Three Countries in One Day!

That's right - we hit three countries in one day!  It might just be a world record.  Or a record for Refuge and Hope, anyway!  

Counseling Conference - Rwanda

The journey began in Gisenyi, Rwanda, just on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  Last week Refuge and Hope was pleased to host a conference in Gisenyi on counseling people who have been traumatized by war and conflict.  About 40 pastors and other ministers from DRC and Rwanda joined us to participate in this two-day conference led by Dr. Scott Christie and Dr. Doug Dickens from the U.S.  

We are very grateful to Scott and Doug and their wives, Susan and Sherri, for coming out and doing such a fantastic job at the conference.  The participants received much-needed instruction in counseling people of all ages dealing with traumas ranging from the loss of a parent to rape, and we hope that this will be the beginning of a continued relationship with these ministers.  We are also extremely grateful to our partner, Pastor Stephen Bamoleke of Shalom Transformational Ministries, who worked very hard to coordinate logistics and get the participants there.  We could not have done it without him!

Dr. Doug Dickens leading a session at the conference

The Amazing Race - Rwanda, DRC, Uganda

After the conference was finished, we woke up in Rwanda and quickly hopped across the border into DRC to visit our student sponsorship project there.  We only had a few hours to spend in the town of Goma there in Eastern DRC, so it was quite a whirlwind of activity.  We were very excited to first visit with some of the students we are sponsoring in secondary school and see the Shalom Church in Goma where they are receiving support from the pastors there and where they have become involved in the choir.  

We also met a women's group that meets at the church, the local health clinic the church supports, and a rape center where girls and women of all ages who are victims of rape can come for treatment and rehabilitation.  Needless to say, all of this was a lot to fit into one day trip!  But we are grateful for the opportunity to visit and look forward to returning and continuing our involvement in the Goma area with our wonderful partners there.

Shelah with some of the students and pastors

So after spending a few busy hours in DRC we hopped back over the border into Rwanda and then drove up through the beautiful, hilly countryside of Rwanda to cross the Ugandan border.  Then, after adding many miles to the odometer, Refuge and Hope's version of The Amazing Race was finished!  We had successfully completed a two-day conference in Rwanda, a good visit in DRC, and a long journey across bumpy roads, national borders, and lush landscapes.  And even though the travel was a bit exhausting, it was a blessing to go - and we are already looking forward to making another Refuge and Hope trip there soon.  So stay tuned!

(Map courtesy of Lonely Planet)