This past week, I was joined by two colleagues, Jon and Steve, and together we gave the third workshop in our series of nine to a group of 14 Rwandan pastor trainers. The focus was on the first 11 chapters of Genesis, and it was a challenging and invigorating time as we wrestled with the text, wrestled with translations, and wrestled with waking up at 3AM most mornings. Yes, sleep was pretty minimal, but the blessings eclipsed the challenges.

After arriving in Kigali late at night, we got several hours of sleep and then Jon, Steve and I headed to various churches to preach the Word. I went to a very pentecostal church where the people LOVED to dance and sing to the Lord. That afternoon we had meetings with the leaders of the group, and prepared for our training the next day. Along the way I heard an amazing story that happened in our leader Esron’s church the previous week. A lady came on Sunday morning to visit the church with her one week old newborn. She stayed for the service and then left WITHOUT her baby. Apparently she was looking for somewhere to leave the little one week old girl, and decided the church was the best place.

So the responsibility fell to Esron and his wife Kezia to care for the newborn (they also have an 18 month old girl, and three older kids). So they have very suddenly become a family of five. Orphanages are outlawed in Rwanda, so this was the baby’s only hope of survival. Talk about a surprising development in their life. So let’s keep this dear family in our prayers.

I also enjoyed their 18 month old girl, Cathy. I brought her a special present, a doll, from my daughter Alyssa. Cathy couldn’t stop smiling and never let go of it. 

Our Rwandan trainers made significant progress as the week continued on. We were deeply encouraged by their growth in handling the Word, and grasping the original intent of the authors for their audience. Along the way, we heard quotes like these:

Pastor Jean Bartimas – “I used to take several passages and mash them together.  Now I focus on one passage.  When I prepare now I read and read (the passage) looking for connective words.”

Pastor Stephen – “I am pleased with training because I spend a lot of time as a pastor and I was a slave (meaning I did not know how to preach freely, just what I saw others doing around me).  This is sharpening me.  I have learned much in these sessions to sharpen pastors.”

Pastor Ezekiel – I spent a lot of time preaching.  I have never seen training like this connecting all the verses together.  There was no structure and I used to preach my own words.  Now, I can point to the text in context, so thank you because many preach with no context.  We are pleased with this training.  It has given us an understanding of Bible Study.  The “Pathway” has really helped and I use this all the time and now am beginning to understand the Bible’s redemptive story.

Praise God for these awesome testimonies of growth.

Another praise was that every one of the Rwandan trainers is passing the training on to at least several other pastors and leaders. This is central to our strategy, and I’m praising God it is happening well.

Following the training, we went immediately to the airport to catch a flight to Kenya, where we met with another fantastic group. But I will tell you about that next time.

Pressing on, Eric