Oh Rwanda! We spent seven weeks in Rwanda which is the longest we’ve ever spent anywhere on the Race and the time spent here was sweet. My team partnered with HopEthiopia/Rwanda and every day looked different. They have a women’s program, men’s program, and children’s program.
Our time with the women was special. We worked with women coming out of the survival sex trade. HopEthiopia/Rwanda helps give women marketable skills so our women were taught how to sew. We were living on the property where the women completed their sewing projects so we start the majority of our time with these women. The first week we put on a fashion show with the girls. They took us on as clients and sewed dresses for us. At the end of the week they got to model dresses they created for themselves and we modeled the dresses they created for us. Later they were empowered to teach what they learned sewing by teaching us how to sew. I don’t know if you had more fun: them teaching us how to sew or us attempting to sew. Put on a three day retreat for these girls that worked on identity, authority, inner healing, and community. It was absolutely amazing watching these women open up about their lives and seeing the hope they still have in the Lord. My prayer for them is to continue to walk in the power and authority they have in Christ as they share freedom with other women they encounter.
The men’s program focused on men coming out of drug rehab who are serious about staying sober and trying to live in the challenged life. We did community building with them, a talent show, worship sessions, and shared testimonies. Our team started by sharing struggles they had faced with addiction in the past and how they overcame those addictions through the power of God. They called them in higher to not let their past defined them, but let their future be defined by the power of God and the change of heart they had from encountering God. My teams choice to be vulnerable in front of these men allowed these men to open up with each other and share their struggles. It was empowering for these men because they looked at America as having no problems, but here are these women able to identify with some of their struggles and being able to overcome because of a relationship with God. The men started to share and it was a beautiful picture of hope and redemption.
We didn’t spend a lot of time with the children’s ministry because that was not the focus the ministry wanted to have this month. Where our children’s program we put on an all day kids camp during their Easter break. We had close to 80 kids from first grade through college come to the ministry site to play games and hear the message of God. What a crazy experience it was planning for such a wide variety of ages and trying to get all of the kids engaged… all in all the day ended up with the kids knowing that they are seen known and loved by this ministry and by their Creator.
A highlight for this month was definitely seeing four people give their lives to God. Two women and two men gave their lives to God after hearing the gospel and being offered the invitation. Rwanda was he a beautiful man because of the people that we got to partner with and intercede for.
I really enjoyed hearing about your ministry in Rwanda. The people there are blessed to have you sharing God’s word & His promises with them. AND I can tell, they have blessed you as well! Thank you for the update. I will keep you & your team in my prayers. Sending travel mercies your way.
So thankful you got to be a part of that! “They overcame by the blood of the Lamb AND BY THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY! Revelation 12:11 – because you shared your testimony it has
given youu pnower to overcome! Keep doing that!