Trinity was the third of three church groups that Johnathan
our link person in Rwanda has organised over the last few weeks. Some of us
have been many times while for others this was the first time.
Always we are hit by the variety of thoughts and feelings
produced. We are always warmly welcomed wherever we go and are overwhelmed by
the love and generosity of the Rwandan people. The country ranges from the
modern clean city of Kigali to the tiny mud huts that are everywhere scattered
over the very beautiful land of a thousand hills.
Although economically poor the widows that we visit are
spiritually very rich. The one precious object in their house will be a very well-thumbed
copy of the bible. They are incredibly generous people, always welcoming us in
and we are often sent away with bags of corn or other produce which they insist
on giving us. Very often they will take in orphans often of no relation, even
though they have not enough food for themselves as they are convinced that God
will provide for them.
We are true friends of many of them and they will offer up
loud shouts of praise to God when they see us. They love hearing about our
families and will send us away with long prayers which we know will continue,
when we are far away.
When they get together they just love to sing praising God
with song, clapping and dance, using their whole bodies in praise to God.
Sunday is the day when they can spend time together as community resting from
their hard labour in the fields and spend literally hours together praising
God.
The diocese is very much a missionary organisation reaching
out into areas where there is no evangelical church very often high up in the
mountains. I have just been visited by our dear friend Ephraim who has built a
new church very much by the hands of his congregation. He is growing the
congregation there. He has just made five church plants just hiring a house for
a Rwandan missionary to live in the middle of an isolated village to spread the
gospel and establish a church.
They have learnt the secret of loving the Lord God, with all
their thought word strength and being.
Compared to us in the west who have so much in the way of
material wealth, they have the deep riches of simple Love of Jesus and
neighbour. We would do very well to learn from these wonderful people how to
live.
Our ride through Nyungwe forest
Meeting of old friends
Pineapples being transported to market
Pastors wifes being taught lifeskills
