Ordinands Enter the Cathedral Sunday December 11th was a day to be celebrated as almost forty men and women were ordained for service in the Shyira Diocese of the Anglican Church. A number were Deacons, and about a dozen were 'priested'. Most of these work other jobs, often more than one, in order [...]
I have wanted to visit the Butaro hospital in Rwanda for several years, having heard a number of great things about its mission. What I didn't realize is that its located within the region of the Shyira Diocese. So last Saturday Bishop Mbanda, Bishop-elect Sam and I drove several thousand feet up into the hills [...]
The primary reason for my visit this trip was to participate in leading portions of a retreat for those to be ordained as pastors on Sunday (most as Deacons, some as Priests). This has been a singular honour, even as I note the anniversary of my own ordination today (December 10th) 16 years ago. It [...]
One of the greatest privileges of coming to a place like Rwanda is the opportunity to connect with friends--people that are loved and known, and each visit makes those connections deepen and grow. That's true whether they are Rwandans, or very close family like the Hanlons. They moved to Rwanda five years ago from Church [...]
Traveling to Africa from Chicago almost always means going through someplace else, and these airline pathways usually follow the route of the old colonial powers, centered in England, Germany and Belgium, among others. My trip to Rwanda is taking me through Brussels, where I stopped a day to make the best plane connections. Today is [...]
Traveling to Rwanda involves careful preparation. While there has been much development over the last ten years, especially, it still serves the traveler to be aware of things to take along on the trip, such as medications and other items that you may not be able to purchase. It also means being aware of the [...]
The children's choir at St. John the Baptist Cathedral Sundays are always big days in the Rwandan Anglican Church. They start early and run long, marked by joyful and exuberant worship services. When we come to Rwanda it's important that we participate in worship services, not only to signify our unity together in [...]
For almost the whole time the Hanlons have been in Rwanda they have been getting around the country in a small, two-door Toyota Landcruiser that they bought off a guy who worked for a water cooperative. The 1992 SUV has over 200,000 km on the odometer, and it just seems to run and run. I've [...]
We've finally arrived and settled in on this particular journey to Rwanda, after what felt like a really long trip getting here. Following the terror bombings in Brussels our usual way of getting here from Chicago ( 2 flights--straightforward) became three flights (two overnight) with long layovers. It meant we had very little sleep on [...]
Its my final morning in Rwanda, and I'm sitting on the Hanlon's veranda, overlooking the capitol of Kigali as it begins its day. Like most high-altitude cities the days can begin cool, but as the sun climbs heat builds quickly, especially this close to the equator. Its been a very full trip, and one that [...]
