Church Plant in Ruhango

Day 11

Today we visited a church in Ruhango.  Ruhango is a small village located about two hours southwest of Kigali.  Some of the members at this church include a pastor who has been a part of Wayne’s pastor trainings as well as four youths that attended our youth conference last week.  We saw many encouraging things at this church.  The church has grown to have had approximately 130 members at the service today.  One church member was introduced at the beginning, as he had accepted the Lord as his personal Savior the night before.

 

The place where the church meets (notice all the kiddos on the left!)

Wayne taught from Luke 10, over the parable of the Good Samaritan.  He gave the Rwandans the application that we need to care for our neighbors when they are hurting or suffering.  He also presented the Gospel, explaining the Lord cared for us when we were left for dead, saving us from the deathly consequence for sins.  Two people came to know the Lord at the service, and they came forward for us to pray for them.

We also learned of many of the aches of the people in this village.  One of the mothers with a baby was actually the child’s grandmother.  She had saved her grandbaby after her daughter had thrown the baby out into the woods.  Another woman struggled through several miscarriages. When she finally carried a baby full term, she suffered through an illness during the pregnancy and was afraid the baby would be affected.  She had reason to praise the Lord that he was born healthy and happy, and that she too has recovered from her sickness.

One thing this church needs prayer for is their physical location.  Right now they are renting the “front yard” of a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist church.  However, with the church’s growth, the owner has started to increase his rate.  The pastor bought a separate plot of land to build on, but the building process is costly and slow.  Pray for this church to be able to find a temporary solution to a physical meeting place, especially with the continued growth in attendance.  If you would like more information on how you can financially support the construction of a church building, please visit the GET INVOLVED tab.

The site for the future church building (where Wayne is standing)

One little anecdotal story…. I think the most comical experience we all went through today was the time of giving during the service.  Like most churches, this church held an offering.  Some people brought forward coins and monetary giving, but in addition, two papayas, two banana bunches, and a tub of cassava flour were also brought forward.  After some time, a deacon stood up and started an auction for the foods!!!  The highest bidder got to take home the food, and make a donation to the church.  It made us chuckle!