If you go back to one of my blogs from the end of March...of '08...I was buying blankets and rice and relief supplies with Floyd Mohr and Ron Neufeld in Kigale, Rwanda, to take to an IDP camp in Kibuye.
That day we came upon this little Islamic girl named Ameni sitting on a bag of sugar...
Ameni had a difficult past...
- Her mom was brutally cut to pieces during the genocide
- Her dad died of AIDS
- She was orphaned at 4 with NO ONE who had the ability or inclination to care for her
- She and her brother carved out an existence on the streets of Kigale, 'hawking' or selling tiny things...candies, soaps, anything... to buy some food.
- Not a day of school in her entire life
- Could not spell her name
She and her friends, Janet and Juliette, followed our Rwanda outreach team from schools to orphan care centers...from youth groups to churches...all the time listening to the Gospel presentation of Christ's Love...everywhere we went in town...they would show up...a stadium, a restaurant, a gathering...just soaking up the message...
One Sunday morning, as our group was sharing their about their own journeys with Jesus, at Deliverance Church...Ameni had heard enough...
She quietly removed her Muslim headdress, layed down her Islamic prayer beads...walked to the front of the church and knelt with our team.
She asked Jesus to forgive her sins, she said she wanted to accept Him as her Lord...to begin a new life...
Ameni's decision that day has changed alot of things...first she led her brother to Christ...he was baptized in the Kigale Assembly of God Church and Changed his Islamic name to Emannuel.Emannuel and Ameni have worked with Juliette and Janet in their faith journey.
In Feb of '09 I invited Ameni and Emannuel to come by bus to join our Kenya outreach...On that trip, Ameni changed her name to Hannah and I had the privilege of baptizing her in the Kitale Club pool. 
Since then it has been quite a wild ride...here is Hannah after she told the men at ANNEX PRISON about how they could find a new path through the Lord.
Here's Hannah talking with women inmates at Kitale prison about how change is possible.
You just never know who that little girl...sitting on the bag of sugar... is or will turn out to be.
more on Hanna later...please pray for her...Torie Fields, one of the leaders of our Kitale PEACE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE, is co-ordinating daily English classes for her.
amazing & wonderful
ReplyDeleteits awesome Steve,
ReplyDeleteI remember that post and I am glad you have shared the update with us. I remember being at the prison and listening to the word being shared as I sat in the very back row holding a sweet little baby that belonged to one of the female prisoners. I long to return to Kitale.
ReplyDeleteSteve, So good to hear from you! Wow do I wish I could be there with all those wonderful people in Kitale and Mt. Elgon. It was great to see Sammy and her photo...can't wait to go back next year with you. Please say hello to Margaret, Moses, Sammy, Stonick, etc. Still working on the Oakley glasses. I will keep you posted. Blessings and prayers your way :)
ReplyDelete