Tears of Joy and the Rhythm of the Classroom

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I have been on the ground in Kigali for exactly a week today, and I am just now sitting down to write my second blog update. That certainly wasn't my original intention, but Rwanda has a beautiful way of sweeping you up in its own rhythm, leaving very little room for a computer screen.

When I finally stepped off the plane at Kigali International Airport, it had been a grueling 28 hours since I walked out the front door of my home in New Hampshire. The journey itself was incredibly smooth—we met up with Dr. Bane Angles and Scott McClimans during our layover in Brussels and flew the final leg into Kigali together—but by the time we landed, the exhaustion of travel was real.

Yet, the moment I stepped off the plane, the fatigue evaporated, replaced by an overwhelming sense of gratitude and humility. It felt completely surreal. After 26 years away from global missions, I was finally back on the field.

Because we arrived under the cover of darkness, I couldn't yet appreciate Kigali’s famous landscape—the sweeping vistas of the "Land of a Thousand Hills" would have to wait until morning. Instead, my very first introduction to Rwanda came through its people.

We were warmly greeted at the airport by Bishop Theophile Rugubira and three members of the Harvest Christian Church. They didn't just meet us with standard handshakes; they welcomed us with beautiful bouquets of flowers and insisted on carrying our luggage. They escorted us on a short drive to the MACU-Rwanda duplex campus in Kimironko, where they had a spectacular dinner waiting for our tired team.

After dinner, Frank Reynolds and I were brought just up the road to the Saint Augustine Motel in the neighborhood of Gikondo to turn in for the night. I’ll be honest: after over two decades away from missions, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect logistically. But my accommodations have been far better than I anticipated. I even have a hot shower, which feels like an absolute luxury!

Senses, Sustenance, and a Historic Graduation

That first night at the campus, our hosts treated us to chicken, rice, traditional cabbage, and ibirayi (fresh-cut chips or french fries). Everything was topped with a beautiful, traditional Rwandan tomato sauce called Akarange. It’s a mild, deeply comforting sauce slow-simmered with ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic, and bell peppers. I liked it so much that I have ended up putting Akarange on absolutely everything at almost every single meal. I'm not even sure if that's how the locals traditionally do it, but to me, it makes the food here taste even better. For dessert, they brought out fresh Rwandan pineapple. I can say without exaggeration it was the absolute best pineapple I have ever tasted in my life.

We hit the ground running on Saturday, which turned out to be a historic day for the ministry. We attended the MACU-Rwanda graduation ceremony, celebrating their largest graduating class ever with 15 students earning their Associate of Arts in Ministry from Mid-Atlantic Christian University.

To my total surprise, they sat me right at the front as an honored guest. It deeply touched my heart to watch these leaders cross the stage—including a 61-year-old woman who made history as the very first woman to ever complete the entire degree program. Seeing her resilience and dedication set the tone for the entire week.

Four Hours of Pure Joy

The next morning, the true spiritual heartbeat of this country broke wide open for me. On Sunday, we attended the Hermon Parish of the Harvest Christian Church, and thus far, it has been the most impactful experience of the entire trip.

Church started at 8:30 in the morning. By the time the final benediction was spoken, it was 1:00 in the afternoon. For four and a half hours, the room was alive. There were over 400 people packed into the space, and the service was fueled by a level of singing, dancing, and uninhibited praise that completely filled the room. Our own Dr. Bane Angles preached an incredible message, and the congregation was intensely engaged. Afterward, it felt like all 400 people wanted to shake our hands, welcome us, and connect with us.

As a white person here, you quickly learn a new vocabulary word: Umuzungu. You get a lot of looks as you walk through the neighborhoods, especially from the children whose eyes go wide when you pass by. It’s not that we are the first white people they’ve ever seen, but in the entire week I’ve been here, I think I’ve only spotted three other Westerners. Yet, despite standing out completely, I have never felt more comfortable or more at home. There is a deep, peace-filled dignity to the Rwandan people, both inside and outside the church walls, that completely disarms you.

Equipping the Front Lines

On Monday morning, the true weight of why I am here finally began.  According to data from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a staggering 95% of all Christian pastors worldwide have no formal theological education or degree. Let that sink in. Ninety-five percent of the global church is being led by men and women operating purely on faith, with zero resources, training, or support.

That is what makes this MACU program so critical, and it is why being a small part of it is the honor of a lifetime.

On Monday and Tuesday, Frank and I tag-teamed to teach a course on the Purpose-Driven Church. I’ll admit, when I first stood up to speak, I was incredibly nervous. It had been decades since I had to teach through an interpreter, and I had forgotten how slow and deliberate the cadence has to be. You speak a sentence, you stop, and you wait for your words to be translated into Kinyarwanda.

While the formal university students are required to know English, we are teaching a cohort of 30 local, grassroots pastors from a wide variety of denominations across the region—and many of them do not speak English. Some traveled from incredibly far away just to sit in this room.

Our translators were fantastic. Bishop Theophile Rugubira carried the bulk of it, alongside a lovely 25-year-old university student named Abe, who has the most beautiful heart for Jesus you will ever encounter. Despite the clunky rhythm of translation, the pastors were intensely receptive. Out of the 30 pastors, five are local women carrying immense leadership mantles in their communities. At the end of this week, every pastor who completes the training will be gifted a Rwandan Study Bible—a resource that, on their local budgets, is entirely cost-prohibitive. It is a massive, life-changing gift for their ministries.

The Exhaustion and the Fellowship

Yesterday, on Wednesday, we shifted gears into Biblical Eldership. Frank and I brought Scott McClimans into the rotation for this curriculum, and I was personally responsible for leading two massive 90-minute teaching sessions.

Honestly? It was completely exhausting. Pouring out that much energy while managing the mental gymnastics of a translation lag takes everything out of you. But when I looked out at those 30 faces furiously taking notes, absorbing information that they will immediately take back to implement in their local congregations, the exhaustion didn't matter. It felt incredible.

The fellowship outside the classroom has been just as fulfilling as the teaching. Spending evening hours unwinding, laughing, and processing the kingdom with Scott, Dr. Bane Angles, Dr. David King, and especially Frank Reynolds has been a masterclass for my own soul. Frank is currently on his 30-something trip to this country—a legacy of deep faithfulness that started 17 years ago back in 2009. To stand beside him and learn from his endurance is a gift I don't take for granted.

I have to be honest with you: I have cried every single day that I have been here. Every single day. But they are always tears of pure joy. My heart is being completely melted and pricked by the sheer grace, humility, and warmth of these lovely people.

It is Thursday morning here as I type this, and the sun is just coming up over Gikondo. Today, Frank, Scott, Theophile, and I will step back into the lecture room for day two of Eldership training, leading up to a grand round-table discussion on Friday.

My dream twenty-five years ago was to train seminarians. God chose not to open that specific door back then. Instead, He waited two decades, dusted off the dream, and placed me in a room in Kigali to train the frontline heroes of the global church. He is so good.

Thank you for your prayers. Keep them coming—we need them. Next stop: Day 4.