Kids Small Groups

So, the last few days the blog went "dark" in the sense that the SK 2012 Rwanda Team was having a focused time of debrief and reflection.  Sounds like the time was successful for the team to slowly begin the "reentry" process.  They laughed, remembered, affirmed and loved.  It has been a deeply impactful time in Rwanda.

Now they are fast asleep in Kigali, but packed and ready to go.  They will be airport-bound first thing in the morning to begin their long journey homeward.  Pray for God's hand of protection as they retrace their original roots - KGL to NBO to LHR to LAX.  Pray for the rest they physically need to get through the next 24-48 hours.  Pray for the emotional, mental and spiritual restoration/recovery that is critical for each team member as they "exit" the mission field and reenter day-to-day life in Orange County.

We look forward to welcoming the 11 home on Friday afternoon!

The team wrapped up their time in Kibuye at the Free Methodist Church.  God spoke through Dave and Jeremy as they shared with the adult congregation the importance of children.  This struck many heart chords as the Rwandan church is striving to eliminate orphanages by taking in the orphans to their families.  Powerful words for the church to consider.  At the same time, the rest of the team oversaw the Children's Ministry of the Free Methodist Church.  One more energized time of ministry with tons of kids.

To wrap up their time at the Free Methodist Church, the team gathered together for an impromptu Children's Ministry leader training.  They spent about 2 hours together equipping, empowering and educating these ministers on "best practices" for integrating in the 5 purposes to Children's Ministry.  The leaders left inspired by the team's input - Yvonne's experience as a KSG leader, Dave's heart for fellowship, Lyn's service alongside her daughter and Ashley's testimony (to name a few highlights).  Many questions arose as the leaders were challenged to step up their ministry to the next generation.

Then it was time for the long journey back to Kigali.  The team has arrived safely back at their Guest House, enjoyed dinner (and the bonus company of the Rukimbira family) and hit the hay.  Tomorrow they will gear up for their final hours of ministry to the men of Christ Gospel Fellowship.  Every team member will be involved as they share about men who have impacted their lives.

Pray for this FINAL ministry time before the team then begins the debrief process.  Pray for their safe travels to Akagera where they will be retreating for 2 nights.  And finally, pray especially for the debrief process as the team will finally slow down to reflect, remember and process all they've experienced in Rwanda.  It promises to be a challenging, memorable experience as the team debriefs.

What a cool experience for the SK 2012 Rwanda Team today as they participated in umuganda - the monthly Saturday in which nobody in the community works and everybody instead gathers together to serve/clean-up the community as needed.  The team supported the Free Methodist Church's project in cleaning up the church's chairs.  It's incredible to see the care they put into every facet; even, you'll notice, people came dressed in their nice clothes, not grubbies like we would.

After that, the team refueled back at the guest house with lunch.  And then they were off for another very unique experience - church concert.  With more than 200 in attendance, the team sang, danced and praised God.  Jeremy shared a message on the true heart of worship.  To support his points, Dillon danced (yes, he "mastered" a traditional Rwandan dance) and Ashley shared John 3:16 in Kinyarwandan.  The Rwandans LOVED every moment as they saw how invested the team was in becoming Rwandans themselves.


Now they're back at the guesthouse eating dinner and preparing for tomorrow.  They will wrap up their weekend in Kibuye with church services at the Free Methodist Church.  Jeremy & Dave will be tagteaming for the sermon while the remainder of the team oversees the Children's Ministry. 

Pray for the team's wisdom so God can speak directly through them to the Free Methodist congregation.  Also, pray for their endurance as they approach the end of their ministry in Rwanda.  They are growing weary (in a great way) and God can/will use these final few days to open their hearts and minds to His plans.  Finally, pray for their travels safely back to Kigali as they'll head eastward in the afternoon after church services and lunch.

The team got a window of wi-fi and emailed some pictures so check out yesterday's addition of pics too.  They had a fun-filled day with lots of Rwandan abana (children) in the morning and afternoon at the Free Methodist church.  The emphasis for the day was TEAM and the SK 2012 Rwanda Team demonstrated that beautifully as they worked together to lead, teach and pray.  Sarah shared her testimony in the morning while Ashley shared her's in the afternoon.

One of the day's "moments" was when Dillon shared the message of salvation with the children.  He then prayed for everyone and the children knelt down so everyone could be completely focused on God.  It was a truly touching, God-inspired time.


Now the team is enjoying dinner back at their guesthouse and eagerly awaiting a unique Rwandan experience tomorrow - umuganda.  It is basically one day a month in which everyone in the community comes together to serve.  The team will be Rwandans partnering with the church to clean chairs and then participate in an afternoon concert.  Yes, that is right, the team's vocal and dancing skills will be put to the test in a community concert.  Pray for clear lungs and smooth dance moves tomorrow, especially for our less rhythmic team members :)

The team felt your prayers as they wrapped up their ministry in Kigali on a high note.  Their final day working with the PEPE preschoolers was joyful.  They taught the children two more key purposes - BELONG & GROW.  Even got to have some fun integrating in the preschoolers with the Parable of the Paralyzed Man.  I also hear that Dillon is perfecting his Rwandan dance skills to display in future children's programs and church. :)

The team was then blessed to spend some time with the pastor of the church that oversees the PEPE program.  They were humbled to be invited to his home for a lavish lunch before heading westbound for Kibuye.  What a blessing PEPE and the SK 2012 Rwanda Team have been to one another.  There are mighty opportunities for future ministry here with the preschoolers, their families and more.

About 2 1/2 hours after lunch the team safely arrived in Kibuye.  It is great for the team to have an entirely different ministry and locational experience in this city by the lake.  They got settled in their guest house and dined with Pastor Leonitis, their host and ministry partner while in Kibuye.  Now they are resting up for a day full of children at the Methodist Church of Kibuye.

FYI, pictures may be "on hold" while the team is ministering in Kibuye as their wi-fi connection is lacking.  Nonetheless, keep visions of the team's hard work in your minds as you think of and pray for them every step of the way.

The team rounded out their time in Kigali (yes, it is hard to believe, but they have completed their first major portion of ministry in the capital city) with another fun-filled day.

The morning started with teaching at PEPE again.  This time they taught the preschoolers the idea of "WORSHIP", a key purpose of any church and how we should live our lives as followers of Christ.  They used the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den to illustrate this concept and drew pictures of lions to remember the lesson.  The team even got to enjoy time with the kiddos over tea and biscuits for snack time.  One very cool story was when the pastor of the PEPE church asked them to minister specifically to a Muslim woman whose child is enrolled in the preschool.  Mighty seeds were planted in her heart after the team visited, shared their stories and prayed for her.

The afternoon took them back to Busanze to minister to the children again.  Dorothy, Pastor Francis' wife, noted how incredible it is to see the number of children they can minister to this year in Busanze.  The SK 2011 Rwanda Team laid the foundation for this ministry with their evangelical home visits last year.  CGF Busanze went from starting off last year to a bounty this year.  Praise God!

Finally, there is no better way to end the day than over dinner with Rwandan friends and family.  The Mutabazi family - Pastor Francis & Dorothy and their 4 children (Bernice, Bethia, Bella & Benjamin...you may remember them from their December 2011 visit to California) hosted them at their home.  They laughed, shared and enjoyed one another's company in the midst of overwhelming hospitality and generosity.

Tomorrow, the team will prepare to head westbound to Kibuye after teaching one more morning at PEPE (and sharing lunch with their new friends/family).  This city by the lake is the epicenter for the PEACE Plan in Rwanda.  It will be a new, exciting chapter in their ministry alongside Pastor Leonitis.  Pray for safe travels, rest and God to continue to work in and through the team.  AMEN!

The team is fast asleep after a VERY full day of ministry.  Here were the day's highlights:

PEPE - the team taught at a church-run preschool.  All I know is the kiddos were adorable as they learned about Noah's Ark and learned about rainbows - a simple reminder of God's love and promise to us. 

Home Visits - after lunch @ Bourbon Cafe (a popular coffee/lunch stop in Kigali downtown) the team did home visits in the same region where the preschool was located.  They broke into smaller teams/family groups in order to build relationships and minister door-to-door.

CGF Bible Study - Jeremy and Dakota tag-teamed to lead the congregation of Christ Gospel Fellowship in their Tuesday night Bible study.  Meanwhile, the rest of the team mastered their ministry to the CGF children with a lesson on Zacchaeus.  They truly are getting the hang of ministering to lots of children in the spur of the moment.

They were all eager for dinner and some shut-eye upon returning to their Guest House around 8:15 pm.  Rest up for another action-packed day tomorrow with very similar plans with PEPE and Christ Gospel Fellowship.

The team has had another action-packed day that is still in-process.  Here are the highlights for SK 2012 Team Rwanda on Monday 6/25/12:

* Started off the day with an orientation/meeting at the PEACE Offices in Kigali.  They were blessed to learn more about Rwanda, the culture and the people through the Rwandan PEACE Team.

* Prepared during the day for the next 3 mornings of ministry at PEPE.  PEPE are church-based preschools established in Kigali that the team will be teaching at Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Needed time to prepare curriculum and lesson plans for the sweet Rwandan preschoolers.

* Ministered to about 100 children at Christ Gospel Fellowship Busanze.  The team returned for more afternoon ministry in Busanze, sharing God's love with a children's program.  Sarah Jam shared her testimony, too.  They did a great job sharing God's love with the children of Busanze.

As I mentioned, their day is still not done. They have a very cool, unique opportunity to be at a Rwandan wedding celebration.  Alyssa Holladay and Andrew Lossau, Saddleback Church staff members, invited the team to join in the festivities...let's just say it is quite a bit more intricate than an American wedding.  So, the team is capping off a fun-filled day with wedding festivities.  Hope they don't dance and sing the night away :)

PS - they did hit they hay around 9:00 pm and sent some Rwandan wedding celebration pics

Andrew Lossau & Alyssa Holladay - the happy couple :)

The SK 2012 Rwanda Team continues to draw closer as a team as they embarked in their first full-fledged day of church and ministry.  The day started off with church services at Christ Gospel Fellowship Kimironko

The entire team was welcomed by the church congregation.  Then they were off to lead Children's Ministry with hundreds of God-energized kiddos.  Here are some highlights:

• Dakota & Dillon acted out David & Goliath.  And, yes, they chose to be ironic as Dakota was David and Dillon was Goliath.  The Rwandan kids LOVED it. (see below)
• Dillon, Dakota, Ashley & Megan shared their testimonies.  Sarah is preparing to share her's on Monday in Busanze.
• The hundreds of smiles and hugs throughout the Children's Ministry of CGF Kimironko.

From there, the team enjoyed "gourmet Chinese" (dubbed officially by the Jam family).  They got some much-needed nourishment after an action-packed morning before heading off in the afternoon to minister to the children of CGF Busanze. 

Overall, it was a fruitful day of sharing Christ with hundreds of Rwandan children.  The team is beat - it's only 8:15 pm and most were already fast asleep right after dinner.  Pray for the rest they need to be prepared for another ministry-filled day on Monday.

At 2:15 am California time I received the call that the 2012 SK Rwanda Team has ARRIVED.  The flights were smooth (minus a crying baby by Dillon and a puking child...not our's...by Jeremy).  They enjoyed the down time to relax, hang out and even sleep a little.  Everyone arrived safely except two bags were missing (Jeremy's & Chris').  Fortunatley, no prayers are needed as they have already arrived to rejoin the team.

As they entered into Kigali International Airport, they were greeted by two Rwanda PEACE Interns - Ryan & Tobin.  They have been so generous and helpful with the team's getting settled and acclimated.  From the airport the team got settled at their guest house, grabbed lunch at the New Cactus (see team photo below) and visited the Genocide Memorial.

SK Rwanda 2012 Team @ the New Cactus with Gretienne (their driver)

The team was touched by the level of forgiveness and reconciliation displayed at the Genocide Memorial.  They have much to learn from the people of Rwanda.

After a DELICIOUS dinner of ratatouille, rice, fish & chips at the guest house the team is hitting the hay for the night.  Pray for plenty of rest as they prepare to lead a Children's Ministry service of about 300 children at Christ Gospel Fellowship tomorrow.  Good night, team Rwanda!

I hear their bus ride was a joy-filled time as they practiced Kinyarwandan phrases and songs.  Such a hardworking team using the transport time to train and get ready more.

They arrived at LAX with plenty of time to get their boarding passes, go through security and are currently grabbing a quick bite to eat before they board their first of several flights. 

Be praying for the team to kick back, relax and have fun.  May they be united as they make the several-day trek of more than 9000 miles overseas.  Keep them safe, healthy and together through it all.  And of course, give them peace to grab some much-needed sleep on the planes.  We cannnot wait for their flight adventures to begin soon!

For the next few weeks this KSG blog will be devoted to updates on the Saddleback Kids 2012 Rwanda PEACE Trip.  We are excited to update you on the incredible journey that will begin in about 24 hours for this 11-person team.  At this time we covet your prayers for:
* Packing...all the logistics of this to fall into place.
* PEACE...with our families and friends as they commission the team members for 2 weeks in Rwanda
* Protection...as with any PEACE trip, the team has experienced spiritual warfare in every facet of life.  Ask for God's mighty hand of protection to keep everyone safe so their hearts and minds are fully focused and ready to be Rwanda bound tomorrow afternoon.

If you'd like to send the team off with final farewells, please feel free to join us at 2:30 pm @ the MO2 Parking Lot tomorrow (Thursday).  Imana igue umugisha - GOD BLESS YOU!

We are gearing up for one of the BIGGEST celebrations of the year in Kids Small Groups -

January 10, 2012 - KSG "as normal"

January 11, 2012 - KSG is CANCELLED
     We will not be having KSG this week.  Please take time to be with your families and know that the KSG familiy is invited to celebrate Jessica Joy Rees' life: