In 2012, Garden Christian Fellowship Church decided to engage in a long term mission in Rwanda. 16-member medical mission team went to Rwanda and worked with number of local NGOs and got connected with BFR – Best Family Rwanda. Their vision is to provide ‘Confident Hope’ based on the Bible Verse Roman 15:13 – I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (New Living Translation).
BFR was founded in 2001 by Rwandan Genocide victims in order to bring desperately needed help to other victims and their children. In 2012, 4 Americans went to Rwanda and came in contact with BFR. They decided to support BFR and formed Best Family Ministries, and began sponsorship program called Kunda which means love in Kinyarwanda. GCFC naturally started working with BFR and BFM. GCFC and related people currently support 65 children.
When GCFC learned more about the challenges average Rwandan families were facing in order to put food on the table everyday they started Itara (love) program. They donated sewing machines and hired an instructor. And started teaching BFR moms how to use the sewing machine and provided product ideas. Once they start producing marketable items, those will be sold in local markets in Rwanda, and in America. The goal is to have BFR moms learn self-supporting skills and means.
One of the original GCFC medical mission team members had heard God’s calling and got a vision – mission works through dental treatment and educate dentists, and make them go to the neighboring countries, and repeat the same. Hence the concept of 360-degree mission – sorry, it’s in Korean. And His Hands On Africa was born.
(August 2016)
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