Returning to Rwamagana
June 29, 2009

Praise the Lord for the seasons He has created for us to enjoy; and for some, no season is more welcomed than that of summer. Summer is the time we celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s also the time my wife and I celebrate our anniversary--thirty-one years and counting! Anniversaries can be a memorable time of celebration, but they can also be a time of horrible reflection.

This year, the country of Rwanda is facing its fifteen-year anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. In 1994, one million people were slaughtered in one hundred days! There were over 500,000 cases of rape reported and 300,000 children were left orphaned. The goal of the Hutus was to kill one thousand Tutsis every twenty minutes.

There were many factors that caused this horrific crime against humanity; however, much of the blame has been hurled at the Belgian government and the way in which they set up a new form of government, borders, and way of life when they colonized Rwanda back in 1923. Tensions had been escalating between the Hutu and Tutsi for years.

Here in America, we are often quick to throw stones at countries that experience the horrors of genocide. Let us not forget our own racial tensions in this country, nor the fact that our land was once inhabited by thousands of Indian cultures. Our forefathers occupied a land that was already inhabited, and in the end, Indians were either slaughtered or rounded up and put on reservations.

Rwanda has been making peace with itself for the past fifteen years. If you visit the capital city of Kigali, you will find The Kigali Memorial Center that is purposefully shocking so that succeeding generations will never forget the human capacity for evil. Our minds cannot wrap around the thought of friend killing friend, neighbor killing neighbor, pastor killing his flock, and children killing adults all because they are from a different tribe. The    Rwandan don’t want to forget that evil is only an ideology away.

I truly wish that you could go to Rwanda and experience the amazing healing that has taken place in that beautiful country. When you drive from the airport in Kigali to the city of Rwamagana, where we will be hosting ‘Mission Redemption’, it is hard to imagine that at one time one million bodies were strewn along the roads, valleys, and villages. It is a peaceful land and its colors are breathtaking.

It was last December that we took a team to Rwamagana for what we called ‘Mission Reconciliation’. It was a name that fit the work that we had agreed to do with the committee of local pastors there. We wanted to work within the church to help mend relationships in every way possible. As you remember, God did amazing things for His glory and the people are still talking about it to this day. One pastor wrote:

“For me I profited a lot from seminars and festival. It helped me to understand the meaning of Unity       because at times the Devil creates divisionism and hatred among denominations members. This is no longer the case among Christians in Rwamagana. Through this festival we have realized that we are one in Christ. I am going back home very happy with new strategies to develop my church and I am happy about the gift of eye glasses. May God bless EMM richly.”
-Pastor Kamuzinzi Elisa from Pentecostal Church of Rutoma

We found the people of Rwamagana, both Hutu and Tutsi to be so grateful for our presence and ready to experience all that God had for them. The Rwandans are very cautious people and they don’t just work themselves up emotionally when it comes to things of the Lord. They are very deliberate and thoughtful. We saw so many of them respond with appreciation and with full surrender to Christ. One sister wrote:

“I am suffering from TB and was admitted for six weeks. I am very appreciative for the support I got from EMM team as I realized God’s love through his people. I was given sugar, rice and soap by the team which helped me to improve my nutrition and hygiene in these days. Since the team members prayed for me my health improved and I have a hope of returning home soon. May God bless EMM.”
-Donat

Pastor Dany, Pastor Cyprien, Dan, and Pastor Amos (Dan’s Interpreter)

This November 15-24 I will return to Rwamagana with another team. Our focus this time will be the sharing of Christ in as many ways as the local pastors see fit. Carl Dawson will be heading to Rwanda next month to work closely with the same committee that was established for “Mission Reconciliation” last year. We are all praying that the work we did in the church in 2008 will result in a glorious harvest of souls in 2009.

Now I want to ask you for your participation. We need to raise $50,000 for this ministry, $20,000 of which has already come in! It will cost money to bring people into the Kingdom. It will cost money to do the work of evangelism. It will cost money to mobilize the churches for the sake of the harvest. It takes funds to hire radio time to promote the Festival. It takes dollars to rent the very grounds where the Gospel will be preached. It takes cash to build a platform and hire a sound system that will reach thousands of people. Yes, evangelism takes money. I enjoy giving my own money for the humanitarian work that we will do in Rwanda, but the money I give for evangelism is even more important. ‘Mission Redemption’ is your opportunity to lead people towards eternal life in Christ!

With Eternity In Mind,

Dan

P.S. If you would like to join our Rwanda team in November, please call us at 805-239-8615.