Follow the link below to access our June/July 2023 newsletter about Wade’s teaching at East African Christian College!
https://mailchi.mp/2113202e43ed/weeldreyers-in-rwanda-mission-update-9388755
Category: Uncategorized
Read our April/May 2023 newsletter at the link below!
https://mailchi.mp/4ad4799c7939/weeldreyers-in-rwanda-mission-update-9325919
This newsletter contains updates on:
- A family announcement
- Visit from a friend
- Conference opportunity
- Ministry trip to Uganda
Read our February/March 2023 newsletter at the link below!
https://mailchi.mp/37af830204cb/weeldreyers-in-rwanda-mission-update-9321439
This newsletter contains updates on:
- Cultural adjustment!
Read our January 2023 newsletter at the link below!
https://mailchi.mp/9d68db47f4a3/weeldreyers-in-rwanda-mission-update-9290147
This newsletter contains updates on:
- Youth Bible study
- Wade’s teaching at East African Christian College; Chelsea’s ministry opportunities in Kigali’s slums/unplanned housing areas
- Our first trip to a national park in Rwanda
- Gratitude for our vehicle fund donations
A POST BY: CHELSEA
My family loves the natural world, and as we get to know Rwanda, it’s been life-giving to explore that here. In January we had the opportunity to spend time at Akagera National Park, a blend of protected woodland, savannah, and wetland that has held national park status since 1934.
Akagera has not had a smooth journey, however. Sixty years after its founding, the park was abandoned when the devastating genocide of 1994 took place. Later, returning refugees spilled back into the country. They needed land for themselves and their livestock, and options were sparse. As a result, Akagera became home to many returnees (and 30,000+ cattle). Things deteriorated rapidly on the land. Human/wildlife conflict wiped out the lion population, and overgrazing threatened ecological health. In 1997 the size of the park was slashed significantly. Two-thirds of the land was reallocated to refugees to meet their settlement needs; the remaining third retained park status.
Now, over 20 years later, we’re so grateful for the restoration that many people have labored to bring to Akagera. Instead of leaving it as a wasteland, stakeholders have sought to restore ecological health by dealing carefully with invasive plants, combatting poaching, and re-introducing species like lion and rhinos.
Something within this narrative is very reflective of our creative and gracious God, I think. Instead of abandoning us in our spiritual poverty, God seeks to restore us, to bring us to full health again. We mimic him when we act likewise toward his creation, and we are reminded of his desire to restore us when we see restoration of the earth.
When our family visited Akagera, I marveled at the beauty that has been retained and restored in this place — at the abundance of animal life and the vitality of the land. Indeed, the place brought a sense of personal restoration and refreshment for me. We know multiple missionaries for whom the park is a special place to pause, breathe deeply, and behold beauty. Health begets health, and we, too, hope to return!
Below are a few of my favorite shots from our time at Akagera. We are still re-living the moments of seeing many of these — and more! — awesome creatures and landscapes. (Evie’s favorites were the baboons, although she also likes to entertain us with her zebra noises.) Enjoy!
(PC: Wade)
Categories
colors of Rwanda: a photo tour
A POST BY: CHELSEA
I love color — it’s one of the many ways that I see beauty in the world and celebrate God’s creativity.
It’s also a fun lens through which to explore new geographical and cultural spaces.
Here, I’m sharing snapshots of color that have caught my eye during our first five months in Rwanda. In part, I wanted to assemble these photos in the same space because I don’t always see this variety of color all at once in Rwanda: this, like any collection of pictures, is curated.
A typical view of Kigali often looks like green (lots of it, largely because of agriculture), red-orange (dirt roads and construction sites), patio & brick earth tones, and light yellow buildings with terracotta-colored roofs. Because of this, my first impression of Rwanda was that it was pretty uniform. But as expected, after frequenting and peering into smaller physical and cultural spaces over the span of several months, I’ve discovered more. Kigali may not have the bright facades of Mexico (sigh), where I visited my sister before we moved to Africa, but over time I’ve both (1) sought out color here and (2) been pleasantly confronted by it. And I celebrate that!
I hope this collection not only brings a splash of vibrance to your day, but helps you get to know Rwanda a bit better, too.
Soon after we moved to Rwanda, I noticed that while Rwandans didn’t seem to have terribly colorful buildings, it seems that they enjoy applying the colors of their beautiful flag — blue, green, and yellow — in different places, like these cheerful bicycles.
These blooms were an eye-catcher from our very first wanderings in the eco-parks here. As an extra perk, they attract colorful little sunbirds!
Kitenge (the colorful African fabric showcased below this sewing machine) challenges my perception of uniformity in Rwanda!
I love kitenge, which many Rwandan women wear on a daily basis. Every dress or skirt has a unique color combo and pattern. When I’m out and about, I love noticing different kitenge patterns all across the city.
Light exterior walls and terracotta-colored roofs seem to grace the homes of rich and poor alike. I found the “usual colors” to be beautiful against the green and blue of the earth and sky one sunny afternoon.
Red, white, and black are historically the most common colors on these pieces of decorative art, which are traditionally made from dried cow dung. Other colors are used too, though — a couple of these ones feature the Rwandan flag!
On a trip toward the north of the country, I loved the interplay between cultivated and forested land as well as sun and shadow.
Some of the most common handcrafts in Rwanda are finely woven bowls and plates, each with a distinct color scheme and pattern. This piece, patterned like the interior of a passion fruit, definitely came home with me!
We pass this wall each time we walk to church or to the supermarket on top of the hill. I always like seeing this weathered wall; it reminds me of growing up in Florida.
The different sections of beiges and browns on this eucalyptus tree reminded me of a paint-by-number picture! The green moss added a splash of additional texture and character.
I liked this view on a recent hike out of the city — blue walls in the foreground, “blue” hills in the background, and lots of other colors sandwiched between.
Okay, we imported this bright red. 🙂 Evie loves the rain!!
When you live in one place for a while — however spectacular or ordinary the view — you get the privilege of seeing it at different times of day and through different seasons. The light shifts, the clouds roll on, and it’s up to us to notice the beauty!
Read our December 2022 newsletter at the link below!
https://mailchi.mp/29c72dda649f/weeldreyers-in-rwanda-mission-update-9278187
This newsletter contains updates on:
- Gratitude for our diverse community in Rwanda
- Financial support as we wrap up 2022 and look toward 2023
A POST BY: CHELSEA
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It’s been just over three months since we moved to Rwanda, and along the way I’ve sensed my hunch being confirmed:
Missionaries need permission not to have a honeymoon stage.
(At least, not immediately.)
Don’t get me wrong — my family is managing well, and we’re deeply grateful to be here, in all the bittersweetness that comes with a major transition! We even enjoy lots of things about life here (ask me about the weather, the coffee, the views, the new relationships; etc.).
But this topic is complex and, I think, worthy of discussion.
As we prepared to serve as missionaries in Rwanda, many individuals excitedly asked me if I knew about the stages of culture shock. Often I could barely get my “yes” out before they would go on to explain it to me anyway. So whether you’re familiar with the model or not, I’ll be guilty of the same, and explain it to you anyway:
A popular model of cultural transition suggests that people entering another cultural context typically go through
(1) a honeymoon stage, when all seems exciting and rosy in the new cultural context (think Rapunzel’s “BEST DAY EVER!” moments in Disney’s Tangled)
(2) a hostility stage, when reality “sinks in” and one begins to feel frustrated with and fatigued by elements of the new surroundings,
(3) a resolution stage, when one begin to come to terms with and accept this tension,
(4) an acceptance stage, when one can claim the new context as “home” (in some way) — delights, challenges, and all!
I do think this model is helpful, but I also think it shouldn’t be applied rigidly. The experience of each stage can vary tremendously from individual to individual, and the stages aren’t necessarily linear, either.
In short, while these categories may be helpful in lending vocabulary to the experience of cultural transition, missionaries need to be allowed to have a generous array of responses to their new context in their initial weeks and months. My personal experience entering a new cultural context (Rwanda) this time around has been markedly different from other times.
Some background:
When I completed an internship in South Africa during college, I absolutely fell in love with it. I could have melted into the very land. I soaked up everything and felt part of my heart break when departure day rolled around.
When I moved to Jerusalem after college, I don’t know if I ever really left the honeymoon stage during my two years in Israel-Palestine. That’s a bit naive to say, because actually, there were frustrations aplenty. But even the challenges of the Israeli-Palestinian context bolstered my love for the place and the people, and nurtured a personal sense of purpose. I still have an abiding love for the land, the people, the history, the longings for peace. Honestly, there was never a day that I wished I didn’t live there.
Rwanda has been unique. When I visited for the first time with my husband a year ago, I threw open the curtains the first morning of our visit, looked out the window, and thought with a slight sense of disorientation, “This could grow on me.” That was it. (And, by the way, it was a really lovely visit! Life is complex.) Rwanda was just a different experience for me. Beautiful — such lovely hills. Strange — so unfamiliar. Sad — no ocean. Serious — where is the laughter? Endearing — these people are polite.
(Encouragement for those discerning about mission: this can be your experience! Don’t feel bad about it. Keep seeking the Lord’s will. It will be fine.)
Back to the present: we are still so new here. My understanding of this place and the people here is far from seasoned. My husband’s experience entering Rwanda has been different from mine. I can’t speak for how I will feel in 6 months, 12 months, 18 months… But the experiences and feelings of the first three months have been so varied that, all together, they do not scream “honeymoon stage!”
To give some more tangible examples:
I delight in a crisp view of the hills after a good rain clears the air.
I admire how hard-working many of the people are.
I am puzzled by their quiet and serious demeanor.
I feel challenged by not being able to ‘read the culture’ and detect what others might be thinking.
I like the way some things are done here; I don’t like the way others are.
I am encouraged when a straight face dissolves into a smile and someone says, “Good morning!”
I miss Latino culture (and music and color).
I miss Israeli and Palestinian culture (and food and land).
I am grieved by economic disparity, and am sometimes uncomfortable with the level of privilege I bring.
I am touched by our pastor’s kindness in bringing us eggs and juice.
I am hopeful for new relationships, and
I am sad that we have increased the distance between ourselves and our family and friends in the U.S. — sad that Evie is growing up apart from those loved ones, and they are not getting to see her sing and dance and read books and practice jumping.
It’s really a mixed bag.
And the thing is, this isn’t bad. It’s not wrong for me to not be immediately infatuated with a new cultural space. It also wouldn’t be bad if I were (initially, at least)!
Simplifying the first phase of a missionary’s transition to a “honeymoon stage” risks doing a disservice to the complexity of the experience, both in terms of general understandings of mission and for missionaries themselves. Sometimes missionaries need time to grieve the loss of a more direct connection with other cultural contexts. Sometimes a particular culture makes your heart sing while another doesn’t. I think that life stage can play a role. Sometimes it just. takes. a. long. time. to get to know a culture.
To be fair, there are certainly times that a missionary does waltz right off the plane (or train or car or whatever) into a dreamy honeymoon stage, and that should be celebrated for the joyful connection it is!
But if they don’t, that’s just fine, too (and it’s probably equally valuable in less evident ways).
I think that at the end of the day, missionaries — like all Christians — are called to focus on faithfulness, and a honeymoon stage, whether present or not, is simply not the measure of faithfulness. Something much more important is at stake here — our relationship with the Lord and our obedience to him. There’s a wonderful amount of freedom in this.
For me, that freedom means my family and I will continue to debrief, at the end of most days, what was good and what was hard, and the main things we’ll continue to ask are: what is God calling us to, and are we being faithful?
Honeymoon stage or not, I believe it’s this question that will keep us on the straight path. We believe God guided us here to serve him and that he has a plan. And so, as we get to know the culture and situate ourselves within it, we watch and wait, asking what is in store. Our emotional attachment to the people and culture is included in this: we’re enjoying taking steps toward getting to know and appreciate our new cultural context, but we’re also asking the Lord to give us his love for this new place and people, because we want that to be the ultimate foundation of our love.
An application suggestion for all of us (I’m talking to myself, too): if you find yourselves speaking with missionaries who have just transitioned to the field, stick with open-ended inquiries. Instead of asking, “Isn’t it just a dream to be there?!” or casually referencing their honeymoon stage, simply ask, “How’s the transition been so far?” (“What’s been good and what’s been hard?” is also a good one.)
As I reflect on my transition to Rwanda so far, I’m grateful: I’m freely processing a LOT of thoughts and feelings — and not trying to fit them into a honeymoon stage. Because of this, the ways I am growing fond of this place and people feel even more special. For me, Rwanda is sneaking into my heart little by little. As that happens buhoro buhoro (slowly slowly, as they say here), I’m letting it take its own form. And I think this is good.
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What about you?
I’d love to hear others’ thoughts and experiences around the “honeymoon stage.” Drop me a note here or connect with me personally. Thanks for reading.
Read our October 2022 newsletter at the link below!
https://mailchi.mp/0086465a4cbd/weeldreyers-in-rwanda-mission-update-9191235
This newsletter contains updates on:
- ministry opportunities
- receiving international visitors
- language learning
- family
- our vehicle fund
Read our September 2022 at the link below!
https://mailchi.mp/626fe32af403/weeldreyers-in-rwanda-mission-update-9179929
This newsletter contains:
- Update on our first ~month settling in
- Our decision to purchase a car, and a link to the giving campaign where partners can donate to help us cover the cost