Musings from Mission in Musanze

The Lord called my husband and me to get involved in Rwanda in the summer of 2010 when we hosted our two students, Theophile and Narcisse, for 5 weeks. Since that time, our hearts have been drawn to the people and country of Rwanda. We are not sure why the Lord laid it on our both of our hearts but He did and for that I am grateful. Due to a series of connections we have with FBC and Rwanda, we both embraced the idea of actually going to that landlocked country in the central/western  part of Africa. Who knew it would take over 32 hours of travel time one way? God did. He ordained all of our steps and he planned that this trip would be a wonderful bonding time for my husband and me and a connecting point for “our boys” and us.

The trip was designed in order for our team to meet the needs of the pastor, sent by FBC, and the campus that he and his wife are setting up in Musanze, a city 2 hours outside the capital city of Kigali. So, our mission was to do whatever was needed to get the campus up and running so that select Rwandan students could go through the 5-7 year program which would ultimately give them an opportunity to start a business in their country and help Rwanda become a more progressive culture.

During the 18 days in-country, we lived on campus and did small jobs throughout the day making the campus ready. Each day we were able to get out into the community for a visit to the local market, visit to a deaf school, visit to a disabled children’s school, visit to a lake, visit to the capital city, visit to a coffee factory and a trek through a typical village. And oh yeah, we saw some gorillas in the jungle, too.

We saw so much poverty and such a completely different way of life than what we experience in America. It was eye opening to see this. We were touched by the joyfilled people of Rwanda who tugged on our heartstrings. 

There were many lessons learned and each team member had a different take-away.  What I heard the Lord speaking to me had nothing to do with Rwanda or Africa. It had nothing to do with their life style. It really had nothing to do with what we did or saw in the villages. It had everything to do with what went on right on the campus. Believe it or not, my “job” was to make about 40 curtains for windows and doors and about 10 tablecloths. Strange thing to do in Africa. Strange to go all the way over there to sew; and not to sew for Rwandans but to sew for the campus, managed by the Americans. Altho a nice side effect was that I was able to teach sewing to one teen on our trip plus a 22 year old Rwandan student. Very satisfying.

What the Lord taught me can be found in these scriptures:

Romans 12:3

³ For by the grace given me^(H) I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,^{(I) 5} so in Christ we, though many, form one body,^(J) and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts,^(K) according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying,^(L) then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith;^{(M) 7} if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;^{(N) 8} if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;^(O) if it is giving, then give generously;^(P) if it is to lead,^[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

1 Peter 4:10

English Standard Version (ESV)

^10 (A)As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, ^(B)as good stewards of God's varied grace:

1 Corinthians 12

English Standard Version (ESV)

Spiritual Gifts

12 Now ^(A)concerning^[a] spiritual gifts,^[b] brothers,^[c] I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that ^(B)when you were pagans ^(C)you were led astray to ^(D)mute idols, however you were led. ³ Therefore I want you to understand that ^(E)no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is ^(F)accursed!” and ^(G)no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

⁴ Now ^(H)there are varieties of gifts, but ^(I)the same Spirit; ⁵ and ^(J)there are varieties of service, but ^(K)the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of activities, but it is ^(L)the same God who empowers them all in everyone. ^7 (M)To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of ^(N)wisdom, and to another the utterance of ^(O)knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another ^(P)faith by the same Spirit, to another ^(Q)gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another ^(R)the working of miracles, to another ^(S)prophecy, to another ^(T)the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another ^(U)various kinds of tongues, to another ^(V)the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, ^(W)who apportions to each one individually ^(X)as he wills.

One Body with Many Members

¹² For just as ^(Y)the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, ^(Z)so it is with Christ. ¹³ For ^(AA)in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—^(AB)Jews or Greeks, slaves^[d] or free—and ^(AC)all were made to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? ¹⁸ But as it is, ^(AD)God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, ^(AE)as he chose. ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts,^[e] yet one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ²⁴ which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ²⁵ that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, ^(AF)all rejoice together.

²⁷ Now ^(AG)you are the body of Christ and individually ^(AH)members of it. ²⁸ And ^(AI)God has appointed in the church first ^(AJ)apostles, second ^(AK)prophets, third teachers, then ^(AL)miracles, then ^(AM)gifts of healing, ^(AN)helping, ^(AO)administrating, and ^(AP)various kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But ^(AQ)earnestly desire the higher gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

All 25 of us were there for one thing: to support the Musanze Opportunity Center. We abandoned all our objectives, expectations and desires of working side by side with Rwandans in order to serve AS the Body of Christ with Americans! We all came willing to help in whatever we were asked. We did not know one another very well and yet our team worked together in unity, just as the Lord would want us to.

Honestly, working together day in and day out with “strangers,” doing the Lord’s work, and using what gifts and talents we had, was a picture to me of the Body of Christ; shining our light and giving glory to God. It was pretty amazing.  We are all designed with different abilities and God made us that way to serve his kingdom. He does not want us all to be the same. If we were, the work would never get done. It was through each of us putting ourselves out there to do His work that His purpose for our trip was accomplished. What a picture of The Church. WE are The Church.

I loved spending this time with my husband. I loved doing a mission with him. I loved being of one mind and one purpose doing the Lord's work.

On the campus, there was no gossip, no need to dress up, no need to wear makeup, no judgment, no animosity, no grumbling and complaining, no stress, no concern for safety issues, no theft of our belongings, or anything that could easily impede our call to serve. It was almost as if we were in a little slice of heaven. So, even tho we got to experience Africa, our purpose for being there was to learn how to live in harmony. And that was a picture of how life ought to be. Yes, Africa itself was amazing. Being in Africa was more amazing. Seeing God among us was most amazing.