Day Three of sponsored children home visits - Florence. Also, Kayonza Hope visits and New Life Chris

jg
Feb 23, 2017
3 min read

Our anticipation was high for our final home visit with our sponsored children here in Rwanda. After seeing and hearing the stories of Adolf and Sun, we had a better idea of what to expect and what God might do in all of our hearts this day. After a brief time touring the amazing New Life Christian School in Kayonza (more later), we drove through the village to Florence's home. Her father, Jean Pierre, built their home of mud and sticks, with a corrugated metal roof to provide long-term coverage from rain and other weather. Florence was excited to have us visiting and the family was incredibly gracious welcoming us. We entered their home and they invited us to sit on the small bench while the rest of the family sat on the straw mat on the floor. This is very customary - to welcome guests to sit on their only benches or stools, while the family sits on the ground. Each home visit includes a month's worth of food for the family, and Jean Pierre praised God for the provision, saying the family would have gone to bed hungry that night without it. Praise and tears all around.

As we shared stories, we were so humbled when Jean Pierre also asked our host translator about one of us being sick. They had been praying for us to get well, and we realized it was because we had written last year after Elizabeth's auto accident to ask for prayer of healing. They had been praying as a family for her to heal. These dear friends, halfway around the world, who speak another language and have so many of their own needs for which they pray, was praying for healing for Elizabeth. They praised God and gave thanks that she is healed. We were all in tears - again. Thank you, Jesus, for your Church and for this beloved family. After playing jump rope and thanking them again for hosting us, we brought Florence with us in the van to drive to her school so she could show us her class.

After visiting Florence, we went to another home visit for the sponsored child of another from our team. Following that we had two “Hope” visits - where we visit a home with the family of a child awaiting sponsorship. We had the honor of meeting both Fifi and Joshua (both of whom have already been sponsored!) and their families.

Following the Hope visits, we journeyed back to New Life Christian Academy in Kayonza, where we had lunch with the top student leaders of the school. This place is amazing. The school consistently ranks as the best school in the entire nation. Africa New Life’s focus on excellence is on prominent display in this place where the ministry was born. The government has even requested ANL’s assistance to help with new schools to serve returning refugees. The student leaders are elected by fellow students and two-thirds of them were sponsored children. In case anyone wonders if sponsorship matters, this was de facto proof. And these kids were incredible. Intelligent, articulate visionaries with dreams for careers to help their nation and families. Top Girl, Winnie, will undoubtedly be a national Rwandan leader in the next decade or two.

Overall, this was another life-changing day. We are especially grateful for the opportunity to meet Florence and her family, much like our other sponsored children. We look forward to the humble privilege that God continues to offer us, to share life journeys with them. They have taught us so much this week, most importantly a new way to understand the love of Christ.