This month my team is in RWANDA! We are living in a small village not far from the Uganda border (only about 40 km). We have the privilege of working with Pastor Fatier and her church, International Healing Center. We are responsible for church programming 4 times a week, which includes speaking, leading worship, and praying for the community there. The other days, we do children’s ministry with the most well behaved, adorable kids! The church has a congregation of nearly 200 people, so the community we’re working with this month is a lot bigger than past months on the race.
We’ve only been here in Rwanda a week now, but I can already say that this is one of my favorite months. Our contact here really is an incredible woman of God, and I have so much respect for her and how she leads her church. She approaches everything with prayer, and even her outlook on how she wants us to serve here is so well thought out. (She also has an incredible story- more to come on that later!)
Coming into this month, our team wanted to really learn more of what it means to rest in a healthy way. And just to clarify, by rest, I don’t mean watching Netflix for hours on the couch and eating Cheetos (although that can be good at times too)- but resting in God.
We discussed as a team how in the States, as a culture we are constantly resting from our work, and it leaves us exhausted. Even in recent months on the race, we’ve felt ourselves getting so tired, constantly meeting new people, adapting to new cultures all the time, and always trying to serve in different ways. But we asked the question- what does it look like to work from our rest? How would we live life differently if our normal posture were one of resting in the knowledge of who God is? To rest in his peace, and have everything else –even our work- flow from that.
Talking to Pastor Fatier about her goals for our team this month reiterated our team conversation and our desire to grow in what resting in God looks like. When we tried to help with things like washing dishes and other chores around her house, she insisted that we would not be allowed to do so this month. She said she wanted us to be consistently praying for the church, preparing for our sermons, and growing in our faith so that we could better serve in our ministries.
At first we were a little frustrated and felt guilty that we wouldn’t be able to help with all our dishes and such, but our team all has become so grateful for the rest we are able to get this month. We get to practice more of what resting in God looks like, we get to put into action this whole “working from our rest” thing. I don’t know what that kind of rest looks like everywhere, every day, for different people. But this month for me it looks like a bible, a guitar, a cup of coffee, a front porch, and a tiny Rwandan village.
Fatier’s house has a wonderful little front porch, and we have had the opportunity to worship out there together as a team, and to spend the mornings reading the bible and learning (with coffee- PRAISE!). And I really have seen how much it has benefited the way I serve and do ministry here. I am finding myself more energized, more able to love, give, and serve without feeling totally depleted at the end of the day.
Apparently the last world race team that Pastor Fatier had named her home “the resting place” –and that is just what it is here. It’s so nice to just have space and time set aside to spend with Jesus. The village here too is such a nice change of pace. For the past 4 months we have been living in huge, loud, cities, so this is a wonderful break. The village is mainly farmland, and is located just miles from a national park. Life out here is simple and I am LOVING it. Front porches, coffee and beautiful scenery is the way to my heart. Doesn’t God just always know what we need, when we need it?
The month is just beginning, but I know already it’s going to be one of the most memorable. I have realized so much here how incredible of an opportunity it is to be on the race. I am learning so much and growing in ways I never thought I would. It’s not always easy and it’s not comfortable, but it’s so so good. For example- God is growing my ability to speak for lengthy amounts of time in front of churches (speech class ain’t got nothing on the world race). He is growing my willingness to jump into situations I’m not prepared for (i.e. leading worship on the spot and not knowing the words- let me just say times like these the language barrier really helps!) He is giving me more patience, more openness, and He is growing my teammates and I closer and closer. He is really showing me that all of these things are the overflow of my time spent with Him. It all comes from rest in Him.
So that’s life in Rwanda so far! I will post an update again as soon as possible! Living in a small village in Rwanda does mean the wifi situation is pretty much non-existent, so my apologies if my communication isn’t the best- I’m probably just out milking a cow (just kidding…as of now).
Thanks for reading! Love to you all from Rwanda!
Also- I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has donated recently! I am now only about $900 away from being fully funded- UNDER $1000!!!! I am so so humbled by how much you have all blessed me! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
