New Around the Mission

Kansas Team Inspires Rwandan Youth

January 15, 2010

Joyful participants of the Rwandan youth camp

Responding to the call to “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1), over ninety young Rwandans committed their lives to Jesus last month at an annual youth camp in Cyangugu, Rwanda. In their fifth year of participation, a team from Cambridge Church in Leawood, Kansas, helped lead the camp for 250 youth ages 14 to 30. Team members taught on purity, leadership and following God.

The camp is the brainchild of Bishop Geoffrey, but participants are invited by several area pastors representing multiple congregations. As leaders invest in the future generation of Rwanda, the students give back by walking to a pre-selected site and spend one day building a house for someone.

Pastor Josh Yerton, practicing the ministry of presence with Daniel, a camp participant.

“The kids took turns shaving off the mud to make the sides flat, dug a trench and carried pieces of wood up the hill for repairs,” explains Laurie Milton, Mission Team Leader. “The home belongs to an orphan-led family of five. The oldest girl tearfully told us that every nail that she heard being pounded was showing how much we loved them. She told us they had asked God to provide and their prayer was answered.”

“It was an amazing trip,” exclaims Josh Yerton, Pastor of Worship, Discipleship and Ministry, “Many years of great relationships and joint efforts are really starting to yield some awesome fruit!”

Team members not only spend time teaching and building relationships with those in Rwanda on short term mission trips, but as Laurie explains further, Rwanda is a year round focus at Cambridge Church.

Rwandan students learn how to follow Christ as they hear teaching and search the scriptures.

“Each year we designate a particular Sunday as “Rwanda Sunday” to share our experience there with our congregation. We love our relationship with Rwanda, and in order to keep everyone informed, we have a Rwanda table set up throughout the year with pictures, crafts and Rwanda coffee for sale. During the month of April, we raise the $10,000 needed to sponsor the camp students by sharing video and testimonies from previous years.”

A long term commitment to invest in the lives of young Rwandans at Cambridge Church is yielding a fruitful harvest both at home and abroad.

Posted By: Cynthia P. Brust
Categories: Rwanda