“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news?” Romans 10:15b
My sandals (flip flops) went missing on day three of our adventures at our ministry site in Rwanda. I had left them on the front porch and in the morning they were missing. I searched the house and the yard and they were no-where to be seen. Later that evening I was looking for the shoes and I ran into one of the young girls. She asked what I was doing and I said I couldn’t find my sandals. She started to help me look and eventually everyone in the house, our host and his son and all his grandchildren were looking for my shoes.
I’ll be honest I was sad that my sandals had gone missing; they were my favorite pair and the only pair of sandals that I had brought on the Race. However I also knew that I could buy another pair for pretty cheap so I was not concerned after everyone hunting for my shoes did not turn them up.
At our new ministry site we live with Bishop Peter. He is one of the nicest old men I have ever met. On day one he told us we could call him Papa. He’s a man well known by the community and many love him. When my teammates get sick he goes into their rooms and prays for them, he cares deeply for each of us and often introduces us as his daughters.
We also quickly learned that in Rwanda visitors are highly regarded and that Rwandans are very hospitable. We are served food first and children greet us with a song in classrooms and other places we go.
When my shoes went missing I saw how big our hosts’ heart is.
I was sitting in my room later that night after the great search for my sandals, with my teammates Lupita and Rachel. There was a knock on the door and Papa’s son Moses was there. In his hands he had a brown bag. He told me that Papa had sent him to buy me new sandals because I was Papa’s daughter. Sure enough he pulled out a pair of sandals, which magically fit my feet perfectly. As soon as Papa got home I greeted him with a big hug and many thanks. Even with barely knowing us Papa opened up his home, his church, and his heart to us.
We love Bishop Peter and his family. We love coming home to a full house with many children and visitors and laughter.
Every night I can count on Deborah to ask to watch a movie on my computer or little Ganza to sneak up on me as I come out of the squatty potty. I know that every night when we walk to fellowship my hands will not be empty but will be quickly grabbed by Sondra or Issac or Sheila. We will sing songs and laugh as we walk through the dark alleys to the church. Papa’s family radiates the love and joy of Christ and my team has been so blessed to get to experience this.
Even though our team has come to preach and evangelize the community, I have been learning more from the family we are staying with than anything I could preach in church or fellowship.
“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:3
Bishop Peter has blessed our team. He has been teaching us what it means to be brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all family even when we are worlds apart fellow believers in Rwanda and Uganda and Nepal and Thailand, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.
