Blog 5: Abana Bimana (God’s Children)

Written by: Keith Egan

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here I am, Send me!” -Isaiah 6:8

The morning started with us waking up in the dark without electricity. Power generators were being worked on with loud bangs, as if to help make sure we didn’t oversleep. Like it was even possible we could spend an extra moment in bed when we were filled with great anticipation for what this day would bring. We had seen God revealing Himself in so many amazing ways each day and we could only imagine what He would show us today. The verse of the day was Isaiah 6:8 and I was overwhelmed with gratitude that God would send us, at this time, to this land. After a simple Rwandan breakfast including African tea and coffee, we were off in the vans.

A short ride through the countryside and then the vans stopped and we were told we were here. It seemed like this was very close to where we were staying and not the longer drive we had been preparing for. The team got out of the vans to walk down a dirt road and we saw many smiles greeting us, mothers and children, and we were awash in a sea of beautiful faces. We learned that this was a potential location for a new Child Hope Center and our team was the first group to get to see this area. Our team reached out to these radiant little ones and we were embraced with wave after wave of pure love. As I got down on my knees to be at the same level as the children, I felt like the Father was giving me the ability to see as He sees, so clearly recognizing that each of these precious souls are known and loved by Him.

Keith makes a friend while walking to visit a church member’s home.

The call to vamanos and get on the vans again came too soon. There just seemed to be so many children and yet nowhere near enough time. So we left our hearts with all these children who freely gave us theirs and went riding to our next destination. Different from the city, the vista was panoramic and seemed to go on forever. There was less traffic and more fields, with banana trees, papaya and a goat or two every few miles. It was clearly becoming a more rural area the further we went. The vans started driving on red dirt roads and as the dust kicked up, it was pretty easy to see that the area was not getting a lot of rain. There is a saying in Rwanda that “when a friend comes to visit, they are a good rain.” We were determined to shower them with the love of Jesus, however the Lord led.

We were going to a place that was made possible because of others who have worked earnestly for years to prepare a way for this, the newest Child Hope Center in Batima. Through the prayers and seeds of hope planted for the Center, we were richly blessed to be here today for the opening. When our team stepped off the vans the voices of many singing children welcomed us and after that we were ushered into the building. It was beautifully decorated with grass and flower petals framing the walkway. Bishop Theo welcomed visitors with open arms, including local government officials, pastors from regional churches and other faith based organizations to the opening of Child Hope Center Batima. The first twenty-one children at the center were brought on stage. Seeing them was like peering into Heaven and every one of them needed a sponsor. There were two sets of twins in the group and God moved the heart of one person from our team to sponsor one of the pairs of twins. Unless the other children from that initial group are sponsored however, more children won’t be able to go to the program and the need is so great with so many children in that village. One of the phrases we learned from our interpreters was “Abana Bimana”, which means God’s children and we were clearly seeing them today.

Pastor Nicodem, his wife Therese, Bishop Theo and his wife, Miriam and the rest of the Rwandan team pick out names for our mission team.

Meg gave a sweet bible lesson to the children with the assistance of Miriam, one of our interpreters, who is just a gentle, beautiful soul. During the activity, the children were fascinated with crayons because it is something they don’t see very often. We were able to serve the children a hot meal and they were all so grateful. There were so many mouths to feed, yet not enough cups or forks. But the little ones were exceptionally patient as they waited for the others to finish their food so that the cups and forks could be available for them.

After lunch we played with the children outside, blowing bubbles, dancing with them and playing games, filling the yard with squeals of laughter and delight. When our outdoor time was done, still again too soon, we went back inside and we were asked to sit.

Our hosts decided to present each member or our team with Kinyarawanda names. The names were a reflection of our individual personalities and it was an exceptional blessing for us to receive. We were then able to see inside some of the houses of the village because of the hospitality of our hosts. Next to the center was a traditional mud brick house that supporters of Mission Life had been blessed to donate resources for, providing a home for Batima’s pastor and his family to live, so they no longer had to travel far away to get to the Child Hope Center. In addition, a much needed water filter was provided in cooperation with Mission Life for the Center, so that children could have clean water.

As we walked along dusty roads, it gave us just a glimpse of what daily life must be like for the villagers. This was a day filled with overwhelming joy and love and if being the hands and feet of Jesus meant wearing red dust from walking in the shoes of the people of Rwanda, I wanted “all in” and to be covered in the red of the land like I’m covered in the blood of the lamb. The Lord has favored us beyond measure throughout this trip and every step along the way, He has shown that we are all, “Abana Bimana.”

Nshuti Keith

Stay tuned! The children from Batima will be ready to be sponsored on our website very soon!

The Rwanda Team Officially Opens the Child Hope Center in Batima