This is a personal reflection from the team members.
FROM JANELL:
I had the amazing opportunity to go to Rwanda for 2 weeks this summer to visit the Umuryango Children’s Network and Bright Future Academy. I cannot stop thinking about all of the children we met – especially the Umuryango children. I think about and pray for them daily. These vulnerable children were initially so shy & reserved. Getting to know them, learning to communicate, doing activities & playing together, sharing smiles & laughs – just spending time together and caring about each other – were all such life-changing blessings for me. They were kind and caring and helpful and trusting – even when life has not always been those things to them.
It is amazing what God is doing through Yohani & Jean Paul with this charity and school. The impact on the children’s lives is so evident. They are meeting their physical and educational needs – which are both a huge deal and an undertaking. But they are doing so much more by providing a safe, loving, caring environment. They are meeting their emotional needs and teaching them about family and our amazing God who loves every one of them.
I almost didn’t go on this trip due to work commitments. And I cannot believe how much I and my heart would have missed out on had I not gone. Those children and this mission will forever be in my heart.
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FROM MARIAN:
Our trip in July was my first trip to Rwanda. Our group spent the first 8 days with the children of Bright Future Academy and other times specifically with the students of Umuryango who attend Bright Future. Our team of 8 played with them on the field, basketball court, and playground during free time. We also brought organized activities such as science experiments, coloring, hand painting to share the gospel and ballet lessons. We truly enjoyed working with these kids, whether they were school students, village kids or Umuryango kids. Yohani organized a very beautiful, but very challenging hike for the teachers, Umuryango kids and our team. What struck me about the boys on the hike was how kind and helpful they were to us; they held our hands to help us through the difficult parts and one boy patiently led me up the mountain as I huffed and puffed and had to rest every now and again. When the team initially learned that we were going to work with children who had been living on the street, I imagined tough, streetwise kids, but they were all very respectful and a pleasure to be with. We had so many cultural experiences during our two weeks: attending a Pentecostal Church with the Umuryango students, going to the market while they bought shoes, going on a safari with our team, visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial, visiting Lake Kivu, and others. I would love to go back next year to see those kids again!
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FROM JACK
Our trip to Rwanda in July 2022 introduced us to a beautiful country which we had not experienced previously. Striking were the beauty of the lush mountains and terraced hillsides of western Rwanda, the grassy plains and majestic animals of Akagera National Park in eastern Rwanda and the bustle of Kigali, a modern capital city in the center of the country. But the most memorable aspect of our visit were the smiles of the children we met at Bright Future Academy in Byimana. The children of Bright Future Academy showed us a joy of living, learning and playing in circumstances where they are not possessed of the material trappings of our society but are imbued with the hope and excitement that comes with making a future for themselves based on the education they are able to receive at their school. Their school provides them a loving environment, the spiritual training and the physical support they need to advance themselves to live productive, Christian lives. We came away from our 15-day Rwanda travel experience feeling blessed that we are able to help make their futures possible.