An
additional 22-team members joined us to make our
Rwanda team a total of 64. This was a working mission
and everyone's
gifts
were needed. Drs. George and Hazel along with others
taught leadership-training sessions. All the pastors
and leaders of Victory Churches Rwanda and Burundi built
the church/school on the Gitarama orphanage propery and
finished the wall around the Victory Headquarters in
Kigali. Craig, from Royal Oak Victory Church led in the
landscaping division. Along with some great helpers,
he landscaped the orphanage property with flowers and
fruit trees and vegetables purchased with funds donated
by our beloved Victory Churches, Canada. Cheryl Carr,
from California Victory Church had band-aids on her
two fingers from making holes in the dirt planting grass
one sprig at a time along the bank to stop erosion! The
things we will do for Jesus!
Justin
and Peter, two young brothers from Ontario, built the
steps to the church. They dedicated them in memory of
their mother who passed away late last year. She left
money for them to go help the people of Rwanda. Art and
Frieda Isaak, of Lethbridge Victory Church led as General
Contractor. Paul Smith from Barrie Victory Centre led
the bricklayers. We could not have done without them.
Both male and female worked on the church building. Special
thanks go to Anna and Joy-Lynn who took a brick-laying
course before coming on this trip so they would be useful
on the wall. Way to go girls! The vegetable garden was
planted and stood about two inches out of the ground
in only two weeks! Some of the members chose to live
right at the orphanage so they could rise early and build.
What a great team of contractors and gifted, diligent
workers. The men and women on this team worked hard and
left satisfied that they had done something worthwhile
for Jesus and the people of Rwanda.
Shelly,
Erin, Pastor Sylvanne, Joy-Lynn, Pastor Melanie and others
painted beautiful murals on the orphanage walls to remind
the children of the great things God has done in creation.
Rose was the mother of the house and looked after the
team that stayed at Gitarama. Laurie, our long term
missionary kept busy conducting the transport for the
team. She helped me in many ways as we progressed toward
the day the orphans would finally make "Victory Family
Home of Champions" their home.
Christmas In Rwanda
Dr. Hazel Hill
I would like to share with you some of the high lights of the trip to Rwanda this past Christmas. It was a Christmas the children and Mamas in Victory Family, Home of Champions will remember for ever.
The team consisted of 8 powerful ladies and one very helpful young man. Pastor Sherri McLean and Patti Haines from Moncton New Brunswick, Canada, Jessica Boisson our VCI secretary, Calgary, Pastor Pam Griffin, our children’s minister here in California, Donna McConkey and Stacey Knode from New Hope in Orville Ohio, and Melody House and her son Matthew from Lac La Biche and of course, myself. What a team! We all flowed together as one and were able to use our gifts and talents to make a very special Christmas ever. All of us love children, so that part was easy, but we did lots of things to help further the orphanage and ministry in Rwanda as we supported Bishop Joseph Kamanza and our resident missionaries, Dean and Kathy Torgerson and their two adorable children, Julia and Baylee. Pastor Sherri, Patti and Pam did most of the teaching with the help of the rest of the team. We had furniture built, set up the Infirmary, office and storage rooms, planted fruit trees and vegetable gardens, conducted Village Outreach teachings for women in the community, preached in the Victory Churches and visited with the big chiefs of the country and community as well as did a Victory Bible College Graduation. Then there was the time when we reached out to the village with a feeding program on December 26. I told the children on Christmas day, “This is your day to receive, but tomorrow we will serve others”. The children were so precious, just little 7-10 years olds serving out the food on the food line to their neighbors. They all wore red T-Shirts and caps. The menu was a delight to the Villagers, goat, vegetables and potatoes and we don’t know what the other stuff was, but they loved it!
Thanks to a donor and the team that came in November with Pastor Paul Juss we now have swings and monkey bars for the children to climb on. Wow! Do they love it! Not only the children, but the adults too! Some of the dignitaries had never had a swing in their life! What fun was had by all.
The children are learning English and doing very well. We had some new children move in while I was there. I remember 5 little children that a pastor brought to us one day asking for our help. They were 4 girls and one little boy. Apparently the Pastor has been letting the children sleep in his church at night for safety and let them out in the morning to forage for food. The children were around 6-8 years old. There was another little girl that came in who was no more the 4 or so and she had been raped. Oh, how I thank the Lord that we have this home so we can rescue some of these little children who have no hope without us. It will take time for her healing. For those of you who sponsor children, “Thank you so very much”. For those of you who gave to make Christmas in Rwanda a great success, “Thank you so very much”. For those of you who have come to work in Rwanda or have given sums of money to help us build, there are no words to say, “Thank you!” None of you will know what your giving has done until you reach heaven.
I talked with the authorities while I was in Rwanda concerning adoption. They are very open to this and I am pursuing it.
We have a Nursery School at Victory Family, Home of Champions. It has doubled in size since we were there and built this complex. The primary school is about a 50 minutes walk from the orphanage. It is over crowded with very little supplies. The classes are about 60 children to a class. Just before I left Rwanda one of the chiefs came to say goodbye to me and ask if I would buy land and build a school as it was desperately needed as many children don’t even go to school. I listened to his talk. I know they need schools and I want to see this happen, as education is power. After he had finished, I said, “I know you need schools, but I don’t think I should have to buy land to build it”. “If you will give me land I will see if we can build a school right around here as our children will also attend it”. I did not expect such a quick response. But this chief said, “Yes!!!! We will give you the land!” Praise the Lord; I can see the school now by faith! This chief will show the land to Dean and Kathy and they will be in touch with me. Do we have any teachers out there that would like to go start the school in Rwanda?
What is so blessed about all this is the fact that this mission to Rwanda was a “God thing”. In less then 18 months we have built a complete complex. We have the church, the mission house, clinic(Infirmary),orphanage, well for water and it’s house, a generator house and new generator, new toilets on a septic field, play ground, fish farm, vegetable gardens and fruit tree orchard and a small soccer field, raising goats and will soon have a cow! And it is all paid for!!! Praise the Lord!!!!!! The Pastor even has a small house on the land that was there before we purchased the land.
A special thank you to all of you who prayed for us on this trip. I was to go to Kisumu, Kenya, to look at taking over an orphanage there. But as you know Kenya was in a terrible way after the elections. The planes were suspended and the roads blocked. There was no way for me to go to Kisumu. I cancelled my flight and stayed in Rwanda an extra week. I did manage to meet with Bishop Jude and Lucy Kiteta in Nairobi, Kenya, for the night before coming home. The airport was open and we were all able to get a guest house for the night. I had previously had visions of my sleeping at the airport all night. But God was gracious. The killing and destruction of our beloved Kisumu was beyond reason. Please pray for Kenya. We had some of our churches burned to the ground. Pastors and congregations fled into Uganda where our Victory Churches of Uganda are looking after them until it is safe to return. Our Pastor Vitalis Jodo from Kisumu is devastated. I manage to get him on the phone from Nairobi. He said, “Mama, we have lost everything, We will have to start all over again. My wife had a little sewing shop that was burned to the ground. This was our income. We have not had services for two weeks for fear of going out in the streets. We are starving because we have no food in the city of Kisumu and we can not get to where food is.” He said even if they had money food could not be found. I would ask you if you would find it in your heart to give your people the opportunity to give an offering for Kenya it would help us get our churches back on their feet. Please consider it. Offering can be sent to any of our churches or head office. Just let me know.
That’s the report for now. I love each and every one of you and pray for you daily. We hope you are also doing the 40 day fast with us.
Reaching the World with His Love,
Dr. Hazel Hill
Missions Director
Victory Churches International
Hebrews 6:10 "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister"
For more information contact: victorychurches@victoryint.org
