WE LOVE TO TALK ABOUT BRUNO
Bruno climbs into the back seat of the small car with our group. John, a former staff member with our Rwandan partner, has graciously offered to drive us to Bruno’s home. Three of us in the car have flown from Oregon to Rwanda to visit the ministry here and meet the children in the sponsorship program.
We bound down a few more dusty roads, navigating potholes and passing neighbors and children. We drive past Bruno's school. Banana trees—a staple crop grown here in Rwanda, wave their giant and gentle leaves–watching as we traverse the neighborhood. This is as far as we can drive. We climb out of the car. I slip my hand into his. "Show me the way."
We walk down the road. Bruno steps through a blue gate, and I timidly follow behind. And I see her—his mama—coming toward us, dressed in bright yellow and beaming. I greet her with a hug.
She's got a stunning smile, like her son.
Looking at her, you wouldn't know all she carries in her heart and body. When Angelique was pregnant with Bruno, she fell. She still suffers from back pain a decade later and often needs to rest. Bruno worries about her and prays for her frequently. He wrote in one of his letters that he would like more helpers to pray for her.
Angelique travels far for her job as a seamstress at a garment factory, working as a single mom to provide for her family. Her husband left the family when she was pregnant with Bruno. Angelique courageously enrolled Bruno in the Lahash sponsorship program when he was four.
Today, I get to spend time with him and his family and see firsthand this ministry's impact on their lives.
We stand in a circle, greeting one another. Bruno's eldest sister and his brother, Heriett and Bright, greet us. They welcome us into their humble home, one that's been in the family for a long time. My eyes take a moment to adjust to the dark after standing in the bright sunshine. The room has a single open window, and light streams in. I sit next to Bruno on a little couch. During our visit, his sister, Natasha, joins our gathering.
We chat and laugh and start to relax. John seamlessly translates between English and Kinyarwanda as needed. Bruno told me in a letter that he wants to be a pastor. "I can tell you have a big heart with lots of love, and pastors, they love many people. You would make a good pastor," I say.
He brings out a stack of photographs of my family and my kids, who are sleeping at this very moment, 9,000 miles away. I use my hands and try my best to illustrate where in the world my family lives, where my husband is, and where Bruno and I are. We pass photos around the room.
I also have a photo of him with me tucked in my Bible. I pull it out to show the family. "I see where your smile comes from because I see it in your family."
I turn to Angelique and ask, "Can you share with me what difference the sponsorship program makes for your family?"
Bruno's mother has much to share. John translates her words: "The first thing is, Bruno wasn't able to attend school before sponsorship. But when he got sponsored, he started school, which made a significant difference in our lives."
There's more. "Sometimes, when we are hungry and don't have food, the program buys us food to eat. Sometimes, they get [us] school materials. We also got a gas cooking stove for Christmas gifts!" Angelique smiles that warm smile.
"Merry Christmas!" I beam back. The gas cooking stove, a Christmas gift through the program, is making a significant difference in their lives. Because of this gift, Bruno can now enjoy hot food.
Angelique points to the bottom of the wall with the window and continues. "During the rainy season, water ran through the walls into the house, but then we received cement from the program and were able to fix it inside. So the water now doesn't come into the house, which would have risked our home falling," she shares through the interpreter..
This house, their precious home, was at risk of collapse. However, because of their connection with the local ministry and the Lahash sponsorship program, staff showed up with ten bags of cement so the family could repair their home. I am witnessing firsthand the program's impact on this family.
I knew that sponsorship gifts given at Christmas are often life-changing. But it took seeing it for myself to realize the true weight of these seemingly small things. In seeing how the gas burner impacts how they eat, hearing how the cement arrived for them to save their home, and noticing how Bruno was wearing a pair of shoes that he had asked for, I realize the value of child sponsorship, and how incredibly impactful these resources are to a family. The joy and gratitude in each of their eyes are something I will never forget.
I ask how our team can pray for their family. And I ask Bruno if he will pray for our group visiting.
Bruno immediately asks for prayer for his siblings. He's already pastoral. They are struggling to pay school fees, and his brother and sister aren't able to attend good schools. I can see the sadness in the room as they share this vulnerable need. They are all doing the best they can with what they have. They would like prayer.
“Okay, pastor, shall we pray?” I turn to Bruno.
He begins: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." He prays each line of the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. He prays for God's kingdom and will, for provision of daily bread and forgiveness of sins. He prays like a pastor, with a heart of love aching for his family.
A few more voices carry our prayers around the room. We pray for peace over this family, for God to make a way, and for God's spirit and blessing to be on this home and family. They pray for us and God's protection as we travel back 9,000 miles across the sea. In this moment, we are closer than ever.
"It's an honor to be here. Thank you," I say. “Thank you for letting us visit."
They tell me to send greetings to my husband and, "Tell him we love him. We love you both so much."
"Thank you, we love you too," I say.
"Thank you for visiting; we thank God for connecting us," Angelique says. "We feel like you are family to us."
I tuck this moment into my heart, taking in both the joy and the sadness they carry, and carrying it with me as we head outside.
We pass through the blue gate again. Blue represents serenity and wisdom, royalty and sadness. The gate is open and I pass through.
The boy in blue goes with us to show us his school. Our time is short, and I will soon need to travel to the airport.
Before we part ways, I climb out of the car to hug Bruno goodbye, telling him I love him. I climb back inside the car, straining my head out the window to watch him in that beautiful shirt that his mama sewed for him; I watch him walk down the dusty road while John drives me in the opposite direction. I see him stroll, and then he runs. Bruno runs like a 10-year-old who knows a joy not of this world. He runs home, and my heart is full. I can leave Rwanda now. I know that he is well. I am full of gratitude to have met Bruno, his family, and his mama. I am full of gratitude to God for Lahash and for our ministry partner serving families in this community. I am full of gratitude for how sponsorship changes lives on all sides.
I fly 9,000 miles back to my family, arriving still wearing the green dress I wore to Bruno's house; his hug is still on me as I embrace my own precious kids. I'm back in Oregon, putting my kids to bed and lying beside them as they fall asleep. It's morning where Bruno lives in his corner of the world. I hold that day in my mind with him fondly. I feel an ache in my heart. I miss him.
Visit Lahash.org/Sponsorship to sponsor a child or visit Lahash.org/Christmas to give towards a life-changing gift!