Fellowship and Sunday Worship in Gisenyi
Written by: Liz Henrich
Sunday Worship!
It’s Sunday already and the time is flying by! Today is a day of worship, fellowship, and rest.
We attended The Harvest Christian Church in Gisenyi. As we pulled up in the van we could hear the singing of praise. They were so happy to see us back in Gisenyi, certainly remembering us from our visit last year. After greetings and introductions, the children’s choir danced for us. The age range was from 3 years old to about 12. They were so adorable and were having so much fun! The adult choir sang next. The songs were beautiful and lively. These folks have a way of worship that doesn’t compare to anything anywhere.
Stephen delivered the message about fellowship. One of the premises of Africa Women’s Hope Initiatives (AWHI) is encouraging the women of the cooperatives to work together and support each other in good times and in bad. He used a visualization showing how a cord of string is strong and cannot be broken because it’s made of multiple strands entwined together. When the strands are separated and stand alone, they are easily broken. The cooperatives are only functional if the women work together.
After the service we gathered the women together for a brief teaching about stepping out in faith. A reference was made to Jesus calling Peter to walk on the water. He was afraid (as some of these women are at first), but Peter trusted Jesus and stepped out of the boat. They are learning to take a risk to improve their lives by starting a business. It can be a little scary.
We heard testimonies of several women who made use of the savings bonus they received last year. They have started businesses, grown them and now have personal savings and are able to contribute to the cooperative to help others. That’s fellowship!
We enjoyed a delicious lunch on the shore of Lake Kivu and a needed rest in the afternoon. We have a very busy day tomorrow.
God is good! He has protected us and shown his love for us through the awesome people of Rwanda. Praise God!
