On Monday January 17th, Gerrit writes of a powerful move of the Holy Spirit on Sunday. Please continue to uphold Gerrit in prayer as he will be ministering in the prisons this week:
Today I had the privilege to preach in Pastor Deo’s Church outside Kigali. Peggy Henjum spoke at the early English(!) service and brought a striking message she illustrated with hand gloves: they are patterned after the hand, but the glove can do nothing when it is not filled by the hand. It cannot reach out, touch, hold or receive anything. It is just an empty piece of material. In the same way we are patterned in God’s image, but if He is not in us, we are unable to live up to the full potential of the pattern/image we were made to be (Gen. 1:26).
The worship was captivating and uplifting with different groups leading and dancing on the stage. The people are so totally engaged in worshipping God in the midst of all their dire circumstances and many challenges just to survive on a daily basis. It makes one stand in awe of the mighty, or I should say, the overwhelming presence of God in their lives. Made me think how easily I get sidetracked during worship when I remember some little thing I still need to do or how someone cut me off on the way to church…
Shortly before I was called on to share in the second service, I felt the Holy Spirit moving me to ask Pastor Deo if I could be supplied with some basins and towels to engage in foot-washing at some point. I am not going to go into the detail of my sermon – it took a long time to get from Genesis to Zaccheus in the Sycamore tree :>), not to mention my testimony of God’s amazing Grace poured out in my own life after living an earlier life of hating black people and wanting to exterminate them. I could hear a pin drop as people heard from me how the black people were dehumanized in my mind so that any harm done to them would not amount to sin against God. I could see some heads nodding I agreement or remembrance, as the same had happened during the 100 days of Genocide in Rwanda in 1994.
When I came to the end of my teaching I asked Pastor Deo if I could wash his feet, asking forgiveness of my own sins against the black Africans and, as he had lost more than 40 family members in the Genocide, I asked forgiveness on behalf of the USA, SA and really the whole world who turned a blind eye to what was happening in Rwanda, when it could have been prevented with the deployment of 5000 soldiers…The Holy Spirit came mightily upon Deo as he gave his forgiveness, weeping and then asked to wash my feet as he asked forgiveness for the hatred he still carried in his heart towards to French, Belgiums and really all the Western (white) people who turned their back on Rwanda. My heart broke for him as I realized the implication of what he was confessing and the weight that he had been carrying on his shoulders as he ministered reconciliation to others. He not only washed my feet, but Peggy’s as well as he was sobbing.
After this I asked the women of Africa for forgiveness for the way they have suffered deep indignities under the males of Africa (me included). It was a floodgate that God opened as many of the women started weeping, some loudly, as I washed the feet of Christine (Pastor Deo’s wife) while she was pouring our her tears, giving forgiveness. I am not sure what all happened after this point, because the Presence of God just overwhelmed me. I know Peggy and may others were also overwhelmed at what was happening, and maybe someone will be able to fill in the blanks for us.
I was drained today (Monday). Even as I am finishing this report I feel so many emotions and questions. What is God going to do with this? What am I going to do with this? How is it even possible to do this kind of ministry where wounds are still so raw, especially for the women who were abused, raped and their families murdered in front of them? Is this part of a healing process or is it way out of line?
The problem is that I don’t have much time to process this with anyone, as I will be back doing the same ministry in Rilima Prison tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9am.
Please pray for me for wisdom, strength and insight from God. I desperately need His strength to lift me up for the road ahead.
