New friends!

Wheaton College International communiy got together one evening for dinner, it was wonderful to be part of 15 nationalities in total: Japan; Malyasia; Kenya; India; Uganda; Rwanda; Peru; Russia; China; Korea; Tanzania; Ethiopia; South Africa; Hong Kong; Taiwan and more that could not be available... We enjoyed our friendships with new families either from our church or from the college. We thank God for these friends that God has added into our bigger family. They are so precious to us. (They recently helped out getting warm clothes as winter gets closer and closer: We can now feel it in our faces especially in the morning!)

One of the wonderful privileges of being in Wheaton MA program is to audit a free class, which I quickly managed to get in: Evangelism in urban areas. The Fall semester is divided in two quads and the break between the two accommodates this intensive course. The highlight of it was the visit to Lawndale Christian Community Church which is an incarnational ministry model based on three R's: Relocation; Reconciliation and Redistribution. Wayne Gordon as the Senior Pastor moved into this community and helped in leading a vision to build a community health centre, a restaurant, and a vibrant multiracial church that reach out to young people in hip hop culture. Very interesting stuff! The greatest thing is the connection with John Perkins who co-authored a book with Gordon Aeschliman whose father is the founder of Cornerstone Christian College in Cape Town. This African American strong, extrovert leader spoke to us with such a passion about reconciliation in the American context! (He was tortured by a Sheriff in the 60's!) His words of personal journey in reconciliation were full of wisdom and a lesson to many. On our way back, in my chat with a Japanese Pastor colleague, I learned that God has interesting ways to speak to us about issues that matters. I am very much enjoying this learing process and can't stop thinking about how these resources could be helpful in transformational development in Rwanda. Now that we have been away from our country for two months, we are thinking about the situation there a lot and have been quite following with great interest what is happening there as it raises some real concern for our family who is scattered all over from South Africa, Italy and Belgium and now the United States.

Pray for us as a family so that God's solution would be found for the rightful owner of the disputed native land in Gashali, Kibuye where my father is buried which is being claimed by unknown individuals in Rwanda. Remember us in your prayers.