You probably remember that before we left Rwanda back in April one of our staff Baptist had broken in to our office and house in Kigali, while we were up north visiting the orphan children we were caring for. They made off with about $15,000 of our personal and office equipment. You name it and it was gone!
As it was sad to lose so much, the worst part was that it was done by some one that I was pouring my life into. He had been with us for the entire three years of our stay here. He was my disciple so to speak! I could not believe he was capable of such a thing! None the less it was the bitter truth! I left Rwanda with a broken heart.
When returning to Rwanda three months later it seemed a lost cause to continue to pursue. I had kind of given up, but prayed every day that God would convict him of his sin and that he would not be able to sleep until he had repented and turned back to God.
Another three months passed. One evening I got a phone call, they had caught Baptist and the guy who helped him. To make a very long story short, I was planning on going to the jail the next day to meet with him. So many emotions rushed through me at the same time! I honestly didn’t know what I would do when I saw him. Would I rap my arms around him tell him I love him and forgive him? Or would I attack him, beating him senseless until the police pulled me off? To be honest the later felt stronger.
As I drove toward Kigali I was praying so much for god to help me to handle the issues in a Godly way.
Much to my surprise when arriving and seeing him I felt instantly compassion toward him and had to pretend to be angry. Baptist began to share with me the whole story and how it happened, also over the last few months how he had 0% peace and could not sleep at night and had reached the point that he could not live with himself and felt that he wanted to make it right. He told me that he had already met with and turned himself in to a mutual friend of ours, telling him the whole story and making the plans in contacting me to make things right.
Before leaving the jail I told Baptist that I forgave him but that there were consequences to the actions he has done. He began to get tears in his eyes and told me that he knew and to please help him.
I turned and left going straight to my friend to check on the story that Baptist had told me to see if indeed it was true or not. To my surprise my friend also told me the same story word for word that Baptist had said. Telling me that it happened just a few days before he was caught and put in jail and indeed he was helping him to get ready to contact me and try to get a bunch of our stuff that had been sold. This excited me to see how God had truly answered my prayer!! He really had repented and wanted to make things right!
The police had gotten a list from Baptist and the guy that helped him. Now they knew the where a bout’s of most of our stuff. I received another phone call and was told that I had to come back to Kigali so that I could start the process of getting our things back. Whatever that meant!
On the two hour drive down to Kigali I spent some more time praying to ask God for wisdom, knowing that I will probably be asked by the police what I want to be done with Baptist and the other Guy. Meaning am I going to press charges sending them to prison or let them go free, Since I was getting the majority of my stuff back….
In my mind it was so clear! I was very happy that I was getting so many of our things back but consequences are consequences! They made bad choices and now have to learn and live with the consequences from their choices. Let them go to prison I thought they deserve it!!
THEN THE LORD SPOKE!!!! He said “Travis you have to forgive them”! He showed me my heart and that I really had not, I wanted revenge. He said again “Travis you have to forgive them”! I began to cry….”Ok Lord I said, please help me! I will forgive!! I do forgive them”…
Then God said “I want you to set them free”! “God” I said! Again came Set them free!! I cried more…Then I thought ok I will set them free because they are going to have so many problems with the people who they sold my stuff to. They will all want their money back, and if they were in prison they would not have to face those problems. Alright I will set them free God! I really wanted them to have to pay a price of some kind.
God then told me that I have to give Baptist a job back…. Instantly I was enraged!!! Yelling at God…. Forgiving I can do, setting them free…Fine, BUT I will not give Baptist a Job!!! NO…NO… I want nothing to do with him! Let him go live his life and I will live mine. Again God said “Travis I want you to give him back a job”! I could see that I was not going to win this argument. I agreed, ok I will give him back (a) job.. Immediately I thought of the jobs I could give him…ummm…Toilet cleaner, cutting grass all day long, or maybe working in the garden all day, any how he will work his butt off I thought.
God said “NO TRAVIS, you will give him a respectful job and one of honor! You will give him a job in the ministry!! All I could do was cry the rest of the way to Kigali. The Lords presents really entered the car and he began ministering to me for the rest of the trip.
How in the world I was able to reach Kigali safely while driving, balling my eyes out and being ministered to by the Lord in the Car is beyond me. But It worked and that is all I have to say about that.
