Memorable Moments in Outreach Mission in Rwanda
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11
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Recently Stone of help Ministries was impressed by the tremendous progress that Churches are making in Rwanda due to individual initiatives: One impressive initiative is to help pregnant women to be healthy and therefore have healthy babies. Many young people are determined to fight against poverty, wrong beliefs which are major causes of abortion and death of a big percentage of pregnant women and birth of tiny unhealthy babies!
In Rwanda, due to wrong beliefs women hid their pregnancy by fear of witchcraft or due to the uncertainty that the pregnancy will not reach its full maturity. For this reasons many women do not attend clinic for prenatal care, they do not eat well mainly due ignorance and poverty as a results many of them deliver premature babies or die in giving birth or in unwanted abortion.
However there is hope for the future due to churches and individual initiatives especially young people who eagerly preach the word of God like Jeremiah that God has a plan to prosper his people.
One example of individual initiative is a gentle man named David Nzayisenga he is an orphan who lost his father in mass killing of refugees in DRC in 1998 at the age 11. David and his two siblings and their mother survived bullets in miraculous way. They return in Rwanda heart broken. “My story is like one of Naomi in the book of Ruth in the Bible, God has done to me bitter things said David‘s mom! David has study literature and completed her High School Education but was not able to go to the university due to lack of funds neither he did not want to leave her mother alone and to go to the city to find a new life! “I feel responsible for my mum’s safety and care she is a widow David said with a smiling face! I prayed to God to help me shine like a star where I am! I realized how many people in my community need light he added! I feel a concern for the children who are unable to feel a full stomach, I feel a concern for many women who die in giving birth due to unhealthy condition of living. I see the face of Jesus in them!
In different occasions David had participated in training organized by the church and government aiming in creating awareness on nutrition especially for pregnant and nursing mothers. As a gospel singer and a preacher he has a message of hope, he composed songs and taught them to his choir targeting to discourage the fear and beliefs in witchcraft.
Having trained on nutrition he started a farming project. He has a small pilot farm with different types of crops especially vegetables highly in nutrients that prevent anemia, such as beet roots carrots, onions, spinach radishes. He is keeping livestock’s of goats which gives milk, pigs, rabbit, and chickens. He encourage people in his community to do the same, David has a dream that God’s willing he can be able to study and take care of people’s health.
David is one of two people selected by the church to attend Global Mission Health Conference 2016 and has a great desire to attend in order to get connected to other people!
