Yesushimi (“Praise the Lord”)! Preaching in Africa…this was on some of the girls bucket lists and this month, in Kigali, Rwanda, is definitely the month. We have been preaching every day in many different churches. The squad leaders are staying with us so we have 7 girls and 1 boy. We go in pairs to each place, so each day we are sending out at least 4 groups to preach. We preach twice a day some days. In Rwanda church is a priority every day. Every night you can hear praising from every direction you walk. One day a week our church has all day worship. Every Friday, most if not all churches in Rwanda have overnight worship. This stuff is crazy!! Although one of my bucket list items for Africa was to dance around a fire in a grass skirt worshiping…I have found it just as fulfilling and freeing to dance with no reservation in a mud hut with Africans banging drums and singing at the top of their lungs.
The first few times I preached I focused it around my testimony and Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desire of your heart,” and what delighting yourself in the Lord means.
One day my team met with a group of prostitutes, men and women, and sat in between a few mud huts on benches, shared our testimonies, and prayed for them. Some of these people are followers of Christ now, since our contact has done a lot of ministry in that area. You know what happened by the end…you can’t ever leave a place without incorporating some dancing so that’s what we did! This same evening I preached in a mud hut about the people God has used in my life to show me love and how I need to bring that thanks to God because it was through those people that he showed his love for me. It was an awesome setting with benches lining the hut, a table in the middle, no lights but 4 candle sticks on the table, and preaching in the candle light.
Friday before Christmas I preached about the book of Ruth and used her as an example of obedience and faithful love, and further how this led to the geneology of Jesus. This night was so sweet. One of the church members picked me, Corinna, and Fergy up and took us to her church where she banged on the drum and we all went crazy dancing and singing. I love when you can take the type of dancing you would only do in private and do it among others with complete freedom.
Christmas was another day of preaching for me. Olivia and I were able to spend the whole day together while the rest of the team went to our ministries’ church. We rode 2.5 hours, walked through a swampy jungle of banana trees to a mud hut with nearly 200 people. I preached, we watched a few pastors get ordained and then we made our way back 2.5 hours.
Later for Christmas my team had a gift exchange where we wrapped some of the things we already have, but are willing to sacrifice, and put them in the center of the room. We drew numbers and took turns picking a gift and stealing gifts until I ended up with a few pink note cards, stickers, an envelope and a chocolate. I am holding onto those note cards and will have to choose when to use them very wisely because it’s quite hard to come across.
Corinna with her popcorn, me with me note cards, and Brooke with her fingernail polish remover
Christmas stockings…always need toilet paper
