Divine Connections

What a beautiful week this has been! I’ve met with several graduates of the Business Development Center and had the opportunity to hear their stories. 

One entrepreneur is Grace. After graduating from the BDC, she started an online magazine (www.identity250.com) and starting writing feature stories about entrepreneurs in Rwanda. Her goal: to show people the faces of Rwanda. According to Grace, when people learn about Rwanda, they learn about the genocide and maybe learn about President Paul Kagame, but there are many other successful Rwandans. Her desire is to share their stories as an encouragement and testimony to younger Rwandans.

As she was talking, I thought of Patrice, the entrepreneur I wrote about previously. Patrice has high school students who want to become entrepreneurs. Some have even started businesses already! I shared with Grace about Patrice, and she was very excited about writing some stories about his students which can be used in her magazine as well as for promotional materials for Patrice. 

I introduced them via email and they’ve already begun working together.

Later in our conversation, Grace expressed a concern she had about her time commitments. She is having trouble finding time to write all the content she’d like for her magazine, since she also works a full time job. She’s looking for an intern. 

 

I immediately thought of Desire. I met Desire at the reception we had to say thank you to all the partners and friends that helped the Regent class with their projects in Rwanda. One student, Andrea, worked with Serge, another BDC graduate, who has a business and ministry for street kids in Rwanda. He provides them role models, community, guidance, and teaches them to be men. Desire just graduated from high school this year and is saving to go to university in the fall to study journalism. Desire came as Andrea’s guest to the reception. We paid him a small stipend to write a story about the reception. It was very good! 

As I told Grace about Desire, she was very excited about the possibility of sending him on interviews and mentoring him in journalism and writing. 

God is so good. I realized this past year that one of my favorite things in the whole world is connecting people who should know each other. Perhaps is my extreme extrovert showing, but networking, especially networking for others, is invigorating!

What a privilege that I can do that 3,000 miles from home!

I wanted to share Desire’s story about our reception. It’s called “Muzungu’s Party”. Yesterday, I shared that muzungu means white person. In the story below, you’ll see that the relationships we made in Rwanda go far beyond race, occupation, or culture. They are divine connections!

Muzungu’s Party

By Desire BIZIMANA

It was Friday, May 18, 2012 at 8 PM when Muzungu’s team, coming from the USA, was celebrating in a party after spending two weeks in Rwanda. Everyone were smiling there, taking pictures for each other, sharing food. Everything here at Solace is good. Muzungu and Rwandese is sharing joy and opinions here.

After praying, the party began. Everyone was able to talk to everyone, telling the names to each other, after everyone takes drink and food which was delicious.

Everyone watched documentary talking about Rwandan culture, like dancing, and visiting where the king stayed, and seeing some animals in the park.

After the documentary, every muzungu explained the project they did.

Eric and Trevor were talking about their project and using minerals.

Andrea was the wonderful woman in that muzungu’s team. She shows her project working together with Serge, who is in charge of street boys. She met Desire and helped him see how he can be a good journalist by telling him to write a story. That was good for Desire because she pushed him to get his vision.

Julia also shows her project about gender based violence and she works with Serge in the program of street kids.

Laura shows her project about Bible Studies.

Dori shows her project about working in MTN. She did a training of leadership in MTN.

Latrilla, Zandra, Bernadette, Joanna, Trevor, and Eric were able to talk to a community of pastors, economists, etc. in order to get development with the Solace Project.

Qwynne and Karen show their project about the seminar at university.

Brittany shows in leadership training. She thanks every project done by each team.

Eric and Emmanuel was tour guides of the muzungu’s team. They thank so much muzungus for their relationship. Emmanuel said “that they are amazing people and special team.” Eric said “even it is so hard to share with the people from different culture, but we worked with team very well.”

Dr. Mulford, the professor at the university, he thank Bernard for his effort when the team was need him. He was a driver. When they needed him, was coming fast.

Jean Marie is the man who cooked food for muzungus. They thanked him because he cooked the best food to them and worked fast.

Really, the party was good, even they are some were going to leave and others stay, but everyone said that the meeting of two weeks was very good to them. All projects they have opened is a project of vision which can prosper the world in all situations such as: life, economy, development, health, sports. We are thanking so much muzungu’s team to choose to come in Africa, especially in Rwanda. 

That was good meeting. We would like to wish you to come back again. And God may protect you in your journey and in your life of everyday. 

God bless you.