hi friends! i have been back in the United States for 20 days, so coming up on 3 three weeks. it’s been an interesting time, transition. it’s weird; there are good days, there are hard days, there are all of the emotions, there are days that are completely emotionless.
one thing that has stayed constant in my life is this dream that the Lord gave me.
when i was in Rwanda, the Lord spoke to me a lot. He spoke to me about my future, about my role in the Kingdom, and about His love and intentionality for His children. one of the things He told me, through fasting and lots of prayer and sitting in His presence, is that Rwanda is where i will be serving long term. this excited me to the Heavens and beyond because i freakin’ love that place and those people! it also terrified me…because how could this be possible? how will this come to fruition? what about my family back in America? where will the funds come from?
i heard God chuckle and say, “my daughter, do you not have any faith in me?“
woof. okay God.
one very specific thing that God told me during my time in Rwanda was how i could be of use in the Kingdom in this place. he gave me this idea, this dream that started as a spark and has turned into this burning flame that i can’t keep my eyes and heart off of.
we worked a lot with the primary school called Kamashashi Primary in Kanombe, Kigali. one morning i was in the headmaster’s office talking with him about the history of the school, the current needs of the school, and things of the sort. he mentioned something about the kids whose families can no longer afford to pay the school fees to have their children attend school.
my mind became stuck on this. there has to be a way for families to pay for their children to go to school, right? there may not be right now, but there has to be a way that someone could create a way.
we had been teaching english at this primary school this month, primarily through teaching scripture. what a freakin’ cool way to teach english but also share the Word of God at the same time! we were planting seeds left and right with these kids, and they thought they were only learning english. *smirk with an eyebrow raise*
earlier this month, God had shown me a new perspective and passion for the next generation. one day, these children will be our leaders. we expect them to be good leaders, right? to be wholesome? and to lead their next generation well too, right? how can they do that without an education?
and it was during my conversation with the headmaster that God downloaded this dream, this idea that could provide for the next generation while also tending the current generations.
my dream is to work with the schools in Kanombe to find out about the families who are unable to pay for school fees for their children (this fee is something to the equivalent of 50 US Dollars per year). i would essentially find out who these families are and where i could find them. then i would visit them – house visits are much more common among this culture than in America.
while visiting the family, i would introduce myself, tell them why i am there. i am very relational and would take the time to get to know them as people, making sure that they are seen and known, and would eventually ask questions to the parents or family members responsible for the children, such as these:
what are your talents?
what are you skilled at doing?
how has the Lord gifted you?
what is an ability that you obtain that, if put to use, could bring money in to your family?
ultimately, what can YOU do to bring a profitable income into your family?
and if they don’t know or have answers to any of these, we will surely be able to find an answer somehow 😉
whether that means that there is a mother who is good at sewing, great! i know a seamstress in town that is in need of more seamstresses.
or a mother or auntie that enjoys gardening or has land to garden, but isn’t currently gardening, wonderful. let’s plant some crops, learn how to crop, learn about selling crops, sell those crops, and bring some money in.
or a guardian that can cook incredible food. amazing! you and my friend who has crops could work together and use her crops to make your dishes and sell them.
whatever it is, i want to empower these families to be enough exactly where they are, with what they have in their own lives.
this is about showing people that they CAN. they ARE capable.
they don’t need free handouts. they don’t need free things from governmental agencies. they are self-sustaining, and maybe just need a little guidance or push in the right direction. and i want to be that push.
this is a very rough draft of what i would like to do. this is not me coming into a developing community and thinking i will change it all and make it the way i want it. i plan to go and do my research: what needs are there, what kind of skills will i be working with, who can work with me, what resources need to be funded, what already-running businesses in town could i work with, what funds need to be raised on my end to make this possible, etc.
God gave me this dream, and i know it’s from Him. sometimes i get fun or creative ideas and i flirt with them for a few days and then move on to something else or forget about it completely.
this has been on my heart for months and just keeps blossoming into something bigger and something more. it has become a burning passion that i sit and pray about, i sit and think about, i sit and plead with the Lord to give me new fresh revelation of how this could be possible. it seems absolutely impossible to do on my own, and that’s because it is. i need the Lord to make this happen. i cannot do this in my own strength, knowledge, or funds.
that’s how i know it’s from the Lord.
stay tuned for me to announce my next step in making this closer to a reality… it is in the works right now!
i couldn’t hold this in any longer and needed to share with you all, my biggest supporters. if you have questions or want to know more, please always feel free to reach out and ask. anything is welcome – comments, questions, suggestions, references, anything!
i ask that you all be in prayer about this – for me to have vision on what is next, to have strength and peace of mind to continue planning, and for funds that need to be raised to come in – all in the Lord’s timing.
thank you, my loyal people.
you are immensely loved and deeply cherished.
xx margaret rose <3
