Back in Action
It is now month six of my world race. Hol-yyyy how the time flies over here. We actually rolled into Kigali, Rwanda 20 days ago, but this has been such an eventful month my blogging has admittedly slid down my priority list. So here we go, I’ll fill you in on the good stuff.
The Here and Now
First of all, Pastor Moses and his family (our contact this month) have been a-maz-ing. They are so good to us and it’s been a blast to stay with their family and connect with their church and community here. Pastor Moses started Gospel Center Church seven years ago, and currently has a congregation that is so full of joy and life its encouraging every time we get around them. Like most African churches we have been introduced to, the worship is insane with dancing and singing and running around just being silly. Yes, we get RIGHT in there. Let your imaginations run wild… It has also been HUGE that Pastor Moses can speak excellent English. This helps with translating sermons, working together, and just day-to-day communications. He even gets the many English slang talk that we have so we have a great time joking around as well.
Name-Game
This month I am happy to announce that “Becca” does not mean anything in Keyrwandan (the dialect spoken here) THANK THE LORD. However in “Moses’ dictionary” Becca means “morning star” Love it! On top of that, our whole team got Keyrwandan names with ceremony, celebration and everything. My Keyrwandan name is “Imbargura” which means “divine gift”. Double whammie! So I get two nicknames this month, both with positive connotation. I’m feelin’ good.
Ministry Madness
As far as ministry goes, we speak at church every week night, on the radio on Saturdays, and twice on Sunday morning for the main service. This usually leaves me individually speaking a few times per week and is becoming less intimidating the more I am pushed into it. This month has been sweet for several member of my team, highlighting their talents and abilities. For example, Erin (our pro-basketball player) has been able to hook up with a nearby club where she’s been coaching and playing basketball with the kids. Frank, who is extremely artistic, has been teaching piano lessons and painting this awesome mural on the church wall. It’s not done yet, but well on its way and looking sweet. Other aspects of our ministry include door-to-door evangelism and house visits. Again, an intimidating ministry for me, but here is how God has blessed me in this. The translators that take us around are these awesome women I have been able to get to know and encourage.
Oh Happy Day
Let me tell you about our translator Josephine, for example. Josephine is a woman who lights up a room when she walks in. She also has the cutest outfits, which make me jealous and like her more all at the same time, lol. So Josephine graduated in December with a financial consulting major, and was desperately looking for a job to support her three kids. The job market is really competitive over here, and she was getting discouraged that no one was responding to her job applications. My heart just went out to her when she shared this with me and we started praying for God to give her the financial support that she needed. Three days later – I kid you not – Josephine doesn’t show up for evangelism. I was super bummed until I found out it was because she was at work. Yeah! She got a job! I couldn’t be happier for her. Our newest translator, Divita, is just as vibrant and we laugh the whole time as we walk around for ministry. She is a HOOT and I love it.
The Nitty Gritty
Okay, so down to team stuff. We are now down two teammates, Josh and Emily, who had to leave the race effective today. Having been a team of 6, 5, 7, and now back to 5, it’s been a challenge to keep re-adjusting to new team dynamics, but I feel good about our current team and ready to face whatever is next. Hang in there with me!
