Today I was with the street boys. Most of the street “boys” are actually a lot older then I am…some are around 23 or 25, some are around 16 or 17. On Wednesdays I go to the street boys house (which is in the slums of Rwanda) and I tutor them. Or at least, I attempt to tutor them. Last Wednesday I had to tutor one boy, Appolonaire, in biology and chemistry…yes, you can laugh! Don’t worry, I laughed pretty hard too. There is a possible chance he could now fail those subjects…all because of his so-called “tutor”. I mostly just taught him how to study, and he learned the characteristics of non-flowering plants fairly quickly. If you ever need to know the characteristics of non-flowering plants…please don’t ask me. Appolonaire is beautiful. I asked him what his dreams are. He told me he wants to be a gospel singer. So I asked him to sing for me. And today he sang. He lifted his hands to Heaven, closed his eyes, and sang a Kinyarwandan song that gave me goosebumps all over my body. I swear, in that moment, as his African voice resounded in the small slum we sat in, the Holy Spirit was there too. It was a holy moment, indeed. And then, we sang together.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a child like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.
A white girl and a black boy praised God together today. It doesn’t matter where you live, what colour your skin is, or the size of your home. As Appolonaire reminded me today, we are all the same. We are all created in the image of God. We are all loved, cherished, valued and treasured by the One who has created us. You don’t need a church to praise God. Sometimes all you need is a slum in Rwanda..