Jean's writing

Here is Jean's writing about what we are doing during the first few days in Rwanda.

Greetings from Africa 7/10/2006
7/09/06 Chris & I attended Pastor Paul’s Assembly of God church for the Sunday morning service. They asked me to speak before Chris gave the message. Chris preached two services, one on trusting Christ & the other on implementing God’s word. They speak Kinyarwandra. I am starting to be able to sing some of their praise songs, most are like our tunes. A college choir sang several songs and did skits. Then a group of young people & college age youth sang, beat the African drum and several young women did a traditional dance to praise the Lord. An interpreter sat next to me and interpreted Pastor Paul’s message. He encouraged the people to put God’s word into actions. In the afternoon we went to the stadium to the “100 Days of Hope” gathering. In Rwanda, in the spring, they started having speakers from America every week Joyce Meyers was here in April. Pictures of her in Rwanda are on her website. This week-end, “Living Faith” a ministry from Portland, with 25 people, was here when we were there. Georgene Rice sang. There were hundreds of people there. Many people, mostly young people, went forward to receive the Lord after the message. Afterwards, we went to Pastor Paul’s home for dinner. We met his 81 year old mother and his 3 sons. His wife is in Belgium for her master’s degree in medicine. She wants to research AIDs. I sat outside in the courtyard with Paul’s mother to watch her and her helpers make a traditional African meal, cooked on three round small charcoal burners on the ground. The food was bought fresh from the market that day, even the live chickens.We had chips (fried potatoes), curried rice, carrots, peas, tomatoes, onions cooked together in one pot, chicken cooked in tomato sauce, green bananas cooked in a fruit sauce, and fresh sliced papaya, passion fruit, pineapple, and bananas for dessert. Before we left they gave us a small, very sweet fresh banana. All the food was bought fresh that day. 7/10/2006 At 3:45 am, country people, women and children, started to gather at the CASA house. At 5:30 am we started a prayer and praise for these people. They have to be in the fields working at daylight and so have to come very early. Robina, a young woman of 27, the director of the house, ministers to them every morning. They are dressed in traditional, brightly colored printed African country dress with a matching headdress. Most have babies tied to their backs. These are women who come to pray before they go to work in the fields and their children go to school. There were around 20 women and 20 children crowded in with us in the sitting room. Robina asked each of us from America to speak a word. I spoke a greeting from America, with an interpreter and encouraged them to trust God for their lives. From 9:30 until 12, I spoke to 15 Mamas (older women). I gave my testimony to God’s faithfulness to me and my children during the time of my husband’s unfaithfulness and my divorce. I am presenting Joyce Meyer’s book, “Beauty from Ashes”. Many women identified to my situation of my husband leaving me for a younger woman, emotionally and spiritually. I asked for prayer requests, most were for situations like mine, health, places to live, money to live and relationships. All people have the same requests regardless of their station in life or where they live. I will be with this group the next four mornings. Brother Chris is teaching different groups, different messages four times each day to university students. Craig Singleton, Dean of Music at the Dominican University in California, is teaching music, guitar to the university students. Sister-in-law Kim met with the deans at University of Rwanda to discuss training of professors on use of computer technology. She has a Fullbright grant this year and will be at the university representing Christ.