Day 1: Learning to be Low Maintenance

I wish I could post pictures… The one thing so striking about Rwanda, specifically the city of Kigali, is how beautiful it is. The roads are in great condition, some paved and some hand-laid brick; there are beautiful garden roundabouts with statues and sculptures in the center; there are buildings with modern architecture; and there is no garbage to be seen along the main streets. I learned today from both Compassion staff and from our missionary friend, Simon Nziramakenga, that this is all from government initiatives since the genocide. The government is making great effort to use post-genocide international aid to good effect. We toured the government and embassy district, and saw that many of the buildings are new; our Compassion Sponsor Relations Manager Eugene tells us that all the buildings were flattened during the genocide and war. And many areas that were not developed at all are now being developed into housing, some government sponsored. The government has been reorganized and there is now a social security administration. Some of the new laws, like no plastic bags allowed (like grocery bags) and all those who own property with frontage on paved streets must grow flower gardens, really help beautify the country. And it shows. While you might think this is a cosmetic band-aid approach to recovery from the war and genocide, it is not, because think about it: beauty inspires hope. And what this country really needed was hope. Another change is the identicards that all citizens used to carry identifying your ethnicity; Eugene showed us his new one, and all cards now say “Rwandan.”
But I get ahead of myself a bit. The first thing we did today was attend church at a church that holds a Compassion project. It sure changed my image of what a Compassion project might look like. The Zion Temple Church is a 3,500-member church that is 10 years old, has started churches all over Africa, Europe, and the US (yes, they send missionaries to America!). They are located in a poor area and take care of 306 Compassion children. While the project was not in session today, we did get to see the church and the office where they hold the program. The church was really nice – about the size of my church but add to that a balcony all the way around that about doubles the sitting space. They have 3 services. The service we attended was an aerobic experience – the church is Pentecostal, so if you combine a Pentecostal service from the states, and add African love of movement, you will get the picture. I was expecting African type music, but what we got was a contemporary style but music I had never heard before and sung in Kinyarwanda. There was a great bongo backbeat, too. There were 50 people in the worship team, and the services are 2 hours long, and there are 3 services – I think the worship team does all 3 because they were starting the same music for the second service with the same songs. The pastor preached in French with a woman translating into Kinyarwanda. It was fantastic to watch them – they moved together like they had been doing this for a while. When the pastor paced, the woman matched his every step and gesture without even looking at him. Someone sat down with us and started to interpret to English so we could understand, and when others in the service caught on, they began to pull over others who could interpret. By the end we had an interpreter for every one or two of us. The pastor touched on Esther – specifically Mordecai – and how God can change your history. Particularly poignant because of Mordecai’s role in preventing a genocide. What if there had been a Mordecai in Rwanda. Another interesting moment – a church plant team from Butare sang about if you have God’s love in your life, you will love your neighbor; God forgave us, so we should forgive our neighbor. I was thinking it was a sweet sentiment until it hit me where I was sitting, and what forgiving your neighbor would mean to someone who had survived a genocide, one where neighbor killed neighbor.
Afterward, we got to meet Chantal, the project director, who told us about the program. They have a special need for helping children with health problems – some with AIDS, some with malnutrition and all the other diseases that can go with that. Dave and Candy Heldt got to meet Yvette, their sponsored child, because this was her project; and her aunt, Irene who she lives with.
We had some time to take a long walk this afternoon; good to stretch our legs. Also, I got to meet up with Simon Nziramakenga and take a quick tour of their church grounds – turns out to be less than 2 kilometers from here. I got to hear his take on why and how Rwanda has recovered so fast; he says, “no question, it was the Lord.” Meaning, the reconciliation has been nothing short of miraculous and people were ready and repentant. He does worry that the government is changing things too fast and it does have its downside: new construction codes (and lack of donations, probably in part due to global economic depression) have made it impossible to finish their church building at Good Shepherd Church. It stands with only the structural framework; they are paying as they go; and the government will no longer allow them to meet in their tent, deeming it unsafe. Their codes are becoming as stringent as in the USA, but without the funds to make building under those conditions possible. So they are meeting outdoors, and when it rains, “it’s bad,” per Simon.
Still no luggage for me and others; we will try again tomorrow. In the meantime, I am fine! I am actually amazed at how fine I am. I have all the essentials and am borrowing what I don’t have. I don’t feel sleep deprived, I have no headache or neck ache or back ache or stomach ache that can accompany travel. I am getting a little tired now but think that just means I can sleep tonight. We just finished dinner; all you in Indiana are probably just finished with lunch. I am praying that my luggage comes soon, especially the gifts, but in the meantime, I am learning to be low maintenance