Meeting the Nations in Michigan: Patrick’s Story

Thirty years ago, the Lord led Navigator Henry Bouma into a new mission field: ministering to boys at an inner city school in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Over the years, he’s watched as the young students he discipled have grown up, some even serving alongside him on Navigator staff today. Through persistent discipleship, mentorship in crucial life skills, and walking with these boys after they’ve graduated, Henry has witnessed the gospel move from one generation to the next.

However, in 2007, God placed Mathew 28:19 on Henry’s heart — a calling to make disciples of all nations. Having spent his whole life within the borders of Grand Rapids, Henry had a hard time picturing what that calling would look like.

But the Lord works in mysterious ways.

Since then, God has brought the nations to Michigan, and Henry has had the chance to minister to students from all over the world. Many of these students have later returned to their home countries with a vision for disciplemaking, while others have chosen to advance God’s Kingdom by making a home right where they are — in Grand Rapids.

Through this commission, Henry met and discipled Patrick Gakuru: a student turned avid disciplemaker who is now lighting a fire for Christ among the young Rwandan community in Michigan.

The “Yes” That Sparked a Movement

In 2016, Patrick moved with his family from Rwanda to West Michigan, a high schooler at the time. 

One day while he was eating lunch in his new school cafeteria, Patrick came across Jon Blahnik, who led a Youth for Christ ministry at Patrick’s high school. As Patrick got more involved with the ministry, Jon started bringing him to Sunday evening Navigator Bible studies led by Henry. Jon and Henry frequently partnered up like this — connecting students from Jon’s after school program to the Sunday night group so that they would continue to have an encouraging Christian community post graduation.

Through Jon, Patrick was also introduced to Henry’s RISE (Relational Influencers Spiritually Equipped) Urban Youth Leadership program where Henry’s team would meet weekly with high schoolers, share a meal with them, assign mentors, and model what a healthy community looks like.

Tagteaming ministry, Jon and Henry started discipling Patrick throughout his high school years, meeting with him one-on-one and showing him what it means to be rooted in Scripture and live out his faith as a man of God.

“They supported me and loved me, and in hard times, they always were there for me,” Patrick recalls. “In everything they do, they glorify God. So whenever I have a problem, I go to them. If I have a question or a doubt, they have created a space for me to be vulnerable and safe with them.”

As Patrick continued to grow in his faith and graduated high school, Jon and Henry encouraged him to pass along what he’d learned to others as a young leader in the ministry. Patrick, naturally shy and introverted, was hesitant at first.

“It was really hard to say yes — I didn’t want to do it,” Patrick recalls. “But something inside of me knew I should say yes. And I saw God’s goodness in how He used me to reach other people.”

Over the past few years since, the Lord has taken Patrick’s “yes” and faithfully used it to start a chain of generational disciplemaking, specifically among the next generation of youth arriving in Grand Rapids from Rwanda. Coming alongside these students as they adjust to life in the United States, Patrick invites them to read the Bible with him. Now, he leads a dynamic cohort of over 20 young people among various Bible studies.

“Even as an introverted person, I kept going out to share the gospel, and I focused on Romans 1:16, which says that we should not be ashamed of the gospel because the power of God is sufficient to everyone who believes,” Patrick explains. “So I would pray, and as I moved around, I felt Jesus using me. The fear was gone, and I felt more confident to share the gospel with others.”

From leading Bible studies and prayer groups to walking around downtown Grand Rapids and sharing the gospel with strangers, the Lord has worked through Patrick to create a community of believers centered around discipleship.

“Jon and I equipped and discipled Patrick, and now he has four key guys that he’s discipled,” Henry says. “Those guys are now leading others, and some of the guys they are leading are already catching that vision too. So we are talking four, maybe five, generations of disciplemakers. The Holy Spirit is working mightily through Patrick — and he’s only 23!”

A Mission for the Light of Christ

Patrick has now followed the Lord’s calling to join The Navigators I:58 ministry in Grand Rapids. He and many of the other students from Rwanda meet in groups every night of the week. Several of them gather for prayer on Fridays — and they pray all night. Through boldness in the midst of fear and submission to God’s calling, the Lord is using Patrick’s hunger for the gospel to advance His Kingdom into all nations.

“My mission statement is to listen to hurting people, build their faith, and bring healing to the hurting and the lost, helping them grow close to God,” Patrick says. “I want to bring the hope of Jesus to the hopeless. Our world isn’t perfect, but I want people to know the perfect man, Jesus, and experience His peace. There are people stuck in the darkness — I want them to experience the light of Jesus.”

Please join us in praying over Patrick and Henry’s ministry in Grand Rapids, as they reach and shepherd students and their multicultural community to know Christ, make Him known, and help others do the same^®.

Discipleship Tip:

Do you ever feel scared to say “yes” to God? Patrick didn’t think he would be a good disciplemaker because he was shy — and yet, the Lord has used him to impact dozens of lives in his city. If you are feeling hesitant or fearful to go where God is leading you, pray for the Lord’s peace and wisdom so that you can proceed with confidence, knowing that He has the power to move through you, even when you don’t feel qualified.