Me with Bishop Louis

We are spending a couple of days in Kigali, Rwanda’s booming Capitol. To be here is to be overwhelmed with sensations and stimuli, from people in every direction, to the smell of the air (something’s burning) to frenetic traffic. I don’t know where to look, there is so much happening.

Before 1962 Kigali was just a small dusty town, but with independence came the selection of a new capitol–one that was in the center of the country, and one that wasn’t from where the Tutsi kings had ruled for hundreds of years. Lately there has been tremendous foreign investment in this city, and the rapid growth of tall buildings and spreading development has led some to call this the Singapore of Africa.

Kigali is also home to the Anglican Province of Rwanda and it’s new Archbishop, the Most Rev. Onesephore Rwaje. He has been in office just a couple of months, succeeding Archbishop Kolini. The new archbishop and I shared tea in his office this morning, and talked about the challenges and blessings of this work. Formerly the bishop of Byumba Diocese (in the north of the country) he will now oversee the province, as well as a newly created smaller diocese in part of Kigali. He asked us to pray for pastors and personnel in the 5 parishes that make us the new diocese, in an area near the airport.

I also met today with Bishop Louis Muvunyi, newly installed as head of the Kigali diocese, with leadership responsibilities touching on tens of thousands of Anglican Christians in this city. When I visited last year (then) Pastor Louis served as my driver for the two hour trip to Musanze. Two days later he was elected Bishop. Pastors are lining up to drive me around town. Seriously, he is a sensitive and humble leader with a servant’s heart who will be a powerful leader for the diocese, I’m sure.