Christmas Eve
Holidays on the Race are always unique. It’s different to not spend Christmas Eve with your family, doing your typical traditions. And if you’re anything like me, and super sentimental about holidays it makes being away from home even harder. Being a Minnesotan through and through, it broke my heart to not have snow on the ground for Christmas. All I really wanted to be doing this Christmas Eve was to be back home, with my family, drinking hot chocolate, all bundled up enjoying the cold. I wanted to be baking cookies, listening to Christmas music, with my siblings. However I was reminded that I will have plenty of other Christmas Eve’s with my family. I will most likely only have one in Rwanda. And that is what helped get me motivated to enjoy the day.
Christmas Eve here in Rwanda started just like any other Saturday. We slept in, ate a breakfast of instant coffee, pineapple, and bread. Then got ready for the day. And when pastor John arrived we went with him to the bus station, and got on a bus with the others. John knocked on the side of the bus to let the driver know to stop, and we all exited the bus right in the middle of construction, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Quickly we crossed the road and John led us to a dirt path going straight up a huge hill. The alleyway was only as wide as a car with bumps, glass, trash, and many other things strewn about. As we hiked up the hill for close to 25 minutes in the heat of the day, my team was suddenly reminded how out of shape we were. With sweat pouring down our necks, we arrived at the church. And our breath was suddenly taken away, but for a completely different reason. As we walked into the church we heard the song “10,000 reasons” being sung in English. Which to most people isn’t a huge deal. To someone who hasn’t heard a worship song sung by a full band in English for 4 months, it means the world. Our hearts were instantly excited and completely unprepared for what was about to happen.
The church was nothing like ours. The clean white tiles glistened and before us was a stage filled with instruments like the drums, keyboard and others. Built into the floor was a cross shaped pool. This is where we were going to be baptizing 7 members of our church. As we got settled the Pastor started explaining the meaning behind baptism to make sure everyone knew and understood what they were doing. After he finished explaining he had them raise their hands and confess their sins to become right with God. One by one each person walked down the 4 stairs, entered the cold water, was blessed and then dunked by Shelby and the Pastor. As they got out of the pool each person got on their knees, praising and thanking Jesus for everything he has done. While they worshiped Jake, Bethany, Noah and I worshiped too. Each song the band played resounded in our souls and the Holy Spirit’s presence was so tangible throughout the time we spent at church. We prayed until there was just one man left to be baptized. The man was sitting in a wheelchair who had very little control and movement in his legs. The look of excitement on his face to be baptized was a beautiful sight to behold. The Pastors took a second to figure out how to get him from his chair and down the three steps into the baptismal pool. As the band started to play “Break Every Chain” John and the other Pastor stood the man up, each with one arm around his shoulders, supporting him as best as they could. Step by step they lead him into the pool. It was a slow, difficult process, but watching it was so inspiring. Tears of joy ran down my face as I watched Shelby and the pastor cross his arms over his chest, plug his nose, and lower him into the waist deep water. As he resurfaced from the water his face was so full of joy; it was contagious. His love for Christ was so evident. And then the slow process of getting him out of the pool began. Step by step with shaking legs and support on both sides, they walked him up each stair one by one. As they got to the top his wet feet kept slipping on the huge puddles of water on the tile from the other members getting out of the pool, but he continued to persevere. They brought him to a plastic chair where he worshipped next to the other believers who were just baptized. As this went on, the band sang the lines “I hear chains falling” over and over and over again and as it reached its peak we cried out to the Lord to break the chains in this mans life, to heal his legs, and to break the chains in my own life. My heart was full as we worshiped the creator of the universe with 7 of our new brothers and sisters in Christ. The moment was incredible. The Spirits presence a tangible being that was speaking and moving among us.
This Christmas Eve in Rwanda is a day that will be forever etched into my mind. I am so thankful for being given the opportunity to go on this trip and all the memories I’ve been able to make. I love everything about being here and will miss it so much when we leave in a few short days.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the ends of the age.
Mathew 28:19-20
