Nyamata Project Match
Dear Partners of Hope,
At Christmas, God’s gift gives us the Hope of new life in the gift of Jesus Christ. Peace on earth.
In Rwanda, where the pain of Genocide and the death of one million people still lingers, the cycle of poverty and despair is finally being broken – both materially and spiritually! Cycles of productivity and Hope and are being rebuilt! ERM’s work caring for the widows and orphans in the Great Lakes region of Rwanda for 15 years, has been blessed by God. ERM Rwanda’s two Training Centers are now rebuilding the lives of over 450 orphans and widows with education, skills training, food, clothing, hope and ministry. Our reconciliation work to bring the message of Jesus’ forgiveness and grace to the Hutu prisoners who led the genocide also grows.
This June, in partnership with Simplicity Ministries, I was blessed to be able to help train 175 pastors in Ruhengeri (the northern region of Rwanda) in basic Evangelism. During four different crusades, over 7,000 people were ministered to – 207 of whom now profess faith in Jesus Christ! Our team then met with 65 students at the ERM Vocational Training Center in Kabuga. Two teachers, two security guards and 50 students professed Christ as Savior! Our work to reach the lost is growing daily.
While back in the States in August, I was able to share the message of Jesus’ forgiveness at Idaho’s Correctional Institution in Orofino, Idaho. I saw tears, open hearts and restoration after sharing with the men. Four who were lost accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and 12 others were recovered and accepted the message of forgiveness! At the women’s shelter in Spokane, the Spirit of God was at work. Women received the message of forgiveness and lined up afterward to share the impact upon their hearts and how they now desired to lay their lives at Jesus’ feet!
God is at work through ERM! Lives are being changed! But now we need your help.
Evangelism and caring for widows and orphans is the heart of our ministry. 2011 has been difficult on many of our donors and their ability to give sacrificially and difficult on the fund raising for ERM Rwanda. We desire to create a support structure in Rwanda that is self-sustainable. One that provides dignity and integrity for the vulnerable people we serve and employ. God has heard our prayers and provided a miraculous and tangible answer to our need.
Four years ago, valuable land was granted to ERM by the local authorities in Kigali. Remarkably, the thriving new central marketplace has been established across the road from one of our properties. We are right on the paved road between the capital, Nyamata, and the newly designated site of the International airport! Because of the heightened value of the land, the mayor has mandated that ERM “use it or lose it”. Nearby landowners have cleared their land, built store-front spaces, and had them rented before they were even finished.
Now we have plans to do the same, as we believe God gave us this land to minister light in His name. By so-doing, the rent would create a significant and steady source of new income for our ministry, provide a highly visible outreach for ERM, as well as a storefront location to sell our woodworking and sewing goods in the future. This would relieve some of our fund raising burden and allow us to focus more on evangelism and caring for those in greatest need.
Already, we have forged ahead. In September, volunteers cleared the land. Now we must secure the property by building a fence. Then we will build the store-fronts, drawing tenants with active businesses and income to sustain our ministry work. The vision is so exciting. We thank God for His amazing providence! Now we want to be good stewards of this land gift and bring the plan of Hope to fruition.
The Nyamata Market Ministry Project to bring Light to Kigali
During these last few weeks of December, we are pressing forward, asking our friends to partner with us in making this dream a reality. While we need general funds to meet the goals of our ERM Ministry work, this ministry project can also tangibly help ERM push towards our goal of raising $20,000 towards a level of sustainability and expanding our ministry. Your sacrificial gift will help our work continue – breaking the devastating cycle of social, spiritual and material poverty among orphans, widows and even prisoners in their communities in Rwanda. Some of our generous donors have raised a Matching Grant so that every dollar you give until December 31st will be matched 100%, up to $5,000 – please give generously so we can secure this generous match!
Will you join us to bring Hope to widows, orphans, and communities in Rwanda?
In order to continue our outreach of life-changing impact among orphans and widows in Rwanda, and to secure our income-generating property and ministry center in Kigali, we are asking your help to raise $20,000 this Christmas season.
Your prayerful and financial partnership with ERM will have far-reaching impact.
Please, send your gift or pledge soon! Help us bring Peace on Earth to Rwanda.
You can give online here or via mail to “ERM P.O.BOX 33966, Portland, OR 97292.” We know this is a hard year for so many people and we thank you for every gift you make, if you are able to give sacrificially we can secure our matching grant dollar for dollar of your giving, up to $5,000, but we only have until December 31st. Please pray for us.
Thank you for joining us this Christmas in the amazing work God is doing in Rwanda with ERM! May God bring peace on earth to the most vulnerable of His children in Rwanda.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2012!
Emmanuel Sitaki, family and staff