What happens next...

Muraho,

Wow, so as you can all see, my time in Rwanda was, in many ways, life-altering. Perceptions of God, myself, others, ministry, and the world were all changed in one way or another. Now, the question that I ask myself is this: Where do I go from here?

My time in Rwanda produced several possible future opportunities for me, ones that I had never envisioned for myself. The head of the Solace Ministries, for whom I helped complete a report, said to me that he would be thrilled if I stayed connected to the organization as it continues to expand in developing and implementing community development strategies for the community which has been put in its care. One opportunity related to the Solace project that has presented itself is the possibility of returning to Rwanda to help do pastoral/ministry training. One of my teammates, Joanna, and I came up with this idea after a fascinating meeting with the five pastors who attended our community forum that I described a few posts ago. The pastors shared with us that one significant need that they had perceived is that of spiritual and ministerial training for those in their community who are called to ministry. The closest theological schools are far away and it would cost too much money to fund their education. When Joanna asked whether the pastors would be open to having students from Regent come and conduct ministry training seminars, they expressed a great willingness and desire to see such an idea come to fruition.

I also discovered through various conversations with both national and foreign ministry leaders that, although Christianity is the majority religion in Rwanda, it is primarily cultural and has not truly entered and transformed the hearts of the Rwandans. Therefore, this sort of training is especially important so as to prevent the continued rehashing of merely cultural Christianity by those who are zealous for the Lord and yet have only been minimally trained in the gospel. One story that I heard several times while I was in Rwanda is especially compelling: In a pastoral leadership seminar, after the simple gospel presentation, 27 of the 30 pastors raised their hands to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior for the first time!

Then, there is the Congo. My heart for the nation has been growing steadily over the past year. The recent passing of my grandfather jump-started this development. My grandfather, whom I cherish and respect as one of my heroes, was a life-long missionary to Congo. He devoted his life to God and God called him to devote it to the Congo. He had such a love and heart for the Congo and its people. His integrity, perseverance, and devotion to the to that nation sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit translated into his pastoring a growing and fruitful mega-church in Kinshasa the capital. A former high-level member of the government even called my grandfather “the Billy Graham of the Congo!”

My interest and familial involvement in the country has grown as my extended family has endeavored to fulfill several of my grandfather’s ministerial dreams for the Congo. As I read about the DRC in preparation for the Rwanda trip, specifically about the intractable conflict in North Kivu, my heart for the country grew even more. Now, even though my trip to Rwanda is obviously over, my involvement with the mining project is still not done. I plan on writing a report on community development strategies and kingdom-based community transformation that I will give to Sandrali and Christian, the mine owners. However, after I have done that, I am at a crossroads. The mine owners would love to have me stay involved for the long haul. However, is this where God is calling me?

Regardless of these various possibilities, which as of right now are just that, I know one thing for sure, God has thrown open my blinders. I used to always say to people the following, “I know that God has called me to be a missionary, but I am not sure of where, when, with whom, for whom, and in what capacity.” However, as I discovered in Rwanda, I have always had a pre-conceived idea of what I thought God wanted me to do, despite my saying otherwise. I always envisioned myself working among an unreached people group, specifically one that is Muslim. I thought I would end up in a rural location in which it would be important to learn the indigenous language and/or Arabic. To be completely honest with you, I always envisioned my going to North/West Africa and/or the Middle East.

However, these opportunities presented to me are the exact opposite of my expectations. Both Rwanda and Congo are majority Christian nations. One speaks French, the other speaks English, along with indigenous languages.

Regardless of whether I take up any of these opportunities, end up going someplace completely different, or stay in the United States, God has made me see the blinders I had put up and has helped me take them off so that I am now more honestly open to wherever God calls my wife and me.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we beginning to prayerfully examine these opportunities. Also please keep me in your prayers as I prepare to go to East Asia in just a few short weeks! I will post a blog about that in the next few days. However, as of right now, thank you for joining me as I have processed and shared my time in Rwanda with you.

Murkoze!

Eric