80 Hour Work Weeks
I am so sad that my African experience is going to be coming to a close here soon. At the time of writing this blog I have just under 2 weeks before we leave for Asia. I must say I am excited about experiencing a whole new culture and environment but Africa has been so good to me. I expected it to be a lot worse than it was but its really been a nice change from things back in America. One thing I miss for sure, though, is Chik-fil-a!!! I think I just might punch myself in the face for some of that….:)….hahaha. Food here gets pretty repetitive (rice, beans, greens, bread, pasta, and some interesting meat) and talking about American foods has become a consistent daydream of our team. But hey…I am thankful!! While my taste buds would love some Pizza Hut pizza, I really do enjoy the food here. Plus our pineapple is WAY better here than back in America and we get it all the time!
Another interesting fact about Africa is the culture between men. We had learned about it in training camp (before coming on the race), but it is just not the same until you experience it. You see, it's a common thing here for guys to hold hands. Here in Africa it's a sign of close friendship but it has none of the implications of what you would think back in America. I was prepared for it but the first time I was walking down the street holding another guys hand I must say I was pretty uncomfortable. I did fine for a little while but eventually I couldn’t help myself and had to say….”LOOK AT THAT”…as I just happen to point at something with the hand he was holding. Whew…oh well…that’s how it goes here…actually I have actually really gotten use to it. I really became all the more aware of this culture difference here in Rwanda as it's an extremely common thing to see here. Who knew that the rest of the world was not like America….??… 🙂
So….80 hour work weeks!!!!… We have hit the ground running here in Rwanda. Our contact here is an amazing godly man who loves to give us “opportunities”. I don't know how many times I have preached but I can say its been a ton. To go from no preaching in America to preaching 1-2 times a day here in Rwanda has been quite a change. There has been a few days that we need 8 people to preach. There is seven people on our team (GO TEAM!!), and we always go at least 2 in a group so that makes for a busy day. That does not include time of……walking in the rain…sitting through 1-2 hours worth of preaching, singing, dancing, praying, (all in another language you can't understand) before you even start….not to mention another 1-2 hours worth of preaching, singing, dancing, praying that is common after you
(was that supposed to fall off the van?? hmmm??)
preach….did I menting cars breaking down??… .jpg)
….hmmmm whats next…not eating lunch sometimes till 4pm because your 11am meeting went “a little long” (as our pastor love to say, “fasting by force…haha”)…leaving the house at 10pm to go to an overnight prayer meeting to preach, and that is after a long day already….and don't forget the nightly church meeting they are having during the 40 days of prayer and fasting…….whew……and that's just a start….don't forget preaching on the radio…in banks….at schools….in markets…home groups….and whatever church may be having a meeting in the middle of the day during the week (which is extremely common….when do these people sleep??)….on that note you are just starting to get an idea of how things have been.
(don't worry…I am here to fix it!!…hahaha)
.jpg)
(me preaching on the radio)
.jpg)
Ok so maybe I might be blowing the 80 hour work week a little out of the water but lets just say its been busy. But would I change a thing??? Not at all!! I have loved every second of it. Sure there are times we get tired but there is nothing like seeing someone start to cry tears as they reflect on the goodness of God because of a message I shared, or to hear the testimonies of God's faithfulness in their life (they try to provide translators for us when they can…it's always nice to understand what is being said). See, they have a passion for God here that I have not seen anywhere else. They seek God because they need God not just because that is the right “Christian” thing to do. Our pastor here put it best when he was talking about prayer, he said, “If we don't pray, we die here in Africa”. This has really challenged me in my pursuit and commitment to Christ. It's good to be in a position of need when it comes to God because it reminds us of our absolute need for Him.
Well…I will try to get another blog posted here soon….and tell you a little more specifics about some of the things God is doing here. I am honored to be serving here in Africa (and soon Asia) and I treasure your support. I am coming up on a deadline on the 31st and still need $268 so would you consider partnering with me as I travel to tell others of the good news of Gods great love? God has been good to me and I am so thankful to be serving Him and seeking Him.
Serving Him
Billy
(Some of the beautiful faces of Rwanda)
.jpg)
