Last Sunday we had an amazing experience in which once again the Lord taught us something very challenging through one of our Rwandan friends. This is actually something that we have become increasingly aware of. [Please see the blog entitled "
Whether you and I want to admit it or not!" to follow more of what the Lord has been teaching us in this aspect of our lives!]
So as we were singing praise songs at the beginning of the worship service, Mama Mutesi* came forward and starting leading us in a very simple song that says "Ntabwo tuzongera kubabara" or "We will not continue to suffer/hurt!"
Let me pause for a moment to tell you about Mama Mutesi, she is a wonderfully cheerful lady who is a member of the Murinja Friends Church (one of the churches we are working in with D for D). Almost 2 months ago, Mama Mutesi's oldest child, a daughter about 18 years old, died after fighting for many years with various complications of a diseased heart. In the past 4 or 5 years, they were constantly at the hospital, seeing different doctors, trying to find medicine, etc. This has been a major part of Mama Mutesi's life for these last years and after all of that working and fighting, her daughter died. In a week and a half, this small church of Murinja lost 4 people to death. Two children died unexpectedly and an older man died, as well as Mama Mutesi's daughter.
As Mama Mutesi came forward on Sunday, she was dancing with absolute joy, exuberantly claiming and proclaiming the promise that "We will not continue to suffer and hurt!" Her face was radiating with the joy of the Lord, her smile was absolutely contagious and I found myself smiling uncontrollably. I remembered Moses' radiance after coming down from being on the mountain with God. I was overwhelmed with the incredible hope we have in Jesus! As Mama Mutesi was singing at the top of her lungs and dancing a beautiful dance of joy, she led all of us into one of the most exciting, Spirit-filled times of worship that I have ever experienced.
In Hebrews 2:14-15, it says, "Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could
he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying." Mama Mutesi showed all of us that day that she has been absolutely delivered from slavery to the fear of dying. She is looking forward with anticipation the day in which she will see the Lord's promises in Revelation come completely true!
Revelation 21:4 "He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever."
AND
Revelation 22:3-4 "No longer will anything be cursed. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads."
In D for D, we are working with the Lord to emphasize the truth that He wants to transform our lives today and that we are supposed to pray and work toward His kingdom coming and His will being done on earth on it is as heaven. In Rwanda, this is a very important message, because the emphasis is almost always on heaven, that all of our problems will go away when we get to heaven.
We were deeply struck by the opposite truth taught to us by our Rwandan friends on Sunday; Difficulties, pain, and death is a normal part of this life and our hope is in Jesus for our future home in heaven.
So you see, we need each other. We need our Rwandan friends to remind us that we are only here temporarily and that our home and hope is in heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord and King! And our Rwandan friends need to hear the other side, that the Lord is and wants to building His Kingdom in and through us, here and now!
*In Rwanda, parents are often known as Mama or Papa so-and-so (the name of one of their children). Example: my parents could be called Papa Brad and Mama Brad. Often, we don't know the name of parents, we just know them by their children's name.
Rutikanga with some others from the Musovu Friends Church
There are 16 people in the association and a month ago the association invited us to come and be a part of their meeting where they were celebrating the completion of 4 more houses! Now they have built houses for 13 out of the 16 people in their group!!! Wow! What an amazing way to love and serve each other! Some of these women have never had a home of their own. Others lived in dilapidated houses with grass and other things serving as their roofs. But now they have their own homes with tin roofs! The local government has seen what this group is doing and has praised the group, saying that they wish more people would work together like this association. We believe that God is being glorified in a very tangible way in that community and that our friends are preaching the good news of God's love for everyone in part through loving their neighbors! May each of us love our families, friends and neighbors into the life and peace with Jesus through showing His incredible love to them!
