Church service- In Rwanda

·      August 26^th- Sunday church in a rural setting

·      From my Journal in Rwanda as I was unable to post anything until returning to Uganda

  Church today was in a rural Anglican church in a small town about two hours outside of Kigali. We (The Uganda Studies Program that I am with in Rwanda) split up into several small groups and headed off to our separate churches. After dropping the first group off at Church, we continued on our way…. And continued, and continued, deep into the rural area. About 45 minutes later we finally arrived amidst excited kids shouting “Muzungu”. As we walked through the doors a dance worship combo was taking place. About 30 youth and adults were “getting it”, praising Jesus with their voices and their dance. As we were ushered in, I thought the benches on the side were going to be our seats. Instead, we were brought up and seated on the stage, facing the congregation. Our group of seven were seated in a place of honor and presented to the congregation, a very excited congregation I might add. As more church members trickled in, several more songs were sung, complete with the traditional African dances done here in Worship. Three hours into the Church, and after a congregation wide dance that included some of the children grabbing our hands and pulling us onto the dance floor (aka, the stage) which was the most exhilarating experience. There may be a language barrier, and maybe all I can say in Kinyarwanda is “Hello, how are you” to the woman I am holding hands with, but we are singing praises to and dancing for the same Almighty God that created us both, and sometimes, that’s all that matters. That Sunday happened to be “Thanksgiving Sunday” and during the offering, people brought fruits, vegetables, and other things harvested in the recent harvest. Thanking the Lord for what he had provided and giving back a portion of that. Our group had prepared a couple of songs and a testimony. Revered Able explained to the church that we had only been a choir for two days, but we would do our best. It was an enjoyable experience. Overall, the service lasted over 3 and a half hours, and while long, was a beautiful experience and an amazing time of worship. It’s such contrast to Americans that keep so busy that church becomes just a blip on the radar.