Reflections on This Journey

Sometimes coming home is more challenging than going; we come back different people as a result of what is experienced during a ministry trip. Our vision is expanded, our hearts softened, and our minds challenged. Only those who shared this particular experience can truly understand the impact, and then again, none of us has truly processed it all to see all that God has done and is doing through it in each one of our lives.

As a part of encouraging team members to think through how they want to communicate about their ministry experience, we encourage them to think of three descriptive words that capture the essence of the trip. We do this ourselves, though with the number of trips, we sometimes have "repeat" words. For this Rwanda/Burundi trip I chose these three words: piercing, surprising, and compelling. Being in Rwanda during the Genocide Memorial week, hearing so many testimonies and seeing news footage of the last genocide truly pierced my heart. The pain and aftermath became brutally real. I was surprised at the stark contrast between Rwanda and Burundi. Rwanda has enjoyed peace and stability for a number of years now; there is new development going on. Kigali is clean; flowers are growing. Though there is yet much to do, but a lot has been accomplished. By contrast, Burundi is still a country divided by conflict with little resolution. Tension and fear are evident. Rebel bombing outside Bujumbura resumed the night we flew out to return home. The believers are amazingly strong; such perseverance! But there has not been the same sort of resolution and rebuilding in Burundi as is seen in Rwanda; they are desperately in need of help. All this leads to my last word, compelling. We feel even more compelled to support and gather more support for this ministry! We saw and heard for ourselves just how life changing this ministry is in the lives of those who are part of the training programs and outreach ministry. As woman after woman shared her own story, we truly saw new life. Where there was no hope and despair, now they have hope, skills, and aspirations for the future....and they know it is because of Jesus.

During our last visit with the women at the training center in Burundi, I shared Psalm 10. Though written hundreds of years ago, the words are so very appropriate to their situation today. If you read through the chapter, you will sense the frustration and despair of being victimized by evil people who seem to "get away" with their evil plans, preying on the innocent and the unfortunate. The wicked say "God has forgotten," and it is tempting to believe that if you look only at the circumstances. BUT....the Psalm ends with the affirmation that God is the helper of the orphan. He is the King forever; He hears the desire of the humble and will strengthen those who suffer. He will vindicate the orphan and the oppressed! We believe and trust that the Lord does indeed hear the cries of His people in Rwanda and Burundi. He cares about those who suffer, is a father to the fatherless and a husband to the widow. These women are standing on these truths! We are committed to standing with them, praying for them, supporting them and anticipating with them the good things the Lord does for His Glory! Please continue to pray for Peace, Ruth, all the women who serve with them, the families touched by this ministry, peace and resolution for Burundi, and the unity and impact of the church in this region, "that man who is of the earth may cause terror no more." Ps. 10:18

Our team says thanks

John, Diane, Robin, Suzanne, Carolyn, Peace, Barb, Danny and Jason

Thanks for your prayers.  Join us next year and meet the incredible people that God is using to reach the people of Central Africa.  It is amazing, don't miss the joy and blessing that we experienced.

Signing off till then.

Amazing Grace

Coming home from Rwanda and Burundi I watched the movie, Amazing Grace, once again. It was even more poignant and powerful after being in Africa again and realizing how many are enslaved today through prostitution, sex trafficking, and forced labor, which is the focus of many of our ministry projects.  All the more reason to get involved.
 
A friend sent us this link.  Take the time to view and listen….. there are many, many still in need of His Grace!
 
Http://pjcockrell.wordpress.com/2007/11/22/amazing-grace-just-the-black-note

Blessings,
Diane

Diane's best shots

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/DianeSBestShotsInRwandaAndBurundi

Pictures of last day in Bujumbura

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/BurundiLastDays

Favorite shots at the hotel in Bujumbura

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/HotelScenes

Bujumbura time at the lake

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/BurundiTimeAtTheLake

Ministry pictures from Bujumbura

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/BujumburaMinistry

Burundi pictures from Friday

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/BurundiFriday

Burundi pictures from Thursday

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/BurundiThursday02

Beautiful evening at the Lake in Bujumbura

Thoughts from Jason

The trip was one in which I never dreamed I would be involved with.  This in itself is a great example of how God has shared his love with me.
I witnessed courageous people making the best of a bleak situation often with smiles on their faces.  Another example of grace.
I was able to hear testimonies and give examples of my own.  This was special because the people were so open with us and so humble.  They knew that we came because God wanted us to know that they were there and that they needed help.
We were allowed to attend a memorial service for the 14th anniversary of the 1994 genocide.  People were still humble allowing us to take seats and welcoming us.  This was the most emotional time of the trip, I now
have a more complete understanding of how many lives were devastated and how important it is to get involved with mission work.
I will never forget the faces of the children.  Their expressions told stories, many probably sad ones. They smiled anyway and always gave us warm greetings.
John and Diane on their own made the trip a joy.  Humble attitudes and a willingness to share about mission experience.  It was also a pleasure to watch them interact with locals as they always did with a servants
heart and a good amount of prayer.
This is a small example of how the trip affected me.  I will continue to keep the prayers going for the people, and the country.  I will also seek Gods will for my next trip through prayer.
-Thanks to everyone on the trip for making it memorable, I give all credit to God for changing me through this ministry.
        Jason Emore

Finally home Friday

Well we finally made it home on Friday less all of our luggage which is still in London as it did not make the flight with us today.  We are tired but glad to be home after 3 days of travel and all in the same clothes.  I believe that Robin is probably still on the road tonight as her family was picking her up in Tulsa before heading back over to Arkansas.  We appreciate all of your prayers for us during these days of ministry and travel.

I promise to have pictures of our time in Burundi on the blog by next week so that you can get a feel for our time in this incredible country and see the people that we met and minister with.

Have a great weekend and we all hope to be sharing with you soon in person.  God bless.

London finally

Well we finally made it to London late Thursday afternoon after arriving late at the airport, getting Suzanne and Carolyn off with Euan for a couple of days vacation here and then getting our hotel room and settled in and having a wonderful dinner, all on Kenya Airlines.  They have been nice in taking care of us.  After dinner 3 of the group decided to take the train into London for a quick visit, since Jason and Robin had not been here before so Danny volunteered to be their leader, we were just to tired to make another tour of London.  We met a neat guy hear at the airport and it turned out he was staying at the same hotel so we had dinner together tonight.  He is a church planter with E3Partners the group that makes the EvangeCubes.  He lives in Dallas so we had some things in common and actually knew several people that we do, small world isn't it.  So Friday morning we will be heading back to Houston and Calgary for our final legs of the trip except for Robin who has to go on to Tulsa then Arkansas.  It has been a great team and lots of flexibility on everyone's part.

Thanks for praying we will all have lots to share when we return.

Wednesday stuck

We arrived in Nairobi this afternoon a few minutes late and then got our transit visas to go and have dinner with Judy here but as we finished getting our visas a representative from Kenya Airlines approached me and said that our flight to London tonight had been cancelled and that we would have to spend the night here and take the 7:45 a.m. flight out in the morning and then we would have to spend the next day in London and then fly home a day late.  So for the past 4 hours we have been working on this with a few complications involved but hopefully we will be home by Friday.  we are all tired and ready to come home but we will be there soon.

We had a great trip and sad good byes today in Burundi.  Lots of new friends made.

Tuesday Generosity

Tuesday:  Generosity

Today we visited the Burundi coffee processing plant to see how Burundi’s major crop is prepared.  The delicious aroma greets you before you can enter the door!  It was interesting to see how the beans go through roasting, cooling, and grinding.  The packages are still prepared by hand; one person scoops the coffee into the bag, another seals it, and then it’s ready to be distributed.  We were able to get bags of coffee that were still warm. That’s what I call fresh!

The rest of the day was spent with the women at the training center.  It was our last chance to worship and pray with them, a very special time indeed.  Testimonies, scripture, worship and praise and prayer have bonded us together as only He can.  We ended with a time of prayer in groups of three; the power of the Holy Spirit was quite evident in that place.

The ladies had made several items for the group.  They are doing good work, and they were happy that we were so pleased with the shirts and skirts.  Be prepared to see some out of the ordinary outfits from our team members when they return home!  The colors and patterns of the cotton here are so vivid; truly striking.

It’s hard to believe this is our last night in Burundi.  Peace and Emmanuel graciously hosted a wonderful dinner at their home, inviting the team, pastors, a minister of Parliament, PAWCA workers, and other friends.  What sweet fellowship!  We have been showered with love and generosity wherever we have gone.  The people here have absolutely spoiled us with their kindness and topped it off with presenting each team member with a parting gift, such generosity in contrast to their needs.  We are so very touched and humbled.

Each of us has been challenged, inspired, and moved by everything we have seen and heard here.   This is the heart of Africa.  We see the heart of Jesus in the believers we have met.  We see their struggles and have begun to identify with their pain, but we also have shared in their joy…the joy of the Lord!  Our prayer is that we can faithfully share their story when we return, to generate a movement of prayer for this country and provide greater support for the ministry of PACWA.  It is truly amazing to see what has been accomplished in only one year!  How Great is our God!

Monday Unity

Monday:  Unity

Today Peace and Marie Claire wanted to take us to some of their national memorials that overlook the entire city.  We drove into a distinctly different neighborhood where ambassadors and government leaders live, high above town, overlooking the beautiful lake and mountains.  We drove up to the first memorial, a tall spire depicting the struggle for independence.  The view was absolutely spectacular!    As we began to walk up to the memorial, guards stopped us and informed us that we were not allowed to be there without the mayor’s permission, though it is a public place.  We had a few moments to gaze over the city and pray before leaving.  We learned that we were turned away because of ethnicticity of our hosts, vivid evidence that unity is yet to be achieved.  What a stark irony from the words depicted on the memorial:  unity, work, development.  It reminded us of Jesus’ prayer that we would be one, of one heart and mind and spirit.

We then went to another memorial nearby honoring the last king and his family, sad reminders of assassination and poisoning of family members.  The same words are displayed urging unity and moving forward.  This is still the prayer of the people here.  When we were visiting with the former vice-president, he described the spirit of this country.  He said that Burundi is the heart of Africa geographically, and the hope is that Burundi will truly have the heart of God that will influence the entire continent.  We are praying for just that.

We’ve been hearing about crocodiles ever since we got here, especially about Gustov, a giant croc that supposedly lives deep in Lake Tanganyika.  We haven’t spotted Gustov, but we did get to see some good sized ones in a park.  The attendant wanted to show us how they fed the crocs (animal rights people, don’t get too alarmed here!).  They feed them live guinea pigs.  We witnessed nature in action as the crocodile stalked and captured its prey.  As soon as he did so, we heard what we assumed was a large flock of birds overhead, only to find that the trees were full of very large bats! 

For dinner we were treated to barbecue Burundi style, which was grilled goat.  The restaurant had beautiful atmosphere and played the praise music of the worship leader we heard on Sunday.  It’s not quite Texas BBQ, but it was good. We’ve had very good food here and have certainly not starved.

It’s hard to believe that our time is coming to a close.  The more we see, the more we understand the huge need for prayer.  The more people we meet and share hearts with, the more specifically we can pray.  Our hope is that you will pray along with us!  We have yet to see the powerful effects on this country and other parts of the world if we would join together to unleash the power of prayer!

 

Sunday worship

Sunday:  Worthy!

What a joy to worship at Life Center Church today!  We drove through a poorer area to a tent covered, open air facility where more than 1,000 gather.  We had met the pastor Mark and his wife Betty a few days ago and were looking forward to being with them and their congregation.

The tent was full; there was an entire section of children on the side.  How they did sing!!  We got some great photos of these little praise singers.  The worship team was phenomenal!  The worship leader is apparently well known in the country, and we could see why.  He led everyone into an attitude of worship so effectively; the musicians and worship singers were so gifted and sang beautifully.  It was like being among a heavenly chorus to be among the people.  The worship centered on He is worthy!  Worthy is the Lamb!  This was no dry, routine singing….this was true praise and adoration.

Danny gave the message for the service, giving a clear presentation of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, referring back to Gen. 2 and 3, how God provided the covering for Adam and Eve by shedding the blood of an animal to provide the skin covering, setting the stage for The Sacrifice of Jesus that provided The final atonement for our sin.  It was a powerful message.

This afternoon John, Jason and Danny met with 27 pastors from the area who came to discuss the needs of the church and the challenges they face.  They shared the pressures of the political, economic, and educational difficulties here.  Most congregations cannot pay a pastor, so they must try to find work in the private sector as well as keeping up with their pastoral responsibilities.  This, on top of everything else, makes their lives very difficult.  They expressed their discouragement, frustration, and desire for Bible training.  Here, as in so many places, pastors can rarely afford to go to seminary or bible college.  They all stated that they need and want training on how to effectively study and communicate the scriptures so that they can be more effective in ministry.  Pray with us, and them, that GLOMOS, the pastoral training program Global Action has developed, can be made available for Burundi.  The need is definitely there, the desire for it is keen.  It will take financial resources to get it translated and prepared for use here.  Pray that this can be done!

Each day we are touched more deeply by the people we meet.  We see their pain and joy, their frustration and hope.  But in the believers, we also see such a sense of worship.  He is indeed worthy of all praise!

Saturday adoption

Saturday – “Adoption”

We met a nice couple at the hotel from Australia.  They have just adopted a little

3 ½ year old boy, Erik, here in Burundi.  They told us that they had begun the adoption process six years ago and have been finalizing the adoption for Erik for two years. They were leaving today for Nairobi to get a visa for Erik, and then they would fly to Johannesburg and on to Brisbane, Australia.  Quite a long journey for this little guy!  And what a change to move to Australia!  The couple was obviously thrilled and anxious to take their son home.  They had waited a long time for this and looking forward to introducing their new little boy to their family.  It reminded me of the love God has for us, His adopted children!

“In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his please and will, to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has feely given us in the One he loves.”  Eph. 1:5

Then we went to visit the widows and orphans being helped by the PACWA group.   We drove into a very poor area composed of mud brick houses with tin roofs, down narrow dirt roads.  We came to the house being built by Joy, the 66 yr. old “worship leader” of the group.  It is incomplete; open areas in the roof, dirt floor, no doors, windows, but it serves as a meeting place nonetheless.  Earlier we had picked up bags of rice, beans, salt and soap to share with these women and the orphans.  We entered into the small area inside the shell of the house to the joyful sounds of praise!  Again, we were greeted so warmly with such appreciation.  We shared with them how precious they are to the Lord, that He cares for them and will provide.  The supplies we brought and shared with these women will last about 3 days; we pray with them that their needs will indeed be supplied beyond that.  The children waited outside, quietly sitting on mats.  It’s hard to imagine kids at home sitting like that for so long!  After serving the ladies, we shared donuts with the children; that brought on bright smiles!  They sang praise songs, and even in their impoverished condition, had joy.  It is obvious that children are treasured; they see them as gifts of the Lord, though sometimes they just don’t have the means to care for them.  Many children have lost both of their parents through war and disease.  God promises to be the husband to the widow and a father to the fatherless; they are clinging to that promise!  Other families often take in these children, even when they can barely take care of what they already have.  Few, if any, will ever be adopted, but they are being “adopted” by their Heavenly Father who adores them.  As they hear about Jesus and realize what He did for them, how He loves them, many are coming to Christ, receiving eternal life and the promise of hope.

Last night we had the great honor of having dinner at the home of the former second-vice president of Burundi.  His wife, Marie Claire, is a member of PACWA, works with Peace, and is a huge prayer warrior.  Martin, her husband, is a pediatrician,  was later a vice-president, stepped down from the vice-presidency last fall and is still active in government and political affairs.  He is also a believer, and it was a privilege to be in their home and talk about the future of Burundi and its people.  Martin shared about the difficulties here and the need for fervent prayer for peace and security. He emphasized that most of all, they need prayer!  How privileged we were to spend time with them; how encouraging to know there are believers in the political arena, but they do need huge amounts of prayer for the challenges they face.

We met their oldest son, Francis, who is now in law school here in Bujumbura.  He wants to be an attorney who can be an advocate for the disenfranchised, the orphans and widows; what a calling!  We want to pray for this family as well as this country, for the healing that is so needed, for peace and safety so that they can begin a rebuilding process.  As Martin agreed, the country will change when hearts are changed, and only Jesus can bring about that transformation.

Body guards for V.P. at hotel

Diane forgot to mention that when the V.P. was at the hotel here and when he left with his soldiers and body guards one soldier was standing near by with a grenade launcher, we have not seen one of those in Houston in quite sometime.  They are serious here but we just walked around before he came out and no one motioned us out of the way.  Interesting scene.

Power of Prayer

Power of Prayer

Today we were able to spend time with the women in the training center.  Many of the women shared their stories; their testimonies were powerful!  The common thread of all of them was prayer, the power of prayer as they prayed together about their struggles and burdens.  One woman shared about being in an abusive situation with her husband.  Peace met with her, and together, they prayed for God to work miraculously in their marriage.  God answered her prayers, and their relationship is healed.  One young woman shared about living on the streets, begging for food each day.  She heard about the ministry group in Bujumbura, came for prayer, and now she is part of the training program, providing for herself and her children.  Each woman shared about harsh situations they were in, abuse, poverty, hopelessness, until they became involved with the ministry center.  Here they heard about Jesus, shared one another’s burdens, prayer fervently, and have seen changed lives!  In just one year that this program has been in place, we could see the huge impact it has had on so many lives.

I have never seen a workplace filled with dancing and singing as this training center!  What a joy to work in that kind of environment!  In every aspect of the ministry, you sense the power of prayer; it’s what sustains them.

As we were leaving the hotel today, we noticed the red carpet laid out in front of the hotel (this is the second time a dignitary has been at the hotel for a meeting since we’ve been here.)  This time, it was the first vice-president of Burundi.  A full entourage of vehicles, guards, and a truck loaded with soldiers were waiting in front of the hotel for his departure.  It was interesting to watch all this as they facilitated his departure, also a bit eerie.

We then went to see Lake Tanganyika, an enormous lake bordered by Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi.  Walking along the sandy shores, we took in the amazing mountains that surround the lake.  Huge thunderclouds piled on top of the peaks.  Rustic fishing boats can be seen on shore and on the water.  The tranquil sound of waves beating against the shore was a vivid picture of God’s power and peace.

Gazing across this beautiful scene, now so peaceful, it is hard to imagine this as a place of strife.  It seems so calm.  But today, we were asked to pray for Burundi, for the people, for peace, security, unity and especially the needs of widows and orphans.

We have met so many lovely people here already, including Peace’s sister and cousin who work with her in ministry.  We also had the honor of having one of the MP (cabinet ministers) come to the hotel to greet us today.  He is in charge of the southern part of the country where Peace is from.  Global Action provided a container of medical equipment for a maternity hospital in this district, and the MP wanted to greet us personally to thank us for this generous gift.  He was very grateful and said it had made a huge difference at the hospital.  What a blessing it is to be able to share much needed equipment like this with areas who desperately need it!  It reminded us that Global Action has been given so much medical equipment and supplies that need funding to ship them to needy places like Burundi.  Pray that resources will be given to send out many more containers.

The more we are with the people, the more we feel connected to them.  It’s easy to feel drawn to them, pray and praise with them.  Their expressions of gratitude just for coming, praying, and encouraging them makes the long journey entirely worthwhile.

We arrived in Burundi

Day of Promise

We said our farewells to Rwanda this morning, bound for Burundi.  It was a great flight, all 30 minutes of it!  The view of Burundi from the air is like a vast, variegated, green patchwork quilt.  As we descended, we caught the beautiful view of the mountain range capped with billowing clouds that separate Burundi from Congo. Again, we received such a joyful welcome from Peace’s husband, Emmanuel, her sister, Phoebe, and several other ladies from their group.  Now settled into the hotel, we had a bit of time just to enjoy a peaceful terrace, watch the ornate African cranes walking about (which became a bit TOO friendly with Barb and Carolyn!) and begin to get the feel for Burundi.

Just from our drive from the airport, it is evident that Burundi has not had the economic renewal that Rwanda has.  We haven’t seen new construction, repaired roads or any of the improvements that surprised us in Rwanda.

Tonight we got to meet with the ministry group that Peace leads; they meet every Thursday night for prayer, worship, and encouragement.  It is always so good to join in with their lively praise and worship!  A dear little 66 yr. old woman (that is an older woman here) danced and sang enthusiastically, encouraging all of us to join in the celebration.  We could learn a lot about worship from her!

Greetings were shared, as we are learning that greetings are very important in Africa.  We are all overwhelmed with how happy the people are to greet us!  They are so grateful for the support that has been given to their ministry projects.  One young woman shared how this ministry has totally changed her life, how the love and witness of these women led her to the Lord and gave her hope.  She wanted us to know how blessed she is and to express her thanks.

Tomorrow we will visit the ministry center where they have the sewing and hair dressing training.  We’ll also have some time to meet with the leaders for a time of sharing and testimony.

Burundi suffered the same terror of genocide as Rwanda.  The wounds still appear to be very tender and hard to heal. The faces of the women bear the pain of that suffering, and from what we understand, there has been less reconciliation here than in Rwanda.

Please pray for Burundi, for those involved in ministry here, for those who suffer great loss, widows who struggle to survive, and those dying of AIDS.  Pray that we can bring them encouragement and a measure of comfort while we are here.

As we left the hotel this evening, we noticed a large, complete rainbow arched over the city.  It was bright and beautiful, seeming to envelop all of Bujumbura.  To see a glorious rainbow reminded us of God’s promise and His faithfulness.  On the surface, it may look like God has forgotten this land, but His promises remain.  Jesus is and has always been the source of hope and life.  Pray for these believers to persevere in that hope and share that hope with their country, to bring true healing to this nation.

Wednesday pictures from Rwanda

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/RwandaWednesday

We will be leaving Rwanda around 12:30 p.m. local time for a short 1 1/2 hour flight to Bujumbura the capital, then get checked into the hotel and rest before a meeting later in the afternoon and dinner with all of the PACWA/WOGA leaders in Burundi.  We have had a great time in Rwanda and will miss the neat people we have met here and shared in their lives.  We are looking forward to returning with another team in the near future.

Thanks for praying for us.  We hope to continue to provide daily updates from Burundi but if the connections are bad please do not worry about us.  Peace tells us that the situation is very poor there, UN says it is the poorest country in the world now with the average wage of around $100.00 per year per family.

John

Beautiful Day in Rwanda

Today’s word – beautiful!  We ventured out to the countryside today about an hour away from Kigali. As we left the city and began winding our way on the curvy, mountainous roads, we were struck with the beauty of this land!  Lush, green, mountains with all sorts of crops grew on tiered layers along the mountainsides.  Obviously fertile soil, there were continuous rice field, sugar cane stands, banana groves, beautiful flowers, and towering eucalyptus trees.  Truly beautiful!

We arrived at the village town of Byumba, north of Kigali near the Ugandan border, to visit another ministry center where women are being trained to sew and weave baskets.  We are so thankful for the men who are teaching sewing at the project centers; they have hearts to teach and help women who have suffered so much hardship.  The class today was on measuring accurately for clothing.  You should see the “blackboard” the teacher is using.  The surface has been so used that there is barely any “black” left!  I could barely see his writing, but this is all they have to work with.  As in every location, the teachers, helpers, and women overflow with thankfulness for the sewing machines, supplies, and funds to even have such opportunities.  They are so truly grateful.

Next to the sewing area is an open area where they come together to worship as well as work.  The weavers were busily creating beautiful round baskets.  I think we are bringing most of them home with us!  They also weave mats that are used for bedding.  We had a sweet time of sharing, praising and praying with them before we left.

It is the rainy season here, but we have been so blessed with wonderful weather.  We had a good downpour last night, but it didn’t interfere with any of the travels.  Today it rained while we were at the center, but stopped by the time we needed to leave, leaving everything looking clean and fresh; more praises.

Ruth, the Rwandan director, invited us to her home tonight for a farewell dinner.  There is no better honor than being invited into someone’s home.  The ladies had prepared a delicious meal for us, and then the singing and sharing began.  These are truly beautiful women with beautiful hearts.  Several of the pastors joined us tonight as well, and it is so encouraging to see the unity and fellowship this group enjoys.

We had the joy of giving a guitar to Peter, Ruth’s son who has the beautiful voice.  He definitely has a musical gift, and was thrilled to have an instrument of his own!   Our friend, Tony, designed these guitars to be used and transported all over the world, and through generous donations, we have been able to share one on every team; it is such a blessing to those who receive them. 

An added honor and blessing we received tonight were gifts of traditional dress made by one of the ladies in the sewing center.  All five of us ladies were “dressed” by our sisters in elegant dresses; such graciousness!

There is no such thing as a short goodbye here, but as we exchanged hugs, prayers, thank yous, and words of encouragement, we returned to the hotel to pack our bags for Burundi.  It’s so hard to believe that our time in Rwanda has come to an end!  We have all been touched in a deeply personal way by the people here; we have grieved with them over all they have endured, we’re celebrated and shared joy together, and we have formed a bond that is truly “beautiful.”

They have asked us to ask all of you to please pray for them and their country, and they have promised to pray for us and our country.  Please join us in remembering them and doing what we can to support them and expand the ministry here.

Diane for the team

Pictures from Rwanda Tuesday

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/RwandaTuesday

Meeting with pastors in Kigali

Tuesday afternoon, Danny, Jason and I had the opportunity to visit with three of the pastors of one of the denominations in Rwanda who oversea 150 churches throughout the country.  I asked them about sharing the challenges within the church and what we could pray about with them as they reach the country of Rwanda.  Pastor Karangwa Eustache Amani shared with us about the history of the church in Rwanda starting with the Catholic Church about 100 years ago and then missionaries came from the west.   During these times Christianity was over 90% in the country but since Genocide it has dropped down to 45%.  One of the reason this happened as there were many Christians but very few had ever been discipled in their lives.  He is very concerned about the drop but understands there is a big problem with this.  They feel that many who have accepted Christ have had no follow up and oh did I mentioned that 45% of the population of Rwanda does not read or write.  They want to start with the children but no Sunday School classes or teachers for them, then the youth which is becoming a large population in the country.  There are few pastors who want to work for zero dollars as they too need to provide for their families.  This denomination does not have money to pay their pastors or even the upper level leaders.  Poverty, war, genocide and many other factors have led to the drop in Christians in the country.  They are looking at starting small house churches which have been successful in the past or maybe even build a small building so that the congregation could at least get out of the rain or cold weather but the government is concerned about groups of people meeting like this as they fear that they may be plotting against the government. The church in Rwanda is meeting with the government officials to try and resolve this issue.

Of course one of the biggest problems in the church today is still the trust factor after the genocide 14 years ago and then reconciliation, how do they do this?

Many questions and many concerns from the church leaders.  Oh and last but never least, the Muslims are moving into their towns and offering people money to convert to Islam.  So many are doing this due to the poverty and other situations.  So you can see why the church is concerned but they are willing to press forward and reach these areas and bring the church back to Rwanda.  There are now 3 mosques in the Kigali now, do you know haw many are in your home town?  We need to start looking around.

Please pray for the churches in Rwanda that they will continue to share Christ love with others and that many will come to know Jesus and then for them to be discipled by others and not left alone.  Pray for the youth of this country and their growth in the Lord and for the church to hold together in the name of Jesus and not their tribes.

John

Visiting the sewing projects on Tuesday

Sunday – Joy

Monday – Sorrow

Tuesday – Hope!

These are the words that best characterize the past three days.  Today we went to two of the ministry projects here in Kigali where widows and orphans are learning to sew, cook, and make intricate baskets.  With these skills, they can earn a living and provide for themselves and their families.  They can pay school fees so their children can go to school, as well as provide basic necessities.  The smiles of these women said it all!  They are so grateful to learn, to work, and to provide.  They WANT to learn and work!   They are proud of their work, and rightfully so.  Not only are their economic situations improving, but more importantly, they have the opportunity to know the God who loves them and realize their value and worth in His eyes.

The first program we visited is located in Ruth’s home where we had our joyous welcome our first night.  Again, the children greeted us at the gate; the women were busily at work using every square inch they can manage.  One of the little boys, Amable, latched onto us and quickly became a new friend.  He’s about 4, talks non-stop, loves to pray and obviously listens in Sunday School.  What a sweetheart! We also got to meet two of Ruth’s children, Peter and Esther.  They are both ready to enter university, and we prayed with them that God would make a way for them to go. Ruth said that Peter wanted to share a song with us; what an incredible voice declaring God’s amazing love!  As we prayed and sang together, we were reminded that we truly are one body, His body.  

The second ministry center is another sewing project.  Again, they have as any machines as they can cram into their small space.  Two women have to share a machine; there are two sessions at each location, morning and afternoon to train as many women as possible   Given more space and equipment, they would be able to train so many more.  We’re praying with them to be able to do that.

This afternoon Suzanne was able to share prayer ministry training with the ministry leaders, which was quite a blessing for them.  It’s wonderful to be able to encourage and support those who are giving so much to others and provide tools to help them in ministry.

As we drove through the city today, we saw evidence of reconstruction efforts in Rwanda.  The new buildings, improved roads, cleanliness, all point to stages of recovery for the nation, definite signs of hope.  The greatest evidence, though, is in the faces of the women we met with today.  Their lives are being transformed; they have the eternal hope of Jesus in their hearts and hope for today and tomorrow as they learn skills that will supply their basic needs.  They have true hope now and for eternity.

Life is hard here; the trauma of the past still haunts, but we saw real hope today.  With God, nothing is impossible.  Diane

Tuesday schedule

Pray for us on Tuesday as we will be heading out to visit 2 of the projects that Ruth works with in training and discipling these young ladies and widows in sewing.  they do such beautiful work.

Our team of ladies will be sharing with them about some of the things that have happened in their lives as well and how God is working through these issues with them.  they will also be encouraging them and praying together.

Danny, Jason and I will will head out during the day to go and visit some of the pastors that Ruth works with in these communities, pray for wisdom for us as we come along side of these dear men.

Pictures from Monday

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/RwandaMonday

Almost too much for words for me today

Well it is about 10:30 p.m. on Monday and words can hardly describe the day we had today.  As we might have mentioned in the blog yesterday it looked like we might get to attend the national genocide ceremony in remembrance on the 14th anniversary of this tragic event in history.  Well we got there and they moved us right up to front row near the official party and actually moved some of the families around so that we could seat most of the team and Peace.  We were a bit embarrassed by all of this.  During the next 3 hours it was one of the most draining experiences we have ever encountered.  They played songs that named the names of the people who were responsible for the 1993 genocide stating that they know where you and your family are and we are here, many live in Europe and many are still on trial waiting to be sentenced after 14 years.  Then one survivor after another got up and shared their story, most are to hard to even put on this page so I won’t give you the details.  As this part started many in the crowd started wailing in anguish as they were recalling the actual details of what had happened to their parents and other family members.  At this point I put away my camera for the day as I could not photograph any more of the victims.  There cries hurt to much.  As I listened to the cries in brought back earlier thoughts when I woke this morning at 4:30 a.m., jet lag I guess and I stood on the balcony of our hotel room and looked over part of the city and near by hills and saw no movement just a few blinking lights.  When the cries of the single individuals stated during the ceremony I thought what must it have been like 14 years ago as families witnessed these things and the cries came by the thousands all at once for 100 days.  They still continue today.  We need to make sure that this never happens again.  Rwanda is a proud country, beautiful in many ways, extremely clean no trash on the roads anywhere and new homes being built where ever you look.  One of the official Rwanda cabinet members spoke at the end and thanked all of the people who have come from other countries to help them over the years.  Helping them rebuild, provide jobs and schooling for their children, other things.  Pray with us that we in the West will never let this happen again any where in our world.  We can not sit around as we did in the past and do nothing.  These are our brothers and sisters and we need to stand with them and show them that we care and we will not forget them.  We had a wonderful time of prayer today with Peace and Ruth, praying for their ministries here and in Burundi.  We won't forget today what we heard and what we saw.  John

It is hard for words to describe what happened today

What a difference a few hours can make.  Less than 24 hours ago, we were dancing, singing and joining in a totally joyful celebration.  Any words chosen to describe the night would center around joy!  This morning we went to the Rwandan National Genocide Memorial to join hundreds of genocide survivors in a ceremony for their official Day of Mourning.  Even after processing the events of this morning for a number of hours, there are just no words to describe what we witnessed.  The ceremony began with poignant music expressing grief, terror, unimaginable suffering.  Two genocide survivors shared their own personal experiences.  It is one thing to read about it, see movies or documentaries about the horror, but it is quite another to hear first hand from someone reliving atrocities before your eyes.  As they spoke, the cries of those overcome with grief, experiencing what appeared to be flashbacks to what they endured, began to ring out over the enormous crowd.  Special volunteers quickly responded to assist those needing support, medical care, and comfort.  Their wails pierced our hearts.  What they cried out, from Peace’s interpreting, revealed horrific memories, such unfathomable grief and wounds that reached into their souls.  The crowds remained calm.  Other speakers shared gratitude for those who have come since the latest genocide to help Rwanda recover and expressed hope for their country, pleading for peace, unity, commitment to not allow this horror to occur ever again, and for the people to have a resolve to be strong.

We surely participated in a sacred event this morning.  Though we will never truly understand what these people have endured, for that point in time, we shared a small measure of their pain.  We were compelled to pray in a way that I doubt we have before.  For those moments, we were granted the privilege and pain of joining in their suffering.

I truly can’t find the words to express the depths of the sorrow and pain we witnessed, and this after fourteen years have passed.

Tomorrow as we meet with the widows and orphans who remain, our hearts will no doubt be more tender, our desire to walk alongside them dearer, and our prayers more fervent as a result of this day, as well as even more desire to support this ministry.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ’s behalf:  Be reconciled to God.” 

II Cor. 5: 17-20

Diane

Monday morning in Rwanda

This year I have decided to let you see all of the pictures I took with some captions from the days. I hope this works good for you and you enjoy staying up to date with us.  Thank you so much for your prayers.  We are feeing them.

Today, Monday we are heading off to a national day of remembering the Genocide of 14 years ago here in Rwanda and will actually get to hear the President of Rwanda speak.  From what we understand this will be a very emotional day for the people of Rwanda as they remember their families and what happen.  

When I awoke this morning at 4:30 a.m. I looked out of my hotel room on the city and the hillside with the lights twinkling and with no movement at all on the streets and tried but knowing that I could not fully understand what happened here in 1994.  It was a somber feeling.

Have a great day.  Everyone sends their love and we wish you were all here to experience this with us and what God is doing in Rwanda.  Maybe next year?  YES.

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/RwandaSunday

We are finally in Rwanda Sunday evening

Finally…..we are in Rwanda!  After quite a long journey ( two 8-9 hour legs to London and Nairobi with 6 hr. layovers in both places, plus delays, then another flight to Rwanda) we finally touched ground in Kigali, the capital city.  What a beautiful country!  Lush green, beautiful spring skies, flowering trees and plants, all exhibiting the vibrant colors of Africa.  Not only did Peace, our wonderful director of ministry for Central Africa, greet us, but precious PACWA women who minister with Peace (from Burundi) and Ruth here in Rwanda.  What a sweet welcome!  They insisted on hauling our bags to the bus and lovingly made us feel like honored guests.  As we drove to the hotel, we took in the sights, brilliant green terraced land dotted with homes.  Numerous buildings under construction show signs of an improving economy.  After a much needed opportunity to finally clean up and feel human again, we went to Ruth’s home to meet some of the widows, orphans, and families of the ministry program.  As soon as we drove to the entrance to her home, we were greeted by a crowd of children, widely smiling and anxious to shake the muzungu (white people) hands. We entered the yard to a much larger than expected gathering and a group of the young women dancing toward us to a chorus of praise music.  What a joyous celebration!  We were instantly buoyed up, forgetting for the while that most of us hadn’t had more than a few hours sleep in the last 48+ hours, as we were caught up in worship, dancing, and clapping.  Such enthusiastic worship!  It didn’t matter that we couldn’t understand most of the words; the spirit spoke clearly.  Group after group offered songs of welcome, praise, and blessing, just a taste of what it will be like in heaven when every tribe and tongue will be worshiping together!  It was a huge blessing, and we could not have had a more wonderful introduction to Rwanda.

This is the anniversary of the last genocide, and tomorrow is their national memorial day.  We are going to a special ceremony tomorrow at the site of a mass burial during the genocide for a time of honoring those whose lives were taken during the conflict.  The president of Rwanda is to be the key speaker with many special and surely sobering events to remind the country and the world of the horrible result of tribal/sectarian strife, in hopes that it will never occur again.  There are still areas of needed reconciliation.  We will have the privilege of praying for and with the Rwandan people for healing, forgiveness, and unity.

Everyone is weary, jet lagged, and very ready for some good sleep, but also grateful that we are here.  Pray with us tomorrow for this country which still bears scars from repeated waves of hate and violence.  Pray for unity, strengthening of believers, and for that oneness that Jesus prayed for all of us.

To prepare our minds and hearts:

• Walk with humility – “Remember that you are showing up late to a meeting.  God has been at work among these people long before you arrived.”
• Embrace with affirmation – our greatest gift will be affirmation, not criticism
• Live with vulnerability – Don’t fear weakness- it’s our normal state
• Practice flexibility – ALWAYS expect the unexpected – We are NOT in control!
• Live as a student - Be determined to learn from everyone.
• Work as a servant – Be willing to do whatever needs to be done.
• Speak as a storyteller – Let the Spirit tell God’s story through you. 

Off to Africa

Tomorrow is the big day to depart for Burundi and Rwanda. After many months of praying and preparing, we will be on our way!
We do covet your prayers for the team, our ministry partners, and those we will minister to and with.           
So you can keep up with the team and “be” with us in prayer.  We’ve listed some specific prayer requests on the blog site below and hope that you will join with us in praying specifically and waiting expectantly to see all that the Lord is going to do.
You ARE vital partners in this ministry and this team; we are grateful for your support, encouragement, prayers!!  
We’ll keep the blog updated as much as possible so you can “see” what is happening during our time there.  We know that it will be GOOD!
Blessings to all...John and Diane for the team
  

Our schedule to Central Africa

Pray for our days in Central Africa 

April 4 from U.S. and Canada to London 

April 5 London to Nairobi

April 6 Nairobi to Kigali, Rwanda

April 6-10 Rwanda ministry

April 11 Kigali to Bujumbura, Burundi

April 11-16 in Bujumbura ministry

April 16 departure for home, Nairobi, London

April 17 arrive back in U.S. and Canada

BURUNDI/RWANDA MINISTRY TEAM PRAYER REQUESTS

Please join us in praying during our trip.  

For the Team:

1. To fully give ourselves to the work of the Lord (I Cor. 15: 56-58)
2. To be strengthened by His Spirit (Eph. 3: 14-20)
3. To be effective witnesses (Acts 1:8)
4. Be attentive to His voice (I Kings 19:11,12)
5. To be humble servants (Phil. 2)
6. See these countries and the people through His eyes
7. Be faithful intercessors
8. Protection and health 

For our Ministry Partners:

1. Strength, perseverance
2. Not growing weary in doing good
3. His strength would be manifested in their weakness
4. That they would be comforted and encouraged
5. Sense His peace and direction and abiding love
6. See the fruit of their labors
7. For God to fully supply their needs
8. More laborers to join them in ministry 

For Burundi and Rwanda:

1. That God’s Spirit will pour out over both countries.
2. That all the people will know the Lord and praise Him!
3. Reconciliation of factions
4. Unity and ministry of the churches
5. Economic help; jobs
6. Those suffering from HIV/AIDS
7. Healing of their lands
8. These countries to be a light to other nations

Final week before heading out

We are now 6 days away from leaving here heading to Rwanda and Burundi.  we are getting excited as a team but also facing some spiritual attacks, personal illness, families, etc.  The evil one really does not want us to go on this trip but God does.

Please pray for our team as we make our final preparations this week; Barb, Robin, Carolyn, Suzanne, Danny, Jason, Diane and John.  Also for Peace and her leaders in Rwanda and Burundi and all of the people that we will be making contact with while we are there.  We have some long travel over and back, leaving the U.S. and Canada Friday to London 6 hour layover, then to Nairobi on Saturday with another 7 hour layover then to Kigali Rwanda arriving at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.  We will be in Kigali for 4 days then we make a short 30 minute flight down to Burundi landing in Bujumbura the capital.  I think I mentioned earlier that Burundi is now considered the poorest country in the world with the average worker making $0.87 cents a day and that is to provide for their entire family(less than $300.00 per year).  Rwanda is improving some since the genocide in the 1993 but now 70% of the population is women (most men died during the genocide or AIDS).  Some reports say that the work force in Rwanda is 90% women, so you can see the need that we face there in helping them with micro enterprise and training so that they can provide for their families.

Thanks for praying.

Peace Nihorimbere is the leader of Women of Global Action for Central Africa

Peace Nihorimbere is the leader of Women of Global Action for Central Africa.  She is from Burundiand a survivor of three genocides in her country, which coincided with the genocide in Rwanda.  Her brother was killed in the genocide in Burundi in 1972.  Peace and her sisters, who were at boarding school, had to hide each night to escape attacks.  In 1993 Peace and her three children fled Burundi, lived with her sister in Switzerland and then settled in Canada. Eleven years later, God called Peace to return to Burundi to help rebuild her country.  She directs ministry to women and children, particularly widows, sharing the gospel and love of Jesus, coordinating micro-enterprise projects to provide women with a means to support their families, as well as coordinating ministry throughoutCentral Africa. Peace is an incredible example of God’s faithfulness and grace and is allowing herself to be His instrument to touch hundreds of lives in this region and beyond.

Recent background in Burundi

Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The new government, led by President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, signed a South African brokered ceasefire with the country's last rebel group in September of 2006 but still faces many challenges.

Burundi is slightly smaller than Maryland with a population 8.4 million with 2.9 million employed with a good wage of $.87 cents a day if you work with a labor union.  Burundi is now considered the poorest country in the world.

Rwanda and Burundi were the same country until colonization when they were split so the ethic groups are pretty much the same with Hutu at 85% and Tutsi at 14%.  

Religion is: Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%

Recent background in Rwanda

In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions, culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and the former Zaire. Since then, most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda, but several thousand remained in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (the former Zaire) and formed an extremist insurgency bent on retaking Rwanda, much as the RPF tried in 1990. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 and its first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections in August and September 2003 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output, and ethnic reconciliation is complicated by the real and perceived Tutsi political dominance. Kigali's increasing centralization and intolerance of dissent, the nagging Hutu extremist insurgency across the border, and Rwandan involvement in two wars in recent years in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts to escape its bloody legacy.

The country is the size of Maryland with a population of 9.9 million people.   4.6 million are employed with an average yearly income of $1,000 US.

Preparing for our trip

Well we are getting excited as Peace will be arriving in Houston tomorrow and staying with us for a week.  What an honor it is to have this incredible sister in Christ with us and to share about her life and what God is doing back in her country.  Join us in prayer this week as we have several meetings in the area.  It is going to be so neat for most of our team to meet her before we go.

Please pray for our final days leading up to our time in Central Africa.