Week 75

Walking on Sunshine

Mumuji, part of town from a distance

It's been a pretty happy, upbeat week. A week deserving a happy upbeat song title. 

However, I don't have a lot to update you on. We are just doing our best to keep the faith high and get people to attend church on Sunday. We have some powerful people progressing towards baptism already, but it will be a few weeks.

A spiritual experience I had this week was when we were walking between appointments in an less populated area I looked between two houses and saw some feet poking out from behind the wall. I instantly felt drawn in that direction. It didn't seem like so much of a conscious decision to walk that way, but more like the spirit just took control and before I knew it we were contacting the sister we found there. She accepted a baptism date, came to church, and is already progressing well. 

I know that when we have faith and seek guidance from the Lord he does lead and guide us from day to day! I love you all. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Winn

Some things I meant to mention last week:

The last Saturday of every month is a special community day of service called Umuganda. The city basically shuts down and the people are encouraged to engage in some sort of service project. I thought that was an interesting cultural point to share. We spent our Umuganda hacking through some bush creating a path to make water more accessible during shortages. I felt like someone out of one of those jungle movies! Good fun, great service! 

Also, the light covered hills are super pretty at night. It's almost like a starry sky, but on the ground! That's part of what makes it seem like a whole new world.

Week 74

A whole new world -Aladdin

Another part of the city

Week two in Rwanda. Missionary work is so different here, but in a very good way. Last week I hinted at some difficulties stemming from the church closure last year.  Last week was special because of Elder Stevenson's visit, but this week I was able to get a better view of what challenges present. We currently meet in the small upstairs room of another church building on the other side of town. Getting to church takes a fairly long bus ride, and it can be a struggle for many (especially families) to come on Sunday. The things I had previously heard about it scared me, but I was very happy with what I saw at sacrament meeting. The bus came late for many, causing the meeting to also start late. The space was a bit crowded, and you could hear the congregation downstairs pretty clearly. These things could easily bother someone, but as I looked around I was so happy so see so many devoted members willing to show their faith and come to church even with the less than prime circumstances. As I looked at the situation from their perspective and came to really understand it, I was touched. I am excited for the transfer ahead here in K3.

We were also blessed to have the baptism of Sister Alphonsine, who started learning from the previous missionaries (Elder Anim and Harris). She was a referral from the missionaries in Logan Utah, where her fiance has been living. (Not far from home, huh?). It was so great to see her get baptized by Elder Anim who started teaching her!

I am out of time, but I am grateful to be here serving in Rwanda. I love you guys, have a great week!

-Elder Winn

The Baptism