I have been in church since 730 this morning!!!! No more giving my pastors a hard time for how long service goes haha. Actually it was 2 services. An english service at 730 and an kenyarwandan at 9. We got our around 1245. This afternoon we're putting on a service, our leader annette will be speaking, and then i will get up to give some encouragement and testimony. The whole service is on the holy spirit! I'm way excited. Afterwards will be question and answer period for anyone at the service. Many are expected to be tehre.
We leave tomorrow morning to head to the East.
As is the norm for africa we have no clue what we'll be doing there. Probably some more street evangelism and preaching in the schools. I once again am ready for the change of scenery. The north has felt like luxory w/ being able to have the internet almost every day and not only eating beans and rice, but we've had some fruits, some grilled vegetables, and some beef!! Also, i heard that if you get up really early you get a hot shower, so just this morning i got up at 515 and had a VERY hot shower. it was like God had come down and met me right there under that steaming water!! I was so thankful haha.
We were joking around today and i was telling the team. As soon as i get to my grandma's house friday i'll take a hot shower, get up and take a hot shower, fly to houston, get home, take a hot shower, take a nap, take a hot shower, go to bed, get up and take a hot shower!! haha.
We are definitely expectant for teh Lord to work this afternoon and of course the rest of our stay here! As always keep us in your prayers.
Not sure when the next update will be!
Jess
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Prayer Requests from Rwanda
Hey ya'll.
I have a few prayer requests for you mighty prayer warriors back in the states. Several of our team members are getting sick. Last night we had one up all night sick. Then today we took the afternoon off because many of us are beginning to feel sick. Most of it is probably from being tired. Sore throats and head aches. I was exhausted this afternoon and went to lay down woke up later feeling a little rough myself. Spent a little time w/ the Lord and decided we'd get some prayers going out before we allow satan to attack our team any farther. So just join w/ me in applying the blood of Jesus to our team, speaking healing to our flesh, and asking for supernatural rest.
Also, the people who have been on my mind to continue to pray about over here:
Flavania that God may grant her a child.
The 10 kids that had never heard of Jesus taht we met on the hike.
The people who were saved that night.
Our friend Robert who is a light in a dark place in Kigali.
Pastor Nathan Amooti who is helping us as we switch cities.
Our friend Daria who took us to the pentecostal church and has been a huge prayer warrior on our behalf.
Chris (one of our team members) we continue to pray for God to restore his hearing.
The builders of under the mango tree church as more and more begin to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
A little boy who is forever in my heart, Bunda.
Continue to pray for all the people we've come in contact w/, preached to, loved on, done business with, served, and all that we will come in contact with.
On a lighter note:
I completely forgot to blog about our safari trip. We went on a safari and it was a blast but the funnest part for the team: Being charged by an angry elephant. Calm down parents our excellent bus driver Buterra was able to make a clean getaway. We were driving along the path not slowly because we were going back to the camp as we rounded a corner we were faced head on with one of the elephants. If you didn't know elephants and hippos are the causes for the most human deaths by animals in africa. The elephant assumed we were challenging it and began to charge, we drove off into a bush sped through the grassland and ended up on the other side of him as he caught sight of us again he began chasing us. After he saw we were too far he simply returned to eating the grass in front of him. Honorary things those elephants. haha.
Thanks for your prayers,
J. Tate
I have a few prayer requests for you mighty prayer warriors back in the states. Several of our team members are getting sick. Last night we had one up all night sick. Then today we took the afternoon off because many of us are beginning to feel sick. Most of it is probably from being tired. Sore throats and head aches. I was exhausted this afternoon and went to lay down woke up later feeling a little rough myself. Spent a little time w/ the Lord and decided we'd get some prayers going out before we allow satan to attack our team any farther. So just join w/ me in applying the blood of Jesus to our team, speaking healing to our flesh, and asking for supernatural rest.
Also, the people who have been on my mind to continue to pray about over here:
Flavania that God may grant her a child.
The 10 kids that had never heard of Jesus taht we met on the hike.
The people who were saved that night.
Our friend Robert who is a light in a dark place in Kigali.
Pastor Nathan Amooti who is helping us as we switch cities.
Our friend Daria who took us to the pentecostal church and has been a huge prayer warrior on our behalf.
Chris (one of our team members) we continue to pray for God to restore his hearing.
The builders of under the mango tree church as more and more begin to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
A little boy who is forever in my heart, Bunda.
Continue to pray for all the people we've come in contact w/, preached to, loved on, done business with, served, and all that we will come in contact with.
On a lighter note:
I completely forgot to blog about our safari trip. We went on a safari and it was a blast but the funnest part for the team: Being charged by an angry elephant. Calm down parents our excellent bus driver Buterra was able to make a clean getaway. We were driving along the path not slowly because we were going back to the camp as we rounded a corner we were faced head on with one of the elephants. If you didn't know elephants and hippos are the causes for the most human deaths by animals in africa. The elephant assumed we were challenging it and began to charge, we drove off into a bush sped through the grassland and ended up on the other side of him as he caught sight of us again he began chasing us. After he saw we were too far he simply returned to eating the grass in front of him. Honorary things those elephants. haha.
Thanks for your prayers,
J. Tate
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Northern Rwanda TODAY!!!
So I had the BEST day i've had in Rwanda.
i know now i'm getting on the internet too much! There is just so much I want to share!!
Today we went hiking up a volcano it was BEAUTIFUL! As I was telling God how amazing His creation was (the mountains) He said look at my creation over there. It was about 10 kids from the local village who'd followed us on our hike. I went and sat w/ them and ended up sharing Christ w/ them through our translator and now friend Latima. They'd never heard of jesus before, only God.
Then we went to various markets and had a BLAST.
Tonight I was set up to preach at a "small group" yea right. In Africa nothign involving white people is small. They set up chairs in the middle of a village and tons of people came and at least 100 kids. I enjoyed it so much and afterwards many came up to receive Christ, but the coolest part for me was the dancing. The women came up and said they wanted to give a praise dance to thank God for the message. I got to dance in the street w/ them as we thanked God for His Word. After a man came runningup to our group drunk wanting to receive YESU (Jesus). Our team prayed for the man.
Today was an amazing day filled w/ God's creation mountains, flowers, people. I love watching the Lord use our team and i love dancing w/ the africans hehe!!!
That was my amazing day.
Tomorrow i give my testimony to the secondary school. They speak english well! So i'm excited taht maybe I won't have a translator and i can be more real w/ them. We'll see.
Your prayers are felt.
J. Tate
i know now i'm getting on the internet too much! There is just so much I want to share!!
Today we went hiking up a volcano it was BEAUTIFUL! As I was telling God how amazing His creation was (the mountains) He said look at my creation over there. It was about 10 kids from the local village who'd followed us on our hike. I went and sat w/ them and ended up sharing Christ w/ them through our translator and now friend Latima. They'd never heard of jesus before, only God.
Then we went to various markets and had a BLAST.
Tonight I was set up to preach at a "small group" yea right. In Africa nothign involving white people is small. They set up chairs in the middle of a village and tons of people came and at least 100 kids. I enjoyed it so much and afterwards many came up to receive Christ, but the coolest part for me was the dancing. The women came up and said they wanted to give a praise dance to thank God for the message. I got to dance in the street w/ them as we thanked God for His Word. After a man came runningup to our group drunk wanting to receive YESU (Jesus). Our team prayed for the man.
Today was an amazing day filled w/ God's creation mountains, flowers, people. I love watching the Lord use our team and i love dancing w/ the africans hehe!!!
That was my amazing day.
Tomorrow i give my testimony to the secondary school. They speak english well! So i'm excited taht maybe I won't have a translator and i can be more real w/ them. We'll see.
Your prayers are felt.
J. Tate
Northern Rwanda 2
hey i have an extra thirty minutes to try and write a blog about some of the details i wanted to share but haven't had time.
Today is an off day for our team we're going hiking up a volcano then going to the market. Tonight i preach so lift me up in your prayers, the Lord woke me up at 4 a.m. with the message so i'm running on God's strength today haha, but i'm way excited.
1) fun thing... Dolly parton is played in our van quite often, who knew rwandans liked country music? yesterday we were at a school with HUNDREDS of kids surrounding us and one kid told someone on the team he loved kenny chesney. Amen. haha.
2)I want yal' to be praying for a woman named flavania, we were at a Pentecostal church (we have been to different churches almost every night, i'm loving it) and we were asked to pray for her to have a child she has had 10 MISCARRIAGES!!! she is an amazing woman of God, the pastor's wife, her and her husband do local prostitute ministry in addition to their church. Join me in praying for God to bless her with a child.
3) We were at what i would call a "white" supermarket in kigali and were passed by a woman with a University of Texas bag. We got to talking and her and her family are here doing mission work for 2 years. She graduated from UT and has lived in austin her entire life, small world!
4) on that note. yesterday we went to a different school here up north and ran into some mroe abazungus (plural of muzungu) it is an engineering team from BAYLOR UNIVERSITY! they were at teh school putting in new plumbing and solar panels to make school better for the students.
The Lord is currently teaching me on trust. It's ironic that this semester i had a conversation w/ Laurie glazener and she said the scripture the Lord is giving me is proverbs 3:5. At that time i didn't really want to deal w/ the things the Lord was talking to me about, and now i am DEALIGN WITH THEM!! haha. So pray w/ me as i am learning more about proverbs 3:5-8. Being challenged and growing.
This week is jam packed for us everyday we're going to different schools to teach. Yesteray we did an assembly with nearly 600 people all around. People from the local village, students, adults... it was insane.
God is moving in Rwanda and not just through our team. It's so great.
One of the schools we went to yesterday was english speaking (the nicest school we've been to in rwanda) and i got to have several one on one conversations with teenage girls! I loved it. I asked them about their walks w/ the Lord, passions, vision, desire, it was great. They all have big dreams.
I guess that is all for this blog. Lift us up. Two weeks left.
Jess
Today is an off day for our team we're going hiking up a volcano then going to the market. Tonight i preach so lift me up in your prayers, the Lord woke me up at 4 a.m. with the message so i'm running on God's strength today haha, but i'm way excited.
1) fun thing... Dolly parton is played in our van quite often, who knew rwandans liked country music? yesterday we were at a school with HUNDREDS of kids surrounding us and one kid told someone on the team he loved kenny chesney. Amen. haha.
2)I want yal' to be praying for a woman named flavania, we were at a Pentecostal church (we have been to different churches almost every night, i'm loving it) and we were asked to pray for her to have a child she has had 10 MISCARRIAGES!!! she is an amazing woman of God, the pastor's wife, her and her husband do local prostitute ministry in addition to their church. Join me in praying for God to bless her with a child.
3) We were at what i would call a "white" supermarket in kigali and were passed by a woman with a University of Texas bag. We got to talking and her and her family are here doing mission work for 2 years. She graduated from UT and has lived in austin her entire life, small world!
4) on that note. yesterday we went to a different school here up north and ran into some mroe abazungus (plural of muzungu) it is an engineering team from BAYLOR UNIVERSITY! they were at teh school putting in new plumbing and solar panels to make school better for the students.
The Lord is currently teaching me on trust. It's ironic that this semester i had a conversation w/ Laurie glazener and she said the scripture the Lord is giving me is proverbs 3:5. At that time i didn't really want to deal w/ the things the Lord was talking to me about, and now i am DEALIGN WITH THEM!! haha. So pray w/ me as i am learning more about proverbs 3:5-8. Being challenged and growing.
This week is jam packed for us everyday we're going to different schools to teach. Yesteray we did an assembly with nearly 600 people all around. People from the local village, students, adults... it was insane.
God is moving in Rwanda and not just through our team. It's so great.
One of the schools we went to yesterday was english speaking (the nicest school we've been to in rwanda) and i got to have several one on one conversations with teenage girls! I loved it. I asked them about their walks w/ the Lord, passions, vision, desire, it was great. They all have big dreams.
I guess that is all for this blog. Lift us up. Two weeks left.
Jess
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Northern Rwanda
HEY!!
we have successfully made it to Northern Rwanda. I was so captivated by the beauty of God's creation!! There are beautiful green mountains everywhere!!! I cannot say enough about the children here. As we walk into an area they surround us just wanting to touch our white skin. They scream MUZUNGU MUZUNGU all the time haha. The Lord is really challenging me in my own spiritual life the last couple of days but i am moving through some personal things and i know it is for my own benefit.
I love watching our team interact w/ the children here. The other day i looked out the window and saw the girl i mentor loving on about 7 kids around her and i cried haha. I had this sudden feeling of just being so proud of her.
We had a girl get her bag stolen. Money, passport, military id, camera, everything. We prayed and it miraculously was returned to us hours later!! That is so our God.
We prayed over a man who wanted his baby to be healed who was at home sick, he returned home from church and his baby was HEALED!
God is def. moving and i wish i had time to write about more stories. Continue to lift our team up. We'll spend 6 days here and then 7 days in the east and then in kigali for 3 days before america.
We went to another genocide memorial the other day. i'm learning so much about this devestating time for Rwanda. I cried as they told me about how much the church has betrayed it's people here. We were in a church and they actually walked us between caskets of the dead, they told us that thousands of people were piled into the church to be protected but when the men came to kill them the church told them where they were hiding. The people were burned alive. The youth were hiding outside and the men took the youth and began slaughtering them. I could not help about our youth @ cornerstone. i pictured their faces. I thought about the kids at the trailer park in lbk. I could not imagine watching them be slaughtered. I am mortified at the crimes committed.
I was supposed to speak in a church last week and at noon that day i was told we would not be going to the church, becasue the pastor was beign arrested for crimes he'd committed during the genocide 15 years earlier. They are still working on prosecuting the people who massacred nearly 300,000 people.
I have hope for this nation...
Currently i miss: HOT SHOWERS... and that is about all i can think about now. i shaved my legs today!! i also of course miss family and friends!
love you all.. more to come, should have more internet access this week.
jess
we have successfully made it to Northern Rwanda. I was so captivated by the beauty of God's creation!! There are beautiful green mountains everywhere!!! I cannot say enough about the children here. As we walk into an area they surround us just wanting to touch our white skin. They scream MUZUNGU MUZUNGU all the time haha. The Lord is really challenging me in my own spiritual life the last couple of days but i am moving through some personal things and i know it is for my own benefit.
I love watching our team interact w/ the children here. The other day i looked out the window and saw the girl i mentor loving on about 7 kids around her and i cried haha. I had this sudden feeling of just being so proud of her.
We had a girl get her bag stolen. Money, passport, military id, camera, everything. We prayed and it miraculously was returned to us hours later!! That is so our God.
We prayed over a man who wanted his baby to be healed who was at home sick, he returned home from church and his baby was HEALED!
God is def. moving and i wish i had time to write about more stories. Continue to lift our team up. We'll spend 6 days here and then 7 days in the east and then in kigali for 3 days before america.
We went to another genocide memorial the other day. i'm learning so much about this devestating time for Rwanda. I cried as they told me about how much the church has betrayed it's people here. We were in a church and they actually walked us between caskets of the dead, they told us that thousands of people were piled into the church to be protected but when the men came to kill them the church told them where they were hiding. The people were burned alive. The youth were hiding outside and the men took the youth and began slaughtering them. I could not help about our youth @ cornerstone. i pictured their faces. I thought about the kids at the trailer park in lbk. I could not imagine watching them be slaughtered. I am mortified at the crimes committed.
I was supposed to speak in a church last week and at noon that day i was told we would not be going to the church, becasue the pastor was beign arrested for crimes he'd committed during the genocide 15 years earlier. They are still working on prosecuting the people who massacred nearly 300,000 people.
I have hope for this nation...
Currently i miss: HOT SHOWERS... and that is about all i can think about now. i shaved my legs today!! i also of course miss family and friends!
love you all.. more to come, should have more internet access this week.
jess
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
RWANDA
i had just typed a long blog and the internet messed up so now i have 10 minutes to type it all again :(
God is doing so many AMAZING THINGS HERE... I am loving every minute of it. We eat rice and beans at every meal haha and that is the only downside. Today we had a blessing as we came into a different part of town and got pizza.!!! Last night we went to a pentecostal church and it felt like home!! We have the opportunity to go to a church any night of the week, we're constantly getting invited to preach everywhere we go.
The first night we were were Annette said you'll preach tomorrow. That was 9 p.m and i taught at 730 a.m the next day haha. So we're learning to be ready in season and out of season. Teaching with a translator was a new experience. I was teaching on raising up a generation of Christian leaders in Rwanda. I started talking about bondage and the translator couldn't translate bondage. haha. That was weird.
I see the Lord developing my gifts of healing and prophesy and that is so so cool to me.
When we painted a building in a local school all of the local kids come and stare at us saying mozungo mozungo... or white person. There is one little boy i have fallen in love w/ who has worn the same thing every day i've seen him a pajama pant suit. it's so hot but that is all he has. many of the kids are compassion or world vision kids...
We have seen God do many miracles and know there are more to come. I can't wait to see how the rest of the trip plays out. I wish i had more time to talk about it.
We had east soon and then north, then back to kigali before we leave. Keep our team in your prayers. God has done GREAT GREAT THINGS...
currently i miss... mas amigos sweet tea, hot shower, and shaved legs. haha love yal.
God is doing so many AMAZING THINGS HERE... I am loving every minute of it. We eat rice and beans at every meal haha and that is the only downside. Today we had a blessing as we came into a different part of town and got pizza.!!! Last night we went to a pentecostal church and it felt like home!! We have the opportunity to go to a church any night of the week, we're constantly getting invited to preach everywhere we go.
The first night we were were Annette said you'll preach tomorrow. That was 9 p.m and i taught at 730 a.m the next day haha. So we're learning to be ready in season and out of season. Teaching with a translator was a new experience. I was teaching on raising up a generation of Christian leaders in Rwanda. I started talking about bondage and the translator couldn't translate bondage. haha. That was weird.
I see the Lord developing my gifts of healing and prophesy and that is so so cool to me.
When we painted a building in a local school all of the local kids come and stare at us saying mozungo mozungo... or white person. There is one little boy i have fallen in love w/ who has worn the same thing every day i've seen him a pajama pant suit. it's so hot but that is all he has. many of the kids are compassion or world vision kids...
We have seen God do many miracles and know there are more to come. I can't wait to see how the rest of the trip plays out. I wish i had more time to talk about it.
We had east soon and then north, then back to kigali before we leave. Keep our team in your prayers. God has done GREAT GREAT THINGS...
currently i miss... mas amigos sweet tea, hot shower, and shaved legs. haha love yal.
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