Redeemer to Rwanda 2019: Report #2

by Olivia Smith

Tuesday, May 21

It’s been an incredible few days. We are all doing well. Tired, yes, but continually in awe of God’s goodness and all the ways He is working here in Rwanda.

On Tuesday we had the opportunity to do home visits with the community in Karangazi. As we were driving into the neighborhood we were warmly greeted by friendly faces and the bright-eyed smiles of young children. I admit, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with the home visits and I sure didn’t feel worthy enough to be so eagerly ushered into such a sacred space as someone’s home. What an honor.

The home visits ended up being one of my highlights is the trip so far. Essentially, it was what we came here for-- to build relationships.

We split into two groups and each group visited two homes in the morning, two more at lunch, and then two in the afternoon. Each home started off with introducing ourselves, hearing our hosts' story, and then concluded with asking how we could pray. It was a joy to be able to pray with these brothers and sisters. We visited so many incredible families and the faces and stories shared will be cherished forever.

There was one visit in particular that really impacted me. We were able to meet with a real sweet couple who shared with us that they had twelve kids. They had such deep love for their kids but more importantly for the Lord. I asked them how they have seen the Lord work in their lives over the years and they shared how all twelve of their kids have been able to go to University on a full scholarship. I will also never forget when they shared their full trust and dependence on the Lord when it came to their own care.

We finished the day by getting to play with the Compassion kids (AKA, "the best part of my week"). It would be hard to put into words how wonderful those moments were, but needless to say the Lord is doing a mighty work in the hearts of His precious children in Karangazi.