Bustin' with News! - March 2014 Edition

In This Issue:

·         First Steps in New Ministry

·         And Now a Word for Our Sponsors

·         A Growing Team

·         The Amazing Number Seven

·         What's New and Exciting?

·         Connecting Thru Prayer

First Steps on New Ministry Paths

Over the last few years, our lives have transitioned through many changes. After a 10-year ministry in Indonesia, we left in May 2011. That was followed by a year of Home Assignment in Canada, visiting many churches and individuals who support us. In August 2012 we pulled up stakes again and headed here to Rwanda. Once we were “settled”, we embarked on full-time language study of Kinyarwanda. And now, as we begin 2014, we are once again entering a new phase of our ministry.

For this year, our ministry will have twin thrusts. The first priority is to continue language study part-time. Kinyarwanda is a difficult language that takes much more than one year to learn well. We are grateful that CBM shares our belief in the many benefits this will have in our future ministry in Rwanda. It is hard work, but we remain committed to it. The plan is that we will continue to work on our language studies two days each week.

The second priority is to once again engage in “hands-on” ministry. This is going to look different for each of us. For Laura Lee, the primary focus is coordinating the administrative details for the Short Term Mission teams (STMs) that will be coming to Rwanda. You can’t imagine (or maybe you can) all the things that must be arranged before a team from Canada arrives. Much depends on good organization: effective ministry, safety, good cross-cultural experiences, meaningful relationships, and of course the basics of food and lodging. The good news is that this is right up Laura Lee’s alley with her organizational skills. The challenge is that there are many things to learn, especially given the fact that this is still a new country/culture for us. Thankfully André Sibomana (CBM National Field staff) has lots of experience and connections, and will be able to help her get up to speed over the course of this year.

My (Darrell’s) main focus for this year is to come alongside Pastor Nathan Ndyamiyemenshi who is the head of the Evangelism Dept. of the Rwandan Baptists (AEBR). This department, which in Canada we might call the “Evangelism and Discipleship Dept.”, is responsible for the spiritual oversight of the denomination: church planting, small groups, theological education, Sunday School, pastoral training, etc. I will also be involved to a limited degree in teaching and preaching this year. After all the time away from these types of ministries, it is thrilling for me to be “back in the saddle again.”

For us, one of the challenges this year will be obvious to many who have tried to do things “part-time”. They have a way of trying to become “full-time”! We will need to be careful to make sure the ministry doesn’t squeeze out the language learning and vice versa. But we feel up for the challenge. It is no accident that we are here now and we are convinced that God has us in this place at this time for his purposes. That’s exciting!

 

With Justin (the head of the AEBR Education Dept) and a school principal, scouting a possible STM site 

 Pottery-making at the annual AEBR youth Peace Camp, an STM taking place this year in August

Strategizing with Nathan, the head of the Evangelism Department 

Nathan and Andre leading a Pastors’ Training Workshop

 

 

And Now a Word From FOR Our Sponsors

We are pleased to report that we had a strong financial finish in 2013, due in part to the faithful giving of long-time supporters but also to a number of new partners who have begun supporting us this year. 2013 was the first year for us to have partner churches literally from one coast of Canada to the other! We are so grateful and humbled by the small and large donations given each month to support the ministry in which we are involved. God’s church is truly a wonderful, generous family! Did you know that, in the last two years, our support level has risen around 38%? (Now would be a good time to cheer!) This level of support sets our ministry up well as we look ahead to what God is going to be doing through us here in Rwanda in 2014.

Of course it needs also to be said that, due to the high cost of living in Rwanda (especially compared to Indonesia), there still remains a gap between our support and our ministry costs. It would be wonderful if we could narrow that gap even more in 2014. If that is something which you feel moved to help with, or have any other questions regarding the support of our ministry, you can contact Barb Keys bkeys@cbmin.org at the CBM office (7185 Millcreek Dr., Mississauga, ON, L5N 5R4) and she’ll be happy to assist you.

A Growing Team

We are thrilled that our CBM Rwanda team is going to be growing this year. In August, Jonathan and Janice Mills and their youngest son, Robert, will be moving to Kigali to begin ministry here with the AEBR. They are currently doing some travelling in Canada as they raise support and share the vision that God has given them for ministry in Rwanda. We are looking forward to welcoming them and lending a hand in helping them get settled.

 

Jonathan, Robert and Janice Mills

 

The Amazing Number Seven

We always enjoy receiving mail from friends and family. But we have discovered a bit of a problem that is sometimes keeping the mail from reaching us. Did you know that the way the numbers one and seven are written can determine if we receive our mail or not? While we write one ( 1 ) and seven ( 7 ) like this, Rwandans put more of an "overhang" on their ones and they cross their sevens. Because of this, our mail has at times ended up in the wrong PO Box, with the sevens being interpreted by the people in the Post Office as ones. So when you send us mail, it will be much more likely to reach us at BP 7479 if you cross your sevens. And now that you know about the amazing influence of the number seven...we hope to hear from you soon.

 

What’s New and Exciting?

We have appreciated the many people who have been concerned about my back problems and have been praying faithfully. Here is an update: After making slow but steady progress through November, the month of December was not good. For unknown reasons, it ended up regressing. Thankfully, at the beginning of January we were able to make some changes to my course of treatment that seems to have it moving in the right direction again.

Due to my back issues, our plans for 2014 needed to be adjusted. One of the changes is that we are going to be coming back to Canada for a 3-month home assignment. Darrell will be arriving at the end of April; Laura Lee and Caleb will be joining him a month later once Caleb is finished school. Many church visits are already confirmed in Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. We are excited for this opportunity to visit with many of you and share what God has been doing here in Rwanda. If you have any questions about our home assignment bookings, you can connect with Barb Keys bkeys@cbmin.org at the CBM office.

On the home front, December was a fun but busy month for Caleb. He was able to be part of a school theatre presentation, playing the role of a nervous, newly-wedded husband. Then, a couple of weeks later, he sang in the school choir’s Christmas concert, including a couple of great solo pieces.

 

A “dramatic” husband

 

We had an enjoyable Christmas. It was different, however, since it was the first one that Bronwyn was not with us. All part of this new stage of life, right? Bronwyn did a great job in her first semester at Crandall University, doing her best to adjust not only to university life, but to Canadian life as well.

At the end of January, Caleb celebrated his 15th birthday. He’s a far cry from the little 3½ year old who moved from Canada back in 2002! To celebrate, he had a “traditional” party with friends and a “non-traditional” Skype video with Bronwyn while he opened his gifts. Such are the unusual life experiences of a TCK (Third Culture Kid).

 

Turning 4 in Indonesia...

 

Turning 15 in Rwanda!

The Power Centre: Connecting Thru Prayer

PRAYERS ALREADY ANSWERED:

ÿ Bronwyn’s first semester at Crandall University went very well. Although it was not without stress, she was able to grow through it. And, with lots of texting and videoing via Skype, we were able to share in those ups and downs too!

ÿ We’re grateful that Darrell’s back is improving again after a rough December.

ÿ Our hearts are full of thanksgiving that our financial support in 2013 was the strongest we’ve experienced since joining CBM in 2002. Thank you to all who partnered with us in this way.

ONGOING PRAYER ITEMS:

ÿ Patience and perseverance are needed with language studies, and learning new ministry responsibilities.

ÿ There needs to be continued improvement with Darrell’s back, especially with the significant amount of travel that is necessary with the upcoming home assignment.

ÿ Pray for Bronwyn & Caleb as they work toward finishing another school year.

ÿ We are excited about our home assignment. Pray for all the details to come together, safety in all the travel, meaningful times together with many supporters, and times of refreshing with family and friends.

ÿ Remember the Mills family as they visit for the first time in mid-March, and then as they prepare to move to Kigali in August.

ReBoot Pictures!

Here's a smattering of pictures from ReBoot.  If you want to read the story behind these pictures, you can do so here.

First afternoon...introducing ourselves...

 

A couple of sessions on transition and Biblical discernment.

 

Morning challenge: human knot!

Small group time.

On Tuesday evening we closed off our day focused on grief by having a worship time on a river in a nearby park.

Working through our past--what made us who we are--and how to bring that into the future...

There was always somebody ready & willing to love on Baby H!

Some other activities...

Flolf! (flip-flop golf)

Gotta have a Tim Horton's outing!

Fish bowl! (at this point acting out a word using

somebody else's body!)

Surprise wake up call for the birthday boy!

Swimming in the wave pool at a water park.

Foosball!! (I guess sticking my tongue out helps

me concentrate?!?)

Liz does some amazing mehndi!!!

On Thursday afternoon, we were all recorded running into frame, sitting on a chair, having 7 seconds to say our name, where we've lived, the best thing about being an MK (missionary kid), and the worst thing about being an MK, and then running out of frame for the next person!

Crowded into the line-up corner.

The behind-the-scenes view (AKA what we

were looking at!)

Small group pictures!

Group pictures!

"comatose"

Not enough room to jump!

The 10 attendees.

Our mighty leaders.

A lot easier to do when there's only 4 of you...

Our incredible, loving, honest, Godly leaders!

 The countries represented by the 20 of us MKs.

Transition {ReBoot}

I recently heard change defined as a move from one situation to another and transition as the psychological coming to grips with the change, the process of "unpacking your heart and mind."  While change can happen overnight (or over a 20-hour air plane journey across the world), transition is usually a longer process.

One of the most common "symptoms" of transition is chaos: chaotic emotions, chaotic schedules, chaotic thoughts, chaotic suitcases, chaotic life, chaos! This certainly has been the case for me over the past nine weeks. However, I just returned from a week away in Ontario and now I don't know when the next time will be that I travel outside of the Maritimes. I'm here for good (well, at least for the next 5 years). There is something so releasing and relieving in making that declaration, and yet it is simultaneously painful and utterly heartbreaking.

The reason I was in Ontario last week was to attend ReBoot, a conference for MKs (Missionary Kids) who are repatriating to Canada to begin university. We came from many different organizations and agencies and represented countries literally from all over the world. Yet, it was amazing to see how by the second morning--after only several hours together, we had already found a camaraderie and  connection with each other that went deep. I think it is safe to say that, while each of our personal experiences and stories were so varied and unique, we were all amazed at how similar our lives & thoughts & struggles were.

I could fill a book with things that I learned and thoughts evoked by this past week, so I'll just give you a few of the highlights.  I was reminded of the different ways that mono-culturals and third culture kids (TCKs) develop relationships--and that they both end up at the same level of intimacy eventually.  I was given some frightening statistics about spirituality and sexuality in North America, and more specifically on university and college campuses.  I discovered some things that I've been holding onto that are a hindrance in making this transition.  I learned about Biblical Discernment.  I developed a plan and some specific goals for this journey I am on.  I learned, and can see, that one of the biggest pitfalls of an MK is arrogance.  I learned about some TCKs talked about in the Bible, and how God worked in and through their lives.  I made some amazing friendships and found belonging with others who understand the many sides of the life I have led so far.  I heard and told numerous funny stories and shared many laughs.  I benefitted from talking with adult MKs who have already gone through this transition, some many years ago and others more recently.  I was stretched.  I had fun.

One of the other MKs who attended ReBoot wrote an amazing post on her own blog that I want to share.  She beautifully and eloquently captures so much of what we experienced in a few short paragraphs.

Where to begin? I don’t know how to describe the incredible week I’ve just been through, at a seminar for missionary kids come back to Canada to stay. It was called ‘Reboot’. And what a perfect name for what it was—a reboot, a new start, with fresh gusto. There’s no way to describe the immediate intimacy we felt, staff and kids alike, just because of the similar backgrounds we had: all of us aliens in our own ‘home’ countries. From Japan, Indonesia, Guinea, Brazil, Ecuador, Pakistan, Kenya and beyond, 10 missionary kids and 10 staff that were ex-missionary kids, met for a week of intensive debriefing. 

I had no idea there was so much hurt, bitterness and anger inside me before I went. I didn’t know I was holding onto things from years ago, harbouring poisonous thoughts that were eating me up inside. 

I can’t describe how the staff reached out, and with their loving honesty and patient listening, acted as God’s hands, coaxing the bitterness out of me. How do I explain the way they seemed to ask just the right questions, give the right kind of encouragement, and provide the perfect advice? We had sessions on grief, transition, spiritual discernment, relationships, security and more. For the mks attending, it was surprising to find that some of the stereotypes we were familiar with about us were exactly true, and that some were totally not. While we perfectly fit the mold for an mk, we are still, each of us, completely unique. I learnt that in the heart of a self-conscious, lonely, insecure mk, pride and arrogance is one of the deadliest and easiest sins. I learnt that first impressions can be completely deceiving, and good relationships in the West take lots of patience and time. I learnt that a ‘Hoser’ is a loser. I learnt that police in Canada can be trusted. I learnt that the West is SO tolerant of all religions, sexual orientations, and personal beliefs, that it is extremely intolerant of expression of opinions. I learnt that getting rid of old grief and pain is glorious. 

I can’t explain it all, the depth of spiritual renewal that I received, or the joy of being with people that completely understood, the laughing and crying…but I do know one thing. God was at work. We were told that there was a prayer network all around the world, praying for the success of the week, and I am convinced that God answered the prayers in His dependable, more than sufficient way.

While it is absolutely true that knowing I am now settling here in New Brunswick feels elating and gut-wrenching, one of the other truths that was emphasized at ReBoot is that my background is one of my most precious belongings.  Therefore, I am choosing to move forward and embrace this next chapter in my life while continuing to hold onto aspects of my many adopted, non-North American cultures.

** I tried to post some more pictures, but it wouldn't cooperate with me right now.  If you want to check some out, Michele Phoenix posted a bunch on Facebook.  (You can get to it here: https://www.facebook.com/shellphoenix/media_set?set=a.697676884648.1073741845.187703169&type=3)

A Brief Update...and A Look to the Future

Well, the past several weeks of our lives have been very hectic, and it doesn't look like things will be calming down any time soon!  Just to give you a feel for what's been happening, some of the highlights (and maybe lowlights?) of the past month include the following:  we had a visit from the Godwin's and Kenny's (the Godwin's last time); I studied for and completed my last tests of high school; Caleb had his final Band concert; we got a cat--Messi; we had a "grad supper" out with the Gaskill's (in lieu of my graduation); Caleb had a week of tests, projects, and an exam; we had some responsibilities with a short term missions team (STM), including having one lady stay at our house for a week; we attended, and Caleb played at, KICS' graduation ceremony; we have said good-bye to most of the expat families we have become good friends with this year (there are many expat families moving away this summer); we had a wonderful final family fling of vacation in Butare and Nyungwe Forest, including going on a Canopy Walk in the trees and seeing a total of six different types of monkeys as well as the Great Blue Turaco bird; we said good-bye to some more friends; and then finally, this week, we've had several more meals out, and Mom & Dad have had meetings, with some more STMs; Mom and Dad celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary; we've been starting to fit in some of my lasts, both Kigali lasts as well as family lasts; Caleb got his first pair of glasses; and I've started packing!

On Thursday evening, Dad & I fly out of Kigali and head to Moncton, New Brunswick, while Mom & Caleb remain here and hold down the fort!  We appreciate your prayers for all of us as we each feel the effects of this major transition.  Dad will be in Canada with me for 3 1/2 weeks, helping me get settled and set up in New Brunswick before returning to Rwanda.  As the clock ticks down and we spend our last few days together, I'm going to be spending as much time as possible with my family, so you probably won't be seeing much of me over the next week.  And maybe over the next few weeks, as I have a feeling that life is going to be pretty crazy once I touch down in Canada.  Or maybe you'll get tons of photo dumps as I have time...I'm not sure.  I do know that eventually you'll get some written and photo updates of what's been going on and what will be going on.  Until then, please keep us in your prayers as we go through this huge transition!  Thank-you!

KICS Band Tour 2013!

From May 2nd to 5th, the KICS band went on Band Tour!  On Wednesday they had a dress rehearsal and then they kicked off the tour on Thursday with two performances at Green Hills Academy in Kigali.  They finished off the day with a practice for Sunday at CLA.  On Friday morning, they performed at an elementary school in Kigali.  After lunch, they drove to Musanze--around 2 hours away--and performed at Sonrise High School.  Finally, on Sunday, they participated in the morning church service at Christian Life Assembly (CLA).

Mom and I went to the dress rehearsal on Wednesday to get our first taste of the songs (other than hearing the trombone part every morning for many weeks)!

From our side view  |  "Blazing Clarinets"

Since it was a practice, it also gave me some good opportunities to try out what I've been learning about framing and background in my Photography course!

The 5 trombonists--one of my favourites!

Eyes on Mr. Gaskill!

Jazz band!

Another one of my favourites!

The band has memorized their final song, "Salvation Is Created," and are able to spread out when playing it to create some surround sound!

Mr. Gaskill giving a short devotion and tour pep talk...

...which included some good expression...and acting!

To give a bit of explanation, the second picture is him enacting the "step of faith" in Indiana Jones!  Who knew it would come in handy in band practice?!

One of the band members lost his Dad last year, and the day of the rehearsal was on the one-year anniversary.

Mr. Gaskill leading a prayer of blessing over this band member, and the upcoming tour.

Dad helped out with some driving on Thursday, but we weren't able to attend any of the performances that day.  On Friday, however, all three of us travelled to Musanze with the band and a few other parents.

Our "convoy" of 6 vehicles starting out from Kigali

A couple of hours later, arriving at Sonrise High School.

The place was packed!  And required some quick-thinking innovation in terms of band seating! :-)

After playing a few songs, there was an opportunity for a couple of students to try out an instrument.  Here's Mr. Gaskill showing how to play the trumpet.

And how to conduct!

The jazz band!

One of the KICS students giving their testimony.

What it looks like outside when not everyone is playing...

...and receiving instructions about how to position themselves for the final song.

"Salvation Is Created"

We were just slightly later leaving than we hoped to, but it looked like we should still make it back shortly after dark.

However, one of the keys to being a missionary is being flexible and enjoying an adventure!  After driving for 50 minutes, we came across a landslide caused by the heavy rain we were experiencing.  Cars were being rerouted on the side of the road, and the first 3 vehicles in our convoy got through fine.  The bus, however, was a different story! 

As it was trying to drive along the side of the road, it got stuck.  Then it tried to back up, and started sliding and got more stuck.  After one more attempt at moving--and tilting even more--we were very relieved to see Mr. Gaskill leading the students off the bus!  Thankfully, it wasn't a sheer drop-off at this point along the road, but the bus still could have tipped onto its side.

The Dad driving the vehicle in front of us got out of his small truck, dug around in the backseat, and pulled out a cable! [Dad's wondering if a cable would appear if he tried digging around in our back seat!!]  He was able to attach it to a huge stump blocking part of the road and pull it back a ways.  Machetes and axes sent branches flying, and after several minutes, the stump was rolled off the side of the road.  Shovels then appeared and men got to work moving some of the mud covering the road.  Finally, David [with the cable] was able to attach his cable to the rear of the bus and, as the bus reversed, directed it back onto the road!  While this only took a moment to read, it took an hour to actually happen--an hour of standing in drizzling rain for the band students!  But--it's all part of the adventure...and makes for some great stories.

On Sunday morning, the Tour closed off by participating in the service at CLA.

By this point, the band members were pros and setting up and tearing down!

In addition to performing 3 of their own songs, the band also played with the worship team on "Everlasting God (Strength Will Rise)."

Practicing beforehand with the worship team

It sounded amazing!!!

It was a very busy and tiring four days--especially for the band--but it was also an incredible experience!  There were lots of opportunities and the students seemed very receptive.  Mr. Gaskill did an amazing job planning and coordinating the schedule and school visits as well as preparing and leading the band members.  The students, of course, also played a huge part in the success of the tour.  They played all of their pieces with confidence--and sounded great!--were very efficient at setting up and packing up, and gave all the glory to God!