda & Gikomero (Day 4 & 5)

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Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! -Philippians 3:19

The Team has experienced a wonderful 2 days learning about Compassion and how important their work is in the local parishes of the Shyogwe Diocese. Through Compassion, their children are being released from poverty and receiving the gospel. They have an opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Tuesday the team went to Runda Parish and were blessed with the opportunity to spend time with the children we sponsor from Runda Parish, Shyogwe Parish and Gikomero. Our hearts were overflowing with joy, as our children came down a hill and into our arms. Witnessing Ford and Sarah meet their children for the first time was a special treat.

We learned about the Runda Parish’s Compassion Project, looked at the children’s records, exchanged gifts, of course Ford’s child received a UNC T-Shirt! With the help of a Translator, we had a special time of speaking with our children and learning about their lives. The children, Ford, Sarah and I enjoyed playing games and football (soccer) with them. Runda’s Compassion staff had fun jumping rope with the girls! After this we shared a snack with them. Pastor Jean Baptiste and Runda’s Compassion are serving God well as they love and provide for the children.

We learned one of the girls, Alexia, age 13 from Shyogwe Parish, is loosing her eye sight. Her eyes are cloudy and yellowish/red. She requested prayer for healing. With the help of a translator, Alexia received healing prayer. This was a very powerful moment as we experienced the presence of Jesus. The Compassion Project will take Alexia to the hospital for an examination. Please pray Alexia will be able to see a Doctor soon, also for guidance and wisdom for a correct diagnosis, so she can receive treatment and her eyesight will be restored. Alexia is a precious, vibrant and gentle young girl.

Today, we visited Church of Gikomero to visit their new Compassion Project. We attended a Thanksgiving and Praise service for their new Project. They have 270 children, with 55 children being sponsored. Ford shared with everyone, “God hears our prayers for Him to have pity on us and help the children! God has heard our cries and answered prayers. He did a great work in giving Gikomero a Compassion Project.” Gikomero came together today to honor and thank God. Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow! God is faithful!

The Team has seen first hand the amazing work and dedication the Compassion Staffs are doing for these precious children! We have heard from Bishop Jered, Pastor Jean Baptiste of Runda, Pastor Alfred of Gikomero, Pastor Prosper and Zibre how important Compassion Projects are to the Shyogwe Diocese. The many Sponsors from Redeemer and Apostles are living out the gospel, as they go and make disciples of Christ by helping to bring these children out of darkness into the light of Christ. Children are being fed, clothed and their bodies are being restored to health. Matt. 25:34-39 is being lived out among the children. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

We praise God for the very generous and compassionate hearts of Redeemer Anglican Church and Church of the Apostles!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

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And you thought a Unity Service was long...

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Rwanda Team - DAY 2 and 3

Today, our 2nd day in Runda, was simply amazing. We were able to break out into the people and spend special time with many of their groups from the youngest to the oldest. We were part of talks about honoring our parents, not being looked down on because of our age, how to live as a chosen people, and even a little sex education. We were full of laughter and joy while playing 20 questions with the compassion children, learning their games, and letting them touch our Muzungo hair J!

We taught over 100 children an oldie but a goodie; “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it…..”. Later in the afternoon we got to preform our hit for the convention. It was great. It may not be playing on the local Kigali airwaves anytime soon, but it’s a version we won’t be able to forget.

And even though the videos of us dancing and singing should definitely fall under a “What happens in Rwanda stays in Rwanda” category we will be sure to share them with you. What a great joy it has been to be worship and be with our sister church. It is only the beginning of our relationship but strong bonds are already being formed.

The cherry on top of today was being reunited with our luggage. All of the women are rejoicing with their products and Benji and Ford now have razors. You should all be disappointed that you did not get to see Ford with a mustache.

Sunday began with some morning exercise (squats) by using a traditional toilet in Keyenzie. Things were all up hill from there. While in Keyenzie we were able to participate in an inaugural church service for a new Chapel. We witnessed a confirmation service, partook in communion, and worshipped together. After the 6 hour (no seriously) service we were revived by lunch at the new pastor’s home. It has been wonderful to be with them as they embark on the same journey we have been on for the past year. We felt a special connection with them sharing similar feelings and challenges that come along with planting a church.

So after 3 days in Rwanda, and 20 church service hours later we now have the equivalent of 4 months of church. So see you some time in November!

Day 1 in Rwanda

The sun peaked through from behind the clouds of an evening Rwandan sky; God was smiling down upon us as we sang praises, danced unto the Lord (especially Ford, ask to see the video evidence), and heard the gospel anew. It was our first full day in Rwanda with our brothers and sisters at the Runda Parish. We worshipped together with them at an “evangelism convention”, planned to reach out to more folks in the community. One particular moment stands out from the rest. Pastor Charlotte preached an evangelistic sermon in Kinyarwanda, the language of Rwanda, to those who were gathered together at the close of the day. As I sat listening to a language I could not understand, I was moved by the power, passion, and conviction in Charlotte’s preaching, clear evidence of the Spirit’s presence in this place. This reminds me that God moves in ways that are far beyond our comprehension and that he is truly a God to be seen and experienced all throughout the world. Imana ishimwe (God be praised).

We Made It!!!

Well, we made it. After 24 very long hours of travel and 6 hours of time change, 5 weary travelers arrived in Rwanda. Traveling always seems like a necessary burden of the trip given how long it takes and how draining it can be, but it is actually an important part of team bonding as you’re trapped together (either inside the security boundaries of an airport or in a metal box in the skies) with no where to go and nothing to do, but get to know one another- and we’ve had plenty of time for that.

After a smooth start at RDU, we had the ‘opportunity’ to sit on the tarmac in Chicago for 2 hours. I (Ford) watched almost an entire movie before the plane even took off. Of course, this lengthy delay began the ongoing transatlantic conversation of whether or not we would make our connection in Brussels.

When we landed in Brussels we sprinted all the way across the airport to a bus, which took us to a different terminal where our flight to Rwanda was boarding. It looked like Teresa was making a last minute bid for the US Olympic Track and Field team as she sprinted across the airport. As is so often the case, it ended up being a situation of hurry up and wait. Relieved to get to our terminal on time, we ended up standing in line for more than half an hour before we got to board our last flight. (If only the ground crew at the Brussels airport had hustled like we did. Our bags didn’t make the connection so we’re without all of our things for the next 2 days. Everyone’s spirit is great and we’re using it as an opportunity to lean on the Lord in dependence for what we need. It’s also a good reminder of how unimportant our ‘stuff’ really is!)

More movies (and the excellent services of a European International Flight) got us to the continent of Africa. Before we landed, we practiced our Kinyarwandan words and tried to remember the names and faces of many of our Rwandan friends that we were about to see.

There were several familiar and friendly faces at the airport, including a surprise visit by Rev Jean Baptiste, the Pastor of Runda. It was a joy to meet him!

Throughout the day, we reflected on Psalm 121 which states:

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

We reminded ourselves that as we head to the Land of a Thousand Hills, the Lord is the one who will be watching over us. And we reminded ourselves that as we grow weary from travel and time changes and the discomforts of Africa, our Lord never grows weary. He never slumbers or sleeps. He will be watching over us when we are aware of Him and when we are not; when we are sensing His presence and when we are not. He will keep us secure in our going out and in our coming in. For that, we are thankful and in that we will rest tonight….really, really well.

Highlights of the Day:

  • FOOD….LOTS and LOTS of FOOD
  • French fries on national French Fry Day (July 13)
  • Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago
  • Actual (mulitiple) meals on each of our international flights
  • Ice Cream Bars before we landed in Uganda for a pit stop
  • Teresa & Sarah’s bites of chocolate after each meal
  • A full 7-item meal ready for us when we arrived at the Halleluia House at 12:30am (after we’ve been up for 36 hours straight)
  • Having too much luggage for the White Horse Van that picked us up at the Kincaid’s house
  • Everyone getting TSA pre-check status - except for Ford
  • Ford trying to be discreet at security while wearing a money belt with A LOT of cash strapped around his waist
  • The smiling faces of our Rwandan friends waiting for us at the airport

*We want you to get to know the Rwanda Team over this trip. Below is a brief quiz from our discoveries today that we thought you might have fun with. Answers are below. Enjoy.

  1. Who was most excited about the possibility of missing our connection and spending a day in Belgium?

  2. Who saved the day by bringing laundry detergent in their carry on so that we could hand wash our underwear?

  3. Who read the most on the airplane?

  4. Who sacrificed the most on the airplane in order for Ford to have an aisle seat? (hint: It wasn’t Ford)

  5. Who is most afraid of turning into a monster when they are tired?

  6. Whose favorite genre of literature is ‘Amish Romance’?

a. Ashley

b. Teresa

c. Ashley & Teresa

Answers: 1. Ford 2. Sarah 3. Benji 4. Teresa 5. Ashley 6. C