Rwanda Challenge
  • About Us
    • The Core
    • The Context
    • The Call
    • The Challenge
    • The Potential
    • The Team
  • Partner with Us
    • MACU-Rwanda Campus
    • RC - Emergency Fund
    • Support a Student
    • Reopen Churches
    • Kinyarwanda Study Bible
    • Microfinance Ministry
  • Contact Us
  • Recommended Resources
  • Calendar
  • Newsletters
  • Videos
  • Blog

Untie the Cords of the Yoke

5/31/2019

0 Comments

 
PictureThe pastors split into groups to engage and discuss 2 Thessalonians. They studied the text, African Bible Commentary notes, and the study notes in their Kinyarwanda Study Bible in order to gain a deeper understanding of the passages.
We as Americans can never fully understand the true feeling of poverty.  If I were to have any trouble here in Rwanda, I am grateful to know that I have many people back in the United States who would help me financially and make sure I return to the United States safely.  If the extremely poor in Rwanda (or other countries) were to be in trouble, they do not have these people or resources in which to turn. I mentioned in a previous post that the poverty in Rwanda is less about the physical condition and more about the emotional conditions that may result from low-income.  There is a feeling of voicelessness or hopelessness as they have few places to turn to help them out of dire situations. Grudem and Asmus write in the Poverty of Nations that “while poor people mention having a lack of material things, they tend to describe their condition in far more psychological and social terms than our North American audiences.  Poor people typically talk in terms of shame, inferiority, powerlessness, humiliation, fear, hopelessness, depression, social isolation, and voicelessness.” While we may have anxiety in the United States over our finances, there is still some sense of control, that we can do something to get out of the current situation.  For those living in true poverty, there is a “lack of freedom to be able to make meaningful choices–to have an ability to affect one’s situation” (When Helping Hurts, quoting economist Amartya Sen).
​

Just today, I have felt annoyed and frustrated that I have not been able to access the Internet.  I sense a minor feeling of helplessness, as much of what I need to do is contingent upon having Internet connection.  And this helplessness is minor compared to the feeling of powerlessness in not being able to provide for one’s family or have a safe place to live.

With this understanding of poverty in mind, it is important that when we seek to help others, we affirm people’s dignity and help them “contribute to the process of overcoming their poverty of being” (When Helping Hurts).  If we are giving them everything they need, then there is still a sense of powerlessness as they are dependent upon us.  Instead of a hand-out, let us give them a hand-up in order to use their own God-given gifts and resources to improve their situation. An example of a hand-up ministry is Theophile’s organization, Africa Hope Initiative (AHI).  With the financial partnership of Christians in the US, AHI gives women, who were formerly prostitutes in order to provide for their families, microloans to start their own businesses. These women pay these loans back, and now they have power and a voice to change their situations, stepping out of fear, hopelessness, and desperation.  In the context of Rwanda Challenge, we teach the Church leaders so they can pastor and lead the congregations. We are not leading the Rwandan churches; we are empowering the church leaders to use their gifts and abilities to lead and teach. I love being a small part of a ministry that is producing dignity and confidence within Rwandan pastors.

​Alison


“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6).   

0 Comments

Questions and Hurdles: The New Rwandan Laws

5/29/2019

0 Comments

 
PictureChurch leader Augustin shares with the other pastors his group's thoughts on 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17.
As I have been here the last few days, Frank and Theophile have been updating me on the new Rwandan regulations that the government put into effect last year on the churches.  The new laws having the greatest impact on Rwanda Challenge say that if the church leaders do not have some kind of theological degree or certificate from a higher learning institution, in four years they will no longer be a “preacher” in Rwanda.  

I wanted to include what the new Rwandan laws actually say, so that you can have an understanding of how many of the statements need more clarity: 
​


"CHAPTER IV: PREACHER AND PLACE OF SERMON
Article 22: Requirements for being a preacher
A preacher must:
1° be of majority age;
2° be a person of integrity;
3° fulfil the requirements of an organization for being a preacher at that level;
4° possess a statement testifying that an organization authorizes him/her to be a preacher;
5° not have been definitively sentenced to a principal penalty of imprisonment equal to or exceeding six (6) months which was never removed by amnesty or rehabilitation;
6° not have been definitively convicted of the crime of genocide, genocide ideology, discrimination or sectarianism;
7° possess a degree of a higher learning institution in religious studies or any other degree with a valid certificate in religious studies related matters delivered by a recognized institution."

​
Reading the requirements leaves several questions: What is considered a “valid certificate”? What is a “recognized institution”?

Nevertheless, even though the statements are vague, the standard of education that this law sets for pastors is extremely difficult for the majority of pastors to be able to accomplish, especially in four years.  It is believed that about 10% of pastors have completed a high school education. In order for them to receive a theological degree, they first have to finish a high school education. In the United States, we have a GED program for those adults wanting to finish high school, but in Rwanda, there is not a program that offers the same kind of opportunity for these pastors.  For those pastors who do have a high school degree, the challenge is for them to be able to afford or have time to complete the certification needed. In order to obtain this certification, they also need Bible resources in Kinyarwanda, which are few and far between.

The challenge becomes even more concerning when you realize that if the pastors that Rwanda Challenge has been working so hard to teach do not have the education needed in four years, these pastors will no longer be able to lead and preach in their churches.  

Rwanda Challenge has options for how to help the pastors reach the necessary education standards, but they come with seemingly impossible hurdles. As we discussed the options and the possibility of meeting with Rwandan government leaders for answers, it is very evident that prayer is necessary.  If a solution is not found, in four years, it appears that only 5% of pastors in Rwanda will be able to continue preaching. We certainly agree with the government that Biblical education and training is vital for a Church pastor–for that is indeed the reason why we are here–but how can we make this possible for them?  

​Will you pray with us that church leaders are able to have a reasonable and possible way to receive the Biblical education they need? Will you pray for the Rwandan government leaders that they will humbly submit to the will of God and offer wise guidance and decisions for the Rwandan churches? Will you pray for Rwanda Challenge that God will use Frank and Theophile to be a part of the solution?



0 Comments

A Beautiful Country

5/27/2019

1 Comment

 
PictureThe chicken being prepared for lunch (picture taken on my first trip )
Six years ago, after my junior year of college, I traveled to Rwanda with Rwanda Challenge to assist in teaching church leaders and help with administrative work.  Since this time, I have received my Masters and am now teaching at a Christian school in Houston. During this time, I have been having literal dreams of returning to Rwanda. During the dreams, I would be on the plane or about to board, and then I would wake up disappointed that the dream was not reality.  Rwanda captured my heart six years ago, and it is an immense blessing to be back, and not just in my dreams.

These past few days, I have been appreciating the differences between the Rwandan and American way of life.  When I rode to Theophile’s home the first night here, I had an “African Massage.” This isn’t a nice massage from a spa but rather the bouncing of your body against the seat as the car tries to drive on the extremely bumpy and rough terrain.  Then at Theophile’s home, without running water, my shower consists of heating a bucket of water; I then pour cold water into the bucket until the water is the right temperature. I then use a cup to pour this water over my head. There is no continual flow of water, so one hand scrubs and one hand pours.

One aspect of being here that I greatly appreciate is the houseboy.  Theophile’s houseboy, Dusenge, makes my meals, cleans the bathroom and floor, runs errands, and provides anything else I may need.  Having a houseboy or housegirl in Rwanda is very affordable for a middle class or upper class family, as the cost of labor is very low. These are normally younger men and women who will serve for a few years and then continue onto a different career in the future.  And then, we have the fresh food here that far exceeds the produce and frozen meat we have in the United States. On Saturday, as I sat on the porch, I watched Dusenge come back from the market with a live chicken he was carrying by its feet; not more than two hours later, that chicken was sitting on my plate ready to be enjoyed.  The bananas here are delicious as they were picked when they were yellow and ripe, not when green to be shipped overseas.

​As I join in on the Rwandan way of life again, I am reminded that happiness is not reserved for those in developed countries, that joy is not found in having running water, paved roads, or even a houseboy, or fresh chicken.  I plan to write more about the nature of poverty in the days to come, but for now I will say that even in less than ideal conditions here, I sense a beautiful side of life that is often missed in our non-stop, iPhone-centered, individualistic culture.  We have much to learn and gain from our brothers and sisters in Rwanda and throughout the world.

​Alison


1 Comment

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    November 2020
    April 2020
    June 2019
    May 2019
    September 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly