Overview

Rwanda Orentation (interpreter is standing on the left)

  There are over 8,000,000 people in Rwanda and 230,000 in the capital Kigali.  Rwanda has 350,000 Adventists.  The Rwanda Campaign is based in the capital and has a total of six sites in and around Kigali.  Six more campaigns are also underway in other principal cities around the nation.

  Orientation day is packed with a wealth of useful information, guest evangelist apprehension and lots of common sense good counsel. During this day, Elder Folkenberg challenges the guest evangelists with, "I guarantee you, things will not be what you expect them to be!"  He then follows with a whole series of humorous and serious anecdotes and stories about prior campaigns. He re-orients the thinking of the guest evangelists by reminding them that Rwanda can now send missionaries to help with evangelism in North America because one has money and limited growth, and the other has wonderful growth and limited money. To encourage inexperienced evangelists Folkenberg tells the story of the man who always spoke in a monotone and never lifted his eyes from the notes.  The elder emphasizes that indeed the man had a wonderfully successful meeting because it was the Holy Spirit who communicated between the lips of the man speaking and the ears of those listening. Time and time again, Elder Folkenberg plainly states that success is not dependent upon the talents of highly skilled men and women, but instead, success is based upon individuals being willing to be used by God.

   One of the highlights is to see Elder Folkenberg demonstrate how to work with an interpreter.  He points out that translation is a gift to help a person preach and then he begins his demonstration of "overlapping" speaking.  He and his interpreter get into a rhythm of praising and preaching that brings everyone to their feet shouting Amen!

  All in all, orientation day is made up of  common sense mixed with good advice and underpinned with a very, very strong spiritual emphasis about the need for dependence on the Holy Spirit.  Guest  evangelists end the day encouraged, inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit for the challenges they will face as soul winners.

 Marvin Hunt

(click here to return to front page)