Report from Rwanda Team

Report to Luther Place Church 9-15-06

From: Rwanda Team

On July 28, 2006, fourteen people left Washington, DC for Rwanda to represent Luther Place to explore the establishment of a new relationship with the Lutheran Church of Rwanda. This group was organized by intern, Vicar Sarah Scherschligt, with guidance from Gary and Margaret Maring, Pastor Bob, and others who had formed a relationship with Pastor John Rutsindintwarane during and after he interned at Luther Place and N Street Village in 2002, and Jane Saari, who is working with the Rwanda School Project. Pastor John, who is now Assistant to Bishop Kalisa of the Rwandan Lutheran Church, was our host and guide for the entire trip.

A major purpose of our trip was to learn more about the conditions surrounding the 1994 genocide in which neighbors killed their neighbors, family members killed other members of their families, and the church was too often complicit in the process. We also wanted to learn about the reconciliation and community building processes that are underway, helping both perpetrators and victims of the genocide to live peacefully together in one of the smallest, most densely populated countries in Africa. Another major purpose was to establish an ongoing relationship with the Lutheran Church of Rwanda and particularly the Lutheran parish in Kirehe, where we were to assist in the construction of a church building. In addition to our labor, we brought a gift of $5,000 (thanks to the generous support of our many financial sponsors) which should provide most of the funds necessary for materials to complete the building. A third purpose was to learn more about the plans for construction of a secondary school under the direction of Pastor John’s wife, Robin Strickler, founder of The Rwanda School Project. A final purpose was to be a source of encouragement for the reconciliation and community building work that was already underway.

The group arrived in Kigali, Rwanda, on Sunday, July 31, with the exception of Brian Cooper, who took an alternate route, and Dale McDaniel and Marjorie Smith, who were delayed in London because of an overbooked flight. All three arrived the next day, August 1. The first days in Kigali were spent becoming acclimated to the environment, culture, and conditions associated with living in a foreign place. We also had to deal with missing luggage which arrived over several subsequent days.

We almost immediately began meeting with church and government officials. On August 1, we met with Bishop Kalisa who gave us an inspirational presentation on the Lutheran church and its role in reconciliation, peace and fellowship, and community development. We also had a meeting with a dynamic woman, Member of Parliament Juliana Kantaugwa, who gave us extensive background on the recent history of the country and briefed us on the current political, social and economic situations. She is an example of one of the many exemplary women leaders who are emerging in Rwanda. Later we met with the Deputy Minister of Education who briefed us on the government’s comprehensive plans to expand educational opportunities to all Rwandan children. This meeting dovetailed nicely with our learning about Robin’s plans for developing a secondary school.

Three days were spent in Kibungo and Kirehe where we worked with Pastor Mugabo Evariste and his congregants helping to build a church for their congregation of several hundred who have been using an open air tent for several years. While in the Kibungo area, we also visited several projects aimed at rebuilding community and promoting reconciliation, most all projects involving our host, Pastor John, along with the Lutheran church and in most cases in cooperation with other denominations.

Projects that we visited included:
1. Pastor John’s community building project in Mumeya, a remote village high on a hill where he has organized people through an interreligous coalition to meet and decide on the most important needs in the village and how to address them. The community decided that building a dispensary/clinic was the highest community priority. With Pastor John’s assistance, local leaders have emerged and are moving ahead, largely with volunteer labor. (Pastor John learned his community building skills in San Francisco with an organization called PICO, which is very similar to the WIN effort in D.C. It was great to see the same type of interreligous community organizing happening in a remote village of Rwanda.)

2. An Anglican Church project, facilitated by Pastor John, which brings teenagers together in reconciliation and community rebuilding. Following Pastor John’s reconciliation presentation, the youth band started playing disco music, dancing commenced, and we were all pulled on to the dance floor by youth of the congregation. It was a moving experience for all of us.

3. An Anglican Church community reconciliation project in which they are sponsoring two orphaned teenage girls to attend high school and building a new house for the girls and their grandparents. The church is also remarkably fostering forgiveness and reconciliation by building a house in the community for a genocidaire who apparently was involved in village killings, potentially including the murder of the girls’ parents. The grandfather said that he had forgiven the perpetrator because he has sought forgiveness and they needed to move on. It was a very powerful witness to the radical forgiveness that we are called to as God’s people.

4. Most of us traveled back to Kibungo later to attend a Gacaca court in Kirehe village at the Lutheran parish’s open-air tent. Gacaca, an ancient Rwandan tradition, is held once a week at every village in the country, and for Kirehe, it is on Tuesday. To appear at Gacaca, a defendant must be ready to confess his crime and ask for forgiveness. The accused must tell the things he did. Witnesses are then asked to corroborate or contradict the accused. Then the community is asked if anyone has anything to add. Following all of the discussion, the locally appointed community ‘judges’ ask the defendant what they think their punishment should be. They then ask the victims the same question, and finally ask the community. Then the judges retire and render a decision. It was a remarkable process to witness.

Our group also got to meet with Lutheran World Federation (LWF) staff in Kigali and were quite impressed with their projects in Rwanda. Pastor John works closely with LWF and, in fact, he and Robin live at a LWF compound in Kibungo. LWF was one of the first relief organizations into Rwanda after the genocide and they continue to sponsor several very effective community and economic development projects such as the training center for farmers near Gitarama that we visited. Weekly training sessions are being provided to local farmers; local villages sponsor farmers to go and learn sustainable agriculture practices, which are then taken back and shared in the villages. Remarkably, most of the trainees are now women because they do most of the farming in addition to child raising, cooking, etc. We were all quite impressed with the success of this project.

During the trip, the team tried to do as much as possible together, though occasionally a few would go off on a special project and then share their experience back with the larger group. For example, Brian Cooper spent two days helping to set up the computers we carried to Rwanda. Margaret met a remarkable woman, Anna, who is managing a house for orphans in Kigali. Some of us were able to visit the house and had a very moving experience interacting with the young people of the orphanage who have such tragic stories but yet were able to sing and dance for and with us. Our team was not able to stay in the same guesthouses, because there was not enough space, but we did have almost all meals together, and we met almost every morning and evening for devotionals and reflection. This was an important part of group process for both faith reflections and to update on logistical matters.

The trip ended with a visit to Tanzania, where Pastor John grew up. Twelve members of the team went to game parks to see the animals and birds of East Africa. Then ten members of the team returned to Washington on August 12 where Pastor Bob, Pastor Robin, and friends and family greeted us at the airport.

Our trip turned out to be an experience of a lifetime. Pastor John and Robin were most gracious and accommodating hosts. They provided us with a myriad of opportunities to meet Rwandans and experience their daily life; we met Rwandans in the top levels of government and those living in the most remote villages. We were touched deeply by all we met. We worked, we sang, we danced, and we learned much during our two-week trip. Rwanda will always be in our hearts.

We experienced both the most tragic and most optimistic aspects of Rwandan life and talked to those at both the top and bottom of society. Our deepest impression was one of profound hope and optimism, of new life growing from unbelievable horror. The society is at a critical juncture and we are committed to doing our small part to keep the recovery on track.

We have compiled a list of potential follow-up activities and have formed a committee to present those options, first to the group for discussion and prioritization, then for presentation to Church Council. We sincerely thank the Church Council and all who supported our journey. We believe this is the beginning of a long-term partnership with Pastor John and the Lutheran Church of Rwanda and look forward to helping enable future Luther Place groups to go to Rwanda to witness and participate in the remarkable ongoing work of reconciliation and forgiveness there. We pray that through such experiences we can lift up this sign of God's love in the world within our own local communities.