08 Aug 2024 Rwanda

As some of you know, last month I traveled to Rwanda for 10 days with my church (Church of the Apostles). Rwanda is a place that has held my fascination since I was a teenager, so finally being able to travel there was something like a dream come true.

Emily and I have been members at Church of the Apostles for the entirety of our marriage and the relationship with the Shyogwe Diocese in the Southern Province of Rwanda (located here) was one of the initial attractions for both of us. (In fact, Emily has been the primary point of contact between our church and Rwanda for the last five years.) Without going into the details here, the relationship is of great importance because it’s not a stretch to say that our church doesn’t exist without the Anglican Church in Rwanda. So this trip was unlike all missions trips I have participated in in that its primary focus was maintaining and strengthening our relationship, as opposed to building a house or digging a well.

Nine men and women (including four teenagers) made up the team and our days were packed with visits to local churches, learning about the Mother’s Union (groups of women that minister to teen moms), touring technical schools, seeing how water filters and portable ovens are made, meeting Compassion kids that families in our church sponsor (I was able to meet two children that Emily and I have sponsored for years!), visiting a drone business that airdrops medicine and supplies all across the country in a fraction of the time it would take by road (insanely cool), and handing out little toys to kids we met by the side of the road (you will never see a sweeter reaction to the gift of a small stuffed toy than this), among other things. While I could go on and on, here are my big takeaways.

First, Rwanda is a beautiful country (it’s impossible to capture its full beauty in pictures). Whether it’s the sun setting over its many hills, the contrast between the red dirt and the green banana trees, the quilt-pattern of the valleys where sweet potato, rice, and fish are farmed, or the way the hills run down to the valley floor in a terrace-pattern, the natural topography gives you beauty everywhere you look. The people are beautiful, too. Their sense of community with each other is something to admire and strive for, and their generosity with the little they have is humbling.

Second, and this is more an observation than a takeaway, it was interesting to see the inter-connectedness between the church and the government. The church (Catholic, too, not just Anglican) plays a more significant role in Rwandan culture than we see in America. Two examples: Many of the schools (primary and technical) in Rwanda are run solely by the church while others are a joint effort between church and state, and we visited a bank established by the church to meet a segment of the population traditional banks are not interested in (we would refer to them as “unbanked”). One member of the team described the arrangement as similar to the role of the Roman Catholic Church in medieval Europe. (The picture above is a church under construction in Hanika Parish.)

Third, though we were surrounded by beauty, we were also surrounded by deep poverty. The children in the video above react with such joy because toys, other than the ones they create with sticks or pieces of cloth, are rare. To get water that’s safe to drink, you either pay for it at the store (which few can afford to) or walk miles back-and-forth to pump it from a community well (this is typically a job performed by children). One-out-of-three homes lack indoor plumbing, and a quarter of the country lives without access to electricity. Those that have either know reliability is spotty. It is easy to visit a place like this, be overwhelmed by the poverty, and leave with a sense of hopelessness.

However, what our team noticed is that their lack of resources leads to a greater sense of community. When no one has a lot, you’re forced to ask for (and accept) help, and you also expect to offer what you have to others. The picture above is the Kabuba Chapel community. They, and members of other churches we visited, work together to raise children, care for teen moms, bring communion to those that aren’t healthy enough to attend church, start ministries to care for the elderly whose kids have moved away in search of economic opportunity, rebuild homes that get washed out during the rainy season, and even pool funds that others can borrow from in order to start a small business. They provide a wonderful example of the richness of community.

We ended our time in Rwanda with two nights at an eco-lodge in Akagera National Park, eating breakfast as monkeys played in the trees above us and falling asleep to the chuffs and grunts of hippos (I had a late night encounter with one of them on the walk back to my tent that nearly stopped my heart). During our one full day in the park we took a safari and saw lions, monkeys, baboons, zebras, giraffes, elephants, hippos, impalas, cape buffalo, and many different species of birds.

If you have the chance to get to Rwanda, whether for work, mission, or pleasure, take it. It’s safe, beautiful, and friendly, and the way the Rwandan people get by with the relatively little they have will both challenge you and give you a greater appreciation for what we have.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you want to hear more about my trip. It was an experience I’ll remember forever and I hope to visit again someday.