Bearing Fruit

First...our apologies in the sporadic posts...internet has been very irregular.

Interestingly, today our sermon here in Rwanda was about bearing fruit, and the harvest. Specifically on Isaiah 5:1-7 (the hard working planter and his failed crops) and Mark 11:12-19 (the fig tree that bore no fruit).

We all found the sermon applicable in the sense that our work in Marare focused on the fruit of the spirit -- we used this as a our Bible lessons for the Marare children, and as a focal point for us as a team. It was refreshing to have that lesson reinforced today.

Going back to our last day in the village of Marare, we were blessed immensely by the community. We savored our last drive in on the bumpy dirt road with the clouds of vehicle fumes all around us, the shack houses, the goats and cows roaming everywhere, the shoeless children, the hundreds of bodas (motorcycles) on the roads, and the unique sounds around us.

Upon arriving at the village, we enjoyed one last session of hundreds of screaming children running to greet us in our mototo (taxi). One last time to feel like celebrities. One last time to have 10 or more children clinging to our arms for just a little attention and love.

We had the honor of the villagers taking time to dress us in their traditional dresses -- the women wore gomas, the men robes with suit jackets. The day was HOT, and us women got to wear at least 5m of polyester fabric on the top layer, and another 3-4 metres of fabric underneath. Some of us also got to wear a polyester head covering. Needless to say, we were honored, but sweating before the second layer was on. We then got to go out in the hot sun, and dance with ALL the village women around the church building to under the trees. The men were just as blessed with snug fitting suit jackets, but lucky them -- they got white cotton robes.

The closing ceremonies were a great reminder of why we were there -- not only to teach and construct, but more importantly to connect with these beautiful people and build relationships as brothers and sisters in Christ. Who they were was a HUGE blessing to each of us, as joy there brought us back to the basics and what our purpose here on earth is.

The last words we heard from the children as we were leaving were "See you tomorrow!" That nearly broke our hearts...the next team will be the children's tomorrow.