It all started normal enough. My current normal, at least.
I woke up under my mosquito net, read my Bible, and went into the living room. I sat on the floor chatting with my team mates Sarah and Andrea while I waited for my turn in the bathroom all seven of us share. In the course of the conversation I picked up a tea cup off the coffee table and pretended to smash it. No, I didn't actually break it, It was just that I thought the cup was empty when it was full of last night's tea! It was quite cold by now and startling when I spilled it all over myself! We got a good laugh out of my stupidity.
I don't usually do that kind of thing so I should have known right then that today was going to be interesting.
As we walked to Pastor Caleb's house for breakfast I was listening to some music on my ipod mini. I don't usually do this, but it's not unusual for several people on our team to be listening to music to help them mentally prepare for the day.
We passed by a young boy squatting on the ground by his bike picking up corn kernals and putting them back in the sack he must have dropped.
Emily was walking a bit faster than the rest of us and so reached the boy first. She took in the scene in a glance and squatted down beside the boy and began helping him recover his corn. Without hesitaion or discussion, the rest of us joined in.
Since I didn't have pockets or a bag with me, I tucked my ipod into the elastic wasteband of my skirt.
Sixteen hands are much faster than two and it only took a short while until we had every last piece of corn back in the boy's sack.
It was such an easy task. Such a simple thing. But I think we were Jesus to that kid. I think that with no words at all we preached to the people who stopped to stare at the mzungos crouching on the dirt road to help a boy fix his mistake.
This simple act made me proud to call myself a racer, and specifically, a member of team BLAZE.
At breakfast, I realized Drew was still too weak from his previous sickness to go out with Emily and Scott to do door to door ministry. We've been taking turns to do this every other day. I wondered if God was calling me to go with Scott and Emily today.
After breakfast I grabbed some tp and headed out the the outhouse behind the house. The out houses here are called squatty potties for the simple fact that there is no seat. It's just a hole in the gound with a small building built over it.
So anyway, I forgot I'd tucked my ipod in the wasteband of my skirt. I managed to grab my headphones, but the ipod jerked at the end, unplugged itself, and tumbled into the dark, stinky deapths. I didn't even look for it. I knew it was at least eight feet down. I just turned and went back inside the house.
It had happened so quickly I was startled to silence and it took me a minute to admit to my teammates what had just happened.
I remembered a conversation I'd had with Scott on the bus ride to Nyagatare. I had just learned a girl on my squad had lost her ipod, and I said if there was anything I could do without, it would probably be my ipod.
So of course God had to check and see if that was true. I could feel Heaven in that moment paused and waiting to see what my reaction would be. I was tempted to be mad, or really upset, but I felt myself only being very rational. I didn't lose my music, only my portable music player. I had hardly used it thus far anyway. And Emily offered the use of her ipod if I needed music to do another dance for the church.
So what did I lose? Not much really.
God is still good. And I still get to be involved in the work He is doing here in Rwanda.
After all that happened, I still felt I was supposed to go with Emily and Scott. I didn't have my Bible with me or anything, I just went.
At the first place we stopped to talk to a group of mechanics. Emily said, she wasn't sure if she was supposed to be talking at this place, and Scott didn't have any prophetic words to give, and I suddenly felt like I didn't have a word in my head. So while Jessica, our translator, introduced us and told our growing audience a little bit about the World Race, I sent up a prayer for God to give me His words since I'd seemed to have run out.
Emily began telling the people gathered around us about the love of Jesus. Several men asked if drinking and smoking were sins since most Christians came and told them how sinful they were and how they needed to change their lifestyle. Emily tried to tell them we weren't interested in changing them because we believe that's God's job and how we just wanted them to know Jesus.
Then there was a local man who said he was a Christian and he was soon in a debate with the men there about what constitutes as sin. (At least I think that's what it was because it was all in Kirwanda and Jessica was only telling us some of what was said because she was joining in the debate.)
I was upset because it was all so devisive and nothing about the whole situation had to do with God. As soon as there was a quiet moment, I told a little bit about my story of how I first met God and felt Him around me and I shared some times I have heard God speak to me. Then I said I would pray for them to be able to hear from God.
But before I had a chance to pray, someone was asking again about wether drinking alcohol was a sin. Several others jumped in and it was soon chaotic. I felt these men didn't really want an answer, they just wanted an argument. I sensed the devil was disrupting this place.The words seemed to fly and crash into each other in the air only to be blown around by other words and the air was becoming full and soon no one would be able to see what was going on.
My emptiness and uncertainty of a few minutes ago disapeared as a boldness filled me and I shouted above the noise, "Hey! That's enough with the words!"
Everyone stopped and stared at me, then looked to Jessica, who translated what I'd said.
"God is still alive!" I continued. "And He can still speak for Himself!" Now I had their attention and I wasn't going to waste it on trying to fix their theology. I must admit I was tempted to tell them how I don't believe alcohol is a sin unless it becomes your god. I thank God I was so full of indignation at the devil for trying to mess this up, that all I could do was give it over to God. I lead everyone there in a prayer asking God to speak to us and tell us who He is and what He thinks of us.
Emily told me later that when I was done everyone was still quiet. This is pretty surprising since we had gathered quite the croud by now. Not only the mechanics but several women, and lots of children had seen the mzungos and stopped by to see what we were up to.
I don't know if anyone there heard from God that day. (None admitted it to me if they did.) But I know I haven't felt the presence of God on me that strongly outside a church before. And I think what I said shook up their ideas about God a little bit. Maybe I was the first person to tell them that God still speaks. Maybe I was the first one to give them the idea that He might want to talk to them.
Whatever it was I'm glad I got to be a part of it.
I still can't believe this is my life! How much God must love me to let me be in Rwanda furthering His kingdom! God is good and He is especially good to me!
