I
recently made another trip to Rwanda as part of my church’s 2024 mission trips for
in-country involvement with Acts4Rwanda.
As a team, we met regularly for months prior to the trip for discussions,
questions, planning, and worship to prepare ourselves and our hearts not only for the journey,
but for the ministry and relationship building that is the heart of the
journey.
It
seemed like the days to departure from the US sped up until it finally arrived. The nearly twenty-hour trip (including one
flight taking thirteen hours and forty-seven minutes, give-or-take) for some is
the most difficult part.
Our
missions pastor and his wife (Will & Chelsea) are our team leaders. They have been travelling the world for
years, and have been to Rwanda six or seven times already. They are quite familiar with the Acts4Rwanda
program, familiar with the Rwandan culture, and are excellent and gracious at herding missions partners and newbies with watchfulness
and gentle guidance. The students have come to know and love them dearly over the years.
We
had with us this year three team members who have been on mission trips before,
but this was their first time to Rwanda. I knew once these friends got to Rwanda and met the Acts4Rwanda staff and students, that they would fall in love with them as much as I have. I was not wrong in my preconception.
One
team member, Leah, is not fond of flights in general and she was facing nearly twenty
hours of flight. She pushed through her fears and discomfort like a trooper. Once we were at the Transformation Center, she was an instant hit
with the students. As timing would have it, she had a birthday while we were there. Our team leaders prepared for it and surprised her at breakfast. Later, the Acts4Rwanda staff and students threw a small celebration for her to her surprise and delight. She was so affected by the friends she made and the overall experience in Rwanda that the flight home was of no consequence. Facing her fears as she did, she became my newest hero. :)
A
second team member, Lindsey, was just as amazing. She was a powerhouse. Her
knowledge of God’s word and an extremely varied array of topics from
photography, to animal husbandry, to structural construction is most impressive. I jokingly told her I was
just simply going to call her MENSA (which I then found humorous that I had to tell
her what that is). She too was immediately
a hit with the students of all ages, and she too fell in love with the
students.
The
other team member, Debra, and her husband have been dear friends of mine for
years. She has been a teacher, both homeschool and professional, for many years.
Her experience as a mother and as a teacher just shone amazingly in her
interactions with the children whether in teaching or actively playing with them. Her love
for these students was also immediately evident as was theirs for her.
While
I was often surrounded by young men, from early teens to early twenties, asking
me about life in America, photography (which MENSA was also covering with
students using a camera of her own), and general life questions that young men ask of topics
from occupation to relationships with women, the other team members were also
in discussions or hard at play with the students. They would play soccer, duck-duck-goose,
chase, or various interesting games the students would teach them.
Individually and collectively, the team was amazing. Last year, we had
around thirteen incredible people make the trip. This group was considerably
smaller, but they were absolutely dynamite also. As Pastor Will said (paraphrased): God
knows exactly what team to put together each year.
Our
general days would start out with breakfast at the B&B we stay at while in
Rwanda. The staff there are amazing and
kind, and they immediately became our friends rather than hospitality staff.
After
breakfast, we would gather to have a daily devotional discussion for around an hour. Then it was usually a short wait before the
Acts4Rwanda van would pick us up.
Aside
from a few days’ activity (such as currency exchange, visiting one of the
Genocide Memorials to learn/refresh the historical event, visiting the African
College of Theology, or experiencing shopping at Rwandan markets) we would
arrive at the Acts4Rwanda Transformation Center around 10am and get mob-greeted by the
students. (See my article Rwanda - My First Trip for an explanation.) We would play and interact with them until
lunch was served. After lunch, we would
get the students involved with an all-inclusive game or activity.
When
that activity was over, we would assemble the students for the biblical lesson of the day. My team members were amazing with their lesson teaching. They presented God's word and the material in entertaining, engaging, and yet an instructional manner not only through speaking, but through impactful visuals and skits.
The students are always very attentive to the teacher and
the lesson. When the base lesson was finished,
the younger students would be moved to a different area to begin making crafts that
were linked to the lesson. The older students remained to hear deeper aspects of the lesson and be invited to ask questions. And questions they’d
ask! At times they were very deep and
complex questions. After a period of
time, the teacher would call a conclusion, and the older students would join the
young ones in the craft portion of the lesson.
This
would normally conclude shortly before it would be time for us to return to the
B&B. We tried to always leave before
the sun set for three primary reasons:
first, we didn’t want the students walking home (sometimes a far
distance) in the dark; second, the B&B would be expecting us for dinner around 6:30pm; third, that’s when the mosquitoes start coming out!
Upon
returning to the B&B, dinner would be served. We’d talk about the day, the events, the impacts on us and impacts on the students,
special interactions, or whatever stood out to us. After a time, we’d call it a night, go to
our rooms, and prepare for the next day.
Seeing
the children so lovingly and unconditionally greet us and make us part of their
lives is always so humbling and heartwarming.
The appreciation they have of having people take time away from their own
families, their own homes, from half-way around the world, and at great expense
to just spend time with them is sincere even if not fully understood.
If
you aren’t familiar with what Acts4Rwanda is and what this organization and its stellar staff and leadership do,
check out my article on Acts4Rwanda – An Introduction.
These
are some incredible people. I now have
more than a dozen Rwandan friends from the Acts4Rwanda staff, from the B&B,
and former Acts4Rwanda staff and students that I keep in weekly contact
with.
That’s
also pretty darn handy for my nights of insomnia since they are seven to eight
hours ahead of us!
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