"Gold mines" for preaching

One thing that you find when preaching in the English field here in Kigali is that universities are very fruitful territory. (I imagine this is the case in most parts of the world.) In particular, because the university students take their courses in English, their English is a cut above everyone else's, especially if they are majoring in English.

So, on the way to the neighborhood known as Kimironko, there is a university called the Kigali Institute of Education (KIE), which houses students majoring in biology, chemistry, education, English, geography, literature, and mathematics.

Kigali Institute of Education (KIE)

OK, aside from the nice-looking exterior, the quality of the campus as a whole isn't the greatest. Buildings are old and could use paint, notice boards need repair, and rooms are small. To show how overcrowded the place is, each room of 10 square meters holds eight students, with two bunk beds, and two persons per twin-sized bed. The students hang their clothes on the wall wherever they can find space. I have been told this is standard practice—and apparently Africans are used to it. Each floor consisting of 20-25 rooms, that is, 160-200 students, has a communal bathroom and shower. (In America, even just two persons sharing a bathroom can cause rioting.) Due to a budget shortage and consequent lack of cleaning workers, there is always the overpowering smell of urine wafting down the dimly lit, narrow corridors. I have used the bathroom at KIE only once, and I wouldn't recommend it except in case of dire emergency. Because having to go to a Rwandan hospital is by far a worse alternative.

Despite these issues, as the title of this post indicates, KIE is a "gold mine" for preaching. During the school year, which began on October 6, you can go door-to-door in the dorms and find many students to talk to—and on occasion all eight of them in one room. The challenge is to (1) keep all the names straight, (2) remember the students' schedules, (2) track where they are at any given time, because there is shifting from room to room, and (3) determine the level of genuine interest, since all of them will profess interest in our message.

Nevertheless, among the numerous return visits I have at KIE, there are two very serious students. One of them, John, studies every Saturday morning faithfully and we have reached Lesson 4 of the Good News brochure. He asks many questions, so I know he has more than passing interest. He has a Kinyarwanda New World Translation, so that is helpful for those moments when greater understanding is needed.

Another student, Peter, wanted to make sure that I returned to see him and by the end of the first lesson of the Good News brochure—and also after watching the short video on meetings—said he wanted to come to the Kingdom Hall.

On Saturdays when most of the students have time off, they do their laundry (by hand, of course—what did you think?), and those who don't complete it in time to get space on the lines have to drape their clothes over every available bush on campus. Then, they all go off to play basketball or soccer until their clothes dry. So there is a great deal of camaraderie among the students, which no doubt contributes to their enjoyment of life, if not perhaps to their academics.

By the way, KIE also has a Confucius Center, which has Chinese instructors teaching the Chinese language to locals. The tuition is reasonable, and most of the students want to use their knowledge of Chinese in business relationships. In case you were wondering, yes, I have return visits among the instructors also.

Another university close to the center of town, called the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), is another good place to preach. This university is much newer and that is reflected in the quality of the campus. I have been to this campus only once—it seemed like I was walking forever because it is such a huge place—and had some productive conversations wherein we made a point of showing the 4-minute video. Other brothers in the congregation preach at KIST regularly. I can tell you, they have a nice cafeteria where you can get a buffet for only 1000Rwf ($1.43). The cashier is even one of our sisters.

Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)

So, there you have it. Two places where you can strike "gold," spiritually speaking. Will keep you posted on the progress of this territory.

Life in retirement (of sorts)

Right now I preach 4 days a week, and have 3 days completely free (except for the weeknight meeting). Back in the States I would be working those 3 days, with no day off. But here on those free days about the most exciting thing that happens is that . . . I go out to lunch somewhere. Oh, yesterday I also went and had one of my shoes repaired, for 300Rwf ($0.43). Actually, in view of the strong Internet signal at my house, I have also been accessing YouTube to download and watch classical concerts, film musicals, detective shows, documentaries, etc. But this activity—like watching TV—is not completely satisfying. So in the constant quest for mental and creative stimulation, on Tuesday evenings I have been teaching piano to two Bethel brothers. My only request to them is that they save me some food from the dining room. (When I was in Malawi, I had the same deal: piano lessons for Bethelites in exchange for food.) It seems to be a good arrangement, especially considering I could probably stand to gain some weight, and Bethel food is really good!

As far as a Chinese class is concerned, the branch reviewed all of the direction the organization has provided on the matter of foreign-language classes, and came to the conclusion that before we can have a language class, there must be a group in place, with some territory organized. However, you can't have a group if I'm the only one who can speak Chinese! So now we are about to start an informal class with a few carefully chosen students. After a few months, we can ask the circuit overseer to start a group, and THEN we can have a formal language class with up to 26 students. So this is the procedure we will be following.

Great experience: On Monday I got a call from a brother named Claude, whom I vaguely remember meeting at the Kinyarwanda regional convention. He said he is in the construction business, and told me about a Chinese man with whom he has a business relationship at the KCC (Kigali Convention Center) construction site—the round building, if you readers recall from a previous post—and wanted me to accompany him that afternoon so that after he completes his business, I could witness to the man. Claude said that he tried to witness before to this guy but due to the language barrier it was a challenge.

One thing crossed my mind: The several times I have been to the KCC construction site I have not had a conversation with any of the Chinese workers or staff lasting longer than a few seconds. Usually, I just get an abrupt response, or "I'm too busy," and some accept a tract, but reluctantly. It's true that they don't have much time when working. Moreover, I have found that a Chinese person is less likely to respond when he is in a group—for example, during a lunch period—than when he is alone. And these construction workers seem always to be in large groups.

So even though I don't normally preach on Mondays, I agreed to go with Claude. The Chinese guy's name turned out to be Zhao Li Bo, which reminded me of the fact that in California I used to have a Bible student named Li Bo, who worked at a massage place. He was one of the best students I have had, even attending the Chinese meetings, but after a few months he disappeared completely, without a trace. With Chinese you can never tell, especially when they are in the field of massage. To this day only Jehovah knows where Li Bo is.

But I digress.... So I asked Mr. Zhao whether he had any religious background. He said "No, but I am interested in knowing more." So I explained that we are an international organization of Christians and that we help people understand the Bible. He asked, do you have a church? After I said that we are the only English congregation in all of Rwanda and that our objective is to start a Chinese group, he said, "So does that mean if I come to your meeting, I will be the first Chinese person?" Yes!

Then, the girl at the next desk said she wanted to come to our meeting also. Both of them speak English decently. So now I have an arrangement to visit Mr. Zhao at his office on Sunday, which is his day off, and after a discussion, we will head off to the meeting.

On the drive home, Claude told me that as a result of their business dealings, Mr. Zhao considers Claude a friend. Claude has even driven Mr. Zhao to a place to play soccer, and has plans to invite him for dinner in the near future (with yours truly included). So this goes to show that after you befriend Chinese, which may take some time, they trust you and then in many cases they will be receptive to the Kingdom message.

Will keep you updated on this experience!