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!