Monday Morning in Rwanda

We were without internet all day yesterday so I wasn't able to check in. We leave for the airport in a few minutes so I'll make this brief.

I had an amazing morning yesterday as I visited our sister Lutheran Church in Nyamata. The first time we went there in 2005 it is was all dirt roads to the church--with massive bumps and holes. It took us a couple of hours one way. Now--a newly paved road and a breezy 25 minute drive! The ride out is beautiful as it takes us out into the country. The hills of Rwanda are breath-taking.

It's hard to put into words what it's like to worship with and preach to a culture very, very different than our own. But it is pretty cool. Since they didn't know I was coming until Wednesday they didn't have the usual big welcome dance and gift presentation (which is a powerful experience) but that's what I asked for. Keep it simple.

The music and singing is infectious. They have three instruments--a drum, their voices, and their bodies. I can't dance but they sure can. I had a chance to preach for a few minutes and bring greetings from Grace and other friends from the US.

When I get home I'll put some pictures on a post to give you a sense of the congregation and the experience I had.

This morning Alycia and I had breakfast with Pastor John. John is doing development work in a rural area. He is training the community to work together to build projects. They are building a 45 room medical clinic that is community driven--it employs people, gives them skills, and trains them as leaders. They are actually holding the government accountable to help them get the project done. Grace has contributed to this project and will continue to do so. I'll add some pics when I get home.

It is really cool to see a project like this being built by the people, lead by the people, developing people, employing people, with money from churches and the government.

That's it for now. I'm headed home. I'll probably do a reflection on the trip post during one of my two 8 hour layovers between my two 10 hour flights.