Today was a special day at St. Etienne Cathedral--at least for me.  It was the Feast of Pentecost, and there were many languages, cultures and backgrounds represented.  I also preached one service with a translator, testament to my lack of the ability to speak in the needed tongue of the hour.  But it was only [...]

On the day that I departed the US (Sunday the 12th), Vestry member Michele Becker presented a timeline of our relationship and connection with Rwanda.  We wanted to do this because many of our newer folks at Redeemer are not aware of how these relationships began and developed, and its a good reminder for all [...]

The sun has set behind the Kigali hills, and the smoke from fires in the valleys rises to hang, weightless, on the horizon.  It's the end of another day and a reminder that I finally made it.  I hit the ground running Wednesday night and have been busy since, while still trying to adjust to [...]

Travels to Africa are always an adventure---even if uneventful.  It appears that this trip will start like a lot of them--with flight and travel issues.  I'm stuck in Brussels awaiting a technical issue with Brussels Airlines, hopefully to be resolved by Wednesday. I learned early this morning that there is a baggage handlers strike on, [...]

Most visitors to Kigali, Rwanda, at some point, want to drive by one of the most famous hotels in the world--the Milles Collines.  This upscale hotel was the center of a life and death drama during the 1994 genocide, as bands of soldiers and marauders searched for ethnic tutsis to kill as part of a [...]

The last few days have been spent with our Redeemer Missioners to Rwanda, Dan and Kari Hanlon.  What a great time we have had reconnecting, learning about their life and work here, and experiencing the city of Kigali in new ways.  On my previous trips I have stayed at the Anglican Guest House and tried [...]

For years we have talked about our relationship with the Anglican Church of Rwanda.  In the last few months this has become even more real as we have had to discern our congregation's future journey with our Rwandan brothers and sisters.  During this visit Amanda and I had the privilege to be included in a [...]

Wherever one travels in Rwanda, particularly in the rural areas, small children wander the roadsides and villages.  Public education used to begin around age 7, although it is being lowered in some places.  But before that time, children are generally left to fend for themselves while the mother or parents work.  To help meet a [...]

We all arrived safely Saturday night, then drove two hours north (with our driver Herman) to Musanze.  Sunday dawned very early (it seemed) with pastoral duties for the clergy.  Deacon Amanda preached at two services at Sonrise School, first the primary school children then the high school, and Fr. Jay preached the kinyarwanda service at [...]

This is my fourth visit to Rwanda, and its starting to feel like a real adventure.  Without rehearsing all the details, let me just note that we are in Brussels, very tired, looking forward to actually being on the flight to Rwanda tomorrow (Saturday) after missing the flight the last two days.  First, because our [...]