The Two Month Mark

We have now been in Rwanda officially for two full months. It’s about the time that we were told that the initial high of arrival would dissipate and we would probably hit an emotional low point. No matter how hard you try to prepare yourself psychologically and emotionally, this low is impossible to avoid when living in a place like Africa. Life here is just heavy. The other morning my eye felt sore and I looked in the mirror to discover I had what appeared to be a black eye. From what?! From life?! There are some days when you feel like you’ve been punched. Especially on days where you feel like everyone is trying to take advantage or make fun of your cultural unawareness. I feel justified in using this kind of hyperbole, since in all truthfulness, getting straight answers here can be quite difficult. The best example of this would be the process I just endured to acquire my permanent visa. Each time I would go to Immigration, I would be told that I needed one more thing, or even given incorrect information. Only after several visits over the course of a month and a half, and a not so small fine, was I finally granted the visa. Did I mention the overt rudeness? Oh yeah that too. It makes the DMV look like well-oiled machine. Now we have to pray for Rachael’s visa situation.

On top of this, I’m told by a variety of sources that the Immigration Office has it out for incoming NGO workers due to the current political climate. The mere fact that I have my visa makes me one of the fortunate ones. This just compounds the frustration for Rach and me. Quite frankly, we would not be here if it weren’t to help the people of Rwanda. Yet, there are people explicitly trying to prevent us and others like us from doing so.

People tell me that I cannot take these difficulties personally. On one hand this is true, on the other it is incredibly personal, because I know these are attacks from Satan. Nothing could be more personal than a spiritual attack on one’s soul; the evil one’s attempts to throw off everything that I believe.

In the U.S., I think we often deal with the attacks by letting ourselves become distracted by other things. We go out to the movies, we go the mall, we go to a concert or sporting event, etc. Here, those aren’t really available options. The beauty of it though, is that we are forced to confront our struggles head-on. I thought I was emptying myself by coming here, but the Lord is showing me that there is another layer of selfishness that I need to let go.

Sorry if it seems like this is coming from a dark place. There indeed has been great joy among the trials and tribulations. Just the other day, someone shared a passage out of Hebrews 11,that was so encouraging.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for…By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country…These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Here is something else that needs to be shared:

The facilitators are a critical part of the Rwanda SCA program; they provide the direct connection to the groups and group leaders. Each facilitator works on a volunteer basis, only receiving a small stipend for phone minutes and maybe a bicycle, merely because they believe in the power of the SCA Program. Over this past month, we have heard many powerful testimonies describing the life-changing power of savings groups on the lives of the facilitators themselves. We would have loved to recorded all of the dozens of stories that were shared, however time and resources constraints allowed us to provide the stories of two of the facilitators.

Below are the narratives of the stories of these two facilitators:

Marcelline Mukayinanga

As an example of the person she is, Marcelline was the first facilitator at this particular retreat to greet/bless me. She has a friendly face and an even friendlier smile (sadly, she is not smiling in her picture). Even without being able to understand her since she spoke in Kinyarwanda, her passion for the SCA Program and for others was evident. She is very adamant about having others, especially women, join savings circles and enhance their financial/life position. She is currently going back to school to finish high school and go to university so that she can help people even more than she already is. Her dream is to become literate and pass on knowledge and learning to others less fortunate than herself. Her big heart is evident in that she has adopted and raised four children.

Protois Rubayiza

Protois is one of the older facilitators, but his energy is still abundant. His testimony, in and of itself, is very powerful. He started by joining a savings group 13 years ago. From the group he received a 5000 franc loan. With this initial loan he planted potatoes to harvest. His first crop yielded a total profit of 50 francs (less than $1). His second crop faired a little better, but not by much. This crop profited 150 francs. Protois did not let this deter him from continuing to build a better life. After much perseverance, he now owns 4 houses, a car, cows, which he loans out to others, and runs his own business selling various agriculture products. Although he did not start by saving with a HOPE run SCA. He believes very strongly in our program and how it helps people. His hope is to double the amount of people under his own responsibility and would like to see all Rwandans join an SCA.