A Productive and Rewarding Week

When one leaves the house before 8am and arrives back home well after 8pm, combined with unreliable and slow Internet service, it makes it tough to keep a blog up to date so please accept our apologies for a week of silence. That silence does not mean we're idle or discouraged, though. It's been a productive and rewarding week as we added more readers and developed relationships with more and more people. We particularly enjoy our time at FAWE Girls' School as the girls warm to us - especially Amy and "Caleb the Giant".

























By government decree, the teachers at FAWE have another six months or so to learn English sufficiently to teach their classes in it, which is a somewhat daunting task for those who grew up speaking French. But they are working hard to learn and we're honored to help. One of my readers is an English teacher from Uganda whose grandparents fled Rwanda during a drought long ago, living as refugees doing their best to provide for their family in rural Uganda. Their grandson, with whom I am now reading, was never accepted in Uganda even though he and his parents were born there, so he determined to work harder than the others to build a life for himself in hopes of returning to Rwanda, the country he considers home. That wish came true six months ago when he got this job at FAWE, and now he wants to improve his English and finish his studies at a university so he can help his family move "home" to Rwanda where there are more opportunities to work, even though he is treated in Rwanda as a foreigner. He is a devout believer and words written in this blog cannot do justice to the appreciation and joy he expressed when I gave him an English New Testament - the same expression I witnessed on the face of a 17 year old FAWE student when I gave her one as well. Keep in mind that the average wage in Rwanda is less than $1 per day and teachers are one of the lowest paid professions, so a $5 Bible is a luxury few can afford, especially in a country where many things are considerably more expensive than in the U.S.

So much more happened in the last week, including the once-a-month community service obligation called "umuganda," an invasion of flying termites after a rain, and the introduction of Ultimate Frisbee to our readers, so we will catch you up soon. We'll also share with you the other location where we're working, Christ's Church in Rwanda. Our team is awesome and focused on the work, doing our best to be the light of Christ to everyone we come in contact with. Tomorrow we head to Kibuye, a rural town in western Rwanda on the shore of Lake Kivu that borders the Congo. This is our first trip out of Kigali so we're looking forward to the drive through the mountains and a little R&R to re-energize for the coming week. Blessings to you all.

Photos from Week One

Click here for some photos from our first week in Rwanda.

Also, comments may now be made on this blog without having to have an account. Keep the comments and notes coming - we love them!

"Memorial Day" in Rwanda

We have settled into much of the day-to-day details that are different in Kigali…getting out of bed without getting tangled in the mosquito netting, a subtle trickle of warm water for a shower, and the ever oscillating measure of time that governs the clock and determines what “on-time” means from day-to-day in this part of Africa. It is not familiar but I at least feel more prepared for what the day will be like.

I was not prepared, though, for the details of what the genocide in this country actually was. Some of us had read about or watched chronicles of the events leading up to and during the slaughter of ~ 1 million people in 100 days in Rwanda in 1994. Today, on Memorial Day, the team spent about 2 ½ hours in the Genocide Memorial that the government has erected to tell the story for remembrance of those that died but also so that people will REMEMBER and learn. We read and saw interviews of detailed first-hand accounts of the depth of depravity that is possible and what monstrous evil people can inflict on one another…the second floor was dedicated to the children. In the end we walked through several dozen over-sized pictures of children beginning with the babies. Under each large, dark-eyed innocent face was a statement of their favorite food, toy and family member. It ended with a one line description of their unique personality and the details of their unique death.

My defense mechanisms deny that I and those that are part of me are capable of such. Today, I have let the thought tug at my consciousness that it is probably not so. In Rwanda, a neighbor that you knew and had had in your home and who’s children played with your children was your likely butcherer using methods that would cause the most suffering before death. Husbands killed their own wives and children. Priests allowed sanctuary for 1000s of the vulnerable in their churches and then locked the doors for them to be bulldozed or burned to the ground.

So what is my response, an individual, besides numbness or avoidance of thinking about these things? I am going to allow God to hopefully bring more clarity to the answers to that question in days ahead. What did come to me today was that we must raise our children to not think of themselves more highly than they ought…to understand themselves in the proper context of being part of humankind, no more, no less, and to understand themselves in the proper context of who they are to God. Cary broadened the concept beyond our progeny - it is us living honorably and influencing others, one person at a time.

Grace and Peace to you on this Memorial Day.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength…and love your neighbor as yourself” Mk 12:31-32

Our Second Day

We are now in our second day of studies. Most of our work so far has been at Fawe, where we are studying with students, teachers and staff. Our schedules are quickly filling up, but that doesn't necessarily mean we are always busy. The Rwandan culture has little respect for time. As a result, the people see no obligation to honor a scheduled commitment. While this behavior may seem rude to Americans, it is perfectly reasonable here. Because we are the foreigners, we are the ones who must make the cultural adjustment.

In spite of the challenges, we are beginning to get to know these people. I have discovered that I have common interests with several of my readers. Two of them are teachers who are studying in the evenings for Computer Science degrees. Two others are Math/Science teachers. One of the students aspires to be a chemistry lab technician.

I am confident that God is opening doors for us as we begin these relationships. I am also convinced that Satan is trying to interfere. Please continue to pray that these relationships will grow, and that God will work powerfully through these relationships.

Arrived in Rwanda, ready to work

Some 30 hours after leaving Manhattan, KS, we arrived at the airport in Kigali, Rwanda, along with ALL of our luggage. It was a joy to be greeted at the airport by Bryan Hixson, a long-time friend and the missionary with whom we will work, and Moses Mbabaali, the youth pastor ("minister" has a different meaning in Rwanda) for Christ's Church in Rwanda. Right now we're sitting in Bryan and Holly Hixson's living room sorting out schedules for reading sessions that start first thing tomorrow (Thursday) morning at the Ishuli Fawe Girl's School. We had a fruitful information meeting at Fawe with 33 students and teachers in attendance and seven other teachers who filled out applications but couldn't attend today. We'll spend our days at Fawe and evenings and weekends with others at Christ's Church in Rwanda. We're excited to get started and transform nervous energy into productive work and plant seeds of faith. Thank you, everyone, for your support, encouragement and prayers.

By the way, Lora, Caleb is alive and well and will contact you soon. We're taking care of him. :-)

The Power of Prayer

This morning one of the classes at Manhattan Church of Christ spent the entire time discussing with the team our anticipations, anxieties, outlooks, fears, and joys about the project, and then prayed over us intensely for quite some time, which included many tears. It is these expressions of true spiritual support and intercession that make more of a difference than can possibly be described. Thank you, Morris, for being a man who listens to God.

The Hour Cometh

It's now Saturday night before our Monday morning departure, which obviously means intense organizing and packing time (well except for Rod, who packs in an hour the night before), but it also means the arrival of the reality that we don't know what we are getting ourselves into.

This is not a bad thing. It really just means that even with all of the training, preparation, organizing, research, and readiness that we work so hard to equip ourselves with, we simply won't know what all is going to take place until we are in the ground and in the moment. There are always a thousand cultural things that slap you in the face when you land across the world and immediately start trying to work closely with the local people. And even as much as you try to prepare for those things as well, you never know enough and you just have to observe and adapt. And occasionally look like a complete fool. One obvious reality is that we will stand out as foreigners in Rwanda no matter what - something I already know we'll be reminded often of as we hear the word "muzungu" ("white person") used around us repeatedly.

There are a few facts that we do know, and that is that we will be reading (which is what our work is called) in two places all day from Wednesday through Saturday each week, with church and parties on Sundays and Monday and Tuesday off. One place is FAWE, which I believe is Forum for African Women Educationalists, where we'll be working Wednesday through Friday with teachers each day, 9am-4pm. After that we will read for two hours at the end of the day at Christ's Church Rwanda, which is the church we are partnering with throughout the project. On Saturdays we will read all day at the church building.

We will be living on the grounds of the Rwanda Outreach and Community Foundation, which is part of an effort established by the Rwandan government as part of the Vision 2020 plan. Vision 2020 has set out goals for the developmental progress of Rwanda by 2020, and the Vision 2020 area of Kigali, which encompasses the grounds of ROC and Christ's Chruch Rwanda, is essentially a prototype community for what the government would like all of Rwanda to aspire to. The ROC is also home to a school called Kigali International Community School (KICS).

So, despite the fact that we simply can't know what we will truly experience, despite the fact that we will be stragers in a strange land for six weeks, despite the fact that we'll be culturally ignorant muzungus, we still board the plane on Monday with high hopes and expectations. Why? Because we know that ultimately it is not us that is doing this work. We simply let ourselves be guided by the Spirit of God, and trust that that is sufficient for what God is wanting to do with us in the hearts of his people there. Six weeks will be both a long time and no time at all, but we trust that it will be what God needs to do whatever it is he has planned.

Please feel free to leave comments on this blog throughout the project. I cannot tell you how much it means to hear from people at home when you are living in a strange and unfamiliar place. Sometimes just a single line of encouragement can make the difference in a day!

As always, thanks for your continued prayers. God is good!

The Team

Kansas State University - Kigali, Rwanda


Amy Fitzgerald, Dana Townsend, Harvard Townsend, Caleb Otto, Rod Howell, and Cary McCall

Amy Fitzgerald is completing her second year as a student at K-State. She is studying to be an art teacher and has always loved doing art since childhood. She grew up in Colorado and is a triplet with two brothers. She has visited many different countries and is looking forward to being in Rwanda this summer!

Dana Townsend is a faculty member in the Division of Biology at Kansas State University and teaches and administrates the large Structure and Function of the Human Body course. She also is in charge of the Cadaver Dissection Teams. She has been married to Harvard Townsend for over 30 years and together they have raised three children who are all married, with one employed as an architect, one in charge of a children’s library and one finishing his first year of medical school. Dana loves cooking for large groups of people, enjoys exercise and the outdoors, and very much wants to be useful to the people of Rwanda.

Harvard Townsend is of course married to Dana and her partner in crime raising their three children. Harvard is the Chief Information Security Officer at Kansas State University where he has studied and worked for 32 years, receiving his bachelor's degree in wildlife biology and master's degree in computer science. Harvard is an elder serving the Manhattan Church of Christ and helps Cary McCall with the Cats for Christ campus ministry. His passions are his family, talking about spiritual matters one-on-one or in small groups, backpacking, reading, gardening, and any kind of adventure or traveling. Harvard participated in an LST project in 2007 in Hungary with Rod Howell and is very excited to share in the work in Rwanda.

Caleb Otto is a junior in Chemical Engineering at Kansas State University. He earned an Associates degree from a Hutchinson Community College where he also played football. He apparently loves school because he will graduate with two bachelors degrees and four or five minors. His hobbies are hunting, fishing, drag racing, demolition derbies, and anything that is outdoors. This will be his first time outside of the United States and he is excited to be a part of this LST team.

Rod Howell, Team Trainer/Mentor, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computing and Information Sciences at Kansas State University and faculty adviser for the Cats for Christ campus ministry. He has been training LST teams and participating in LST projects since 1994. Prior to this summer, he has been a member of 14 LST teams in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.

Cary McCall serves as the campus minister for Cats for Christ, the campus ministry of Manhattan Church of Christ in Manhattan, Kansas. He loves working with college students and has dedicated his life to the mission of campus ministry, which he grew passionate about as a student at the University of Oklahoma. He enjoys international travel, geocaching, reading, and spending quality time with people. He has done masters degree work in ministry at Abilene Christian University and has also worked in campus ministry as an intern at both the University of Oklahoma and University of Alabama. He got interested in LST when he did his first project under the leadership of Bryan and Holly Hixson (who are now the missionaries in Rwanda) in the summer of 2000.

T-Minus Eight Days

In just over a week our team from Manhattan, Kansas, will be departing for the distant land of Rwanda. Right now it is distant not only in miles, but also as a concept for each one of us. I started traveling internationally nine years ago and it is always an enigma - you can read books, talk to people, and study your destination for months but you never truly know what you are actually going to experience. This, to me, seems to be particularly true of Rwanda. I've been many places in the world now, and it is always a challenging experience - in good ways. Everyone should know what it is like to be the foreigner. There is no question that each of us will be completely foreign in Rwanda. But the great thing about this is that God knows these people intimately, and when we hook up with him, he never disappoints.

The aim of this blog is to give each member of this team a public voice leading up to and throughout the project. Hopefully you'll hear from us here as often as possible about the work, our experiences, the people, the culture, and the wonderful Land of a Thousand Hills.