Day 3 -Courage and Faith to Help Our Neighbor- Our Visit to Batima
Written by: Jenn O’Neill
After a couple of days in the city, it was time to drive out to the country to visit our friends in Batima- the village where Pastor Nicodem and Therese, a strong leadership couple, lead their community. After visiting for the first time in 2019, when the community was struggling and families didn’t know when they would have their next meal, you can now see the growth because of this couple’s commitment to serve God here.
Today’s service centered around the theme of faith and the courage to step out of our comfort zone to help our neighbors. Bishop Theophile Rugubira said we all can do something to contribute to our partnerships with each other. Stephen gave today’s sermon and it focused on three stories of courage. He shared the bible story of Naomi and Ruth who left the comfort of everything she knew to be by Naomi’s side during a challenging time in her life and the disciples’ courage to carry on the good news after the cruxification of Jesus. In his third example, he shared Heidi’s courage to travel to Rwanda alone last year to carry out God’s mission to establish Africa Women’s Hope Initiatives to help women in need. It was an encouraging message for us all.
After service we met with a small business women’s group who received a savings bonus last year. Liz shared a Bible study about faith and not waiting to see if something good will happen before actually taking the step to do it. She used the example of Noah who trusted God to build an ark that would save his family during the big flood.
The women showered us with gratitude for changing their lives through the savings bonus. Women stood up one by one to share how they went from feeling hopeless and jobless to being able to start a business and feed their family. Resources in this region are scarce and because of little rain, sometimes there isn’t much food but through God’s provision, the savings bonus gave these women a way to build a solid foundation to feed their families while also saving as well. God does always provide! After a delicious village lunch, which included the team’s favorite side dish of cabbage, and a little time with the children, it was time to head back but we look forward to visiting again tomorrow.
