Who went: Dianne O'Connor, Jerry Thomas, Tony Hart, Brook
Martinez, Adrienne Utt, Danielle Butera, Patty Farley, Phil Meyers, Jeff Lenker,
Lorraine Tendick, and Jamie Thiel
What was Accomplished: We partnered with Food for the Hungry.
We helped to construct a home for a needy family of 9. We put on a vacation
Bible School for the school of Nyamirama, which has 1100 students and 17
teachers in 5 very old buildings. We also were able, with the help of so much
support, to bless 5 needy families with a cow. This is huge, as most Rwandan
families in the rural area are farmers and cows are very expensive. Usually 120%
of a family's yearly income.
I wanted to share with you a journal entry that I wrote a week or so ago, that is the best way I know of to explain what God did in me as I was in Rwanda.
"I was on a walk yesterday, and I was praying for the people I had met while in Rwanda. As I prayed for Christophe, and for the safety of his family, I was reminded of his wallet. I saw it one time when we were in the van. I had owed Christophe $20 from the mattress he had bought for my sponsor's daughter. I gave him the bill and he placed it in his wallet. I was amazed that the thing was still intact.
It is a very old and very worn Nike wallet. The color of which reminded me of the dark Rwandan soil we used as mortar in the house construction. I am not certain whether that was the original color of the wallet, or if the years of use had created the unique shade I observed. The Velcro strip that had once securely fastened the wallet closed was now only on one side of the closure, as the stitching had long since ripped out. The plastic card holder was dark brown, with stray strings loosely and wildly sticking out every which way. The pocket that held my friend's only papers was barely holding on. I asked if I could examine the wallet more closely. My friend handed it to me and I gingerly held it. I made the comment that Christophe needed a new one, because the one I was holding was falling apart. My friend's wise words followed. He said that a new one wouldn't be good, because a new wallet would possibly get stolen. If he had a flashy new wallet it would be more likely to be taken, and he would not want that, as he is routinely entrusted with more money than just his because of his job with Food for the Hungry. By storing such important things in an unassuming package, thieves and robbers did not see the value. He, in fact, told me of a time when his wallet was stolen but then returned because it did not appear like it would hold anything of value. Little did the thief know that there were 10,000 Francs securely hidden in the raggedy wallet. Christophe got the wallet back, and the money was still there. By holding on to what initially seemed broken and worn to me, my friend protects the valuable treasure inside.
As I was thinking about this yesterday, I realized how wise Christophe had been. To me there was nothing of value about the wallet. I only saw the worn fabric, the stray strings, the broken closure, and I assumed that it was worthless. Sometimes, I realized, I begin thinking this way about people. They might be dirty and beat up from life's struggles. They may have traveled long distances in their lives, and they are worn out. The miles have aged them. They may have character traits that are kind of wild, and seem hap hazard. Little pieces of themselves that stick out and annoy me. They may seem as though there is nothing of value in them from their outward appearance, however, just as Christophe hid in his wallet, so God hides in these people a treasure.
I was forced, in Rwanda, to get over myself when I looked at people. Years of poverty can give a person a certain worn look. Poverty begins to etch the lines in someone's face a lot sooner than they would normally occur. The physical body begins to wear out. Years of spiritual poverty will do the same thing to a person. However, by being where we were there in Rwanda, I had to look at the heart of the person. I had to learn of the child of God, their personality, their dreams and their heart. I could not just react to the physical feel, smell or appearance of them. And what I found when I did this was a treasure. Treasure of God's love, pouring out in increasing measure, sacrificially pouring out of an unlikely vessel. Hidden away in a seemingly broken and tattered vessel, a treasure was securely deposited.
God places in each of us a rare and priceless jewel. Though we may not look like anything attractive from the outside, inside we are full of His riches and glory. God taught me of His heart through the people of Kayenzi Sector, and I can never again look at people the same as before. Instead, God shows them now to me as a dirty, worn, broken wallet, of which He is astoundingly proud of and in love with. I pray that Christophe keeps that wallet forever.
When: October 5th - 17th