We’re back from Rwanda!
For those who would like to see the previous background letter from Geoff and Hope please click here
Together with our son, Luke, and grandsons, Jude and Noah, we flew overnight from Heathrow and were met by Confiance, our ‘adopted Rwandan son’ and a friend Eugenie, who helped us get to the first hotel, where we stayed for 3 nights. That evening we were invited to Confiance’s home for a wonderful dinner meeting Conso, his wife and their toddler son, Ameur. They gave us a meal to remember! It was so good to see their home, which we had helped them to extend over the past year, so they can sell Christian books, coffee & tea, and have a Christian Lending Library and run Alpha courses, all under the banner of ‘The Legacy of God in Africa’. The books that we took in our luggage amounted to 5 suitcasefuls, which delighted them! During the evening lightning flashes got nearer with a dramatic downpour! Rain in Rwanda is intense and a real blessing!
The next day we explored Kigali and visited the Genocide Memorial. This records the sequence of events when 800,000 Rwandans were killed in 100 days from April 1994. This sobering visit reminded us of the trauma that the whole country went through. That evening, we went for dinner with friends whose mother, Marion Kajuga, was our daughter Naomi’s lovely God-mother. One of them, Wilberforce, was filmed for the Genocide Memorial, as his wife and 3 children were killed, as well as his father. Marion lost 23 members of her close family in one week, and helped other widows and their children for the rest of her life.
We drove towards the volcanoes to visit the Women of Kinigi – 200 vulnerable women, mostly with HIV and serious illnesses. We saw them processing Merino wool and making felted animals to sell and we bought 7 Nativity Sets! We had a great walk uphill to their 100 Merino sheep, cared for and sheared by 4 shepherds. We enjoyed visiting a gorilla centre nearby.
Then we drove to Gahini for 5 days, visiting 3 groups of friends on the way. We stayed at “Seeds of Peace” near the lakeside. The first evening Bishop Manasseh and his wife Rose invited us for dinner in their home. Luke was very keen to take us to Akagera National Park, so we left at 5am for a full safari day. We saw many animals including elephant, rhino, hippo, buffalo and lion. The noble giraffe was Luke’s favourite and we saw 6! We had great boat rides there and also another day on Lake Muhazi near Gahini.
We were able to visit several friends in their homes, most of whom had worked with us when we were missionaries. Jobs are hard to come by, but most families have some land to cultivate. It was good to see how their projects are progressing and to ask how we can support their families in the future. One was Speciose, who was our housegirl and has become like a sister to us. It was so good to eat at the vibrant café her daughter is running, which we helped to equip through our charity Rwanda Direct. Another friend we visited at home, who is now quite old, as we were leaving said “See you in heaven!” We saw the house where we lived, which was the first to be built in 1926 and is now the Church Guest House.
Luke was really moved by meeting people he had known as a young boy. Some of them hugged him saying “Luka, my son!” He feels his heart is now in Rwanda!
Jude, as a linguist, was keen to tackle Kinyarwanda and within 10 days, he was using some sentences! Noah was engaging with the young people we met in some homes, the children or grandchildren of our friends.
A 3 day event celebrated the start of the Anglican Church 100 years ago, beginning at Gahini. Geoff was invited to give a testimony, which was translated into Kinyarwanda. When the next song began, there was spontaneous dancing by dozens of Rwandans, which Geoff joined in! Six thousand people gathered in time for the Centenary Service on the Sunday!
Our last 3 days were in another hotel in Kigali called ‘Heaven’! Confiance took us to a coffee processing factory, a Rwandan street market and the Nyamirambo Women’s Project, supporting them by buying cloth gifts they had made. He also showed us the flat by the Cathedral where we had lived for the first seven months, while learning Kinyarwanda.
We have returned home very grateful for your prayers for our health, safety, protection and communication. We now have a fresh vision in Rwanda for the future,
With our love
Geoff & Hope
Updated 4th September 2025