New Team in Rwanda is Amazing

Backdrop to Rwanda: Genocide.  This little country has been through more than most of us could bare to read about, much less endure and come out anywhere near being able to press on, but the result is that the government and the people are determined to live in forgiveness and reconciliation and building a country of peace and solidarity.  Over 1 million people were BRUTALLY massacred and murdered in the genocide that happened here and over 2 million people were displaced, having to run for their lives to neighboring countries as refugees.  For some, their homes were burnt to the ground and they ran for help to find safety elsewhere.  That means that at least 2/3 of the population suffered at the hands of the rebels, and every single Rwandan lost family members to this enormous atrocity on humankind.   In less than 17 years, though, Kigali (Rwanda's capital) is known as one of the safest and cleanest cities in Africa.  Even the poorer sections of the city are clean.  Every Saturday morning the shops and businesses are closed just for cleaning!  There is a law in place that you cannot ask another person what tribe they are from.  Unfortunately, there is a huge gap between the poor and the rich, with no middle class, so there are gigantic houses lining the hillsides, which there are many, along with poor neighborhoods right beside them.  The country itself is amazingly beautiful.  We are at about 4,000 feet elevation and the entire city is just one hill after another, even far into the distance.  It’s green, full of trees and beautiful landscaping here and there.  It’s very hard to believe the streets we walk through, the people we meet have suffered so much and yet they are rebuilding their lives, living testimonies to the power of faith and what forgiveness really means. (Note from Roger: I posted this for Brooks and considered adding a couple of pictures from the genocide.  But it was such a brutal and large scale massacre (on the level of Nazi Germany) that the pictures are just too traumatic to even print.  It is one of our generation's greatest yet little-known catastrophes.  Yet, as Brooks said, God is amazingly at work today through these courageous people.) Amazing New Rwandan Team.  Justin has planted FORTY churches since he came to one of our trainings last year!!!!!!  Can you even imagine???????  Justin works full time in a government job, has five kids, goes to school to learn English five days a week, is a church planter, and meets with his leaders every Sunday afternoon.  It’s so fun to see the people God connects us with!  It’s because of your prayers!!!!!  It’s because of you God has somehow drawn us into relationships with the exact people he wants to connect us with. On Saturday we met with 40 people, many whom are pastors, that Justin crammed into one small room.  Before the genocide Rwanda was universally a Catholic country, but because some of the priests even participated in the genocide itself, many, many people are off Christianity altogether.  The government today is closing the doors of many churches regulating them by saying the buildings are not adequate, the noise is too loud and other “reasons.”  Many of the smaller churches are not able financially to meet these requirements, so they are looking for ways to preach and spread the true gospel in a different way.  Some of these pastors came interested and excited to learn about simple church and church planting movements.  Forty of us packed into one room and it was AWESOME to see their intense interest! Pictured below gives you some idea of how young we begin training church planters!!!