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Posts by Martha Vetter, World Missions Committee

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Water is Life

News--Martha and Bosco

In Rwanda, there is a saying that some of you may have heard: Water Is Life. In the Bible, water symbolizes a multitude of spiritual themes, including repentance, salvation, God’s provision, and service. If you were to undertake a thematic study of water in the Bible, it’d be difficult to exhaust all of your resources....

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The Lord Looks on the Heart

News--Denise DO

My Bible study has been examining the life of David. My favorite chapter is 1 Samuel 16, where the Lord sends the prophet Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the future king of Israel. When Samuel meets Jesse’s tall and handsome oldest son, he thinks, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” But God cautions, “Do not look on his appearance or the height of ...

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News from the Dufatanye Organization

News--Dufatanye

Introducing Hakizima: One of my former pupils at Sonrise School for Orphans is called Hakizimana. He is a sensitive, compassionate young man whose parents died during the genocide. Understandably, he had his own hopes and dreams and merely wanted some reasonable way to “make it” in life. When he graduated from Sonrise High School, he returned to his village deep in the...

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Prayers for Ukraine from Rwanda

News--prayers for Ukraine

When the war in Ukraine burst upon the global stage, many Americans were stunned by the tragic events occurring there. Even in distant places like Rwanda, reports of the Ukrainians’ blistering reality have spewed out like shock waves into their homes. Many Rwandese have only recently learned about the ethnic connections between the Ukrainians and their Russian families a...

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“For Freedom, Christ Has Set Us Free ...”

Ishmael Vetter Issa

Ishmael rejoiced in his newfound love for Christ, but he also wrestled with memories of a terrible crime he had committed twenty-five years earlier....

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Meet Godfrey Karema: Ambassador of Hope in Rwanda

News--Godfrey Dufatanye

Each Sunday morning during worship, we pray for “victims of genocide and AIDS in Rwanda.” The Dufatanye Organization (DO) in Nyanza, Rwanda, is a non-government organization (NGO) that reaches out to these victims, most of whom are desperately scarred—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Many suffer from PTSD, but they now experience a sense of belongi...

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Volcanoes and Earthquakes Erupt on the Rwandan Border

News--Volcano Rwanda

This past Saturday night, May 22, Mount Nyiragongo erupted in Goma, Congo, just across the border form Rwanda. The volcano is only one hour’s drive from my home in Rwanda, where I lived for almost six years. This town is named Musanze, but it was named Ruhengeri when I lived there. You can easily find it on a map and see how close it is to the volcanic site....

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Olive Smiles: An Update from the Dufatanye Organization

News--Olive Rwanda

Early in the days of the pandemic, the Dufatanye Organization joined forces with partner organization ZMission to provide emergency relief to desperate people in Rwanda. At that point, I was skeptical that we’d be able to raise the funds to make even a small dent in such an overwhelming need, and I told one of my friends that I would be surprised if we could donate provi...

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And God is Able

News--God is Able Abel

In the midst of this time of uncertainty, I hope you are well. May you find safe shelter not only in “social distancing,” but especially in drawing close to Him who is our true Dwelling Place...

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Avocado Trees for the Children!

Avocado trees

Each Saturday, the Dufatanye Organization (DO) in Rwanda holds a Children’s Bible and Breakfast Club at our ministry center. Using flannel boards and over 600 colorful flannel pieces, we teach a Bible lesson and then serve the children a breakfast of porridge or milk and bread. Sometimes, we have up to 250 children in attendance! We divide the children according to age, ...

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Grace and Mercy at Christmas

Ishmael Vetter Issa

During this Advent season, as we anticipate the beauty of Christmas, I am forever grateful to those who have walked alongside of me in this ministry to our friends at the Dufatanye Organization (DO) in Rwanda. As we have shared during the prayers on Sundays at St. Philip’s, the DO is a nonprofit organization that ministers to victims of genocide and AIDS. This ministry a...

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Where is Your Sanctuary? Your Dwelling Place?

Fraterine before we met

I am grateful to several St. Philippians who have prayed for my little sparrow in Rwanda. Fraterine is a ten-year-old boy who, until the last year, has led a solitary life, away from school and simply drifting during the days because so many children made fun of his discomfiting, facial skin condition. Since discovering God’s little sparrow last summer, we from the Dufat...

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His Eye is on the Sparrow

Fraterine March 2019

This past February, I returned to Rwanda for three weeks. For almost six years, I lived in Rwanda’s Northern Province, an area nestled in a chain of eight imposing volcanoes. Their towering spires appear to direct the earth’s timid gaze to heaven’s sublime and regal dominion. When they quake, fire and brimstone slide from their lips, demonstrating God’s almighty, o...

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