God’s Open Doors

A Letter from Kay Day, serving in Rwanda

March 2018

Dear friends and family,

Lenten greetings from Rwanda. Reflecting on this period of self-evaluation and service, I want to share an experience with you of broadening vistas of ministry.

The truth is, sometimes ministry opportunities come to meet you. That is what happened to me with an international students’ Bible study. This is a group of international students who all study at the Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS). Rodrique, a Burundian student who organized the study, came to me after Christmas to ask if I could meet with his group for an hour each week for five weeks and answer their questions about how the Old Testament relates to the New Testament. Since that is a favorite topic of mine, I eagerly said yes. The fact that they meet on Mondays from 10 to 11 p.m. was not a deterrent, even though I usually work on a different timetable, being in bed by 10:30 to be up before 6 to start my day. The international students are all taking evening classes, so beginning at 10 p.m. is reasonable to them, since they don’t finish class until 9 p.m. I agreed.

International Bible study group.

It turned out to be a great opportunity. All the students are in the peacebuilding program, so they do not come with a theological frame of reference, as many of my students do. They are from four countries in the Central African region and a few of them are from Japan. Most who attend are Christians, eager to strengthen their faith. A few are non-Christians and are curious, since they are studying at a Protestant institution and eager for time with other internationals. The mix was refreshing.

I had taught many of them in large English classes, but I did not really know them individually. Their questions were insightful and challenging. The sessions were energizing. More than that, they were relationship-building. This was an opening to minister to folks outside my usual circle of teaching. I was blessed by their openness and eagerness. Many of the discussions were deep and penetrated to the heart of the gospel. This has also opened other possibilities to work with these students, to bring them closer to the larger Christian community in PIASS. This past Sunday, several of them attended the English worship service at the chapel that I serve. They have asked for other Bible study topics as well.

Your support of me here in Rwanda is also reaching folks from Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, South Sudan and even Japan. Thank you. Together we are working on a broader international scale than you might have imagined. I could not be here without your prayers and your financial contributions. I ask that you continue to partner with me in these ways, so that we together continue to minister to the people God places in our paths. I pray God brings new opportunities for you to serve where you are. He may be bringing the world to your doorstep, too, for you to share Christ’s love. It is a joy to be surprised by God’s open doors.

Blessings,

Kay (Cathie to the family)