Hello from Rwanda! This month is extra short because we had debrief at the beginning of the month and Parent Vision Trip (unfortunately, my parents aren’t coming) is at the end of this month. However, we have a lot to do in the two weeks that we are spending here.
Our ministry host just started a church and about a month ago. So awesome! In the mornings our job is to teach English at the school and paint the school (don’t worry it’s only two rooms). In the afternoons we go around the village and evangelize and invite people to church. The church has a service every evening and one member from our team preaches every evening.
Church in Africa looks a lot different than any church I have attended over seas. The church service here can last about 3 hours. Rwandan church turns into one big dance party. There are so many children and people that yell Hallelujah and Amen after just about everything we say when we preach. These people love church and the children love it because it means they get to dance their little hearts out or because they get to hang out with mzungus (white people).
In America, church has become a means of entertainment. There are so many mega churches that preach about the feel good parts of being a Christian. Church lasts at most an hour and a half and then we move on with our days because church is just one small sliver of the day. Why don’t we value church more in America? What is more important than Jesus and spending time with him and fellowshipping with his people? I don’t know about you, but for me the answer is nothing. Nothing is more important than Jesus.
So many times I catch myself going through the motions of reading my Bible, devotional, and praying the same old prayer. It gets old and yes, God is a God of order but if you aren’t being intentional with your time what are you really doing? God deserves all of our attention. He is so worthy of all of your devotion and attention, but often times we are more comfortable giving him a small amount of time and then moving on with our regular lives.
I challenge you to ask the Lord to allow you to experience him in a new way and he will do it.
If you could join me in praying for this church to grow abundantly. Right now it is in a big white tent. I believe that the Lord provides and that he can provide the means for a building.
