Back in 1994-Our Calling

Sometimes it is difficult to remember what one was doing in a certain year. Especially if we did not write things down. The interesting part is God can remind you at a unique point in your life.

My husband and I attended Bible School in New York in 2002. We prepared for over one year to earn the money to take the next step in our life. We had no idea of where God's leading would take us. For me, having worked in the insurance industry for over 25 years, making sure employment and employers were always a part of me; the road God began paving became difficult to accept.

We thought Les would go to school while I worked full time and then I would attend school after he graduated and began work. Pretty safe and long term. Well God's plans not being the same as ours, visions came and went quicker than we could have ever thought.

Prior to arriving in Bible School, we attended church with my sister in Manchester, Connecticut. A visiting missionary from Niger spoke of how many no longer desire to identify with a people group any more. Short term missions are great, however with the philosophy behind short term, it has alleviated the conviction in many cases to commit your life to a people.

After the service, both Les and I realized we never asked God if He wanted us to identify with a people group. Our prayer began in July of 2002 "God, do you want us to give our lives to a people group? If so we are willing." Little did we know how quick God would answer.

Moving to Lima, NY indeed is an experience in itself. Some call it cow country. As classes began for Les, I began working at an insurance agency near Rochester. Not one month later, Les attending chapel as required in which a guest missionary from Kenya spoke. As chapel finished, God continued. In chapel, Les stopped arguing with the Lord and said "I will go to Africa. But you have to tell my wife."

The very same night, we went for a drive. I began asking Les questions. "If you could do anything for God, not what you think you are good at, but whatever is in your heart, what would it be?" Les tends to be quiet and needs more prompting at times so I rephrased the question. "OK, forget what. Where would you go for God?" Of course I had no idea what God had already spoken to him in chapel. As I asked these questions, Les is saying to God" Lord I wanted you to tell her, not me." So, Les asks me the question without answering, 'Where would you want to go?" My answer: "Africa."

Almost driving off the road with the shock of my answer, he began to share with me what happened in chapel. We both then began praying about where. We originally thought Niger since the first missionary we heard had been ministering there. However soon we knew the answer to Niger was no.

In class one day, one of the professors spoke about coming from a meeting held in Kenya in which Rwandan pastors spoke. They asked "Why is no one coming to help us? It has been safe in Rwanda for years now. The church has become silent." When Les heard these words his heart responded saying, "I will go".

As we ate dinner, Les began to share with me what was said in class but not how he responded. As he shared the need my heart said I would go. However I said this out loud. When I did Les responded saying "I said the same thing". So we agreed in prayer and asked God to begin His work in us. To give us His love for the people of Rwanda and to unite our hearts and spirits with theirs.

After we began praying for God to give us continual confirmation of His Will. We knew we would need this as we would look back as problems would happen, we knew we had to be absolutely sure this is where God wanted us.

A few months went by and the Lord reminded both Les and myself of two different instances in our lives. The timing happened to be 1994. Les and I had not even met yet. In 1994 the Lord had spoken to Les about attending Bible School in His timing. For me, God told me as I watched the news of the genocide and the fighting to remember. Coming from a background of a very conservative church where woman are silent, I could not Imagine why God told me this.
I thought because it would help me pray for others who did not have what we had, or to appreciate what we had.

So in obedience I bought two Time magazines and posted them up on my bulletin board with all my photos of friends and family. It did not look pretty, but God told me to remember. In 1997 as I packed to move to a different location and I began to dissemble the bulletin board I thought, "Why on earth do you have these magazines up?" I thought I could remember without them. So I threw them away, or so I thought.

About ten months after God called us to Rwanda and God reminded us of what He told us in 1994, Les and I were going through our stuff in storage to begin the simplification of our life. My husband called me over to a box he had started to dissemble. My eyes drawn to where he pointed. One of the Time Magazines! A I held the magazine in my hand, a touch of heaven hit me. Back in 1994 God showed me this one piece. What I thought was one thing, He had a whole other plan. Approximately ten years to the day from when He told me to remember, Les and I visited Rwanda for the first time in preparation for spending the rest of our lives there.

LOOKING BACK

As we prepare for the future, one must always look back. Sometimes, this is difficult because of the sting of the past. Other times remembering is a joy. But nevertheless we must always "remember" for learning, loving and listening. God has used this as an instrumental tool in our work in Rwanda.

In 2001, Les and I worked with the youth of our church for over four years. Not having experience with youth other than teaching Sunday School although we always loved children. But youth...well I was a afraid of those teen age kind. You know the punk hair style, piercings in places it hurts to even think about. Some tougher and more difficult than chewing on a rubber tire. Thinking they could care less about anything not in their own realm, specifically adults. However this is where God placed us.

Remembering back, there is one thing God shared with us as a life learning lesson. "Do what I have called you to do and I will direct your paths and give you My Creativity. Just love them and depend on Me." So we did. Our prayers for His creativity, trust for Him to show up came with many times of banging our heads against a wall, much fear and misunderstandings. You see Les and I were never your dynamic duo of youth leaders. Looking at us, one would not say, "Wow they are great for the youth leader position." As a matter of fact, far more qualified people could have replaced us.

However, God began teaching us here. Through all the good and bad times we stayed focused on Him. In asking for His Creativity we did many different events. Cafe De Christo, Sunday Night Break Dancing, Talent Shows, Youth Dinners for the Church, Summer Youth Festivals and much more. I must add in accomplishing all of these things two things became evident. They came to pass only because we knew obedience was the key. Even if something seemed to fail, we knew God called us, we were obedient and He is responsible for the results. The only result we knew or really cared about was loving the youth. Seeing them come to their full potential in God. We recognized the importance in the youth knowing no matter what they looked like or how they lived, they knew we loved them.

Of course our desire in our hearts is to see them get saved and be on fire for God. However, reality is we need to love people and work with them without any expectation. To believe God can work it all out, to have the yearning of your heart for them to have a relationship with God, yet as you face daily life with them the two seem to be direct opposites. Our hearts had to remain pure in knowing God's call and what He had said to us, "Just love them".

Looking back, not on all our errors;which believe me there were plenty. We learned from those errors, however we look back in how God worked out everything. In the moments of unexplained pain and problems, of wanting to quit since we seemed to be misunderstood by parents and others. You see we were not dynamic enough for some. Or we were to strict for others. To many rules. Not cool enough. Other ministries or churchyouth groups are doing so much more.The list could go on, but our focus must be on "What has God said?"

You see there are times in our life, if we depend on others to affirm the work God is doing in us, then we will lose focus on the call He has given. We may not step out in something for fear of failure or what others may say. Or the worst thought as we planned events, "What if no one shows up". One lesson we learned quickly is the amount of people meant nothing. Easy to grasp in our heart, but not in our head. Because in these days how many people show up determines how successful an event is. How many salvation cards are completed, or how many "sinner's prayers" are said. Just a reminder there is no chapter and verse for thinking this way. Just another tactic of the enemy to keep us distracted.

Working with the youth, brought us many joys and relationships now, seven years later as we hear of how they are doing. Some in the Army or Airforce, others getting married and raising families, beginning jobs, some struggling with drugs and life in general while others just beginning their walk with Christ now.

Looking back we see how God used these relationships, this call of dependence on Him and expectant obedience with His command of "Just love them" as He then called us to "the people of Rwanda." Or I should say He gave us a new direction, the call really is the same no matter where we are in our life.

After serving with the youth, God changed directions and asked us to attend Bible College in New York. Little did we know where He would be taking us.

History Summary/ Church in the genocide

It has been an exciting weekend. Valerie, who will be one of our first full time workers while in Rwanda just left this morning. We were happy she could participate in our drama on Sunday and the board meeting last night.

God gave me a wonderful drama and added to it as I kept listening to the song "I Can Only Imagine". We have been blessed by our home church to present the work in Rwanda for the next four weeks. God gave us the drama to help visualize what happened in Rwanda and the contradiction of what part the Body of Christ did and what God wants us to be to the world.

As the song played " I Can Only Imagine" we silently acted out the measuring and examination of people, separating them to symbolize three tribal people of Rwanda. Tutsi, Hutu and Twa. The colonist and white missionaries took part in this most discriminatory event. The Tutsi people became favored with gifts of money and education; the Hutu people became sub servant and the Twa historically have been despised.

No, not all missionaries took part. No, not all of the Body of Christ participated in the genocide. Many say those who did take part in the killing could never have been born again. Never the less, these deeds were done, just as many others in the world today --- in the Name Of Christ." These are the deeds as a Church we can no longer deny. We must recognize people who do not know the Lord personally, blame the Church ( His Body) for many events. These events occurred using the name of Jesus or verses from the Bible to validate supremacy of a race. It is time for Christians to rise up in faith and prayer believing strongholds of all prejudice will be broken. But it must be broken in our own hearts first.

Thankfully, Rwanda no longer has identity cards stating which tribe a person ethnic identity has come from. All people are considered 'Rwandans", even the white man who live among them. Normally our name is Muzungu, meaning white person. However, we have heard testimonies this is not something the President of Rwanda desires. The country is working hard to make sure any kind of "genocide ideology" is rooted up and spoken out against. Any type of ideology of one person's ethnic background specifically if found in larger groups or public manners is attempted to be defused immediately.

As missionaries we recognize the importance of this history. In repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation. God has given us the vision for the Spirit of God to work deeper in all our lives; to provide a safe place for healing. Healing from events lived through with the hope only the Lord Jesus Christ can give us for our future.

It is our hope this blog will represent the ministry God has called my husband and I to do, along with a team of Rwandans and others from America. Many have followed our journey through my weekly email updates. In these updates I share my heart. The struggles, journey, hardships and joys of missionary life. However over time they can get a bit confusing with names and programs. I am trusting I can write the beginning of this blog in a way to give some sort of order for people to follow.

May it encourage your heart. Dare to dream God's dreams. Ask Him for HIS dreams to dwell in your heart. He will bring them to pass.

New Beginnings

A Voice For Rwanda is about to be born. A new birth of a ministry God has called myself , my husband and many others to. We have lived in Rwanda for the past two and half years. In this time period God has revealed many things to us. He is opening many doors. So many, we recognize it is no longer on an individual level. The answer is to now become an originzation.

Actually, Les and I have always referred to ourselves as "A Voice For Rwanda". This came from our first visit to Rwanda in 2004. We spent one month living with Pastor Ngondo and his family in the village of Imena. We knew God called us to Rwanda, however before moving there on a permanent basis, we visited. As we left, Pastor Ngondo said to us, "Let your voice be used and speak of our country. Be a voice." As we began to think of how we could refer to our newsletter his words echoed in our hearts. Thus, back in 2004, "A Voice For Rwanda" the title of our newsletter and our future. Today now in the process of becoming an official non profit organization.

We are excited of all God will do through a Voice For Rwanda. My husband and I are now in America working on many things. I guess you can call these things "labor pains" as we prepare for the future and our return to Rwanda. We look forward to reuniting with our family and friends in Rwanda.