The Lord’s Plans Prevailed

My recent trip to Rwanda once again worked out different than carefully laid plans. Originally I was supposed to meet up with a ministry investor in SA on my way back from the USA. Unfortunately he had to cancel his trip to Rwanda, and I decided to continue with some of the plans we had made to visit the prisons (Rilima and Ngoma), and the Kimonyi Reconciliation Village.

Visit to Rilima Prison 

We met with the Christian leaders who are in prison to discuss the launch of Project Ubumwe (United, Together) in January.  They will be trained to work with the repentant Genocide perpetrators, while our chaplains will work with the surviving families of the deceased persons to arrange for a reconciliation meeting in the prison; repentance, forgiveness and restoration (restorative Justice) is at the heart of this program.

We also met with the Prison Director and got the green-light to launch the project in a January/February 2015 time-frame. The challenge is now to raise the funds for this pilot project that will last the whole of 2015.

Visit to Ngoma Women’s Prison

We got another opportunity to visit with the sewing co-op we started inside the prison and I was very impressed with how quickly the women are learning new skills. The prison authorities have agreed that they could sell their garments, etc. and keep 60% of the income to send home to feed their families, pay school fees, etc. This gives to women a sense of self-worth and prepares them to be quickly reintegrated into society with a new skill-set to provide for their families.

I was very touched to see 31 small children inside the prison with their mothers while I was preaching. Babies and children up to 3 years of age are allowed to stay with the mother if no alternative arrangements could be made by the time of imprisonment. They spend the entire day with their mother inside the prison while she is performing her duties. I felt we should help them establish a Creche (nursery/day care) outside the walls. The Directors showed me a cottage that they are willing to designate for that purpose if we are prepared to furnish it with cots, sleeping mats, carpets, toys and educational posters, crayons, pencils, clay, etc. I’m waiting for the final list so we can raise funds for that as well. I believe this is a small but very necessary thing to do for these children who are really incarcerated with their mothers 24/7.

Senior Citizens’ Outreach

My co-worker in Rwanda, Guma Alexandre, has started an outreach to senior citizens in Nyatarama (area where 10,000 people were killed inside a Catholic Church during the Genocide). As I had to cancel some of my appointments, he asked me to accompany him to this village to minister to the elderly group of men and women.  He said they had refused to listen to a teaching he wanted to give from Scriptures and said they were ok, they were Catholics (mainly), and from other mainline churches all of their lives! He said they may listen to me and get saved before it is too late. It was so touching to see these old folks, shuffling into our meeting room with canes and crutches, the years of a hard life etched on their faces. No glint of hope, because these people have been mainly pushed aside and/or forgotten by the society. Some of them are in their 90’s, a number had lost limbs and were obviously in pain and some were very sick. One guy was very hungry and said all he had for lunch was a local brewed beer that his son gave him. He was very funny throughout our time together :>).

I encouraged the group of about 25 people from the Scriptures that God has not forgotten them, but has sent Guma (and now me) to help them and that God will look after them even in their last years, that he still has a plan for their lives and that they can still be a blessing to others as well.  But, I asked, “Are you followers of Jesus…not followers of a church, but of Jesus?. Did you give your life to a church or to Jesus?”

I then took them through Scriptures and also taught them about the Book of Life that will be opened to see who repented and became followers of Jesus. I asked for a show of hands who were followers of Jesus and not one responded. I asked who would like to repent and become a follower of Jesus who died to save them so that their names could be written in the Book of Life. They all , “Yes!” We said a prayer that they affirmed and all 25 received Jesus as their Savior! Glory to God!  He had prepared their hearts to be opened to Jesus that day.  Guma was overjoyed and will now continue to work with them in discipleship classes, but also teach them to play games, maybe learn to read and write, etc. depending on what their needs are. Guma is preparing a great Christmas for them and we could also contribute to make it extra special for them.

In retrospect, if God had not intervened on this trip, I would have missed the blessing of ministering to these lonely, hopeless, elderly people and would have missed seeing their response to the first Gospel teaching they have probably received in their life. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” (Isaiah 55:8). Indeed, this trip was a living example of that verse. The Lord’s plans were revealed, and that the changes in the original plans led to eternal life for some very precious souls.

Click on photos below to see them all.