Our host this month, Pastor Moses, will be hosting PVT (Parent Vision Trip); it’s a trip for parents to get a glimpse of our lives as a racer. Some parents will be working in manual labor, building a road, and others will be teaching at a school built by Pastor Moses. He is the founder of Gospel Center ministries that oversee 5 churches. I wanted to share his incredible story for parents to get to know about his amazing testimony and for people back home to help me keep praying for him.
Pastor Moses is originally from a little town in Uganda called Lugazi. His story begins with his family; his grandparents from his dad’s side where born in Rwanda, but left due to the ethnic problems Rwanda was having at the time. His parents were both born in Uganda and had 3 boys. At a young age his mother left him and took his youngest brother with her. He was about 3 years old and the brother that stayed with him was about 5 years old. After this time, he never saw them again and doesn’t remember what they look like. Due to this separation between his parents, his life became tough. Growing up he had bitterness towards women because his mother abandoned him. His father became addicted to alcohol which caused him to live on the streets at a very young age. He became a chain smoker at the age of 9 and didn’t to go to school until the age of 13. On Wednesday’s he would work at a market by helping people carry loads of groceries to pay for his school fees. His first pair of shoes were worn at the age of 15. It was his tough childhood that made him care for the needy after he converted.
Pastor Moses came to the Lord at the age of 18, while shining shoes for a lady. She talked to him about Jesus and helped break down some walls he had. He didn’t allow her to ask questions nor would he answer much to what she said. However, she kept being persistent, talking to him about Jesus. She mentioned how God was a father, but it was hard for him to comprehend this since he didn’t have a relationship with his dad. This was not the first time people tried to talk to him about Jesus. When he was younger and in school he had heard a teacher talk about Jesus and it stayed with him. However, he hadn’t accepted God then and didn’t want to hear her out. He made the exception to listen to her because he needed the money. It was rare for someone to stay and talk to him while he was shining shoes. Most of the time people would drop them off, especially women. Not to mention an older woman like her. One day she asked him if he would like to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He said yes and agreed to go to a church she invited him to. She told him where to go, stating this was her church, but he never saw her when he arrived at the church. Pastor Moses kept going to the church but he never saw her at the church or at his job after that occasion. He believes she was an angel sent from God. His story changed the day of August 28th, 1989; he says this is the day he gave his life to Christ and all was turned around. Before this date he wouldn’t celebrate his birthday because he didn’t know his birthdate; he decided to make this his birthdate. He said the day he gave his life to the Lord the desire to smoke was lifted. He stopped smoking, was delivered from frustrations, anger, fear and rejection. Pastor Moses was able to bring his family to Christ including his father. His father became very ill but 3 months prior to his death he was able to accept Jesus into his life. He was able to become friends with his dad and take care of him until his death.
After, he converted and started to attend this church, he became a watchman for the church. The church was a large church that had more than 2,000 members. He was able to do a 3-month training for school ministry that led him to become a chief usher. As chief usher, his responsibility included visiting church branches in rural areas. It finally felt like stability entered his life: he was on payroll for the church, he had his own apartment and felt a sense of home. However, God had bigger plans for his life. At the age of 33 he felt God ask him to come to Rwanda.
When he arrived to Rwanda he joined a church for 1 year and then was released to plant his own church. This is when Gospel Center ministries was born. At first he started knocking door to door. The church would meet in houses and then they eventually started renting out places. One of the first locations was a room where people met to watch films, not a theater. After 8 years his second church was planted and the growth continued. It has now been 13 years since the first church was planted. As I mentioned he now oversees 5 churches and runs a school for low-income students. He built the school 2 years ago with the help of friends and racers. He only owns 65% of the land at the school location and plans on adding to the structure. It used to be an old building, but he remodeled it. The other two classes were added to the side of it. He mentioned how racers have been able to help in plumbing, installing toilets and upgrading the washrooms.
Pastor Moses has seen God throughout all of his story. He met and married his wonderful wife, Mary, in Rwanda. He married Mary at the age of 36 and now they both have 5 amazing children: Lori, Deborah, Jay, Josiah and Isaiah. Although he says it’s been hard managing a church and his family, his daughters tell him how they want to be pastors like him when they grow up. His second to youngest, Josiah, loves to sing and Pastor Moses sees how God has been able to grow his family in his same passion. He said he has seen God’s goodness in bringing his eldest, Lori, out of a 3-day comma. The house he lives at is sometimes called, “The Embassy” because so many people are constantly in it. Pastor Moses loves to keep his doors open to anyone that needs a sense of home. Often he feeds more than just the people that live with him. Prior to the scheduling of PVT, his wife had a dream; she saw a house full of Americans. It was not until this week that he remembered his wife’s dream and asked her, “Do you think your dream was about PVT?” She believes it was!
His current dreams include a permanent location for his large city church (this is his largest church) and he wants to start a school of ministry to help people evangelize. Eventually this would lead to having the members become pastors. Three out of the five churches are being rented out at this time. One of the churches doubles as the school and the other is owned, but is in a small rural area. The Bible verse given to him by God is Isaiah 2:2, In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” It is seen written out on the walls of the large city church.
I asked Pastor Moses what word would he like to give to someone that hasn’t experienced God or doubts Him. He led me to Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”He would like to leave his children knowing that regardless of what God can give him or his children, He loves them more than anything around them.
