CHANGED: When God Moves

Our team has been home from Rwanda for just over two weeks. While our bodies have acclimated to time and routine, our hearts and minds continue to process all we experienced.

Unforgettable

If you followed the blog during our travels, you’ve already heard poignant testimonies from some of our team members. If internet difficulties hadn’t gotten in the way, you would have read similar stories each day. Every one of us saw God move in powerful ways, and we are changed.

Kristi:

My life has changed so much but at the same time stayed the same. People that know me may not see the change, but I see it, feel it and live it. I have a sense of peace and hope that I had never known before. I fell in love with Africa - the people, the land and the beauty of it all. I felt The Lord at work in Africa - I felt The Lord at work in me. The sense of peace that I feel is real! I know it is real because The Lord gave PERSPECTIVE to me on this trip.

Leah:

I am able to say that my faith has grown, which is no small thing. I have considered myself handicapped by the level of my faith and so frustrated by my lack of faith. But I knew that was something that I couldn't conjure up on my own, but something The Spirit had to work about in me. My prayers are no longer empty, without expectation. God has allowed me to see Him working before my eyes and I'm forever grateful and forever changed.

Cara:

I have always struggled with joy. Joy is something that has never come easy to me and something I've never really worked at. But after going to Kimisagara and seeing how incredibly joyful those sweet children are, though they have absolutely nothing, is a slap in the face. I am now so much more aware of joy and I can honestly say I have more joy in Christ because of our experience.

It would take far more than a blog post to capture all the unforgettable moments from our time in Rwanda. For now I’ll just give you a few highlights:

1. Children Serving Children

While I’ve heard all along that the kids at Kimisagara love each other like family, this was my first opportunity to witness it firsthand. I loved seeing the older kids care for the little ones, and to recognize the trust and affection they have for one another.

And what a joy it was to see our two youngest team members, Molly (11) and Annabell (9), pour themselves into the children. These girls were resilient, patient, and eager to serve. I learned just by watching them, and our team was stronger for having them there.

2. Rwanda the Beautiful

We spent our last 36 hours in Gisenyi, a lake town in northwest Rwanda. The 4-hour drive from Kigali to Gisenyi was breathtaking, with panoramic vistas of terraced hills, rural settlements, and volcanic mountains. While we love Kigali, it was a treat to see more of the landscape and appreciate the incredible diversity and beauty of the nation.

3. James

Throughout our trip, James demonstrated contagious joy and inspiring faith. This is a man who walks with God. In Gisenyi he bestowed on us the privilege of hearing his story – a miraculous account of salvation, restoration, and hope. Our Imana Kids are blessed to have him in their lives, and he would say the same of them.

Thank you for praying for our team and the children. God heard and answered in marvelous ways. He is at work, and He will finish what He has started. Please continue to pray for Imana Kids as we pursue His lead in serving the kids of Kimisagara.

Recap of Sunday, August 3 (Post by Peter Schmidt)

After the previous four days I would say many of the team members had become well acquainted with and now held an emotional bond with the children of Kimisagara orphanage.

The past days were filled with laughter, hugs, smiles, and many fun activities starting with the children receiving their letters and gifts from sponsors, playing football (soccer) on a turf field that the orphanage overlooks, as well as small crafts like making bead bracelets and maracas. The smiles were infectious.

We began our Sunday morning by attending a church service at the New Covenant Church. Having been a part of last years VO trip I had an idea of what to expect, however I knew that many of the new team members would be in for a very special experience.

As I listened to the beautiful praises being sung and the moving sermon I not only found myself becoming lost in the moment, but also observing my other team members as they were giving praise to God. Multiple team members were moved to tears as we heard the testimonies from members of the congregation, many who were new members to the church.

The message delivered was about the gifts that God gives to us, the greatest of which is our youth. Which I believed was a perfect message given our mission here at Kimisagara. The sermon was delivered in a very powerful and passionate manor that may have caught some of the team members off guard. Although I noticed that as the service carried on each member of the team was becoming more comfortable by the minute. We received a very warm welcome from the Pastor and congregation, as it did not take long for the team to feel right at home.

The service also included a choreographed dancing routine which was led by Ferdinand, one of the older boys from Kimisagara orphanage, who was beaming with happiness as he lifted praises to God.

After the service had ended we stopped at a restaurant, Janis, to refuel before our afternoon at the orphanage. Our plans for the orphanage were geared toward celebrating the Sabbath and less about playing games & doing crafts. Leah, a new team member this year, played her guitar as we all sang a few songs of praise for the children.

For me the special part of the afternoon was what followed. The children danced and sang songs of praise in Kinyarwanda, their native language. Hearing and seeing their praises was a truly beautiful experience. I look forward to the next and last two days we will spend these children, as I am sure all of the team members do. Time has flown by since we first landed in Kigali 5 days ago and I know that the coming days will prove to be just as special, if not more than the previous.