One of the members of our church here in Rwanda is a Senator
with the national government. Her name
is Rose. At the worship service a couple
of weeks ago, she was asked to stand and greet the congregation with a few
words. Little did she know that her life
was about to change in a significant way.
Four days later, on Thursday, her husband was killed along with six others
in a terrible traffic accident involving a large truck, a bus and a pick-up. The truck, which was overloaded with logs and
had faulty brakes, lost control and crashed into the other two vehicles.
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| The truck with the logs on its side at the site of the accident (photo: https://www.ktpress.rw/) |
The funeral and burial were held on the following
Sunday. There were about 800 people who
came to the outdoor service from their two large families, the church family,
friends and government officials.
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| People gathering for the outdoor funeral service |
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| The casket and speaker's tents |
It was
sad but also deeply moving to see Senator Rose stand and with a strong voice
declare confidently “God is good…all the time!
All the time…God is good!” This
was not denial of reality. Rather it was
a courageous facing of reality. Many Bible
verses were read and many songs were sung that reflected the reason for their
hope in the midst of what appeared a “senseless” tragedy.
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| One of several choirs to sing during the service |
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| Rose, surrounded by close friends and family, sharing at the funeral |
A number of people had the opportunity to
share words that mirrored the thoughts of those who had gathered together. Many roses were lovingly placed on the casket
as it was lowered into the grave. And we
were able to witness it all.
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| Hundreds of people heading for the burial |
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| Preparing to lower the casket into the ground |
It was a long day, and because of language, there were many
things said which we did not understand.
However, some important truths are able to be communicated even without
words. Here are some of the things
which struck us through this experience:
- We literally never know what is going to happen in the months, weeks or even days ahead of us. As Rose stood up on that first Sunday to address the congregation, she had no idea how hard she was going to have to lean on her trust and understanding of God in the days to come. If she had waited “until she needed it” before she dealt with issues of faith, it would have been too late. We all need to number our days, to use well what we have been given, and recognize that they will come to an end at a time we don’t foresee. (*See verses below)
- Rwandans know the value of facing death head-on. With the strong support of family and friends, they deal with the death that has invaded their existence, and then they go on. Some people in this world, convinced that this life is all that we have, prefer to pretend that death is not part of our reality. They would rather not talk about it, think about it, or be exposed to anything that makes them think about it at all. Rwandans in general, and particularly Rwandan believers, are wiser than that. Death is real. The important question is what are we going to do about it?
- As we work here in Rwanda, we have a clear sense of our need for God’s protection in our travels. Just the day before the accident, the two of us drove over seven hours. Darrell especially spends a great deal of time on the roads, doing teaching and training in all corners of Rwanda. That is a necessary part of the ministry but there is no denying the risk involved whenever one is driving on the roads here. Each year this small country has about 5000 traffic accidents claiming the lives of over 500 people. The combination of new drivers, poor mechanical condition of some vehicles, excess speed and the unsafe driving habits of certain drivers, makes this a dangerous enterprise. Please pray for God’s continuous protection upon us and those we work with as we travel throughout the country. Murakoze! [Thank you!]
Hebrews 3:7,8,12,13 (NIV) > So, as the Holy Spirit
says: "Today, if you hear his
voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time
of testing in the desert,"…See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful,
unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it
is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
Psalm 39:4-8a (NLT) > Lord, remind me how
brief my time on earth will be. Remind
me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the
width of my hand. My entire lifetime is
just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath. We are merely moving
shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend
it. And so, Lord, where do I put my
hope? My only hope is in you. Rescue me
from my rebellion.
1 John 4:10 (NLT) > This is real love—not
that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take
away our sins.