Down to Business

Our final two days in Rwanda were filled with meetings—important connections with leadership at both Sonrise School and the Diocese. I’m particularly grateful for the two hour meeting with had at Sonrise–with the deputy principals of both the primary and high schools, the business manager, and the two chaplains. With one or two exceptions, this group forms the executive team of the school, along with Bishop Mbanda (who was not at the meeting).

I’ve been to Sonrise a number of times, and to my mind, this was the most helpful and productive meeting to date. I think that’s because the longer we are in relationship with this school (and with others in Rwanda) we are able to be trusted, and are allowed to move beyond the external perimeter that is always there in cross-cultural communication. In the West, we expect to have full disclosure in our business and ministry contexts, and we pride ourselves on our honesty and transparency, and ‘laying it all out there’ for people. It takes years to do this in places like Rwanda, where there has been so much pain, wounding, and betrayal. For them its not about ‘hiding’ things, but more about caring for us in the relationship, and wanting to honor time. We could learn from that, I believe.

Sonrise has faced some serious challenges. It is recovering from a drop in the number of students, including fee-paying ones, and operating below capacity has hurt the financial side of things. For instance, the government recently declared that no child under 10 could attend a boarding school. Much of Sonrise’s intervention and healing work has been with the youngest of children, who need to be reached early on and provided with a stable environment. Sonrise has responded by increasing its reach in the local Musanze area for this age group, but it has not made up for its losses, yet. But there are a number of new registrations for the new school year (beginning in January) and confidence that other strategies will enable Sonrise to respond well to the changing situations in the country.

This is a hard-working team, and I’m grateful and humbled to be in partnership with them. There is still so much need in the country–poverty, HIV/Aids, generational issues with genocide–and Sonrise, if its going to continue to reach and serve the neediest children, requires our continued generous support and relationship. Come to the Bocce benefit Sunday, and write a check. I have every confidence in asking you to do so.

Tuesday we met as part of the Diocesan Council, in preparation for their Synod in January. Many reports were presented (financial, education, parishes, etc). It struck me how much they do with so little resource, and the little we often do with so much. For instance, there are 91,000 church members spread throughout the diocese, and only four pastors who have seminary training at the graduate level. If you break out the number of members with ordained pastors, there is a pastor for every 1,800 people! Of course, they use catechists and other forms to leadership to bridge this need, but its sobering to consider how desperately they want to train and raise up pastors and find it so hard to do so. Prayer for Rev. Charles Kubwayo who is the Executive Secretary of the Diocese, and Pastor Christophe, who leads the education efforts (as well as serving at St. Michael’s priest), and the 87 pastors who are in training in local Diocesan programs.

Sonrise School leaders