July 1st

Ministry Partners,
Today's update will be from Alfred Mupenzi,  Arlene's son, one of our interpreters, and Vice-President of IRM:

Breakfast was scheduled at 8:00am and we were able to start our journey to the TIG camp at 9:15 am.

Today, was the first day IRM team visited and preached in the TIG Camps. This was done by a team of five people, including Rev. Pastor Arlene (President/Founder-IRM), Pastor Innocent Ntabana (Legal Representative IRM-Rwanda), Chad Robison (Missionary-IRM USA), Pastor Aaron Twagirayesu (IRM Partner from Uganda) and Alfred Mupenzi (IRM Vice President).  

Two TIG camps were visited one in the morning and another in the afternoon. TIGs are transitional camps in which inmates from prisons  who wish to serve their sentence doing community service are selected and given that opportunity to serve their communities with some accrue benefits like: 10 days holiday each year  to be with their families and two meals a day including porridge for breakfast. Some of the community services they do include: Prison construction, road construction, stone carving and gardening which enables prison administration to provide food stuffs to the inmates both in their camp and in the Prisons.

The first journey we took was a two hour drive on a dirt road to Nduba TIG camp considered to be in Kigali but up in the hills and with a bad road that was almost inaccessible. After getting lost three times, missing the direction because the natural GPS (RCS Officer) couldn't figure out which direction we are taking.  Aaron drove and we were lucky because we hit three rocks covered by so much dirt but still we managed to forge ahead without any damage on the car. 

A view from the road on the way to the TIG camp

The other one and half hours drive was to Mageragere TIG Camp also considered to be located in Kigali area. We gave God praise as we saw the Holy Spirit bring so many to the saving knowledge in Jesus in both camps. We were accompanied by one Rwanda Correctional service officer, Mr. Hitayezu. All TIG camp administrators were part of the whole process and the majority of them ended up also accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Pastor Aaron, Pastor Innocent, Rev. Arlene, Alfred and Chad

Everyone was tired by the time we returned to our Guest House as were happy that we found our dinner ready and waiting.

That none would be lost,

Alfred 

for the team