AFRICA – Mercy’s Victory

Rose Ruesga Article Content From Interview of Rose Ruesa by Branden Edward Shumate, October 17, 2023.

“What Are You Doing Today?”

“ I’m doing inventory for the care packages I make for the people that live in the villages. I can take nine suitcases with me to Africa. I’m counting socks, shoes, underwear, etc. and filling the care packages. How Many International Ministry Trips Have You And/Or Your Husband Been On?: Over Fifteen.

Wow, Its Just You Guys? : Yes How Do You Guys Pull This Off?:

Its a lot of work, we collect cans, recycle metal, and have yard sales. We really don’t have much to live on ourselves, but we make it work. I my brother owns a side-business catering. Once or twice a month I work for him and donate that money toward our trips. My husband uses overtime opportunities at his job to raise the money . I cook all the food for my brothers catering business when I work for him. I don’t take the money for myself, I cry over here for the people over there all the time. If we don’t deliver the help, it wouldn’t be there in most cases, its not like there is someone else waiting to fill in for us.”

“Why Nine Suitcases? Isn’t That Expensive?:

“I’m allowed a maximum of nine suitcases, same with my husband, international travelers are limited to nine each. Yes its expensive, the airline charges $200.00 per suit case. Does $200 Per Suitcase Include Cost To Fill Them?: No Where Do You Live?: Fullerton, California Do You Know People In Africa?: Yes, we have established friend pastor connections in various places in Africa. They are also very low on resources. I was recently contacted by a pastor who said people are coming to him for food and he hardly has enough food for his own family as it is.”

What Do You Have To Say About The Ministry Work You Do?:

Its not for the faint hearted, we would like other people to join us, but many people, when they find out what we’re actually up against, they back out. Honestly, it usually boils down to them not wanting to sacrifice their comforts here in America. We go through very long plane rides and layovers, its hard and very tiring. Sometimes there are power outages, we had one in Kenya one time, terrorists burned down part of the airport.

YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO DIE TO DO THIS

We haven’t lived until we die to ourselves, to be as the Bible describes, “crucified with Christ.” So we crucify ourselves (not physically, but in spirit we give up our earthly self-desire with and in remembrance of Christ who is love).

When we leave Africa, we leave all of our clothes except for what we fly home in. We give away almost everything we travel to Africa with.

IT DOESN’T COME CLOSE TO MEETING THE NEED WE ENCOUNTER.

We deal with lots of bugs and inconveniences throughout our ministry travels. But we see, smell, and taste incomparable suffering. We taste their poverty when they try to pull together thank you meals for us. When we go we suffer with them, weather, terrain, resource limits. When we go, sometimes there is no gasoline available at the gas stations. Cars line up for miles. Some people just leave their car until they get word gas has arrived. Sometimes there is no clean water even in the populated areas outside rouge villages. Most drinking water is imported bottled water. Its scarce, in high demand, and constantly being rationed.

Tell Me About Your Recent Missionary Trip To Africa:

Well, we went to the province of Burundi, city of Bunjubora. Bunjubora is about a twenty minute drive from the Melchior Ndadaye International Airport. What Stood Out?: The village people of Batwa. They are a tribe hours outside of Bunjubora. Very hot summers, cold winters. There is no water supply in Batwa. Food and clothing is very scarce. Must travel miles on foot to get water for each person. Some are actually without clothing not by choice. We bring them clothes as soon as we get there. We take water and supplies in by rented trucks…rice, beans, soap, and salt. We take in big containers of water so they can bathe. Water is regularly so scarce the mothers don’t even know how to wash their children ..we recommend how and give them clean clothes. The kids have a lot of cuts on their feet, even the babies don’t have smooth baby like skin because of the harsh weather and terrain without proper coverings such as socks, shoes, soft linens, etc. Maybe the saddest part, they consider themselves “NOT WORTHY.” My heart is broken by this, I cry often thinking about them. Batwa is shunned by society, they feel cursed and forgotten.

Batwa trine speaks the language: Kirundi. We bring an interpreter with us. There is no formal education here. Along with humanitarian relief, we bring them the lasting message and eternal hope of the good news of Jesus Christ. We stand in the field at Batwa and everyone comes out to hear the gospel. We preach to them through our interpreter, we encourage them there. When the village see the trucks coming, they know help is on the way and they rejoice. Nobody goes up there, they know its help of some sort. How often that help comes they don’t know.

The Batwa people call foreigners (and really anyone with lighter skin than they) “Muvungu.” The tribe dances when help arrives. They tell us they need help. They put their hands out naturally because they really are in need. They will take and make use of anything we give them. They love to hear the Gospel. “And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:15) I can see a lack of everything up there for these beautifully spirited people. The shacks you see in the photos are just that, shacks, they are bare and deteriorated. Many of them are condemned buildings, not in good shape structurally. We hear its either that they have no resources to complete them, or none to repair them. The are made of straw, no real substance to the materials. If water touches them, they quickly fall apart, and there are tons of roofing problems allowing water into many of the structures.

We help fix shoddy roofs on the structures that are inhabited. Everything has to be hiked in, THE TRUCKS CAN ONLY GO SO FAR, we can’t send a truck into the woods, its impossible. We’re doing this ourselves and we rent things and pay for labor when we can. When we preach, there is no resistance to the people receiving the Good News of Jesus Christ, how He conquered sin and death. There are a lot of orphans and widows, they struggle the most. They don’t have bibles, getting them in their language is not cheap. We know of a way now to purchase them.

THIS IS A LABOR OF LOVE

WITCHES ATTACK VILLIGE PASTOR’S SON (& THEN MOM) FOR TELLING THEM ABOUT JESUS:

It happened in July of 2023. We got a call from a pastor friend in Bunjubora, Burundi, Africa. He told us about the machete wltch attack that just happened in a village we visit called Getiga. He told us that the particular pastor’s son and wife were in critical condition. In many parts of Africa you can’t even get half decent emergency medical attention without first paying for it. There is a group in this village that practices wltchcraft. We were told that pastor Jared’s son Emme was telling this group about Jesus Christ and that they shouldn’t practice the wltchcraft (i guess they were in the act of it). The wltches came out with machetes and attacked him. The mom tried to scare off the satanic bunch, but they attacked her too. They almost chopped her hand off. The boy was hacked on the legs, head, hands, neck and arms, pretty much everywhere. They were going to die. Pastor AIMADLE is the one who alerted us to this situation (a different pastor)…

We received pictures of the horrific wounds on the mom and son. We sent money the next morning Western Union, we thought they could possibly die for lack of treatment. They got treatment and survived. Our trip there had already been planned for a month later in August of 2023.

WE GOT TO SEE THEM RECOVERING IN AUGUST 2023!

On our way up to the village of Getiga to see them, I felt the Spirit of the Lord so strongly upon me, His warmth, because I knew God was with His people. We met them and the rest in a little church house in Getiga. I’ll never forget it. There was rejoicing and worship for the timing of aide to then, after the attack, and as we arrived. They were so incredibly grateful for the help we were able to provide.

The severely injured son was still preaching when we got there. We cried together. Check out 1st Corinthians 4:11—12, its about the similar sufferings of Paul and other early church day followers of Christ. “To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we [still] bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we [still] entreat. We have been made the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.”

When I was there in Getiga, I gave them the Scripture from Acts 2:46—47, about how God added to the church… “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

WHEN IS YOUR NEXT TRIP TO AFRICA?

Well, we’re going to Korea in November 2023, and Africa June / July of 2024.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW TO GET READY FOR AFRICA 2024?

Other than today’s inventory, we’re trying to pull together as much of our paychecks as we can to send money to Bunjubora, in Burundi, Africa. We want to send it to pastor AIMADLE so he can buy goats, pigs, rabbits, corn (which they call “maze”), potatoes and rice. I’ve been doing yard sales for this and will send the money I made this late October, 2023.This is going to be great because we’ll get to see the fruits of our labors during our next trip.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IN AFRICA DURING THE 2024 TRIP?

We’re going back with all those suitcases again (clothes, socks, underwear, shoes, hygiene, etc.), we’re going to minister and encourage the people with Scripture. We’re going to rent what we need while we’re there. To make the most impact we can while in Africa, we conference with pastor AIMADLE….long in advance before we go. We’re going to a village called Chetoke. We’re also saving to try to put a roof on some walls that went up for a church next to a new water well that was recently dug. [INSERT PHOTO].

We’re also going to a village called Kabezi. These villages – among others we’ll be going to – are in great need. We’ll be passing out supplies and ministering. Although we have an established relationship with AIMADLE, they have no money. We have to fund everything.

AIMALDE takes care of logistics, equipment rentals, etc. We have a very busy, go go go kind of schedule when we are there. He is our translator and is like a tour guide who know the areas well. Other ministers from his area will sometimes go with us. I’m also planning a women’s conference for when I get to Gatumba (a village in Burundi). We’d also like to hold a youth conference, in the past we’ve held one at a beach in Burundi. When we do conferences, we have to pay for he whole thing.

Of course we like to have people come out from the many villages we have gone to. We rent buses an the leaders go round everyone up that wants to attend. We also like to visit various pastors to encourage them a make sure they are okay. Although poverty stricken, the villagers seem to have something Americans have lost, a “togetherness.” They share everything. They don’t have anything to distract themselves from each other. They eat together, play together, they care for each other. So its a win win situation that we are also blessed by. They have learned to live their lives with SIMPLICITY, not grumbling and complaining, that reality that everything is given by God, they seem to live an understanding of that.

GIVE ME A SHORT LIST OF WHAT YOU ARE SAVING FOR YOUR NEXT AFRICA TRIP IN 2024

1. Roofing supplies 2. Livestock 3. Basic Medical & Hygeine Supply 4. Day Labor, Tool & Truck Rentals 5. Women’s & Youth Outreach 6. Water 7. Bibles In The Village Languages

IN A COUNTRY RIFE WITH REAL POVERTY & DESPAIR, WE AND THE WARM HEART OF THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA FIND THE BLESSINGS OF GOD TOGETHER. AMERICA “GIVES” JUNK??? ROSE SAYS “THEY KNOW WHAT I DO, SO WHY DO THEY BRING ME JUNK?”

By now you know Rose is the one who gets to Africa and makes a BIG difference in the communities there by faithfully recycling cans and doing yard sales, etc!!! I cant help but ask that if Rose is able to make such an impact this way, whats anybody else’s excuse?

I didn’t plan to interview Rose today. Trying to communicate over CDCR’s GTL trammelphones is super difficult to say the least, it tries to drive families and prisoners crazy. The amount of interference we endured thru our first interview would be hard for anyone to understand unless you experience it. Nevertheless, this second interview presented itself with the feeling this stuff is just too important to pass on Rose is having another yard sale tomorrow (10/21/2023) to raise and save to buy livestock to have sent into certain villages in Bunjubora. I asked if the yard sale people are interested in helping. Rose seemed careful NOT to complain, but she didn’t hold back telling me about the continual amazement she experiences encountering usually nothing but talk rather than help. This American state (I guess I’ll call it) of “giving” isn’t funny, but I couldn’t help but laugh picturing the restraint Rose applies upon each new amazing person she encounters, lolol.

She says people will stop by her yard sale in a super nice car and talk about Africa and the kids I’m trying feed etc., but when they leave they’ll ask if “giving” a dollar is okay, or like 50¢, “is that okay, is that good” they ask. Rose says she’s thinking in her mind, “are you kidding, I can’t feed these villages with that, I’m trying to feed starving kids here, what is this, I thought America, my Country, is supposed to be great, I cry for these people remembering what they are going through everyday, they need our help.”

She says others will tell her they can help by bringing her stuff that she can sell. She gets excited and then they’ll show up with some exercise machine that is missing parts, doesn’t work, weighs over a hundred pounds, and that’s supposed to help. I’m like, “yeah, and then you gotta rent a truck and some labor to haul it to the dump!?” Real nice! Rose then asks, “or what about these items they bring me where nobody even knows what it is, and its worth nothing?” I said, “yeah, like the most useless thing anyone has ever made, and you are supposed to figure out how to sell it, wow.” Again Rose expressed:

“THE KIDS NEED TO EAT, I’M TRYING TO GET THEM READY FOR WINTER, ITS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO GET FOOD IN THE WINTER BECAUSE OF THE MUD, THERE IS NO CONCRETE, WHEN IT RAINS IT RAINS, THE MONEY IS NOT FOR ME ITS FOR THE CHILDREN.”

MACHETE WITCH ATTACK vs. AMERICAN ‘CHRISTIAN HEADACHE’

We talked about the value of staying in fellowship with others (Hebrews 10:25). Rose said, “we’ve got a guy who’s still preaching the Word in Africa after getting hacked in the head with a machete by witches, but the average ‘Christian’ in America skips fellowship because they complain of a headache.” How’s that for contrast? I told Rose that I invited a guy this morning to church here and his excuse was to suddenly hold his right ear and say, “my ear, the doctor hasn’t given me my medicine for weeks.” We had just been talking and laughing, he seemed fine until the ask. Its funny, but the reality isn’t.

The Machete Witch Attack vs. American ‘Christian Headache’ contrast really got my attention (as if the first part wasn’t enough to). I told Rose we need to hear from this young man who got attacked by witches for talking about Jesus. She said he lives in a far away village that takes about 3 hours to get to (from town). She said the village is way up in a mountain. I asked if she thought she could make it happen, to send for word from him. I told her we should ask him, “if you could say something to America and have them listen, what would it be, what would you say?” I told her we should recognize this person’s (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13) persistence in the faith. Rose agreed and is going to see about sending someone up there to ask him several of my questions, make sure we have his name and age right, spelling of his village, his story, etc. I will get the follow up story on here as soon as its available, and pray that its a fruitful effort.

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