This past Sunday we were privileged to have some special guests with us in our morning service at Coast Community. Rev. Simon Pierre Rwaramba and Brian and Kelly Becker. Rev. Simon Pierre is a pastor and district superintendent in Rwanda and Brian is the Director of International Ministries at Point Loma Nazarene University. Kelly works for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries as an editor for NCM Magazine.
It was incredible to hear the testimony of Pastor Simon as he spoke of forgiveness and peace. As we heard, this was a man who had experienced the Rwandan genocide of 1994 in which his own wife and newborn baby were targeted and nearly killed. Now, he pastors a Nazarene church and oversees 63 others in Rwanda. We listened as he told us stories of reconciliation and transformation. We learned of the orphanage his church operates serving 815 children whose parents died mostly either from the genocide or HIV/AIDS. He spoke of the educational center where youth are being trained and a generation equipped to rebuild this society. We were challenged to trust in the resources of Jesus Christ as we consider God’s call on our own lives and church.
Our lives will never be the same after what we heard from Brother Simon this past Sunday. As we spent moments in prayer with and for him at the close of the service there was a beautiful sense of God’s blessing as we celebrated our bond in Jesus. Our offering has raised $1300 thus far as we gave to support the ongoing and growing ministry in Rwanda. And we can trust that God will continue to lead in this relationship in the days to come. Keep praying for Pastor Simon Pierre! Keep praying for Rwanda – God is doing something great!
Coast Community Church of the Nazarene 
Just had the chance to watch the movie “Hotel Rwanda” last night. It was one of the suggestions for “further exploration” in our Starting Point study this week and with Simon Pierre’s visit on Sunday it seemed like a good opportunity. What a moving story of a hotel manager who gave sanctuary to over 1200 Hutu and Tutsi refugees during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. This film does a great job of depicting the horror of this event while at the same time demonstrating the ability of one person to make a big difference. It also gives some more background on the reason for the conflict in Rwanda and serves as a warning for us all to be attentive to the needs around our globe. I recommend it for sure.