Dear Friends, Family and Prayer Partners,
Thank you so very much for your continued encouragement, prayers and support. This is truly a team effort. Frequently in my blogs, letters and status updates, I refer to Love Alive as “we.” I do so, as though I may be the only Love Alive representative here, I am certainly not doing this work alone. We are all working together. Whether you pray or give you are a significant part of the mission here. Additionally, local pastors and church members who become involved in the work here in Africa are a part. Of course, the working of the Holy Spirit is of utmost importance. So let me share a little of what you have been a part of here in Rwanda in the past month.
We have continued to show the JESUS film in several remote areas. On a recent trip to a far region, a pastor asked me to return for a 5-day span to show the film in 5 different locations in this remote village. I will return there later this week. As one young man explained after viewing this gospel presentation, “Thank you. Some of these things we have heard before, but now we can understand what Jesus did.” It is exciting to be able to share the gospel in the local language with so many who are eager to hear.
At each school or church I visit, I am always asked for Bibles, in a crowd of 200-300, usually only 2 or 3 will own a Bible of their own. At a recent Sunday School training, a young man came up to me and stated, “Miss, I have a question. I am a Christian in my heart, but I have no Bible. How can I learn more about God?” I was able to give him a Bible, and I watched as this grown man hugged and kissed his Bible. He traced the gold letters on the cover, smelled its pages and then began leafing through the pages to read it. Several more at this same training asked for Bibles as well. Though I had brought many, I ran out before all had a Bible. They are very hungry to read the Bible and learn about God for themselves.
Throughout the month I was able to visit several of the schools where Bible clubs were started following the showing of the Jesus film. I was able to gather a few Bibles for each school and some study materials for them, though usually at least a dozen are sharing one Bible in the club and throughout the week. The cost of a Bible here is about $6 here, but that is equivalent to a week’s wages for most, so an amount that is beyond what they are able to afford. Please pray for these students as they desire to learn about God and come together to know Him more.
During the last weekend of the month, we held our first Sunday School training in an effort to teach local churches how to organize and teach Sunday schools to reach the children in their communities. We had 40 leaders representing 10 local churches attend the 2-day conference. Many were excited about learning this way of reaching the children in their congregations as well as their neighborhoods. Each church was given a “starter-kit” of basic visuals, verses, lessons, stickers, wordless books, candy, crayons and a Bible to help them begin children’s programs in their churches. In the coming months, I will be following up with these churches and their Sunday school programs to encourage and further train them to reach these children. A pastor attending the training said, “We have wanted to reach the children in our community, but we just did not know how. Now we are ready to begin teaching our children.” Please pray for these new ministries that have such capacity to reach hundreds of little ones with the gospel of Christ.
Thank you again for your continued prayers, financial gifts to the mission here and your encouragement.
For His Glory,
Laura Yockey
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