So,
this morning the eight men of O-Squad (Team Sparta for month 9) got up at 5:00
AM and ventured down the dark roads of Kabuga into the mountain paths that cross Rwandas
landscape. Traces of light began to peak over the hills bathing the eastern
clouds in a red hue as our ascension increasingly revealed more of the land
below.
“The morning sky is painted red in
the blood of our enemies!” Jah-Jah bellowed as we continued to climb. Coming to
the top of the mountain, we found an open patch of grass that overlooked the
entire eastern valley. The sun was just beginning to rise as we all found our
seats on the open ground. Mist still clung to the lowlands bellow, as the
shadow of the horizon gradually gave way to the first rays of dawn.
We opened to John chapter six and
commenced our Bible study. Page after page testified to the power of the Son.
From the feeding of the five thousand to His walking on water, Scripture was
casting for me a picture of Jesus that I so easily overlook. He is the Holy One
of God. He takes five loaves and makes them 5,000. He purposes to walk on water
and nature submits to His will. He was truly God with us.
As we moved into the following
section, we learned about how Jesus is the Bread of Life. Then, our group
partook of communion with Rwandan sweet and salty crackers and just a touch of
grape juice. Brent also played on his iphone Christ Will Come Again, by Charlie
Hall. Listening to the music, we remembered the death of our Lord and looked
forward to His Return. It was a moment I treasured.
Looking across the landscape, I was
simply reminded of Gods goodness. From the red horizon to the quiet hillside
where we sat – from the blessed company of my brothers in Christ to the blessed
hope of our Lords return, it was a morning that made my month.
It was a reminder to me that every
one of us on that hillside are all pilgrims on the road to Zion. We are seeking the city that has
foundations whose architect and builder is God.
Its a journey of faith, and someday we will come home. John 6:39 states
that, “this is the will of him who sent me, that I
should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last
day.” God will not lose us. He will bring us home.
But for this time, and more specifically
this month, the Lord has joined our band of brothers for the service of the
Lord to His people in Rwanda.
This hasnt been easy. Scheduled ministry consists of approximately two hours
of service each day. We spend two hours with the children on weekday mornings –
teaching the Alphabet, numbers, simple math, and simple writing. We go to the
radio station on Saturdays for a couple hours and help a little with the four-hour
church service on Sunday. Other than that the rest of the week is wide-open.
So, we have been making due with
this incredible amount of spare time. We spend each morning in the Gospel of
John. We just finished the DVD series Love, Sex, and Dating by Andy Stanley. We
are going to start a series on the church by Francis Chan. Weve held team
workout sessions throughout the week. Many of us are reading in our spare time.
And as of the last few days, weve purposed to the hit the streets for a few
hours each afternoon and do our own ministry. Its a little difficult when very
few people speak English, but some ministries dont need words.
Rwanda is probably the most
developed of the three African countries weve been to so far. The cities are
far cleaner, the roads far better, the public transportation far nicer, and the
safety far greater. People drive on the right side of the road and traffic is
far less chaotic.
As white people, we are somewhat of
celebrities in the community. A young man here took me to his village to meet
his family and all of his friends. Children ran to greet me and people came out
of their homes to watch me and listen from a distance. At one point, I may have
had thirty people gathered around me. I felt like the president of the United States.
The sad thing is everyone also
assumes youre rich. Most people will ask you for money like this, Give me
money. Those who know more English will work their way around to it. The
others just ask for you to help them get into the United States. This has been our
experience since arriving in Africa. I find it
interesting that these countries and my country, in spite of their enormous
economic differences, still face the same issue: people who are not satisfied
with what they have.
On the upside, the children are very
cute, the countryside is gorgeous, and the team is rocking my socks off. This
is a blessed month. God has given me a peace these last few days that has been
sweeter than a cool breeze on a summer morning.
God bless you guys. Thank you for
all your prayers. I promise you, they are blessing us. And I look forward to
seeing you in person in the next couple months. Adios.
Your
brother,
Seth
