Rwanda has been a challenging month for many reasons. Our ministry is different everyday, we have to be prepared to preach at any second and African time is very different than American, everyone is always late (unless we are late, then they are on time).
Don’t get me wrong I have loved this month. I feel like the Lord has stretched me and my team beyond what we thought was possible and lives have been changed for His Kingdom.
Our “home” this month has been a blessing. We have had real couches, bedrooms and even a front yard. But one of the best parts of this house is our 17-year-old houseboy, Patrick.
In Rwanda, almost everyone has a houseboy. A houseboy lives at the home and gets paid to do the cleaning and sometimes the cooking.
Patrick is also in charge of the front gate. He opens the door everyday for us and welcomes us with a big warm smile. His English is pretty limited, but we have talked to him and even taught him some new dance moves.
Yesterday he came to church with us. I am pretty sure none of us even asked him. As we were walking there our friend who helps translate told us to preach on salvation because Patrick has never gone to church before.
I passed the message around and we all began to pray for him. Still on our walk, Patrick then told our friend that he wanted to be born again. We hadn’t even preached yet!
Churches in Africa are very different than what I have experienced back at home and a big part of their worship time is dancing. Not singing, but music blaring and everyone dancing everywhere. It was amazing to watch Patrick. I don’t think his smile ever left his face. He was dancing and lifting his hands and worshipping the Lord.
Church in Africa is also very long, so after already being there for 3 hours we decided it was time to walk home. Patrick had not yet prayed to receive Christ so when we came home he asked our friend to bring us around him as he prayed to God.
I will never forget how we circled around him as he dropped to his knees before the Lord. I could not hold back my tears as I saw man humbled before Christ changing his eternity!
Patrick had come from a Muslim background, he told us how he struggled with smoking and sleeping around and lying! He was vulnerable to 9 white women about things he had been so ashamed about, but his joy never left him. I can tell in my heart, that he gets it. He understands the forgiveness of the Father and he just kept saying how much he loved Him!
This is a moment I will never forget!!
