Jesus Life 90 - Jesus Army

I had no money
and didn’t know
how I was going
to travel here, but
I said goodbye to
my wife in faith,
and here I am
stimulating post-mortem on the day. Tomorrow
we go our different ways: Jonny and Jason up
country, and Ian and I to Rwanda.
DAY SIX: MONDAY
Our plane banked over the northern shore of
Lake Tanganyika and headed for Kigali. Rukundo
and Pastor Godfrey picked us up from the airport.
The community house is a miracle of
reconciliation itself, in a nation so recently
ravaged by tribal civil war. We were introduced to
the house family. “Welcome home to the Multiply
team” was posted on our bedroom door. This
was a much-anticipated visit. Ian and I were
humbled.
I had an interesting talk with Pastor Godfrey:
“Ah, the West,” he mused, “You have schedules
and programmes. But here in Africa we say ‘God
will provide’.”
DAY SEVEN: TUESDAY
Over breakfast, Rukundo explained
the three ministries that he oversees: the
common-purse community, a local church,
and a network of churches reaching to
Burundi and Congo. Conference delegates
would be arriving today.
We headed for Kigali’s Genocide Memorial
www.multiply.org.uk
site. Of course, these things defy adequate
description. In the compact Memorial grounds
are buried 259,000 victims. A modest inscribed
wall provides their only identification.
“Were any of your family affected?” I quietly
asked Rukundo. “Yes, I lost 78 relatives from
my grandfather’s place.” On the way to lunch he
added, “Now you have seen what we are like on
the outside, and on the inside.”
Down at the “Disciples of Jesus” church,
we enjoyed the spontaneous Rwandan
singing. Voices were accompanied only by a
drum. Three Congolese brothers introduced
themselves. “I had no money and didn’t know
how I was going to travel here,” said one. “But
on Sunday night I said goodbye to my wife in
faith, and here I am.”
DAY EIGHT: WEDNESDAY
During the conference, I’d put Ian up to
offering to pray for anyone wishing to receive the
gift of celibacy. A young man had responded,
and others said they were going home to digest
the teaching.
Sessions over, Rukundo hustled us off to the
offices of “Radio Amazing Grace”. In the studio,
he and Ian were fitted with headphones; I pulled
out the video camera. Ian spoke about fathering
a generation of young men. Afterwards, Rukundo
confided: “Brother, I love this. Many times I ask
myself: ‘Where was the church?’ (meaning in the
genocide) and ‘How should we be now?’”
DAY NINE: THURSDAY
Under blazing sunshine, we threaded up a
mud track past hillside chickens and banana
palms. Rukundo explained that Claud’s family
disapproved of his decision to move into
the “New Humanity” community house. For
extended families, wealth is corporately owned,
and to give your income to non-relatives amounts
to betrayal.
We arrived at their second community house.
An eager third group wants to join, too. Rukundo
translated my description of our community’s
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Jesus Life 25