Last week a One Rock team returned from Rwanda, having taught leadership sessions for our Institute cohort, a church, and a student Christian organization. We also heard testimonies from Institute members on how they have already been impacted just three months into the course…

Adrien Bugiyekera is CEO of a charity helping communities in rural Rwanda, called Love & Hands. Through the course he has created a Godly Narrative, to remind himself of what God says to him:

After enrolling in the One Rock Institute, I began to uncover the powerful truth that comes from the Word of God and the best way to share the gospel with the youth I teach… I began to look at my own life narrative in a new way, realizing that my beliefs shape my life and determine how I live.

Adrien took this a step further; he not only changed his own narrative, but helped the teenagers he works with to also change their own limiting beliefs, and create their own new story rooted in Jesus.

Through teaching, discussion, and prayer, a powerful transformation began. The teens confronted their family history and the intergenerational fear passed down to them, leading to a brave decision. They chose to forgive their parents, and everyone they thought was the root of their poverty; they forgave their ancestors, they released the fear, and they received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. This was not just a change in religion; it was a new birth. They received Him not because of pressure, but because they understood God’s real will for their lives.

After receiving Christ, these teens decided to begin a new chapter. They chose to use Rwandan traditional dancing as a new tool for evangelism. This method serves as a wake-up call for people whose hearts have hardened or who fear entering churches. Culture often opens hearts easily. Now, instead of dancing for fleeting pleasures, they dance for Jesus Christ. Instead of fear, they dance in freedom. Instead of confusion, they dance with purpose.”

This Christmas, join us in giving praise for indviduals and communities coming to faith, and changing their stories to ones rooted in the person of Jesus. He is the one we are celebrating this season. He is the one who brings us life in all its fullness.