LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Daily Journal Summary and Applications from Rwanda
Submitted to Dr. John Cartwright
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course
DSMN-500
Discipleship Ministries
By
Michael Shane Bruce
January 8, 2023
From humble beginnings, Billy Graham was arguably one of the most impactful and
influential religious leaders for more than two decades. What made him special was more than
the fact that he preached to nearly 215 million people in over 185 countries, but that he
touched such a broad cross-section of the world with social and political influence.1
January 8th – Genocide Memorial
The first official day of the trip got off to a much needed slow start. Rwanda is
renowned for the great coffee and it certainly lived up to the hype. We first had an opportunity
to connect with other students over coffee and brunch. Included was an opportunity to connect
meet Ezekiel, our guide for the week. Ezekiel is a fellow brother in Christ and has led several
trips with Liberty and runs his own travel agency. The only activity for the day was a visit to
the genocide memorial in Kigali. This visit was not only lifechanging in terms of
understanding the atrocities faced by the country in the early 1990s, but a perfect context
setter for the rest of the trip. It would be impossible to understand the people and their
ministries without first seeing and understanding the genocide that they faced. The memorial
was very emotional not just because there are approximately 250,000 people buried on site,
but because they have done such a great job preserving their stories. They spent the time to
explain the early signs of genocide, namely division and de-humanizing the Tutsi clan and
using that to commit unspeakable acts. The most impactful part of visit, for me, was the
rooms of photos. It was only through the faces of victims that really drove the point home,
that these were real people. They were mothers, fathers, and siblings. They were innocent in
every way and their loss was felt deeply by those who survived.
The most impactful reflection from today is found in the concept of imago dei.
January 9th – Reconciliation Center and Ntarama Memorial
1 Grant Wacker, “Billy Graham’s America,” Church History 78, no. 3 (2009): 489–511.
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The second day started off earlier at 6:30 local time with breakfast. The local food can
be best described as items that are grown and cultivated locally. This statement means the best
and freshest fruit and vegetables that I have had in a long time. The first stop of the day was
the Ntarama Memorial. This memorial was less polished than the one we visited the day
before, but also felt more personal and the experience was multi-sensory. Not only were we
able to see the mass graves, but also walk through the church where the genocide occurred.
Again, stories from survivors told by those who manage the site bring the genocide that
happened in Rwanda alive in impactful ways. Seeing the skulls, bones, clothing, and pictures
of those who were killed was deeply emotional. The second stop of the day was the
reconciliation center that the church has created to host a community where genocide victims
and survivors cooperate and live together along with outside refugees. Students had the
opportunity to hear both the process of reconciliation and forgiveness that has taken place as
well as hearing personal testimonies of those who live within the village. Members of the
community live side by side in harmony and reliance to one another. This picture serves as a
future for Rwanda that lives together in unity without the distinctions of tribe.
Reflection on the favorite scripture of the head of the community who is also a
genocide killer, “whether jew nor gentile”
January 10th – Star School and Rusiga Church
The first visit was a private school where students, mostly from the community, attend
the equivalent of first grade through sixth grade. We had an opportunity to visit the
classrooms, hear from the teachers and administrators, and interact with the children. We
heard the methodologies and structure of education as well as the rigor of the three national
exams. It was amazing what they are able to accomplish with fairly little resources, by an
American standard. After spending intentional time with the younger students, we had an
opportunity to play with the older students. Many students brough various gifts ranging from
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candy to sports equipment. The joy in the faces of the kids was emotionally invigorating and a
lot of fun. The second stop of the day was after a long, but scenic trip through rural areas to a
local church. To our surprise, about fifty of the church members had prepared a meal for us
and were waiting to fellowship and meet the divinity students. An additional surprise is that
Dr. Cartwright had worked in advance to have Liberty University purchase and deliver three
hundred chairs for this new church. Students had the opportunity to help bring the new chairs
and put them inside the church, which enabled a powerful time of praise and worship with the
church and students. A perfect metaphor of the unity Rwanda is trying to achieve, but more
importantly of the unity and praise we will offer when finally united in heaven.
Reflection idea is the importance of the local church being the people and not the
programming and resources.
January 11th – Ratungo Parish and East African College
Todays itinerary took us to visit a fully functioning parish in Ratungo. A parish is a host
of buildings and services that are intended to minister to the whole self and the whole
community. We were able to visit the school, administration office, compassion office, church
and other areas of the parish. The church is referred to as the “center of transformation” but
uses the other facilities and services to help the community improve health, income
generation, food producing, and other areas. The high level concept is that if the parish is able
to improve the health and ensure the community is not hungry, they are more able to minister
to their hearts and minds. The second visit was to the East African College (ECC). ECC is an
institution that began in the early 2000s as a training center for the Anglican Church. In 2018
they began the process of becoming a university by adding interdisciplinary studies with an
undergraduate diploma. Over the next few years they will continue to expand the programs
and levels of education. We had the opportunity to tour the campus, which is advanced for
Rwanda. They have a beautiful chapel, dormitories for part time and full time students, a
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sports stadium, and various building for specific areas of study. One of the buildings is a
newly built school of nursing lab.
January 12th – Pastors Conference
After a later night, a slightly later start for todays agenda was welcomed. Our only item
today is a joint pastors and education conference. After a brief introductory period, the two
conferences split up to focus on areas of discipline. Attending the pastors conference are about
forty pastors and leaders from local churches and parishes. The most senior persons where the
Arch Deacon for the area and Dr. John Cartwright. Dr. Cartwright led the conference by
teaching through the book of Philippians. Teaching through the Bible was the topic for last
years conference, so the teaching of the book was a natural follow up. Cartwright, with the
help of an interpreter used the Scriptures and effective hermeneutics to demonstrate the truth
and application on the book of Philippians. Throughout the conference there were plenty of
opportunities over breaks and lunch to network and get to know the various pastors and
leaders. I had the chance to meet pastors who lead churches and parishes ranging from 240 –
1100 members. My observation is that all of the pastors were very thankful for our visit,
genuinely interested in why we would visit Rwanda, and deeply cared for and loved both
Jesus and their church.
January 13th – Widows Village and Travel to Akagera
January 14th – Akagera Safari
January 15th – Church, Hike, and Shopping
January 16th – Sponsor Day at Star School and Farewell Dinner
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