Well, I guess you can feel the excitement. The anticipation. Waking up in the night with a groggy determination to remember to pack your water bottle, pick up a month's supply of your medication or cancel the mail from the 13-20th. Those have been before are more overwhelmed than those who have not.
We remember the flotilla of children, the babble of the language we could not begin to understand, unlike "hola" or "au revoir", and the eyes.......the eyes of the children that melt your heart, confirm why you came, and encourage you to action. They tug at your heartstrings unlike anything I have ever known. They are hopeless, yet happy. They are needy, yet so giving. They are reserved, yet welcoming. They are an oxymoron, and I cannot wait to see them again. I don't know about you, but my prayers this time have been for the hearts of the children. I have begged the Holy Spirit to go before us, to prepare the way and to change hearts, lives, and a country.
Also, please be in prayer for Satan to be bound as we head down the final stretch. He seems to want to discourage, thwart and inhibit every trip especially right before we go. Please pray for God's protection, especially for our fellow traveler, David Mattingly.
His
arm is not too short. Ours are. Thankfully we are not there to change
hearts. God is. We are not there to teach. God is. We are not there
to change a generation. God is. So, whatever insecurities you may be
feeling, whatever limitations you are focused on, whatever frustrations
you are concentrating on, remember, YOU are not in charge. God has
picked you to go. He will do the work. Praise and glory to the Lord
Jesus.
For Him,
Sam Olson
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Friday, April 20, 2012
Final Day
VBS Rwanda is complete! What a day it was. Almost 2,600 children showed up today, the most so far, and every last child was fed an egg -- talk to Chuck Halford about his amazing egg story from today...it's too long to discuss in the blog but it will give you chills. We began the day once again with songs of praise and worship. The Rwandans led the singing today, and the children loved it. Next, we were visited by one of Jesus' followers (again, Rachel Meis), who told the story of Christ's death and resurrection. Today's craft was the salvation bracelet, but many of the classes had to improvise with coloring books and written prayer requests. Our object lesson was the Evangicube. The tool really helped the children understand the Gospel more thoroughly, and that feedback was so encouraging. In addition to the eggs, toothbrushes and Bible School certificates were handed out to every children. The kids love to receive items -- anything -- and you could see the joy in their eyes as they were handed their gifts.
The children were dismissed after class, skipping recreation today because they were to return at 3:30 for the finale of VBS. The children returned on time and were once again led in song by the Rwandans. They also danced and performed and were then treated to a beautiful dance routine performed by Deborah and Rachel Meis. The children loved the routine, and Deborah and Rachel taught the children some of their moves after they had performed. About this time, the children were shown a slide show of all the pictures Beth Phillips took throughout the week. It was a joy to hear the 2,000 children giggling and gasping when they saw themselves in the pictures. After this, the IPCers left but not before saying goodbye to our dear Rwandan friends with whom we have grown so close this week. There was not a dry eye. After we left, the Jesus Film was shown. Tom Phillips stayed and reported to us that the children loved the video, cheering when Jesus performed miracles and weeping upon his Crucifixion. Sadly, the power went out just as Jesus died and did not come back on. Some of the chidlren were heard sobbing, "Jesus is dead!" Not exactly the outcome we wanted, but the children have heard the Risen Christ preached all week, and it is now in God's hands.
As has been reported all week, God is at work here in Rwanda in deep ways. There is such joy and hope here despite the poverty that exists and the horrors that were perpetrated a mere 18 years ago. We are witnessing a beautiful redemption story playing out as we speak in this breathtaking country. Those of us who have been able to serve here this week have been forever changed, and Rwanda will forever be in our prayers. We ask that this country will always be in your prayers as well, because God loves Rwanda!
The children were dismissed after class, skipping recreation today because they were to return at 3:30 for the finale of VBS. The children returned on time and were once again led in song by the Rwandans. They also danced and performed and were then treated to a beautiful dance routine performed by Deborah and Rachel Meis. The children loved the routine, and Deborah and Rachel taught the children some of their moves after they had performed. About this time, the children were shown a slide show of all the pictures Beth Phillips took throughout the week. It was a joy to hear the 2,000 children giggling and gasping when they saw themselves in the pictures. After this, the IPCers left but not before saying goodbye to our dear Rwandan friends with whom we have grown so close this week. There was not a dry eye. After we left, the Jesus Film was shown. Tom Phillips stayed and reported to us that the children loved the video, cheering when Jesus performed miracles and weeping upon his Crucifixion. Sadly, the power went out just as Jesus died and did not come back on. Some of the chidlren were heard sobbing, "Jesus is dead!" Not exactly the outcome we wanted, but the children have heard the Risen Christ preached all week, and it is now in God's hands.
As has been reported all week, God is at work here in Rwanda in deep ways. There is such joy and hope here despite the poverty that exists and the horrors that were perpetrated a mere 18 years ago. We are witnessing a beautiful redemption story playing out as we speak in this breathtaking country. Those of us who have been able to serve here this week have been forever changed, and Rwanda will forever be in our prayers. We ask that this country will always be in your prayers as well, because God loves Rwanda!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
King Jesus
Hallelujah! God provided more than enough eggs today, and every child went home with a full belly. God is good, and thank you for your prayers! VBS Day 2 focused on the Kingship of Jesus, and the children were paid a little visit by Mary mother of Jesus to talk about her son. Mary, aka Rachel Meis, did a wonderful job illustrating the story of Jesus to the children. Her translator Charles performed brilliantly as well.
Today, we turned the tables a bit and served the Rwandan volunteers a homemade Memphis-style barbecue feast -- it was a huge hit! Chuck Halford, grillmaster extraordinnaire, built a makeshift grill/smoker out of cinder blocks, rebar, and other objects from the trash dump...who knew he was so resourceful?? His work was genius, and through the help of the Lord (and some very diligent Rwandans!), Chuck smoked the meat to perfection. It was like being back at home. The Grillmaster, Brian Hawkins, Liberty Bain, and Gene Douglass woke up around 5AM this morning to get a headstart on the meat. It wasn't long -- maybe 7-7:30 -- before beautiful sounds of children singing began to ring forth from the Cathedral next door to the cook station. The Rwandans had organized around one thousand children who had arrived very early to VBS and led them in song all morning long. We were brought to tears when we finally arrived to the Cathedral around 8:30 and witnessed the thousand voices praising Jesus. It was unspeakably moving and amazing. The children sang songs for about another 30minutes to an hour, and then were visited by Mary, followed by the Happy Tooth (Melinda Olinger), who taught the children about dental hygiene.
After these activities, we divided into groups just like yesterday, and we were so proud of the way the Rwandans led the classes today. Every child made a crown in order to display the Kingship of Jesus. We also did an activity to show how far we've strayed from God but that also demonstrated that God sent Jesus in order to forgive us our sins.
As mentioned earlier, God provided more than enough eggs which helped fuel the children for a crazy recreation time. For about 30 minutes after class time, utter chaos ensued. However, everyone had fun, and the children are absolutely loving their play time.
The barbecue, as discussed earlier, was meant as a thank-you to the Rwandan volunteers. We have fallen in love with these people, and their hearts for God, for Rwanda, and for the children have touched us deeply. Many of these volunteers have suffered greatly, some of whom are double-orphans as a result of the Genocide. But we have never met more joyful, hopeful, and warm people. We have so much to learn from them. Please continue to pray for our third and final day of VBS. The parents will be coming tomorrow night, and we will be showing the Jesus Film to them. Pray that the Spirit moves in great ways tomorrow night, and pray also that we arrive to the Cathedral with a renewed sense of purpose for the children tomorrow.
God's peace. Pictures to follow.
Today, we turned the tables a bit and served the Rwandan volunteers a homemade Memphis-style barbecue feast -- it was a huge hit! Chuck Halford, grillmaster extraordinnaire, built a makeshift grill/smoker out of cinder blocks, rebar, and other objects from the trash dump...who knew he was so resourceful?? His work was genius, and through the help of the Lord (and some very diligent Rwandans!), Chuck smoked the meat to perfection. It was like being back at home. The Grillmaster, Brian Hawkins, Liberty Bain, and Gene Douglass woke up around 5AM this morning to get a headstart on the meat. It wasn't long -- maybe 7-7:30 -- before beautiful sounds of children singing began to ring forth from the Cathedral next door to the cook station. The Rwandans had organized around one thousand children who had arrived very early to VBS and led them in song all morning long. We were brought to tears when we finally arrived to the Cathedral around 8:30 and witnessed the thousand voices praising Jesus. It was unspeakably moving and amazing. The children sang songs for about another 30minutes to an hour, and then were visited by Mary, followed by the Happy Tooth (Melinda Olinger), who taught the children about dental hygiene.
After these activities, we divided into groups just like yesterday, and we were so proud of the way the Rwandans led the classes today. Every child made a crown in order to display the Kingship of Jesus. We also did an activity to show how far we've strayed from God but that also demonstrated that God sent Jesus in order to forgive us our sins.
As mentioned earlier, God provided more than enough eggs which helped fuel the children for a crazy recreation time. For about 30 minutes after class time, utter chaos ensued. However, everyone had fun, and the children are absolutely loving their play time.
The barbecue, as discussed earlier, was meant as a thank-you to the Rwandan volunteers. We have fallen in love with these people, and their hearts for God, for Rwanda, and for the children have touched us deeply. Many of these volunteers have suffered greatly, some of whom are double-orphans as a result of the Genocide. But we have never met more joyful, hopeful, and warm people. We have so much to learn from them. Please continue to pray for our third and final day of VBS. The parents will be coming tomorrow night, and we will be showing the Jesus Film to them. Pray that the Spirit moves in great ways tomorrow night, and pray also that we arrive to the Cathedral with a renewed sense of purpose for the children tomorrow.
God's peace. Pictures to follow.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Rwanda Update 3-18-2012
These strapping young men kept watch over our bags during our time in the cathedral. They are the discipline enforcers!
A shot of part of the cathedral full of children! You can barely see Charles, one of the better translators, holding the red microphone in front of the hanging canvas. Rachel the Banana is in front of the canvas, out of sight in this picture.
A sea of children, and this wasn't even all of them!
Wow!
Urgent prayer request: We planned financially for 3,000 eggs total for the entire week. We had to purchase 2,000 eggs already for the first day. We are anticipating a need for 8,500 eggs total. We could have up to 3,000 children tomorrow and 3,500+ on Friday. The request goes without saying -- WE NEED MORE EGGS! Pray that God will provide the eggs in the way he's provided for so many other needs on this trip so far.
Today was a momentous day. We were awe-struck by the number of children who showed up this morning. As I stated in a previous post, we were expecting around 1,100 children today. We wound up with 2,300. It was awesome, and by God's grace alone we were able to accommodate all of the children. The day began with recreation outside, where we divided up in stations of different games, including the parachute game, relay races, chalk, soccer, and a hybrid game of volleyball. It was so much fun, and the children had an absolute blast.
From there, we corralled all of the children inside the cathedral. They filled every seat and then some. The children were led in song by Pastor Samuel, a large man with a booming voice. The Americans then taught the children how to sing a host of other songs, which geared everyone up for what came next.
A very special banana (Rachel Meis) told the story of Adam and Eve. The children were captivated and learned that they are a part of God's very special creation and that they are made in his image. After the banana's presentation, we divided all 2,300 children into 21 groups of IPCers and Rwandan translators for an object lesson, craft time, and egg-eating. This part of the morning was nothing short of a miracle. There were children everywhere, and we somehow managed to include every child in our activities despite our lack of supplies. In the image lesson, we had the children look into a mirror and explain to them that they were made in God's image. We then had them play a mirror-imaging game, teaching the children to imitate God even though it is very hard to do. Next, we had the children draw their own faces on paper plates using crayons. This was a lot of fun because we talked about how each child was created perfectly by God who gave them eyes to see, ears to hear, noses to smell, and mouths with which to smile.
Miraculously, almost every child received an egg before they went home. It is so urgent that you pray that God will provide the means to feed every child who comes through VBS. We also pray that the Lord stretches our supplies to meet the need, as we expect a growing number of children. We are ill-equipped, but God is the great Provider, Sustainer, Author, and Physician, and He will continue to show up in a very big way. So please, we implore you, let this be your prayer. Also, pray that each child learned today that he/she is a beautiful creation of God's and that He loves them so deeply.
On a special note, our Rwandan volunteers have been hugely helpful. Their ability to translate for us (i.e. Charles and his impressive ability to translate Rachel's message today) has been unspeakably powerful -- we simply could not do this without them. We are trying to teach the volunteers to lead the individual classes so that they will be equipped to teach once we have left. Most have done an incredible job at this, and still others have displayed some timidity, so please pray that God moves them to be great teachers of His Gospel.
We look forward to updating you tomorrow, and check back later today for pictures. A special thanks goes to Liberty's friend who has graciously stepped up to post pictures from the U.S. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Until tomorrow!
Today was a momentous day. We were awe-struck by the number of children who showed up this morning. As I stated in a previous post, we were expecting around 1,100 children today. We wound up with 2,300. It was awesome, and by God's grace alone we were able to accommodate all of the children. The day began with recreation outside, where we divided up in stations of different games, including the parachute game, relay races, chalk, soccer, and a hybrid game of volleyball. It was so much fun, and the children had an absolute blast.
From there, we corralled all of the children inside the cathedral. They filled every seat and then some. The children were led in song by Pastor Samuel, a large man with a booming voice. The Americans then taught the children how to sing a host of other songs, which geared everyone up for what came next.
A very special banana (Rachel Meis) told the story of Adam and Eve. The children were captivated and learned that they are a part of God's very special creation and that they are made in his image. After the banana's presentation, we divided all 2,300 children into 21 groups of IPCers and Rwandan translators for an object lesson, craft time, and egg-eating. This part of the morning was nothing short of a miracle. There were children everywhere, and we somehow managed to include every child in our activities despite our lack of supplies. In the image lesson, we had the children look into a mirror and explain to them that they were made in God's image. We then had them play a mirror-imaging game, teaching the children to imitate God even though it is very hard to do. Next, we had the children draw their own faces on paper plates using crayons. This was a lot of fun because we talked about how each child was created perfectly by God who gave them eyes to see, ears to hear, noses to smell, and mouths with which to smile.
Miraculously, almost every child received an egg before they went home. It is so urgent that you pray that God will provide the means to feed every child who comes through VBS. We also pray that the Lord stretches our supplies to meet the need, as we expect a growing number of children. We are ill-equipped, but God is the great Provider, Sustainer, Author, and Physician, and He will continue to show up in a very big way. So please, we implore you, let this be your prayer. Also, pray that each child learned today that he/she is a beautiful creation of God's and that He loves them so deeply.
On a special note, our Rwandan volunteers have been hugely helpful. Their ability to translate for us (i.e. Charles and his impressive ability to translate Rachel's message today) has been unspeakably powerful -- we simply could not do this without them. We are trying to teach the volunteers to lead the individual classes so that they will be equipped to teach once we have left. Most have done an incredible job at this, and still others have displayed some timidity, so please pray that God moves them to be great teachers of His Gospel.
We look forward to updating you tomorrow, and check back later today for pictures. A special thanks goes to Liberty's friend who has graciously stepped up to post pictures from the U.S. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Until tomorrow!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Rwanda Update 3-17-2012
Tom Allen giving a tour of Tom's village and his new estate overlooking lake.
The 500+ people we sang, danced and prayed with.
Church preschool at Rugeshi.
Reference Point
I just realized that Musanze is not shown on the map that's posted on the blog; however, Musanze used to be known as Ruhengeri, which is located north of Kigali on the map. My mistake! Hopefully, this will give you a better idea of where we are exactly!
Thanks!
Thanks!
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