Land of a Thousand Hills

For the month of February we have been serving the local churches of Rwanda!  Prior to coming here, all I really knew about this nation was that it was an African country which went through a genocide in 1994.  I was expecting a war-ravished country, since this was our experience in Cambodia, but this is not what we have been finding.  The standard of living here seems to be much higher than that of other African countries.  The streets are trash-less, which is rare for Africa.  The air seems clean and the countryside is literally full of thousands of beautiful, lush green hills.  From talking with many of the locals, the government is really pushing to instill a progressive mindset into their citizens.  Government employees have even set a day aside, for themselves, to exercise, which is something they want the people regularly doing.  It has been interesting to see such structure and order in this country, since it was at war not too long ago, and is situated in a continent infamous for political chaos.

Our daily stroll to church

We spend most days’ walking and riding a crowded bus about 45 minutes away to the church of our host.  We walk down city streets, through remote villages and valleys, up lush green hillsides, and by local Rwandi women and children, to reach the little church building nestled on the side of the mountain.   We have been kept busy reading bible stories to the little ones and entertaining them with games such as musical chairs, spending time at boarding schools with high-school age students, evangelizing in the villages, and preaching.  In fact, I was asked to preach on Sunday for a minimum of one hour…this was the longest I’ve ever had to preach, but I was able to get it done with the help of a very enthusiastic translator who may or may not have got some of my words lost in translation.

I just liked his shirt

Oh ya and Happy Valentines Day!!  This will definitely be one I won’t forget, mainly because I am with an “all-girlsâ€� team this month…Pressure right!  Well, when asking God for direction at the beginning of the month, He told me to pursue these women like sisters.  I thought to myself, “this sounds good, we all want and need to be pursued, but what can I do specifically? (typical guy response right)â€� At the time, I didn’t grasp that Valentines Day was this month….but quickly realized that God had provided a perfect opportunity for me to love these women as they deserve!  I’ve recognized that God has been teaching me a lot recently about pursuing people and I’m not just referring to women.  We, men, like and need to be pursued as well by other guys in order to maintain healthy relationships.  I am being taught to think about others more…before myself, which takes much purpose and action and is very difficult for me…I need lots of prayer…AMEN!

The 6 amazing women I get to spend this month with…

and our ministry contact, who has 3 sons..Praise The Lord!!

I LOVE YOU ALL AND HOPE EVERYONE HAS A FANTASTIC VALENTINES DAY BACK HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!