Gisenyi, Rwanda
Saturday, November 12th, 2011
Each year the MCC Uganda team takes time to enjoy a week together in fun, worship, and outside input. This year the team was invited to gather with the MCC teams from Burundi/Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Gisenyi, Rwanda. There were 19 adults and 6 children under the age of 6. The location was at a hotel located on the shores of Lake Kivu, about 0.5 km from the DRC border, with a backdrop of active volcanoes. Needless to say, it was a beautiful spot. We enjoyed the flowers, green grass, and a resident group of crested cranes, the national bird of Uganda.
Generally, the schedule involved breakfast, worship, Bible Study on a parable, coffee break, some sort of input session, lunch, rest/activities, supper, and worship. One day a Rwandan pastor joined us for a discussion of facing injustice on a personal level. He is Hutu, and although he was not involved directly in the mid 1990’s genocide against the Tutsis, he was aware of the killings as they happened. But when the RPF (Rwanda Patriotic Front) came in he was forced to flee to Congo where he spent several years in a refugee camp and lost many family members.
Afternoon activities included various art projects and one afternoon of yoga. We spent one morning at another hotel swimming in the lake and generally relaxing. Lake Kivu is interesting in that there is methane gas at the bottom of this deep lake which today is being harvested for energy.
The MCC Uganda team traveled by road from Kampala to Gisenyi. It was a 12-hour journey one way. Southwestern Uganda and northwest Rwanda were beautiful with green hills and mountains in the background. Rwanda is more densely populated than Uganda. This was very evident with the terraced hillsides and homes everywhere. On our return journey we had a clear view of two volcanic mountains in the early morning light. Part of our mountainous road was still under construction, but most of the route was beautiful finished blacktop.
