Joy Along the Way

It is a joy to announce that I have been ordained as a deacon in Kigali Diocese of the Anglican Church of Rwanda! It was a beautiful service and celebration on Sunday as about 600 people gathered at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. At a reception afterward I told some friends that in a way I had not seen this day coming. But in looking back it is obvious that the Lord was preparing Kari and I for this ministry.

Over the months of discernment there were several things which went into my thinking. The Bishop, Louis, had told me that he sees our ministry together as a visible witness to what the church really is: God’s people, regardless of skin color and nationality. I had also taught through Ephesians and been struck by the way Paul speaks of the gifts Christ gave to the Church in terms of the people/ministers: Shepherds and Teachers (4:11). Not simply the giftings in the abstract, but the people themselves. A pastoral identity. Another thing was the ministry of a deacon as seen in the vows taken in the ordination: Prayer and Scripture, Service and Witness, to the Glory of Christ.

There are many moments from the ordination I will always cherish. But I think the most significant was the Consecration. In preparation for Sunday it was necessary for me to purchase a clerical shirt and collar, as well as a robe and stole. Though it was not always easy to find this stuff, I began to realize that it is pretty easy to look the part of a pastor; and, with the help of the prayer book, to sound like a pastor too. But in the Consecration the Bishop lays his hands on the head of the deacon and prays for the Holy Spirit to come. This moment symbolized for me the recognition by the Church that the Lord is making me inwardly what will be obvious outwardly. That I’m not a pastor because of what I wear but by the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Kari and I were greatly supported by our friends and community here in Rwanda and we felt the overwhelming support of our friends and family in the USA, especially our Church home, Redeemer. We thank God for you and recognize that you are all a huge part of the Lord’s leading in our lives.

The past week has been filled with celebrations, and it doesn’t seem like it will slow down anytime soon. Last week an accreditation team from ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) and MSA (Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools) came to evaluate KICS. Teachers, staff and the school board have been working diligently all year; some had been working for up to three years preparing for this accreditation visit. At the end of their visit we gathered for a meeting to learn that we had been recommended for full accreditation in both organizations! We are the first school in Rwanda to receive this level of recommendation. The news was followed by cheers, tears and hugs. It is truly a wonderful thing that families who come to Rwanda to serve can trust that KICS is a high quality school to send their kids. The next morning Trevor (the headmaster of the school) took the staff out for an AMAZING celebration breakfast (western style with omelets and even cheddar cheese!!) . Today we shared the accreditation news with the students and threw a party for them… complete with sodas, popcorn and dancing. With that said, the parties are not over yet!
Dan has been attending a pre-ordination retreat all week which has been a time of preparation for ministry in the church. This will culminate in the ordination ceremony on sunday. After the ordination we’ll continue to celebrate with friends and food (somehow they always go together).
What an exciting week!! We’ll miss having family and friends from back home to celebrate with us, but we are so thankful for the encouragement we’ve received. This psalm has been on my heart so much lately… “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” Psalm 126:3

Thanks be to God!!

Our dog may now be famous in Rwanda!  After returning with Gracie from a walk in our neighborhood, some guys from the film institute across the street stopped by our gate.  They wanted to use Gracie in a music (hip hop) video they were shooting.  We let them in and introduced Gracie to them.  At first Gracie was very afraid of the camera and tripod but after a few minutes it didn’t seem like she minded being there while one of them sang/rapped along with the music that played from a little boom-box.  After three takes and multiple camera angles it was over.  Gracie seemed relieved!

Typically around 6am I begin to hear the daily morning stir around our house – our neighbor singing to a local Rwandan radio station, conversations on the street out front, cars zipping by, and even hammers beginning to bang across the street at various construction sites. Today was different. The birds still chirped, but most human bustle was silenced. Even by 10 am I had not heard the voices of neighbors, or heard but a few cars on the road. The radio next door remained fixed to a local station, but the mood was different and no one sang along.

On April 7th every year and for the week that follows, the country of Rwanda pauses to remember the genocide that was set in motion on April 7th 1994. In the quietness of this day, many Rwandese who live in Kigali will gather at Amahoro (peace) stadium to reflect and grieve over the events of 1994. They do so in community every year. Others will travel to visit family outside of the city and attend community meetings there. This whole week will be a week for Rwandans to remember and to grieve together.

I can’t ignore the parallel of this day amidst the most significant days in the Church calendar. Just last night, we encountered the death of Christ on the cross – Good Friday. The horrible acts of 1994 in Rwanda as well as my and your daily sins are why Christ chose to die … “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Christ’s death marks that great triumph over all sin, evil and death; without his death, there is no true life.

But, I’m certain that this didn’t seem like the reality to the people witnessing his death. After placing Jesus in the tomb, I imagine those who loved and followed him went to their homes grieving and confused. In this time of darkness and confusion, the questions asked by those who had placed their hopes in Christ as the savior of the Jewish people must have been similar to the questions so many Rwandese asked even on the first dark day of the genocide – Has God abandoned us? Has he forgotten us? As we look back on both dark days all that can be heard is the quietness and reality of pain and suffering. All hope seems utterly lost…

But the miracle of both stories is that they don’t end there. Jesus doesn’t stay in the tomb, and so too the nation of Rwanda and her people are experiencing a renewed hope – even a resurrection. Tomorrow as we wake up and recall the awesome splendor of the resurrection of Christ and the hope God holds out to each person who believes, my prayer for the people of Rwanda is that they would continue pressing on in hope, experiencing the reality of forgiveness, healing and restoration that can only be found in Christ.

April 7th marks the beginning of the national Genocide remembrance in Rwanda.  This is a week dedicated to remembering what happened over a period of 100 days in 1994.  It is a time to focus on and seek to help those who survived the Genocide, especially orphans and widows.  For our Rwandan friends this is a very sad time as they remember loved ones and  think back to their own experience of survival during those days.  As outsiders, this will be a unique part of our life and ministry here.  Honestly we’re not sure what to expect and westerners who’ve been here for this in the past have differing opinions.  This time of remembrance can be an opportunity for healing, but it can also open wounds that are still fresh after 18 years.  It is hoped that remembering in this way will guard against something like this ever happening again, but it can also bring to the surface deeply held frustrations and fears. As far as I can tell, it does not seem that the church has a very active role in the remembrance on the national level this year, however I think most churches try to enter into the remembrance in a special way, especially since it falls on the same weekend as Easter Sunday.  The collision of Easter and the remembrance week seems significant to me.  On the one hand, people may enter into one to the neglect of the other.  On the other hand, however, perhaps the best lens through which to view Genocide is the resurrection.  As the remembrance reminds us of the depth and horror of human sin and suffering, so the resurrection reminds us that this is not the end of our story; that God’s plan for his broken creation is becoming visible in the resurrection of Jesus and the new life he offers.  Please pray for the people of Rwanda during this week.  Pray that those who despair will find hope, that those who hurt will find the healer, and that those who are afraid will know true love.  And pray that the churches here will be places of God’s resurrection life breaking into the darkness of sin and sadness.