Usually when I travel internationally I’m somewhere on the continent of Africa. This time, I was only on African soil for about 40 hours, my briefest time ever. After a delayed departure, thus missing a connection in Amsterdam, I was rerouted through Nairobi and eventually made it to Rwanda at 1AM a couple days later. Pastor Jean Paul picked me up from the airport, we slept for a couple hours at his place, then headed three hours to the north to the city of Musanze. I trained a group of about 22 pastors in what we call a “pre-launch conference,” where they receive a brief taste of Pathways and learn details of the program. They were so excited, and it was a joy to set this network up for a successful launch in May 2023.
After the conference, I met with the network coordinators, let by Pastor Nicodeme, and we strategized many details for a healthy launch. That night, finally I was able to get some sleep, and got up early the next morning for a run before church. I preached at Nicodeme’s church, then headed back down to Kigali for me evening flight. Whew!
From there, it was an exercise in cross-cultural transition as I flew from Rwanda through Amsterdam to Bucharest, Romania. Eastern Europe and East Africa are radically different (no surprise there.) I met my teammate Steve and his wife Diana and colleague Michael, and we took in a few sights in Bucharest, like the People’s Palace Parliamentary building – one of the largest buildings in the world. 12 floors, over 2000 employees, one million cubic tons of marble – the largest concentration of marble in any building. The Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu’s goal was to impress major world leaders with his palace, which he never saw completed.
From there we headed four hours away by train to Craiova. As Steve and I began to work with this network for their final Pathways workshop and graduation, they quickly realized that I was bringing some of Africa with me. After a lengthy review of all Pathways principles, the network participants began to preach full messages through the book of Colossians while Steve and I offered assistance in how they could develop their Bible study and preaching skills. Encouraging and challenging the pastors was a joy as they were eager to receive any feedback.
During the week I was there, Steve and I also worked with teammate Mike to finish our Whole Story revision. Each day I would sneak away for a run to a local park, and although it was freezing cold most of the time, getting daily exercise kept me balanced in the midst of a full schedule.
The last day we distributed graduation certificates, offered final prayers, pictures, and then I finished preparation for the sermon I would preach last Sunday. The church service was significantly different than what you find in Africa, much more similar to an American evangelical church service. But God’s people are God’s people wherever they are, and it was again a joy to bring God’s Word to them. Following that, it was off to the train station, back to Bucharest, and a few flights home. Then a sweet reunion with my bride.
While I was away, since all the kids are also away, Holly was home alone, not a sweet spot for her. So before my next trip, we’ll need to figure out a different plan so she has a more positive experience. Thank you for your prayers as God’s Word continues to be faithfully preached by pastors around the world.
One thing that struck me was that God delights in worship from every people and tribe and language and culture. The distinct cultural traditions between Rwanda and Romania are obvious, and we can appreciate them. Enjoy this video: