Team Reflections

2. Seminars within the country
Our team conducted 3 seminars for students in Gisenyi and Byumba. Our approach is to raise teams of young volunteers who will be Community change agents. In Gisenyi, students came from different schools to share their pain and worries about the future. Most confessed their mistrust towards the older generation accusing them of being hypocrite. They appealed on those in government to be consistent and truthful and not to plunge them into bloodshed anymore. Both in Byumba and Gisenyi, students confessed bitterness and prejudices. The Hutu students expressed their frustration about the support that is given to genocide survivors. Most of them were very young and some were not born during the genocide but they could learn how to keep away from the different group. Some confessed the shame of having parents in prison and others brought to the cross the trauma caused by seeing their parents being killed before their eyes. Another seminar was organized for pastors in Kigali, a young men opposed all the teachings, especially the idea of forgiving the Hutu. He saw his parents being beheaded, burnt and other many horrible things. He saw young Hutu open the womb of a lady, taking the heart, grilling and eating it. He only had his grandmother to comfort him but last year 2007, some genocide suspects cut her into pieces fearing to be exposed! That was the end! You can’t understand the contractions in his heart. This handsome young man is a fervent Christian, intercessor and worship leader but he has completely denied God access to his pain. Our team is doing personal follow up to help him release his pain to Jesus.

As the team is heading toward the Advent, God is helping us to do some adjustments with our work in the community, focusing more on the youth. God has anointed us among the younger generation. Every small seed we plant in them becomes the tree that bore 100 fruits. Our strategy will be to recruit and train them and released them as community change agents. We will work with government and church leaders, schools and other partners to strengthen the work of the youth but ultimately God is leading us to shift our primary focus from pastor in general to younger Christian leaders. God is already blessing us with younger associates on the team.

‘They.…returned with joy and said…..’ (Lk 10:17)

I was excited as Jesus after the 70 returned with reports of successful ministry as those who went to Kenya and to Burundi were giving exciting stories demonstrating God’s power to heal and redeem. October and November 09 have been the realization of Rwanda being the light to the nations as the promise foretold (Is 60:3). We could rejoice in the Lord for the successes within our own country, as well as in Burundi and Kenya, but also keep struggling in prayer over situation in the Congo where thousands of displaced are facing it rough. LRM GL team can again confirm that your prayers and support have taken us through those mountains and valleys.

Our team held two seminars in Burundi in November for 40 Church leaders. In Gitega, a young pastor, who is a well appreciated counselor has never forgiven his father who rejected him when he was a baby. He felt as if he was ‘garbage’ and after hearing Elina testimony (her father rejected her at birth), the guy confessed he has found a new ‘Dad’ (II Cor 6:18) and could accept himself. A Hutu pastor confessed: ‘I was a pastor but I joined the mob, my heart filled with anger and hatred, with a big club on the way to the bush, pushing Tutsi ahead to kill them. As we got to the bush, I clearly heard God saying to me that He will hold me accountable for all the blood that we were about to shed. I was shaking and sweating, and stood by the Tutsis and warned that whoever will touch them will have to account before God. Everybody got frightened and those Tutsi neighbors escaped’. He stood to ask forgiveness.

In Bujumbura, a pastor confessed he got mad at God when he first realized he had AIDS. He confirmed the principle of God redeeming suffering because God is using him to help pastors with AIDS. We could see God raising pastors to the point of taking responsibility for their communities. Many people were becoming hopeless because of the killings that are happening preceding the next year elections. Our team encouraged Christians in one church with II Chronicles 7:14 to take action and not have the fatalistic attitude.

Anastase and Esperance joined Rhiannon in Naivasha to run a seminar for Mothers Union. Esperance recounts: ‘Politics mixed to ethnic hate brought a lot of suffering after the contested elections. The ladies in Kenya suffered rape, some saw their business going literally into flames. Most had to run like animals to escape death. At least the police was neutral but who could reach their station unless you are as fast as a rabbit! The church? In the mess, aligned into tribal rivalries. Many people were killed in churches. Ladies lost their trust in the church though they still love Jesus. They brought their pain to the cross wailing. Kenyans suffered as badly as Rwandans but no camera was there to report and nothing is done. Justice? A joke, the criminals are also the ‘winners’ of the elections, they have strong support of the people in power and nobody will bother them. People will continue to suffer since the international community is not mobilized to help the displaced. Some participants were going back to nowhere since they can’t go back to their homes occupied by the other tribe’. Anastase also confirmed that the church is still in denial and need to be helped to first acknowledge it failed the people and start the recovery process before the next elections which many predict will be ‘Armageddon’.

We keep praying about Congo, we feel the Lord calling us to hold a prayer rally including Congolese Hutu and Tutsi, Nyanga and Hunde, and leave behind a forum of friends who will transcend their divisions and become a catalyst of unity in the Body of Christ. We still believe the church has the key to the healing of Eastern Congo. We will start with a small community and of course working among the younger generation of pastors. We are already praying for Uganda as we foresee our first seminar in Gulu beginning next year. We invite you to pray with us that God will grant us all the needed resources, human, spiritual and financial for next year 09.

Joseph & Esther travel to Le Rucher Geneva

From 18 Oct to 4 Nov, we spent a wonderful time in Le Rucher Geneva with the ‘extended family’, getting to know more the colleagues during the staff retreat and integrate our work to the international ministry in the strategic plan. God spoke to us deeply in Ps 127 about aligning to His vision, attain personal growth through repentance, and encourage corporate growth. We also had thorough teaching and ministry by a wise missionary who shared about find God as our hiding place since we are ‘trouble makers’ in the devil’s eyes. He also shared about things that can help people in missions to accomplish God’s plan. The most significant is to keep a strong relationship with the Lord. The team had also an outing and sailing that helped reinforce relationships. On the picture left sailing and enjoying creation.

During the strategic plan, we could get a better understanding of the ministries of Le Rucher but also could share what the Lord was doing in our region. The team was very supportive about the idea of soon starting a school of reconciliation that will be serving nations and thus multiply what God achieved in Rwanda using the church in the Rebuilding process. A nine weeks course has been designed and soon you will have on our website more details. A 3 years plan was released with revised objectives and clear activities. We are grateful to Angela who turned the planning process in a very enjoyable, spiritual exercise.