Recovery

Dear CCR Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for your prayers, support, and encouragement during this season. It has been a little over a month since my surgery. When I first came out of surgery the feeling on my left hand had returned, and there was no pain radiating down my arm. Thus there was immediate improvement. However, due to the nature of the surgery I was quite sore, stiff, and tired. Also, it was difficult for me to eat due to the movement of my trachea during surgery. I spent about 3 weeks largely just resting.

Today, I saw the doctor who performed the surgery for my first follow up visit. He took an x-ray and examined me. I was shocked to see on the x-ray how much my spine had improved. With the Lord’s help I am healing in a remarkable way. The doctor has given me the freedom to go back to my normal life. He even encouraged me to begin running again. We were all surprised at how well the bones in my spine are healing back together.

I will have 2 more follow up visits with the doctor before returning to Rwanda. One visit will be in mid-December. Another visit will be in late January. It seems that all the counsel we are receiving encourages us to make the most of this season by resting and healing completely. Thus we still face the future with a few unknowns related to the date of our Rwanda return but persistent hope in again being privileged to serve in Rwanda. We trust that in a few months time we will again see our friends in Kigali.

Again, thank you so much for your prayers and support during this season.

Imana ikurinde,

Dave Jenkins

Whose Story is it Anyway, Part 2

Last Sunday we looked at fact that Christians are faced with a choice between two gospels - the gospel of the world with its survival of the fittest, me-first, dependency on science and technology or the gospel of scripture with its loving creator God who sustains life, directs history and who offers salvation to those that believe in him. We looked at how there is a challenge for those that believe the bible's gospel to live out the truths of this gospel not only in the church, but also in our daily lives so that others can see that we have a hope that can't be found anywhere else. We saw how Jesus challenged the church to be the 'light' of the world, and asked the question as to how brightly our light was shining - asking if we are hiding our light, if our light is shining in to every area of life, and if our light is turned on all the time, or only on Sundays.

This Sunday we are going to continue to look at this subject, using a story from the book of Acts about a man who discovered that you can have everything that the world can offer, and still find it does not bring the satisfaction that you are seeking. We are going ask what we can really trust and hang on to when the world around us seems so chaotic, unstable and transient. We are also going to look at how we can truly enter in to the fullness of what it means to be a Christian, and ask if we are settling for anything less than God's best in our lives.
Come and join us as we explore these issues.

Graham McFadden in going to be speaking

Christ's Church in Rwanda

Whose Story Is It Anyway?

I wonder how you make sense of this world that we live in. Life often seems a little crazy and things sometimes take unexpected turns. Suffering, disasters, financial problems hit everyone at some time or other. We also have unexpected good times in life too. It is hard to make sense of it all sometimes.
I wonder why you think you are here on this planet at this time? What's the point of this life that you are leading? Questions like these have been asked by philosophers for thousands of years.
Each one of us has their own way of answering these questions. Our answers, consciously or subconsciously, will influence the kind of people that we are, the choices and decisions that we make and how we relate to those around us.

Often we interpret the world through our culture, our traditions or the examples of our parents or those around us, but the Bible presents a different framework for interpreting the world. We know it as the 'gospel' or the 'good news'. Christians believe that the gospel 'story' tells us why we are here, where we came from, where we are going and who is in control. The world also presents its own 'story' which seeks to answer these questions. The challenge for the Christian in contemporary society is to not only believe the bible's gospel, but to live by it out in every area of life, even when the world thinks WE are crazy! This presents a lot of challenges and will often lead to conflict as the Christian view of things clashes with the world's view.

This Sunday we are going to look at why we, as a church, need to hold on to the truths of scripture in our everyday lives (not just at church on Sundays), and how we can be the 'salt and light' in the world that Jesus has called us to be.

Graham McFadden is going to be speaking.
Christ's Church in Rwanda.

Help Is Coming

Dear CCR Family and Friends,

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. We wanted to write a note to our community with some updates.

Since I last wrote concerning my health I have had several treatments that sought to avoid surgery on my neck for 2 herniated discs. Though these treatments provided some temporary relief of pain they have not changed my condition. I could accept this pain as part of life, and allow a gradual deterioration of my left arm. However, this would likely mean that I would need to consider the season that God had called me to Rwanda finished. I do not perceive that a time has come to leave our commitment to Rwanda.

Thus I have made a choice to pursue healing through surgery. I will have surgery on Tuesday, 29 September. The surgery will be more complicated than I earlier anticipated. It will involve surgeons entering my neck through the front, removing 2 herniated discs, placing a titanium plate on my spine, and fusing 3 vertebrae. However, there are many factors that suggest I will recover well from this surgery, and we proceed in hope.

We continue to have many divine appointments on this journey and believe God has ordained this season of struggle for His glory. For instance, the surgeon who our insurance company referred us to (Dr. James Odor) is the brother of one of our dear pastoral friends in Oklahoma City (David Odor). I have quickly moved through doctor’s offices when it appeared I might wait for months.

Following surgery I will need several months to completely recover. Thus I will not be in Kigali for another few months.

While I am not in Kigali I have great confidence in those leading with organizations with whom I participated. My family is sponsored by the Quail Springs Church of Christ in Oklahoma City. We formed an International Non-Government Organization, ROC Partners (Rwanda Outreach and Community Partners) for the purpose of empowering CCR, KICS, and other projects that promote leadership development. The Quail Springs Church of Christ and ROC Partners are deeply committed to the success of our endeavors in Rwanda. Thus we are sending Tom and Sue Gooch to strengthen our work in Rwanda. Many of you know Tom and Sue from their previous travels to Kigali.

We trust that the Gooches will add great wisdom and willing hands to our endeavors in Kigali. We trust that you will shower them with kindness similar to how many of you have treated my family. We trust that this season of struggle will be one that builds and blesses.

While I am gone my CCR family and friends remain dear to my heart. You are frequently in my prayers. I ask your continued prayers as I pass through this season.

Imana ikurinde,

Dave Jenkins

Living in Community

CCR Family and Friends,


This Sunday we will launch a short series on "Living in Community". Moses, our Youth Pastor, will be speaking as we begin to take a look at what it means to live in community. Each week we are blessed to gather to worship God and fellowship together, but most of us never see one another again until the next week at the same time, same place, and same chair. Is that really, living in community? I believe there has to be more.


When we are living in community we know when a sister needs a hug, or when a brother needs a helping hand, or when someone needs a shoulder to cry on or someone to celebrate with. This email message will be perhaps the first time many of you have heard that one of our sisters at church from South Africa passed away. Jenny Dunlop was a woman of faith who believed in God and believed in making time for the community of believers who helped sustain her spiritually. She was a part of our community who believed in blessing others in the community. While we mourn with her family we will celebrate with another part of our community.


On Sunday we will meet, and hear from, many of the girls who we sponsor for secondary education through the CCR Vulnerable Children's Ministry. This is a part of our community that Jenny believed was worthy of our support so that they might have opportunities in life that might not otherwise happen without the blessing of a community. In addition to our regular contribution we will make a basket available at the back of the hall following church for memorial donations in Jenny's name that will go toward these girls education. The are not aware of this, but will hopefully be blessed in this demonstration of serving a community in the name of Jesus. Some or our church community is initiating this effort as a way to allow us to "live in community" and make a difference within that community.


Finally, we will have to say farewell to one from our community, Francis Cosser, as we wish her well as she leaves us for a different assignment in the U.S. Frances has been with us for nearly two years and served faithfully with our praise and worship team. We will miss her among our community but know others will be blessed by her as we have been.


Please join us on Sunday as we practice living in community, and consider joining us following service as we talk about what it means to be a part of the CCR community. We will offer the "Beginnings Class" for those who desire to learn more about CCR or who desire to become a member. The class will address four key areas including: our purpose & vision, our history and strategy, our structure, and our salvation. A light lunch will be provided and the class should finish by 3PM. If you are unable to attend, do not worry, we try to offer the class on a monthly basis.


We look forward to this community being blessed by your presence on Sunday at CCR in Gaculiro at 10 - 11:30 AM.


Bryan Hixson