By Anna
Gustavus Trip Participant
Mwaramutse inshuti! Bonjour mes amis! Hello friends!
I am currently writing from the Faith Victory Association office a few minutes from our home here in Rwanda. My project here has been to develop a structure and protocol for FVA’s developing child sponsorship program. I spent a semester last year researching child sponsorship in conjunction with New Mercies Ministries, so it has been a blast for me to be able to put more of that knowledge to use. Thus far Karen and I have focused on creating guidelines for communication between FVA, sponsors, and sponsor children. We have yet to present our documents to the FVA staff (we have a meeting set for Wednesday), but it’s fun for me to think that our suggestions will be implemented to facilitate the improvement of their child sponsorship program.
Another element of this trip I have appreciated was church on Sunday. Yesterday I went to the French service with Kelly and loved every minute of it. I have been learning French for quite a while but have rarely gotten the chance to worship or hear the Word in French. I was able to learn some French worship songs and translate a little of the message for Kelly.
The most exciting part for me is to step out of the usual English, American Christianity. Hearing, understanding, and worshiping in another language reminds me of the greatness of God—that he isn’t limited by language or the inabilities of humans. I can so easily forget how big God is and this trip continues to remind me of God’s faithfulness and how his plans far exceed any of my expectations.