A few months ago,
one day before leaving Kigali for Southwest Rwanda, my assistant rector asked
me to be the point person for our Sister Parish Relationship between Church of
the Holy Spirit in Roanoke, VA and Kibagabaga Parish in Gasabo Diocese, Rwanda.
While I enjoyed my time in Cyangugu on my last trip, I knew I would need to
return to build a stronger connection with the people of Kibagabaga Parish.
Recently, PEARUSA sent an ambassador to Gasabo diocese in the person of newly ordained priest, Brandon Walsh. Luckily for me, I
had met the Walsh family the week before we left. Once I knew what week I would be able to
return, I contacted Brandon and he and Emily graciously offered to host me
during my stay. Kigali is a beautiful
city, spread across rolling hills, with a diverse international
population. Sitting in an Italian
restaurant enjoying a pizza, it is easy to forget you are in central Africa,
until you see a quarter of the city go dark because of a rolling brown out.
I had met a small
group of Kibagabaga parishioners on my previous visit, most of whom were pretty
well off and spoke Kinyarwanda, French, and English. The Wednesday evening prayer meeting I
attended had a catered meal and cake for dessert. I came away with the
impression that the parish was similar to my own in southwest Virginia; mostly
upper middle class and upwardly mobile.
Over a week, Brandon carefully and intentionally dispelled this myth,
with the help of the rector and Archdeacon, Samuel Kayitare.
While it is true
that some of the parishioners are doing well and the parish church sits among
beautiful new homes in a safe neighborhood, the parish is much more diverse
than my parish in Virginia. I got to
visit a different "Cell Group" for a Wednesday night bible study and
worship meeting. The meeting started a
little late because the members of the group have to walk home from their jobs;
no money for a motorscooter taxi and certainly no cars. This time I was in a small home packed into a
quaint living room with 5 families (at least two had 3 generations present) as
we sang praises to God in Kinyarwanda and heard a lesson focused on faith based
on the story of the 10 lepers healed by Christ in Luke 17. No English was spoken, except by me in
introduction and Samuel translating the lesson for me and Brandon. The home had an outdoor latrine which I
believe also served as bathroom for several surrounding homes.
This is the middle
class of the congregation. The woman of
the house was a widow and supported by a government pension. Painted walls and a 13 inch TV in the corner of
the living room, but no meal although they did pass out Fantas to the children and
grandparents and honored Brandon and I with bottled water. This would be a good time to point out that
Fanta Citron (lemon) is my favorite drink in the world and, as far as I can
tell, Coke only distributes it to Africa.
Watching the others drink Fanta and remembering that the water I was
given costs 3 times as much was tough. Unfortunately, I think I got Brandon hooked on the
stuff during my week so I recommended he find a dentist. Mmmmm….Fanta.
There is another
group served by the parish. Unstable
work, high rents for slum conditions with pit latrines surrounded by 12-20 mud
brick one or two room tin roofed homes. No running water or electricity. More
or less forgotten by the progress around them.
While there is probably something that can be done for the generation of adults living in
these conditions, my great hope is for their children. The parish nursery school is filled with
children from these families. They greet
me in English with a cheery, "Good morning, Sir." Upward mobility in Rwanda is based on command of English. The Walsh's nutrition ministry (www.serverwanda.com) is providing
them with peanuts as extra protein to prevent stunting. These children have a
future.
So, how does my
parish connect with this sister congregation in the heart of Africa? My hope is that we can foster and grow strong
prayer partnerships between individual parishioners. It is one thing to "pray for
Rwanda" and quite a different thing to pray for Gilbert for success in his
new job; or for Claire's five children as they go back to school. My parish used the Advent guide which Brandon
produced in our small groups as an Advent study; but my hope is that we can
create a diglot bible study that the Kibagabaga "Cell Groups" and our
"Life Groups" can go through together; knowing that our brothers and sisters
in Rwanda are studying and meditating on the same passages of scripture at the
same time. My prayer is for success in
our partnership and that we would be an example of how this Sister Parish
relationship can strengthen PEAR and PEARUSA.
Peace,
Kelley K. Whitmer,
MD
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