Reflections: More than Just a Number

My translator, Pastor Jerome Nsegiumva, in the baptistry on the Ruhango church compound. He is about to baptize a young candidate, on May 28, 2016, the final Sabbath of the Total Member Involvement (TMI) campaign. Photo courtesy of Jacques Bikorimana, Ruhango church elder.

Here I am, two months removed from the Total Member Involvement (TMI) mission to Rwanda, and I am still amazed by the reports that are coming in from that small, beautiful East African country. In early July, it was reported by the Adventist Review, that officially, over 100,000 baptisms were a direct result of the TMI evangelistic campaign that started two months earlier. It's amazing to think how God can use us, as imperfect human beings, for His glory!

It is also important to mention that the Adventist members of Rwanda took the "Total Member Involvement" theme to heart, and were active in inviting their non-Adventist colleagues, family members and friends to the meetings. Even before the TMI campaign started, Adventists in Rwanda were doing door-to-door evangelism, conducting Bible studies, and actively sharing the Seventh-day Adventist message. From the administrators, to the pastors, down to the lay members, this was truly a demonstration of "Total Member Involvement".

So what do I take away from this mission trip? A renewed sense of purpose in my walk with Christ. More and further more demonstrations of God's amazing power to use lay persons like myself, to finish the work, and a sense of awe that God has entrusted me to play a small part in hastening the soon coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Even so come, Lord Jesus!