A team from Elim Christian Fellowship Worthing, Bernard Lord, Jenny Quaife and Terry Griffiths, under the auspices of Living Hope Ministries have recently completed a busy schedule of visits, speaking and meetings with some of the churches under the supervision and leadership of Rev Augustine Gakwaya of the  Apostles and Prophets Church of Christ Jesus, Kigali, Rwanda.

This has been the third successive visit to Rwanda and we were based at the Havigumana Israel guest house and conference centre that is the headquarters for the African Evangelical Enterprise, an international organisation that has missions throughout The African countries. As in our previous stay at the AEE, we were struck by the number of different nationals that used the AEE as their base for missions work or stopping off point. We met a couple from Britain with their three year old son. They had felt that God had called them to sell up at home and move to Rwanda. Whilst we were there, they were in the process of renting a home in the local area and had already become involved with a local church and were receiving language lessons Local and visiting churches also used the centre as a retreat, or for concentrated all night prayer and study sessions.

We renewed a friendship that we had made last year when we were able to visit an American couple and their family who had just completed their first year undertaking missions work and developing their own ministry. They delivered the Christian message through showing Christian films around the villages and holding various meetings from their home in Kigali.

Whist we were visiting one of the very busy, noisy markets we met up with a German mission’s team that was just about coming to the end of their stay whilst we were beginning ours.

The programme that had been planned had been developed from the two previous trips to Rwanda and the initiatives that the team had set in motion, as well as new experiences that necessitated hours of travelling, and overnight stays away from Kigali. On one occasion we left Rwanda to go into the Congo where we were able to visit a town called Goma that had been destroyed by volcanic activity and which had been rebuilt on the solidified black lava layers. Walls, roads and some very poor houses were all made from the solidified black lava that had become the common building material. We were told that although it was still dangerous to go further into the Congo, mission’s people and pastors were steadily working towards bringing God to the people.

Although the journeys were long and tiring due to generally very bad and sometimes dangerous road conditions, the experiences were worthwhile when we were able to enjoy the drama and the beauty of the mountains and the valleys as well as the reception and our involvement with the people, the churches and homes that we visited.

It was good to once again meet with some of the widows that we got to know on our first visit to Rwanda. They had all benefited from the ‘Widows Revolving Fund’ that provides £50 to establish a small business or self help scheme. The sum of money is paid back into the church when the widow is able to do so and then another widow is helped to set up a small business, for example such things as purchasing, charcoal for resale, second hand children’s clothing, or in one instance some plastic chairs for what is now a very successful café, ‘The Blessed Corner Café’

The scheme itself has proven to be a great success and it has given a new start to several widows and their families. Some of the women have now been able to make a positive contribution to the church life itself by following the biblical principal of tithing to the church for the first time, something that was not possible in previous years. 

It was very gratifying to again visit the pineapple field that Worthing Elim Christian

Fellowship had purchased through various fund raising schemes on behalf of Rev. Augustine’s Church two years ago. Although it had been difficult initially, with clearing and preparing the land and ‘learning by doing’, the first crop was flourishing and we saw thousands of plants well on their way to being harvested next season.

The church in Kigali intends to progress this scheme by adding fencing around the land and building a small mud brick house to make the area secure from thieves. We have been told that the venture will provide some jobs for church members and hopefully the intention to attempt a commercial venture for juicing or straight sales will prove to be successful. Rev Augustine and his eldership now refer to the field as the ‘pineapple farm’ an indication of their ambitions for this venture.

As well as a healthy  pineapple crop being in evidence since our last visit, the church has managed to use some of the land to grow vegetables, so that some of the church people can be fed. We feel that the prophecy that God gave concerning this initiative is well on its way towards being realised.

It was a delight to visit the Mpore Pefa orphanage and receive a very warm welcome from Annonciata Ngondo, a pastor’s widow that runs it. We had a very excited and noisy welcome from the children, small children of two years or so, up to young teenagers. It was good to see that their move to a better area with bigger premises had given them much healthier and better living conditions than when we first visited them a year ago.

One of the highlights for us on this visit was the opportunity for us to preach and speak in the new church in the Bibare district of Kigali; the church has only recently become fully operational. Two years ago it was a flat piece of land with a two foot high boundary wall that mapped out the shape of the church to be. Last year we saw the church that was nearly finished apart from part of the roof, floor, windows and doors. This year Jenny and I had the pleasure of speaking and Terry singing and taking part in the main service and the celebration evening that had been planned for us. The church will play a leading part in the Christian life and development of Kigali and it is expected to draw numbers in the region of a several hundred worshippers when fully integrated into the area. The development of further building on the land for the benefit of the local community is still the intention of Rev Augustine and his eldership e.g. guest accommodation and technical/crafts school for the church people and the community.

As with every visit that we have undertaken to Rwanda, we have been introduced to different aspects of African life. On this visit, it had been arranged for us to attend an African wedding, Different part of the ceremonies meant moving to different parts of Kigali and we were able to sample a very full day of formal dowry negations for the bride, the ceremonies and the celebration and dancing. Apart from the beautiful, colourful traditional dress of the African women, the formal African wedding process (followed later in the day by a more western style wedding) and the traditional African dancing, it was fascinating to be told through an interpreter the dowry negotiations between the two families and how many cows the bride was worth.

One of the most stirring and dramatic events of our stay was when we drove to the North Eastern part of Rwanda, to the Muvumber river to witness a baptism ceremony.

We were told to expect approximately 40 converts but on arrival the Pastor informed us that there were 160 people waiting for their baptism plus many more as witnesses to the ceremony. As a member of the visiting team, I had been asked to take part in the ceremony and along with three African pastors went into the river and baptised the new converts. There were unbelievable scenes of people in the spirit standing in lines, laying on the ground, or just kneeling and praying. All had to be supported or carried into the water as in most cases they were quite incapable of standing. The mixture of emotions was mainly due to the presence of the Holy Spirit but in some cases people were struggling with other forces within themselves and were being delivered. The baptism ceremony was a lengthy one and eventually the ceremony came to a close with dancing and singing.

As our time in Kigali came to the closing stages we had one more lengthy journey to make, to Nyaruphubire, a trading centre 176 km from Kigali to visit, speak and minister to the Nyaruhire Apostles and Prophets Church. From that church the resident Pastor had planted 8 other churches. We were able to witness the spiritual strength of the communion that was being given for new Christians. Again a very large number of people reacted to the Holy Spirit in a uniquely African way, giving themselves over completely to the Holy Spirit and being totally unaware of others around them. They were totally immersed in their faith.
 

Our third visit to Rwanda was made successful by the total commitment of time and transport that was provided by Rev. Augustine, assisted at times by his Pastors or Elders. Although we had at times, transport problems, alternatives were found and programmes were completed. Rev Augustine, his wife Teddy and family gave us a very warm welcome and on more than one occasion we shared a meal with the family and with the Elders that came along to the family’s home. We enjoyed the privilege of being invited into the homes of some of the church people and no matter how poor some of the homes were we were always given a warm welcome. The meeting with the various people that had benefited from the schemes that we had set up a year or so ago was greatly encouraging, as was meeting the individuals that had benefited from ongoing individual financial help from church and team members as well as friends from outside ECF.

The positive way in which Worthing Elim Christian Fellowship has made possible such schemes as the Pineapple field and other forms of help e.g. the purchase of a generator, of Bibles, the Orphans Fund and the Widows Fund has been a blessing to our African friends and brothers and although they are so grateful for what we have been able to do for them, what perhaps they don’t understand is how much they have given in return. They have spiritually fed and nourished the team and been an example of Christian inspiration, commitment and devotion.

‘I can do no great things, only small things with great love.’ (A Coptic Christian)

Bernard Lord