Ufite amafaranga?
Jesus said: ‘Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will
we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” Only people who
don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all
of these.’ (Matthew 6:31-32)
There’s a familiar saying that money
makes the world go around and this week our team has felt pretty de-motivated
and frustrated by the obstacles and problems arising from budgeting issues with
our project work. Now I know that God
hasn’t promised any of us an easy ride through life but during the past few
weeks I have truly struggled to understand God’s promise of provision. Daily, we are stepping out in faith to use
what resources He has given us.
Sometimes it doesn’t seem like we can offer a lot, and I wonder whether
our prayers will be answered. I am
learning patience in many aspects of my life and waiting on God’s provision for
the communities we’re working with requires plenty. Even then, I anticipate that the answers and
solutions will not necessarily come on our terms. And so we trust in Him and just are. The little we can do does matter to those
with whom we work and so just being here, being with them, being interested in
them, may not seem like a lot to us, but God can multiply our efforts when we
trust Him.
As the sun is beating down
relentlessly and Kigali’s pavements radiate heat upwards I feel a tug at my
hand and hear the familiar Kinyarwandan, “Muzungu! Ufite amafaranga? Give me money!” I groan inwardly and look at the child next
to me, hand outstretched. “Oya, ni
mugende, ntamafaranga dufite.” No, go
away, I don’t have money. I feel cruel
and mean, tight-fisted and Scrooge-like.
I know that most people don’t mean to be offensive - they think being a muzungu would be a very good thing and
don’t understand why it would bother anybody to have their favoured status
shouted out. But it can feel as though
we’re being reduced to a stereotype and seen only as someone who is so wealthy
and set so far apart from Rwandans that it’s okay to demand material goods upon
first sight. It remains very
disconcerting, yet we are reminded time and again, especially by AEE; give a
man a fish you’ll feed him for a day but give him a rod and you’ll feed him for
life. I, like my fellow team members, am
here in Kigali to fight injustice and poverty through working alongside AEE in
the local community, as their mission statement is: “To evangelise the
cities of Africa, through word and deed, in partnership with churches”.
AEE aim to equip the community to
help themselves out of poverty, but in order to be able to do this AEE also rely
on funding and support, mainly from international donors in the US, Germany and
Australia. However, what happens when
one of these donors unexpectedly and arbitrarily decides they will no longer support
a specific project? Suddenly there’s no
salary for teachers and no school fees paid on behalf of those vulnerable and
orphaned children. Consequently? No means to provide a much needed school to
an impoverished community. Billy Graham
said “We can be certain that God will
give us the strength and resources we need to live through any situation in
life that He ordains. The will of God will never take us where the grace of God
cannot sustain us.” However, offering
prayer seems a futile response to the pleas and requests for help from the
school Principal. I know handouts don’t
work. I know as volunteers we are not
here to offer money. The ICS website
even states “You don’t need cash, skills or qualifications to take part in ICS
– just the ambition to make a difference.” I wish I could offer a sustainable solution to
ensure the future of the school. “Give
me money!” is so much more than a cheeky attempt of an 8 year old to engage
with the “muzungu”, it’s the true cry of many people in poverty, because
despite guiding principles to insist it’s to the contrary, money does seem to make
the world go around.
Driving along a bumpy, dusty dirt
track we leave the concrete city behind us and enter the rural Kigali of
rolling hills and maize plantations. A
man pushes his bicycle up the steep slope, laden with bunches of green bananas,
whilst another cycles by with jerry cans, hanging from the handlebars like
saddlebags, on his way to collect water.
A few women are carrying baskets on their heads, filled with ripe red tomatoes,
freshly dug carrots, juicy mangoes and passion fruits. Children stop and stare at this 4x4 full of
muzungus, cowering behind their mothers, slightly afraid. Others shout “How are you?” or wave and call out “bye! bye! bye!” whilst running alongside us laughing, their faces full
of joy. We drive through small villages
and I glimpse houses with mud walls and sheets of tin roofing. It feels like we’re seeing the true Rwanda, a
city that sprawls out from its high-rise towers and wealthy neighbourhoods to
these remote communities. After passing
a trickling stream of water, where some women are washing clothes and young
boys fill jerry cans with water, we finally arrive at the Mageragera sector and
see thirty or more men and women sat under the shade of a tree, waiting for
us. Alexis and Wherny are training them
to set-up a self-help group focused on social funding through joining together
to form a Savings and Loans Group. We’re
introduced and Alexis explains that we are here to help them. “They are here to use their hands,” he
insists, “they have skills and can teach
you English or carry bricks or hoe your fields.” A murmur amongst these community members as
they survey us smiling, and clearly amused but grateful, a representative
stands up to ask us for money and materials to help them rebuild someone’s home
that was damaged by fire. I sigh. Alexis
re-iterates his point and our purpose.
It is arranged that we will return to help them re-build this house,
although we may have to wait until the community can source all the materials they
need to begin. We wave goodbye, clamber
back into the 4x4 and Faustin speeds away leaving a cloud of red dust swirling
behind us like a curtain shielding the community from view.
If we assume we know how God will
provide for our needs, we can easily develop attitudes of presumption,
impatience, and ungratefulness. If the
majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us
responsible. “God is able to make all
grace abound toward you, that you . . . may have an abundance . . .” (2 Corinthians 9:8). As volunteers then, we learn to lavish the grace of God on
others, generously giving of ourselves. Then, perhaps, AEE’s vision will be realised:
“We want to see a country
where God is honoured and people live together in peace and satisfaction of
their daily need.”
Tirion
No comments:
Post a Comment