January 20, 2009

After living in Rwanda for a little over three months, there seems so much to report on what I have learned so far. On the blog, I commented a lot in the beginning on my experience in Congo; the status of Goma before the outbreak of violence. I also mentioned a few stories about my experience in Rwanda—the genocide memorial for one—and my holiday break in Nairobi, Kenya with the Jones Family. My wish in the last couple months I am here is to give you a more in depth view of Rwandan culture and life.

This time around, I think it is the right moment to report a few changes ALARM is currently undergoing. Over the past few weeks, two staff members from ALARM/RWANDA resigned to take on new responsibilities with other ministries within Kigali. One of the members included Ben Nkusi, the director of the Youth Advocacy Program (YAP), who was to be my direct supervisor for the duration of my internship with ALARM in Rwanda. The news of the two staff’s departure took me by surprise at first, which was initially of concern to me. Thankfully, a recent graduate in Missions from Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology, Bosco Samvura, applied to replace Ben as director over YAP within the last few days. As I have talked with him, I am happy to find a friend with common interests in missions and a heart to help the youth of Rwanda. The transition between Ben and Bosco will take some time as Bosco learns about his responsibilities at ALARM and is introduced to the leaders of ministries he will assume leadership over.

What does this mean for me as I complete my time here in Rwanda?

As with almost everything in Africa, unexpected events are not uncommon. I have found that flexibility with a pound of patients does the Mazungu nerves well. In the end, the changes will not affect my ability to collect the information I need about Rwandan culture and language to complete my internship for school at Western Seminary; nor will I be completely hindered from teaching youth. The execution of these plans may however be delayed for a while as Bosco adjusts to his new responsibilities.

Another development I would like to make you aware of is my work with Coeur Joyeux (Heart of Joy). While I worked with Ben at ALARM, he introduced me to the local faith-based organization he continues to advise on a periodic basis called Coeur Joyeux. Two Rwandans Janvier Batungwanayo, the Legal Representative, and Justin Bisengimana, the Assistant Administrator, lead the organization with a great desire and zeal to help their own people. The organization’s activities include micro-finance as a funding source for other community aid programs such as sponsoring students to attend school in Rwanda; teaching women about HIV/AIDS; and evangelizing the local community for Christ. I am currently teaching them about business plans so they can develop a culturally relevant way of objectively assessing applicants’ requests for small business loans; the goal is to find a system by which Coeur Joyeux can better ensure business owners who receive money repay their loans.

Since both ALARM and Coeur Joyeux are involved in micro-finance and face similar challenges, I requested the directors of both ministries meet and talk about the possibility of partnering together to share insights they have learned so far about micro-finance. The first meeting was a success, since there was interest on both sides for continuing dialogue in the future. I pray future discussions and insights discovered will bear fruit for both the organizations and the people they serve.

Overall, in this journal entry, my hope is to make you aware of the circumstances I face as I complete my time here in Rwanda. I thank each one of you for lifting me up in your prayers and interceding for me. Life in Rwanda is not easy with the many cultural and personal adjustments I face each day. The encouraging messages from many of you has helped me get through the hard times. I look forward to telling you more about God’s faithfulness in the next two months and after I get back to the States.