Our prayer for you in the coming year - Numbers 6:24-26
"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift his countenance upon you and give you peace"
Christmas Eve with the Dixons
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Africa New Life Ministry
Africa New Life is a Rwandan run ministry that is striving to empower Rwandan youth. There is so much I love about this organization. The following are my observations, and unless cited by ANLM's website not the exact words of the organization. 
First, the founder is Rwandan. Pastor Charles grew up in Uganda after his family escaped the first genocide in 1959, but he returned to his home country in 1995. You can read more about his calling to serve Rwanda by clicking here. So what's the big deal about the founder being Rwandan? Well, he knows what Rwanda needs, and knows how to provide that without compromising the culture. The Mission Statement for ANLM: Africa New Life exists to transform lives and communities through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Acts of Compassion.
I also love the way the sponsorship program is run. As much as we all want to help every child we meet, or that walks through the doors of the Street Children's Program, the fact of the matter is, not every child is a good candidate for sponsorship.
Africa New Life requires a testing period of approximately a year to determine if a child (and his/her family) is a good fit for sponsorship. The child (and family) need to show a desire to rise above their circumstances by attending school and church regularly. It may sound callous to not accept every child possible into the program, but it is really a way to be good stewards of the money God provides through sponsors. This population tends to be extremely transient, and may or may not stay enrolled in school even with funds. By spending nearly a year with a child before offering sponsorship, it ensures ANLM that the child is going to stay in the area, and funds can be used appropriately. When you choose to sponsor a child or university student you can trust that ANLM is working with him or her regularly. If you are interested in sponsoring a child please click here.
Not really lastly, but lastly for the purpose of this blog, I love that ANLM doesn't have Americans on the ground in Rwanda permanently.
They truly have a partnership with Americans and American churches, but the Rwandans (and Kenyans and Ugandans) are the ones who work with the kids and families day in and day out. 160 Africans are employed there, with only about 6 counterparts stateside. The local church is being built up and equipped, and they don't look like little American churches.
Clay and I are blessed and excited to partner with this ministry.
We can't wait to see how God continues to use it to transform Rwanda and her people. We are both looking forward to the day we can return.
Photo captions -
Top: Sponsored children at a party in Kageyo
Middle: Some of our awesome translators/ANLM staff
Bottom: Clay with our sponsored child, Sarah in Kayonza
First, the founder is Rwandan. Pastor Charles grew up in Uganda after his family escaped the first genocide in 1959, but he returned to his home country in 1995. You can read more about his calling to serve Rwanda by clicking here. So what's the big deal about the founder being Rwandan? Well, he knows what Rwanda needs, and knows how to provide that without compromising the culture. The Mission Statement for ANLM: Africa New Life exists to transform lives and communities through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Acts of Compassion.
I also love the way the sponsorship program is run. As much as we all want to help every child we meet, or that walks through the doors of the Street Children's Program, the fact of the matter is, not every child is a good candidate for sponsorship.
Africa New Life requires a testing period of approximately a year to determine if a child (and his/her family) is a good fit for sponsorship. The child (and family) need to show a desire to rise above their circumstances by attending school and church regularly. It may sound callous to not accept every child possible into the program, but it is really a way to be good stewards of the money God provides through sponsors. This population tends to be extremely transient, and may or may not stay enrolled in school even with funds. By spending nearly a year with a child before offering sponsorship, it ensures ANLM that the child is going to stay in the area, and funds can be used appropriately. When you choose to sponsor a child or university student you can trust that ANLM is working with him or her regularly. If you are interested in sponsoring a child please click here. Not really lastly, but lastly for the purpose of this blog, I love that ANLM doesn't have Americans on the ground in Rwanda permanently.
They truly have a partnership with Americans and American churches, but the Rwandans (and Kenyans and Ugandans) are the ones who work with the kids and families day in and day out. 160 Africans are employed there, with only about 6 counterparts stateside. The local church is being built up and equipped, and they don't look like little American churches.Clay and I are blessed and excited to partner with this ministry.
We can't wait to see how God continues to use it to transform Rwanda and her people. We are both looking forward to the day we can return. Photo captions -
Top: Sponsored children at a party in Kageyo
Middle: Some of our awesome translators/ANLM staff
Bottom: Clay with our sponsored child, Sarah in Kayonza
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Kageyo
On Wednesday (November 25) we had our longest trip yet – 3 hours on a bus down a road smaller than Cobb Mill (yeah, that’s a Woodville reference). Kageyo is a refugee resettlement near the boarder of Tanzania. After escaping the genocide, many Rwandans sought shelter and made homes for themselves in Tanzania. They prospered there. The Tanzanian government eventually told them they had to go home – they were given one day to leave the country, and were not allowed to take anything with them. You can imagine the devastation.
Kageyo has only recently moved out of “crisis” mode. But let me be clear about “crisis” – this merely means there are no longer people dying on a DAILY basis due to lack of food and hippo attacks. Yes, hippo attacks. This community is still INCREDIBLY impoverished, and in dire need of food, clean water, and medical supplies. There are approximately 200 children in this community that still need sponsors. Sponsorship provides tuition, books, uniforms, food, and medical insurance.
The church that ANLM runs is overrun every Sunday with worshipers. The fourth wall of the church has yet to be built because each week the congregation flows out and up the hill. God is at work in this community!
We spent the day celebrating with some of the sponsored children at a party. We played games, talked to them about Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then gave them all gifts sent by their sponsors. Toward the end of the day we hiked up a HUGE hill behind the church. From there we had nearly a 360 degree panoramic view of the valley and some of the hills of Tanzania.
Please pray that the Lord will continue to provide for Kageyo. They are very far removed from the rest of the country. Roads need to be improved to increase trade between Kageyo and Kigali.
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