A couple of stories from Kirambo

A few months ago one of our D for D coaches (Joe Fry, who works for the Navigators in a ministry called Mission: Moving Mountains) from the U.S. was with us for a few days. He wrote up a couple of wonderful stories that we shared with him. You can see them below and praise God with us for the wonderful things He is doing among us!

The Insurance Bananas of Kirambo, Rwanda.

What does health insurance have to do with bananas? Ask members of the Evangelical Friends Church in Kirambo, Rwanda. They can explain with joy how their health is improving through bananas.

The Rwandan government offers a national health insurance program for all citizens for a modest annual premium. Kirambo is located far from cities and jobs, however. Its agricultural residents struggle to meet daily basic needs. They long viewed health insurance as a luxury that was beyond their financial reach. When church members became sick or were hurt in an accident, they often approached the pastor, Tertullien Nsabimana , asking for money to pay medical bills. In some cases the victim may die at home because the uninsured family cannot pay for hospitalization.

Tertullien and his Disicipling for Development team have a vision for seeing their church experience transformation in every area of life. They also believe that God has already given them resources to solve their problems. With this in mind they researched the problem of uninsured church members and how to empower families to pay for their own health insurance. The team came upon a solution in the form of a new hybrid banana plant that produces large yields of high quality fruit. It grows well in the local soil and climate. They calculated that the average annual yield of one banana plant, sold at local market prices, would provide enough income for a family to pay for health insurance.

The next step was to instill a vision and mobilize the entire church. Church leaders began educating members through their weekly home fellowship groups. People reflected on the problem and soon embraced the plan. Then banana plants were made available to members, who were shown how to care for them properly.

The result to date is that eighty percent of the households in the Friends church in Kirambo are now - or soon will be - paying for their own health insurance. Prayer and accountability through the fellowship groups has been critical to the success of this initiative. It is enabling church members save the income from their bananas to pay for health insurance rather than using the money for other things. This has been an unprecedented victory both spiritually and physically for church members. It is also lifting a huge burden from pastor Tertullien, from whom church members formerly begged for financial help during a medical crisis.

Community members outside the church have been watching with amazement all that is happening. Some are starting to plant their own bananas; some are coming to Christ. The insurance banana initiative in Kirambo is a creative example of how God’s people are mobilizing local resources to improve life and advance His kingdom in rural Rwanda.

How Little Becomes Much: The Pumpkin of Blessing in Rwanda

Marita is a member of the Kirambo Friends Church in southwestern Rwanda. God has done an amazing work of grace in her life. Earlier this year He did equally remarkable things through her testimony.

Marita is HIV positive. Her husband left her long ago. Abandoned, infected and alone with two children, she lived in abject poverty. She owned only one set of clothes. Everywhere she walked she kept her head down and avoided eye contact. She hoped no one would talk to her because she felt ashamed of who she was and of her poverty.

But after Pastor Tertullien Nsabimana gained a new vision for his church through Discipling for Development, his team brought Marita into a discipleship group. They encouraged her through the Word and prayed for her. Her eyes soon began to open concerning the truth about her worth in Christ. She started following Jesus and began to realize that He has given her abilities to help herself and her family to survive. She learned, for example, how to earn money by selling at the market and how to save part of her earnings. She soon accumulated enough savings to acquire goats, a small parcel of land to farm, and she built a small house for herself and her children. Now, when Marita looks into the mirror there is no more shame. Her head is lifted up, her eyes shine, her voice is animated and she is full of joy! She is currently teaching her children how to take care of their own animals, to help pay for school supplies or other expenses. She says, “I may have HIV but I haven’t died of AIDS yet!” Someone asked her if she would forget about God now that her life is going better. She responded, “After all that He has done for me, after all He means to me, I will never leave my Jesus!”

God is not only working in Marita’s life, but through her. Each year in December the Friends Church in Kirambo has a celebration in which members bring a thank offering in response to the Lord’s blessing during the past year. Last December (2009), Marita was concerned during the days leading up to the celebration. Her money situation was tight at that time. What could she give back to the Lord? When the celebration day arrived she decided to bring to church something significant that God had provided for her: the largest pumpkin in her garden.

Marita humbly brought her pumpkin forward and laid it beside the other seemingly more significant gifts. The hearts of church members, who knew her story, were deeply moved by the offering she brought. Suddenly someone made a bid on her pumpkin; the “bid” actually being an offering to be given to the church. Another member responded by making an even higher bid. Seizing the spirit of the moment, soon many church members began joyfully bidding on Marita's pumpkin. When the bidding came to a close and all the money was collected, church members were utterly amazed. The total offering given that day exceeded 700,000 Rwandan francs (over $1,300 USD). This offering was by far the highest the church had ever seen. It was truly an unbelievable moment.

"Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." Mark 12:41-44.

Visiting the church that same Sunday was a choir from a church located in the neighboring country of Burundi. The visitors witnessed what God miraculously did with Marita's pumpkin. Before leaving they asked if they could take her pumpkin with them back to their own church. They were raising funds to build an addition onto their building. The choir members returned home and shared Marita’s story, including her offering of the pumpkin and the response of the Kirambo church. Again the Holy Spirit moved hearts, this time in Burundi. The offerings collected in response to Marita’s story totaled over 3,000,000 francs (over $3,000).

Marita, like each of us, is still in a process of transforming. Yet God is using her mightily to advance His kingdom in Rwanda. A local radio station recently interviewed her to learn more about what God is doing in her life. Marita and her pumpkin are a wonderful illustration of Mark 12:41-44 and how little becomes much when God is in it.