RWANDA PASTORS AND LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
Missionary Evangelist Charles Thornton frequently conducts conferences for pastors and leadership training, and recent efforts were held in Kigali, Rwanda.
A Lifestyle Foreign to Us
Charles stated: “Life there is hard. Imagine you had to go and fetch every drop of water you would need for cooking, cleaning, drinking, and bathing—every day!
The majority living there face that on a continual basis. In residential sections, one sees people everywhere with large, 5-gallon, yellow plastic jugs obtaining water to take home. You’ll find individuals beside the road, down in the ditches, filling the jugs from any source of water they can find. Then, the water is carried back to their homes on their heads, by hand, or bicycle.”
Rainy Season Was Not Rainy
While in Rwanda, Charles was fortunate to stay in a home that had city water. However, at the time, the area was in a drought during what was supposed to be their rainy season. The last two days he was there, no city water was available and they had to fetch water like everyone else.
Training Will Affect 3,000 People
The host pastor, Steven Turikunkiko, has a vision for his region that extends beyond his own church, which is in a rural, poor area. He realizes his fellow pastors lack knowledge and need training, both biblically and in leadership. His church hosted the conference (which was free), and of the 120 invited, 110 attended. Those hungry for the training walked, some from great distances, over hilly terrain and on dirt roads. The combined membership of the churches represented amounted to approximately 3,000 people.
Far Richer In Spirit
The praise and worship was boisterous and glad! The people may seem poor in comparison to those in America, but they are far richer in the Spirit. They exhibit more spiritual hunger and determination than most.
A Lifestyle Foreign to Us
Charles stated: “Life there is hard. Imagine you had to go and fetch every drop of water you would need for cooking, cleaning, drinking, and bathing—every day!
The majority living there face that on a continual basis. In residential sections, one sees people everywhere with large, 5-gallon, yellow plastic jugs obtaining water to take home. You’ll find individuals beside the road, down in the ditches, filling the jugs from any source of water they can find. Then, the water is carried back to their homes on their heads, by hand, or bicycle.”
Rainy Season Was Not Rainy
While in Rwanda, Charles was fortunate to stay in a home that had city water. However, at the time, the area was in a drought during what was supposed to be their rainy season. The last two days he was there, no city water was available and they had to fetch water like everyone else.
Training Will Affect 3,000 People
The host pastor, Steven Turikunkiko, has a vision for his region that extends beyond his own church, which is in a rural, poor area. He realizes his fellow pastors lack knowledge and need training, both biblically and in leadership. His church hosted the conference (which was free), and of the 120 invited, 110 attended. Those hungry for the training walked, some from great distances, over hilly terrain and on dirt roads. The combined membership of the churches represented amounted to approximately 3,000 people.
Far Richer In Spirit
The praise and worship was boisterous and glad! The people may seem poor in comparison to those in America, but they are far richer in the Spirit. They exhibit more spiritual hunger and determination than most.
