7pm: We just got in the boat and we’re about to cross the lake. Jesus has gone over to the other side alone. The weather seems to be promising. It’s a little cold, so I expect the night will be crisp. The wind died down since this afternoon. It’s smooth sailing from here.
11pm: The stars are out tonight. Its comforting to look at them. I am reminded of when I was a child and my father and I would come out on the lake and name the constellations The others are asleep. The wind has picked up since we left. This should be an easy watch.
3am: The wind is out of control. We are cold and wet, and the boat is about to tip over. I am afraid. Oh no. There is something out on the water. Is it a ghost?! It has spoken. It’s JESUS!! Jesus is walking on the water! Peter has just asked Jesus to call him out onto the water. What is he thinking?! … Peter is walking toward Jesus! He’s walking ON WATER! Oh no! He’s sinking!! But Jesus has reached out his hand and saved Peter. This is truly the Son of God.
My month in Rwanda can be summed up in one word: Painted. This month, my main ministry was painting the rest of an unfinished mural and doing one of my own. I was able to work with two of my dear friends, Emily and Rayna, on this project. And the final result was better than I ever imagined.
We began the unfinished mural the second week in Rwanda. Our supplies consisted of two colors (red and yellow), three brushes, and a water bottle with a little bit of kerosene. The next day, we got two more cans of paint. We had red, yellow, black, and white. Just enough to finish the sky, and the mountains. The way that things were looking, as far as our supplies were concerned, we weren’t going to finish the project.
The Finished “Unfinished” Mural
The next few days, more colors came and we were able to complete the unfinished mural. A sketch for our big project had been administered to the wall a few days prior to the finishing of the first project. We finally had the time to begin the large mural- Jesus Walking On Water.
Chelsea working on the text. (Isaiah 2:2 in Kingarwanda)
It’s sometimes frustrating painting in a foreign country. The brushes don’t last as long as you need them to, the kerosene runs out before everything is cleaned up, the smell of the paint and kerosene make you dizzy, and the paint doesn’t come off pearly white skin. But, mixing the perfect color becomes an art, and the finished product is always worth the wait.
This month, we finished a mural that needed to be done, sketched and painted text, and painted a brand new mural in less than two weeks. It’s a Mural-cle.
Finished product.
The Paint Crew
