CLIR Christmas and New Year Plans

On Saturday December 15, we hosted a Christmas Party for our CLIR students, especially those who had completed two full years in our program.  I can’t tell you how encouraging that night was!  Each of those students gave a short speech, saying things like:

• If I had to be done with CLIR right now, without the degree, I would not be disappointed because the program has already been so very transformative in my life.
• Learning about the Christian Life and Family messed with my head!  I had to put off my wedding (which was two months away) for another eight months, because I knew that my fiancé and I needed a better foundation.  And now, I’m so glad we did.
• Through the discipleship I have had at CLIR, I have been inspired to begin evangelizing and discipling my parents and siblings.
• Being at CLIR has influenced how I am as a pastor. I believe that what NCM is teaching and how it is teaching is a light in all of Rwanda that will cause a shift. It is moving all of Rwanda closer to the true gospel.

Our whole team was touched and blessed to hear the testimonies of changed lives, families and ministries.  This is the work of discipleship to which God has called us.  This is our joy.  This is the work you support through your prayers and giving.  This is God’s work and God’s ministry.  May he open the door for more changed lives through CLIR.

A Not Very Good Meeting

Many of you were praying for an important meeting last Monday.  Thank you! That meeting was jarring, to say the least.

We arrived early, but couldn’t find the man to whom we were referred.  Turns out we were given the wrong name. When we did find who we were scheduled to meet he wasn’t available because the whole staff was leaving immediately for a two-day work trip.

I sat in the lobby with Eric, Director of New Creation Ministries, working out a strategy for next steps, and calling to make another appointment when a man came up to help us.  He eventually identified himself as the Executive Director of the Higher Education Council.  He asked us where we were from, and asked if we already had students.  He then advised us that we needed to stop teaching immediately because we were breaking the law.  We left amiably, hiding our crushed spirits.  “That was worse than I imagined it could be.”

I spoke with Krystal. Eric spoke with his fiancé, Fabi. We all prayed.  And felt something significant was happening.  None of us started this ministry.  All of us are standing on the shoulders of giants who worked hard and prayed hard to found these schools.  The roots of NCM were laid through impossible situations and each leader before us had to come to a place of realizing that this ministry is not ours but God’s and he will use it to bring himself glory.  Now it is our turn to persevere in prayer, in spite of opposition, to see God receive the greater glory.  Remember that Moses was told to confront Pharaoh, and told that Pharaoh would oppose him, so that God would be glorified all the more (Exodus 10:1-2).  So too, we are engaged in a spiritual battle that will test our faith, and God will be glorified.

Our Rwandan colleagues and American mentors were not discouraged, but had three important pieces of information. They said, this is the time of annual reviews for ministries, and his department has to present to the President of Rwanda.  They are very busy.  Also, their executive director knows how to manage a department, but doesn’t know our specific situation as well as the application processor who has been working with us for months.  Also, there are hundreds of non-accredited schools in Rwanda, religious and secular, that will not all be closed down immediately. Finally, NCM is registered like a church (Local Religious NGO) and we were told in 2012 that churches are free to offer their own training programs.

Plan

There was confusion about who we were (an already registered organization), and what we were asking.  It is also possible that the new policies have been written, and just not published. Either way, we need to wait until February to have a conversation with someone.  We will continue with finding people to disciple.

As I said, this is God’s ministry and he will keep it.  There are too many pieces to try to manage all on my own, so I need to trust my team, trust the Spirit leading me, and trust God’s providence to maintain us in the favor of the ones who rule.

Please continue to pray for these upcoming meetings!  Pray for understanding between us and the Higher Education Council. Pray for grace. Pray that we will be able to become one of the first Christian degree programs to be accredited in Rwanda. And pray that we would be faithful to the ministry God has called us to do here in Rwanda.

Merry Christmas!

Gary, Barb, Grace, Rayna, Laura, Eric, Fabi, Nick, Krystal, Luke

Noheli Nziza!

Prayer List:

• Pray for our future meetings with the Department of Higher Education –we would like to become accredited so that people who would like to teach in churches could have a education that is gospel focused
• Pray for CLIR student admission
• Pray for Nick as he prepares to teach in the New Year
• Pray for our team as we have two families on our team in the States on medical leave
• Pray for our fellowship tomorrow as we host our celebration at our house

Feeling Blessed this Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Every night I tuck Grace into bed, we pray, “God help us get to Rwanda soon!” As we work hard doing our part in this place, we feel abundantly blessed because we see God answering that prayer. He is providing for us. He is preparing us. He brings the right people into our lives to help us in perfect ways.

Gratitude for Our Partners

We are so grateful that you are partners with us in this ministry to Rwanda. We hit a milestone on Sunday! We have reached 70% toward our monthly expenses! Thanks to those who are giving; thanks for those who are praying! God is opening doors.

Favor and Opportunities for Krystal

Most of my (Krystal) colleagues and supervisors at my hospital have heard that I will be moving to Rwanda for 10 years (or more) to contribute my skills as a nurse there. Even still, they paid for me to attend an important conference in Seattle. The speaker was a Certified Nurse Midwife who spoke on The Latest Interventions for Childbirth Challenges. I came home from the conference enthusiastic about all of the information I gained that will help me in my practice as a labor and delivery nurse in Rwanda.

Another God-Ordained Set Up for Krystal

Every month my hospital sets up a one-hour case review where doctors, nurses and neonatal practitioners get together and discuss a challenging case we have had. Last month, the topic was about HIV/AIDS in pregnancy. Talk about a practical topic for OB practice in Africa.

This month, I heard the topic was going to be on neonatal resuscitation, another relevant topic, so I attended. I was thrilled to discover the speaker was a doctor who works for an educational program called Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics to teach neonatal resuscitation techniques in resource-limited areas of the world, including Rwanda!

Every year the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one million babies die from an inability to breathe immediately after delivery. The doctor teaching the course showed a picture of a good sized beautifully developed African baby who immediately after delivery was limp, gray and not crying. He said that because the baby was limp and not crying the midwife and nurses believed that the baby was stillborn so it was wrapped in blankets and taken away for burial without any form of resuscitation. All of us in the room gasped at the thought. One out of 10 babies are born needing some help to start breathing.  From my previous experiences, I knew his stories about newborns not being resuscitated after delivery were not unusual in the developing world.

This doctor explained that his job is to take neonate simulators (little black baby dolls to practice CPR on), bags and masks and learner workbooks and instructional flip charts into developing countries and train doctors, midwives, nurses, community birth attendants and health volunteers how to help babies breathe after delivery.

At the end of the class he said that he was open to having people volunteer to travel with him to different developing countries and help him do training (several nurses did volunteer to travel with him but only if they could go to Rwanda to see meJ). After the class I told him I would love to work with him in Rwanda. I explained that I would be moving there long term and would eventually know the language. Excitedly he asked me if I would be willing to come to a short course he was teaching with a group of healthcare providers at the University of Washington and become a Master Trainer. He said that he would equip me with several neonate simulators and training kits so that I could teach healthcare workers everywhere I went in Rwanda!

Lately, I have been struck that in healthcare, in resource-limited areas like Rwanda, a little can make a huge difference and save numerous lives. Here in the US, we have people at every delivery with the knowledge of when and how to stimulate a baby or otherwise help a baby breathe. We take for granted that it is a normal practice for us. In many places in the world babies are born without someone with this knowledge.   I am so excited that I will be equipped to help teach others Helping Babies Breathe.