Best wishes for 2010

Best wishes for a blessed and joy filled 2010 from the leadership team at the Kigali Vineyard.

Thanks and Blessings

A special thanks to all who contributed towards the Christmas parcels that will be handed out to all the families in the Kigali Vineyard on Christmas Eve. Each package contains Rice, Beans, Maizeflour and Sugar.  The children will also be receiving parcels with cookies and chocolate. There will be extra cause for celebration in the Kigali Vineyard this Christmas as 11 people are getting baptized on December 24th. Please pray for the continued expansion of God's Kingdom and peace and prosperity for the land of Rwanda.

---

Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr!

Finding our Christmas Tree in Nova Scotia

It is strange to experience the onset of winter again for the first time in 4 years but thankfully we have been spared any really severe weather so far. On Sunday we had snow and we went to New Ross to get our Christmas tree which is one of our family traditions when in Canada. We are very excited to be with our Canadian church family this year and looking forward to the Christmas Eve service and all the good things that go with celebrating the birth of our Saviour. For the month of December we will be taking our 'furlough rest'; just working a little each day and catching up on life the rest of the time. We want to wish you all a very Joy filled Christmas and a blessed 2010 full of many life-giving moments. Blessings from the Finnertys.

Antoine and Florence with baby Nathan Mugisha

Belated congratulations to Antoine and Florence on the birth of their son Nathan Mugisha. Nathan was born prematurely and had to spend a number of months in hospital. Praise God that Nathan is now well enough to come home with his parents. We thank God for bringing them all through a very difficult time.

Rwanda Night at St. Croix Vineyard

The last couple of weekends have been great for us in terms of connecting with Vineyard friends in the beautiful province of New Brunswick. We were at the St. John Vineyard on the weekend of the 20^th of October and enjoyed the hospitality of the Bogles. On Sunday morning we gave a presentation on the church in Rwanda. We were touched by the interest and concern of the people who came to speak with us afterwards. We look forward to building our relationship with the folks at St. John Vineyard.

On the weekend of the 27^th we went to St. Croix Vineyard in St. Stephen. Carol Ann and Tom Wiebe who head up the missions team did a great job of looking after us. A 'Rwanda Night' was organized for Saturday evening and it was a great success. An entire Rwandan village was set up in the meeting area and visitors were able to get a feel for what life is like in Rwanda. On Sunday morning with some of the market stalls and other props moved to the side we gave our presentation on the work in Rwanda. We are blessed with our partnership with the St. Croix Vineyard and hope to see it grow as more people take an interest in what God is doing in the Vineyard church in Rwanda.

On Thursday Oct 1, Pat and Val flew to St. Louis Missouri to spend some time with our good friends and church partners at the Hope Vineyard. We are staying with Dan and Amy Freet at their home in the country. On Sunday morning we will give our presentation at the Hope Vineyard and in the afternoon we fly to Colorado Springs for the US Vineyard Missions Conference with Hope's pastor Robert Stovall.

Our new logo

Sorry again for the long silence. Our latest newsletter is posted on the news page and explains some of our unexpected adventures over the past 6 months. We do expect to be updating this blog page more regularly from now on.

We want to get things off the ground again by introducing you to our new logo. It was designed for us by our friend Aaron Babcock and the concept is based on the traditional Rwandan art form that was created by Kikara, the son of  King Kimenyi in the early 19th century as a way to beautify his house. It is made from a mixture of cow dung and dirt mixed into clay. Usually the colors are black and white

This logo integrates the symbol of Christ - His cross at the center of the art that is Rwanda.

The 3 rings of the spiral represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who lead us to the foot of the cross, and the design itself is meant to represent the desire of the Son of the King (Jesus) - that the people of Rwanda beautify His house by being present there.

 

Antoine speaking on Sunday morning

We had a good meeting on Sunday with 7 visitors joining us. Pat continued his series on family with a sermon on 'Being part of the local church' emphasizing the importance of small groups which bear a closer resemblance to the early church than our Sunday meetings do.

We have agreed to a request by the local authorities to start a preschool at our building. They will start with about 100 children and will teach from 8.00 to 12.00 on weekdays. The owner of the building that we rent is making many improvements and has put in concrete floors, plastered the walls, put in ceilings, installed wiring and plumbing. We signed a contract with him for another year so this gives us space to plan for building on our own land nearby. We are also giving some thought to starting a tea house in the evenings as an alternative to the many bars in the village that offer the only social life.

Some 'Small Group' leaders making a presentation

Church was good this morning. Pat began a 3 part series on 'Family'. The emphasis today was on the responsibilities and rewards of being a member of the family of God. Two ladies gave their lives to Jesus and we had much rejoicing. We prayed for all the students returning to start a new school year especially those traveling. The small group leaders meeting had a present for Pat. The presentation was done in typical Rwandan style. They sang then gave a little speech. It was quite moving and Pat cried. God is good and we are so blessed.

Joel and Brendan on Lake Kivu

Many blessings in 2009 to all our supporters. We had a welcome break at the Kibogora Free Methodist Mission Hospital between Christmas and New Year. We enjoyed the company of the many missionaries to Rwanda and Congo who were there also. The boys loved swimming and boating on Lake Kivu with their friends.

We had a planning meeting with Antoine this week and it looks like a busy time ahead. We have rented premises for the sewing project that is sponsored by the Almond Vineyard in Edinburgh. We will buy 2 machines to start with and find a tailor to begin work and training shortly. Pictures and story to follow.