A Celebration of Firsts at Hermond Church - God Answers a 15 Year Prayer
Written by: Jenn O’Neill
It was one of the most exciting highlights of our recent mission trip to Rwanda! In a partnership between Africa Hope Initiatives, Microseeds.org and Mission Life, our mission team, in partnership with One Church, helped to officially open Hermond Church and the new location of the Child Hope Center!
After the government’s closure of the tent church in 2018 on this site, the women who worshiped here in the Kimisagara neighborhood have been praying for a new space. Many of their husbands were killed in the 1994 genocide. Struggling to provide for their families, many of their children attend the Child Hope Center.
In a celebration that brought both Child Hope Centers together, our team held a Bazaar at Hermond Church for the children. It was the first time the children experienced a carnival-like atmosphere with games, face painting, food and tables of toys, clothes, hygiene products and candy to buy with play money!
The bazaar is much more than a day of fun. It is used at our child centers in Colombia as a way of teaching the children the rewards of good behavior. The children are typically given play money over the course of three months for good behavior that can be used at the bazaar. This discipline model encourages and motivates the children to make better choices knowing it can also be taken away for bad behavior and then there are also the rewards.
Being the first time, we didn’t know where the children would go first but as soon as we let them loose, they all flocked past the games to the toys and clothes tables. Everything was gone in 10 minutes! At the end of the day, our team experienced a church full of joy, excitement, toy whistles blowing, balloons bouncing around and a sea of smiles.
While there are a few things that still to be completed, such as the government’s requirement to soundproof the church and the need for a retaining wall, the celebration is the culmination of God’s incredible answer to a prayer made fifteen years ago by Bishop Theo Rugubira and his team.
This is all possible because of incredible supporters who believe in the mission and who want to be a part of changing lives! We are incredibly grateful to have you along for the journey. You can learn more about becoming a Changemaker here.
