Helloo You!!! This month we have been in Kigali, Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills, partnering with Hope Ethiopia/Rwanda! Hope Rwanda empowers women and men to reach their God given potentials and gifts that the Lord has already given them. We are living in the middle of Kigali at the ministries main location. We are staying in a little duplex building and on the other side of our living area is a classroom. Hope Rwanda empowers women by teaching them how to sew. Providing them with sustainable jobs in the future, while also sharing the gospel with all those that come through their doors. The program lasts about a year and the women come every day from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the morning they receive breakfast, start their day off with a bible study, worship, and prayer, and throughout the day they are taught how to sew, while working on projects. Hope Rwanda also empowers men by providing housing for men coming out of a nearby rehab center. Hope Rwanda helps the men find jobs while also discipling them.
While we have been in Kigali we join the girls in their morning devotionals and encourage them in scripture. We then teach English for about an hour. Shout out to my teammate Matt who is exceptionally gifted in teaching and has volunteered to teach every day! After English we have been heading to the home for the men coming out of the rehab center. And As of yesterday, we finished painting the house, giving it a refreshing touch for the upcoming group of men who will move in.
While being in Kigali and partnering with Hope Rwanda, we have met many inspiring people and learned about some incredible Christian organizations. Like today, we went to a school stared by Ericka and Patrick, Burundi refugees. Ericka had no calling for teaching or education until the Lord changed her mind. She began to have a heart for the all the kids running around during school hours. Their parents couldn’t afford to send them to school and Ericka hated that these kids were not learning and receiving an education. She started hanging out with some of the kids and teaching them. One kid turned to five, which soon turned to 50. She now has a school, where she teaches the kids a basic education. Her and Patrick also work in the communities doing community development; teaching the parents of the kids how to have sustainable jobs with the gifts and resources the Lord has already given them. Several families have started cooperation’s with each other and their children, planting mushrooms, growing bananas, and raising rabbits. These farms provide them with an income to send their kids to school and have empowered the families to provide for themselves and not rely on outside aid. Today we went to the school, sang songs, played games, and taught the kids about their identity as a Child of God.
While being in Rwanda we also got to visit the genocide museum and hear several stories of lives that are still drastically affected by this horrendous act. Rwanda is such a beautiful country. The nickname “land of a thousand hills” is accurate. There are beautiful rolling green hills all around us. The people are so kind and full of hope. You would never know at first glance that something so painful and devastating lingers behind many of the eyes we look in to. I would really like to share more about the genocide, how that has affected me and some of those that we have met. I hope to do that in an upcoming blog. Until then, I’d recommend looking it up if you do not know much about it.
Well, anyways that is a quick look into Rwanda! I will be back soon for more of what God has and is doing! In the meantime, you can be praying for the women in the program through Hope Rwanda; for some of their kids, for provision, for them to grow in their walk with Christ, and for future sustainable incomes and jobs. Pray for the men in the transitional home; that the Lord would use that space to teach these men their full potential in Christ and for jobs for those men. They also have another piece of land that they hope to use for their main location of ministry while also having more housing available for the women, a place to worship the Lord, and a nursery for their kids so you can pray for the provision of that. Pray for me and my team as we are in our last thirtyish days of the world race!!! (Whattttttt?!!) Pray for focus and continued boldness. And pray for our future! Some of us have plans and others have no clue what will come in this next season but pray that in the Lord’s timing he will reveal those to us and give us clarity. And pray that our minds are focused on continuing this race and the mission God has for us, even after the 11 months are up!
Woooooo Hoooooooo
Some of the girls we hangout with everyday at Hope Rwanda!
My friend Monica! I LOVE HER. She cooks lunch for the girls most days, which often includes pinto beans. She knows how much I love Pinto beans (even better with some corn bread, kno what I’m sayin’!!!) so she will often give me some! <3
Me and Jen after a hard days of work painting the Hope Rwanda boys transitional home!! (please ignore my weird arm placement)
The kids from Ericka and Patrick’s school! So fun and cute!
