For the month of February we were serving in Kigali, Rwanda. We stayed at the home of Pastor Innocent, his wife Venecia (also a pastor) and their 3 children (Joshua, Innocent and Prince).
Pastor Innocent has actually started 7 churches in the area and two schools. All together, their ministry is called Successful Christian Ministries. We taught at the two schools this month and preached at one of the churches. The schools were first started because Innocent and Venecia noticed many young children running around the streets during schools hours. As they talked with more parents and neighbors, they found out that many could not afford school fees. So they started a school, on faith that God would provide the funds. Now, they are educating over 120 students and working to get sponsors for all. Our team visited some of the school children’s families
Teaching this month was a big contrast from teaching in central America. Imagine a one room class room a chalkboard and chairs, but nothing else. The students have notebooks, but there are limited pens and no textbooks or workbooks. I certainly take for granted the resources and funds we have available to us in the U.S. Back in New Jersey I would help organize crafts for a girls group on Friday evenings. It was so easy for me to run to Michaels or to check out our stash in the closet to see what we could use for a project. When we started teaching in Rwanda, I was at a loss for where to start because we had no materials to teach with. But, the teachers at these small village schools teach this way every day. They use what little they do have to pour into the kids. We followed their lead with a piece of chalk, a lot of hand motions and songs. There were many moments when the language barrier became a challenge (for both the students and me), but God also gave us “breakthrough” moments of understanding. After a few days, the kids stated singing the songs on their own and got excited over reciting their numbers. It may seem simple, but the students at these schools specifically, would have no education at all if not for Successful Christian Ministries.
During church services, our team had the opportunity to preach on Sundays and during the week. One days we weren’t teaching to preaching we would visit homes in the village to pray and invite people to church. One morning we specifically visited the families of the students who attended the school. Going door-to-door in a village where you don’t know the language or people can be awkward and intimidating, even with translators. Although I walked in each home with timidity, I walked away feeling encouraged when we were invited in for tea or had the opportunity to pray with a family. The doors opened more readily as I opened myself up in this new experience.
While he grew up in Uganda, Innocent’s ministry started in Rwanda, shortly after the genocide in 1994. He identified the need for Rwandan people to regain a sense of hope in a government and community that had turned against them. This tragedy stated because of race divisions. While the tensions and killings had started prior to 1994, the largest genocide in Rwanda was during a 3 month period where over 1.5 million people were killed. All over Rwanda now, there are memorial sites and mass graves. The history of these people is heartbreaking, but their hope is inspiring. Many of the people we met carried a lot of joy and peace.
– I will be traveling to Bosnia tomorrow, spending a few day with the whole squad, and then heading to Croatia on the 28th with my team.
This is team Seetaram Sandwich. We’ve been together in Rwanda and Albania and will be together the next two months in Croatia and Thailand.
Also, I AM FULLY FUNDED! Thank you so much for your support 🙂
Love, Heather
