Kids Small Groups

We have officially landed on US soil. Now pray for simple and smooth transitions at passport control, baggage claim and final exit out of LAX. We are HOME!!!

We are getting my ready to board our LAST flight HOME!!! Most of the team (especially kiddos) slept the first flight. Now we are getting ready to board our AMS flight homeward for LAX all on time for departure/arrival. Pray for easy re entry. Pray for final rest to get reacclimated. And if you would like to join us for late lunch/early dinner back at home we’d love to have you join us just text 😘 (most will go to what we’ve been craving...of course depends on how we feel after this next leg and getting through customs 🤪)

We love you and are entering into FINAL debrief so until we see you at LAX be ready for hugs, tears, love, stories, pictures, and so much more!  Our flights home if you'd like to track with us are:

KLM 535 (KGL to AMS)
KLM 601 (AMS to KGL)

See you soon! Prayers for safe travels, settled tummies, and pure JOY as we rest and reflect are appreciated.  Love you guys!

Thanks for your patience prayers as the team had a lovely time away beginning the debrief process.  It was a truly spectacular time taking in all of God's incredible creations.  After a long day of being the car, heads quickly hit the pillows...but not until after we had some fellowship with all of our Rwandan friends and their family members.  It was a truly momentous time to host our translators, driver, PEACE team, and more along with their spouses and kids.  This trip would not be possible without our Rwandan teammates, brothers, friends, and faithful warriors for the Kingdom. Forever grateful for Gratien, Simon, Jean Paul, "Teddy", Denis, JP, and Joel.  Unbelievable!

Now the FINAL full day is ahead - Wednesday 6/26. Pray for:

• The debrief process to continue as the group will now share and reflect all together
• Final farewells and affirmations from the past 10 FULL days of ministry
• Precious memories & moments that we will carry with us for a lifetime
• Travels on the road and in the sky as we begin our journey homeward
• Smooth, on-time flights and pilots who will carefully direct us home to YOU

The team has arrived safely at Akagera Game Lodge with limited internet access.  They will be going to bed soon and will get up bright and early for their R&R safari.

It is truly difficult still to fathom but today is it...the last full day of ministry in Rwanda.  And it was another FULL, fun, and faith-filled time of ministry together as a team.  Despite much wear and tear in long hours of ministry, intermittent sleep, and waiting patiently along the journey the team continued to step up and step up BIG.  We broke into 3 teams today and headed in different directions to maximize our ministry potential:

CGF Kimironko - Teams Danaher, Samuelson & Michael served at their home base church. Pastor Michael brought the powerful message about the Holy Spirit for about 45 minutes while then Teams Samuelson & Danaher worked hard to lead almost 60 kiddos in children's ministry.  They did two skits - the Good Samaritan and the Parable of the Sower.  There was great discussion to review the Bible stories and then how to apply it to their lives.  The best moment was having all the kids gather around a LONG sheet of butcher paper leaving their own unique mark (handprint) on it.  The team reaffirmed that each handprint represents how much Jesus loves them.  What a beautiful image for the church to keep.  And Kennedy & Dakota were exceptional rockstars intentionally tying it all together from the beginning with worship until the very end final play time.  Well done, small but mighty team!  And the grand finale to a WONDERFUL time of ministry with Pastor Michael & children's led by Teams Danaher and Samuelson was coming full circle with the 1st home visits we did a week ago.  Those families were now invited to church to be blessed with a very large bag of corn.  It was wonderful to see these genocide survivor families at CGF beaming with the blessing.

CLA Nyaraturama - Team Rosser & Liza could not miss the opportunity to FINALLY see Kids Small Groups (discipleship) in action.  It was an unbelievable moment to see the intentional process of discipleship that CLA has embarked on over the past few years. And we were blessed to not only have Conor share his testimony in the 401 group but also assist these 10 students in beginning to write out their heart stories. God's perfect timing! And what beautiful stories that are beginning to unfold.  After an hour with Mary & Ken's 401 group we got to pop our heads into the 301 group and the two 201 groups.  The four 101 groups meet the other Sundays @ 10:00 am as there isn't enough room for all to meet for discipleship.  Isn't that the best problem EVER when the program is getting too big to meet all at once all together.  Praise God for what He is doing through Jean's leadership at CLA and these young disciples being raised up in His army.  Exceptionally proud of and prayerful for the 401 students being commissioned in just over a month on their first-ever CLA PEACE Trip. 

Omega - And then the rest of the team mustered together a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and creativity as they ministered to almost 200 kids at Omega.  Pastor Allan led the eldest class of 10-13 year olds helping them to dive deep into the Book of Acts. Specifically, he unpacked Acts 8 as Philip shared the good news with the Ethiopian eunuch. The very practical challenge from there was for this group to begin to write out their own personal testimonies to share with their friends, family, and neighbors who may not yet know Jesus (or boldly walk with him day-to-day).
Then the other rotations were led by our all star teams of parents and students. There was worship, which of course would not be complete without "My God is So Big" and a few other high-energy moments of Rwandan songs and even Freeze Dance.  There was plenty of games and activities out on the grassy field areas.  And then of course the time wouldn't be complete without a dramatic rendition of a Bible story.  The team pulled together WELL to close out our ministry time with a well-oiled machine of rotations keeping the kids from 3 years all the way up to 13 years engaged.  Not to mention it was quite a humid day despite the overcast skies.  Well done, team!








After a refueling lunch and then a stop at the market to pick up supplies, we had two very precious home visits under Odeth's loving leadership through Healing Centers.  Christine's home (1st picture), is where a beautiful beaming woman of God lives with complete faith in Him. She and her 5 children struggle with minimal income but God has richly blessed her and the team was deeply blessed by her heart.  Likewise, for Florence's home (2nd picture) below.  Her heart's desire is for her 3 children to achieve their goals (the littlest two want to be a doctor and a soldier).  And sadly her daughter is not aware she is positive...so be praying for her and her daughter's health as they are doing well with medications at this time.  And pray for God's provision so they can go to the plot of land she owns as opposed to renting a two-room VERY small home. And what an amazing coincidence that this home is one that the Gant family was blessed to spend time in back in January. No accidents at all...all wonderfully deep connections in these home visits.



Tomorrow we will be blessed to visit the ministry Mama Joy has started to get women out of prostitution and into viable careers (sewing, basket weaving, hair saloon...yes saloon not salon is how it is spelled here).  The team is sure to be touched by the incredible things she is doing there with CGF.  And then sadly but surely the team will begin their rest and reflection process. There is a SLIGHT possibility there may not be internet connection where we are going, so if there is not an update rest assured we are taking some VITAL time to reflect on all that God has done during our time in Rwanda.  So on that note PRAY for the team's hearts as they have ministered for many LONG and EMOTIONAL hours that will now slowly but surely sink in as they slow down to remember it all. Pray that the lifelong change sets in now so they are ready for ALL that God wants to do in their lives once they return home.  Mighty things to come in this debrief process much like this entire trip has gone.  No doubt about that.

It is hard to believe that 1 week ago this evening we touched down in the Land of a Thousand Hills for the very first time. Who would have ever thunk that this team would grow such a deep bond and connection so quickly.  Man has it been a whirlwind UNFORGETTABLE 7 days in Rwanda.  Today was no different.

CLA hosted a children's ministry leader training for volunteers, staff, and teachers from around the area.  5 churches were represented in the 40 attendees as we gathered for 6 hours on Saturday to talk about all things Purpose Driven Children's Ministry.  Liza MC'ed our time while each team member played a crucial role in leading a game, sharing about a purpose and its value in children's ministry, or giving their heart story (testimony).  There were countless laughs, tears, smiles, hugs, wisdom, and experience shared throughout the day.  Powerful time to see the multiplication of our efforts to expand the landscape of eternity through the incredible ministry to children.

Here are a few snapshots of our training as we shared about why we do what we do, how to grow children intentionally to be spiritually healthy, and then inevitably through the 5-purposes as the foundation.

 Learning a SUPER fun worship song, "Making Melodies" with the leaders in attendance.


Then of course we have to teach one of our trip faves, "My God is so Big"


 Michael leading a BELONG game so everyone can get to know each other.

 Definitely the highlight was the closing. The CLA children's discipleship 401 students were commissioned as they will prepare to go on their first PEACE Mission Trip July 25 to August 2 to Tanzania.  It was apropo to then have our KSG 401 graduates lay hands on them to commission them in prayer.  Powerful time to see our students, just a few steps ahead, lead the way in lifting up their brothers and sisters in Christ as they prepare to go next month. 

• Pray that Sunday is FULL of joy, love, transformation, and going BIG for God!
• Pray for the continued health and happiness of this incredible 17.
• Pray for their hearts and minds to slowly but surely begin to process what they have seen, heard, and experienced on this Road to and now in Rwanda.
• Pray for life-change to settle in where they can begin to see how God can and will forever change their lives because of this time in Rwanda.
• Pray for ongoing unity and team health as we are truly better together.

And again we were all eager to reunite in the afternoon as we headed back to be with the Dream Kids of Africa New Life.  The team was STELLAR in their preparations truly bringing just exactly what God needed and wanted.  Chris kicked us off with the power of his story connecting deeply and personally to the hearts of the kids there.  Then with some more "My God is So Big" and skit funniness (the Parable of the Sower) the team brought fun and energy to perfectly support Chris' teaching.  Of course no afternoon would be complete without some massive FUN with bubbles, jump ropes, and soccer balls.  The team truly left their hearts out on the field as they pushed through the most hot and humid weather of our time.  Though most of our kids were covered in red dirt from running around, their faces were also covered with joy and appreciation for all we got to do today.  And to wrap up the time there Dakota shared her heart story out on the field so each of the kids would have one final reminder of God's everlasting reckless love for each of them.  Another day going down in the memory and moments book for SURE!








The team has definitely reached the "toughest part" of the trip as there is still a weekend full of ministry left yet energy is waning and ironically then too the weather has gotten hotter/stickier.  While we may be knocked down, we are most certainly NOT knocked out.  Just a day that we had to much more intentionally push through.  Pray for the same determination to endure through this weekend as we are surely but sadly reaching the conclusion of our time in Rwanda faster than we could realize. Pray for continued health, unity, and pure joy to abound in this SK 2019 Rwanda PEACE Team.  Great things still to come through the weekend. Stay tuned!

While the team deeply missed the sweet faces and relationships built at their previous preschool churches, it was God's perfect timing and connection as each team headed to different preschools.  Truly now each team has had pretty opposite but equally powerful and different experiences at their preschools.  All-in-all another one for the books as the individual teams remained fluid & flexible while fully prepared and then collaborated together in the afternoon for greatness.

Team 1 (Michael, Claudia, Bella, Chris, Kennedy, Didi, Robbie, Michelle, & Dakota) headed to a more rural preschool and were welcomed by 124 sweet preschoolers.  Man are the 3 teachers SAINTS as they have classes of 44, 45, and 35 each.  But the kiddos were well-behaved and the teachers creative in their active teaching of their classrooms.  The heartbreak was when our translators noted that while this school takes a "snack break" most of the kids don't get a snack/food packed from their parents...which explained the waterfall of tears throughout the later morning at various times.  And then little ones left school even in tears as they were thirsty wanting a mere sip of water before heading home.  It was so difficult to see, sweet to comfort, and eye-opening in our personal lives.  All this as the team taught the lesson of "The Good Samaritan" with a dramatic skit, fun game, craft activity, and more.
After the kids' dismissed at 11:00 am there was a quick interlude before the team dove into the teacher training for the 3 preschool teachers.  Michael led the charge as they unpacked the four learning styles, each of which the 4 kids on this team identified with and shared their personal experiences with.  Helpful time of information and connection with these young, newer teachers!

Team 2 (Karyce, Jodi, Conor, Allan, Dylan, Jennifer, & Sarah) headed to a more "well-off" preschool than their previous.  Despite the different "feel" the experience was still filled with lots of hair doing, hand holding, and hugging galore.  The team ministered to 3 classrooms of about 60 total kiddos who were frankly blessed with some stellar, humble teachers.  Team 2 observed, supported, and then rounded out the time teaching about "Daniel's & the Lion Den" with a dramatic skit, fun game, craft activity, and more.  As usual, they got it done and WELL with team unity, enthusiasm, and lots of love and compassion.  The leader training component was fairly short and to the point after preschool was let out because 1) the team wanted to just get a feel for the teachers' needs for support and 2) in the interest of time as they had an hour before needing to head out to the afternoon ministry all together.







The afternoon reunited us all in one big happy Rwandan family as we headed to Africa New Life's Dream Kids.  It was a special time to hear about the incredible things God is doing there and to share a combination of lessons with the 50 boys & girls there.  Between some hilarious skits, action-packed Mingle Mingle & Four Corners, then amazing craftsmanship of paper airplanes the time was quickly over but deeply enjoyed.  We then got to do a tour of the Africa New Life church main campus and snuck in a quick game of football with our team before heading back to the hotel drenched in sweat but also covered in smiles all around.  Another wonderful day in the books for the SK 2019 Rwanda team.




Prayers as we continue to "run the race." We are the crossroads now with only a few more full days of ministry and the inevitable mid-point of the trip when we never want it to end but have some yearnings of what is missed at home.  Pray for continued focus tomorrow.  Pray that you help us to show up and show up big in our presence, passion, and love.  Pray for the ongoing health that has covered the team up until this point and will prayerfully continue all the way home.  We got this because of YOU!