Hope for a Thousand Hills

Pray for the June mission team

admin — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:37:01 +0000

The short-term mission team from HOPE for a Thousand Hills is leaving for Cyimbili, Rwanda, on June 20 and will be returning on July 6. They will be teaching English in the primary school and Cyimbili High School, running outdoor games and sports clinics and working with the pastors at the seminary. Pastor Dave will be participating in a baptism of new believers while the team is there. Please pray for the team for travel safety, good health and boldness in sharing the gospel. The team includes Dave Gustavsen, Paul Gustavsen, Kelly Gallagher, Robin Allison, Kim Urba, Nate Dorka, Kaitlyn Osmundsen, Anthony and Jamie Longo, Hugo Santo, Bryan Weathers, and Jonathan Snack.

Trip summary from Pastor Dave

admin — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 18:42:27 +0000

On the plane flying back from Rwanda…I’m a little delirious due to jet lag/lack of sleep, but so thankful for another great visit with our friends in Cyimbili. Let me try to give an overview of what was accomplished these past 10 days in Rwanda, and how the Chapel’s partnership is making a tangible, lasting difference in a community.

Hope for a Thousand Hills divides our vision for Cyimbili into three sections: Economy, Community, and Eternity…

ECONOMY

The central aspect of our economic efforts is the coffee. Cymbili is the largest coffee plantation in all of Rwanda, with the potential to produce huge quantities of premium quality coffee beans each year, which in turn provides hundreds of jobs for local residents.

Here is a shot of the beautiful plantation, which sits on the shores of Lake Kivu (the lake which separates Rwanda and the Congo):

And this is what a coffee tree looks like. This picture was taken last week (early February), when the trees were not yet ripe. The coffee “cherries” will turn red and be harvested in spring/early summer; they will then be put through a process that makes them ready to be sold to coffee distributors.

In 2010 the Cyimbli plantation did yield a small, quality harvest, from the trees that were already present when our partnership began. But the best is yet to come. We recently helped them plant 25,000 new coffee trees, which will reach maturity and begin to produce a harvest in 2-3 years. This harvest should produce enough income to support the community without any outside financial help.

We spent substantial time last week meeting with Etienne, a US-trained agronomist who specializes in coffee, discussing details of the business plan. Etienne has high hopes for Cyimbili coffee! Here is Etienne with Marita and Jamie:

Another aspect of our economic development is investing specifically in the women of Cyimbili. During last week’s visit, we met with a Rwandan micro-finance organization, which would build small groups of women who are establishing a small business—meeting with them weekly and training them to succeed. Here are Marita and Jamie meeting with a group of women with high business potential!

In recent days some of our Rwandan friends have spent time speaking with people in the Cymbili community about the effect that the revitalized plantation has had on the community. Without fail, people are expressing deep thankfulness for how the thriving of the plantation has blessed their families. One example is a man whose wife works on the plantation, which is providing enough income to send their child to school. It is very common in Rwanda for children to be held out of school due to lack of funds, and for many families in Cyimbili, a coffee job means school!

COMMUNITY

One of the exciting parts of this partnership is the fact that we are making a difference in an entire community. Although the coffee plantation is the economic hub, there is also primary/middle school with about 800 students, a high school with about 500 boarding students, a medical clinic, and a church.

Our vision is to see this community thrive.

On this trip, Dr. Don Rumbaugh (a Chapel missionary) and I spent lots of time with the high school students, teaching English and basic Christian discipleship. Throughout the week, there were about 15 high school students who made first-time decisions to place their trust in Jesus Christ. In this picture, I had just taught about forgiveness: what it means to receive God’s forgiveness based on Jesus’ work on the cross, and then pass that forgiveness on to those who sin against us. This student is sharing a story of forgivneness from his village.

And here is Dr. Don sharing with a group of high school students:

On our last day with the high school students, Jamie and I wanted to leave each student with a hopeful vision of what their lives could become…so we took a page from the Chapel’s mission statement, encouraging them to dedicate their lives to Loving God, Loving People and Serving the World. Many students stood up and shared their personal life dream—we heard from students who wanted to be doctors, pilots, pastors, engineers…even a military general. In a country that has seen so much suffering and poverty, it was amazing to hear these teenagers filled with hope.

Having Dr. Don on this trip was invaluable, because he was able to spend lots of time with the staff of the medical clinic—assessing their needs and determining how we can be most helpful to them. We are currently working on a plan to help re-structure the clinic and also provide an online consultation service by which the doctors and nurses at the clinic can seek medical advice from Dr. Don and other American doctors.

ETERNITY

Personally, my main goal on this trip was to invest heavily in the Bible Institute students. There are currently 22 student in the Cymbili Bible Institute, all of them preparing to serve as pastors throughout Rwanda. I took the week to teach through the book of Acts, sharing the biblical model of evangelism, establishing churches, and moving outward missionally—all in the power of the Holy Spirit. What a privilege it was to work with these students, who are so hungry to learn and grow.

In addition, there is a thriving church in Cyimbili which has grown much stronger since our partnership began. In contrast to our services in America, their three-hour worship services don’t seem rushed at all! So much singing, prayer, and traditional African dance—it’s really a beautiful thing to experience. I had the honor of preaching the message at the service, and seeing several people step forward to receive Christ. Words can’t explain the joy of being a small part of what God is doing in Cyimbili!

There are about two years remaining in our partnership with Cyimbili, and in the coming weeks, we will be finalizing the dates for a summer trip.

So on behalf of the people of Cyimbili, Thank You to Jacksonville Chapel for choosing to invest in Rwanda. Sharing our time, resources and prayer with them is helping to fill this community with great hope for their future. Please continue to pray for God’s blessings on these wonderful people!

-Dave

Visit Dave’s blog here

Blessings and Rain

admin — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:09:50 +0000

They say it’s still the dry season here in Rwanda, but we’ve seen quite a bit of rain. They also say, that in Africa rain is always a blessing. So, it’s good to see the hills of Cyimbili wet and green and full of promise. Today we wrapped up some of our activities for the week – a week that’s gone by way too fast.

Dave finished up with the Bible school students today, challenging them to lead the church with the principles they learned from their study of the book of Acts this week. Dave also took pictures of each of the students in what we hope will be the beginning of a program of prayer partnerships between the the students here, and the church back home.

Don made his last rounds at the clinic and now at 9pm, like many nights this week, he is still at large on the plantation somewhere (we hope).

Marita and Jamie held a ladies meeting on the front porch here at the guesthouse. We invited some representatives on micro-finace programs here in Rwanda to address them and educate us all. At the end of the meeting Marita presented each of the ladies with a gift: beautiful fabric from Gisenye to make clothes. They burst out in song right there, danced around, and some even cried.

I (Mike) was somewhat thwarted by the rain today with my plans to get the remaining footage I needed for our video. Jamie and I worked hard on a narrative and she even practiced her lines, but the thunderstorm stole the show… for now. We’ll try again in the morning.

We plan to depart fro Kigali tomorrow, spend another day networking and in meetings there. Then, I’m on a plane back to sunny Nairobi, whereas my cohorts are bound for another snowstorm in New Jersey (sorry guys).

Thanks for praying. It has been a great visit here in Cyimbili. Let’s pray that God continues to rain his blessing on this place – until we return again.

We’re back

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:03:03 +0000

Greetings from Cyimbili,

Our small team (Marita, Jamie, Pastor Dave, Don, and Mike) arrived on Saturday for a one-week visit. The week is already going by fast, but we wanted to get a couple updates out before we depart.

We were welcomed with smiles and singing on Saturday. Cyimbili is as beautiful as always. It’s been wonderful to see old friends, and good to see that the relationships we’ve developed over the years are cherished by both sides.

One of the main goals of this trip is to evaluate the state of the project and the plantation as we plan for the next phase. There’s a lot of meetings involved with that, but most have been very encouraging. We’ve explored the property and the facilities, and have been impressed. The plantation itself is exceeding our expectations.

At one point, Ephrem, the plantation manger, proudly walked us through the lush green coffee trees and paused in an area of new growth. He showed us some of the trees that Hope had planted, which now have beans on them. He smiled and told us that these were the “first fruits” of our efforts. A good illustration of the growth we can both see, and hope for, in all the areas we are working.

Pastor Dave is busy with pastor training this week. Don is teaching evangelism and missions to the same classes. He’s also spending some time at the medical clinic. Mike is here to gather some media; video and pictures. For Mike and Don, this is their first time to the plantation.

Together we are each amazed to glimpse God at work here – even in our absence these many months – and humbled to be a part of it.

There’s a lot more to tell, perhaps tomorrow. For now, here’s some pictures to make you feel like you were here:

The clinic gets a repaint

admin — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 01:03:58 +0000

For Christmas the clinic gets some repairs and a complete new paint job. See the before and after.

New restroom expansion

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:55:55 +0000

The second new restroom facility is nearly completed and ready for use. Up until now, the entire school and those that live on the plantation have all been using one facility. This second facility will provide for the 600 students and adults that are in the main compound in Cyimbili

What “cyimbili” means

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:07:38 +0000

Cyimbili High School is situated in the Kigeyo Sector, Rutsiro District in the Western Province of Rwanda on the shoreline of Kivu Lake. It is surrounded by majestic hills that reach the height of about 1460 meters (appx. 5,000 ft.) above sea level.

Our school and community name has a long history. The name “Cyimbili” was given a long time ago when the area was entirely covered with bush. The name means “The Viper Dwelling” because at that time there were so many snakes in the area. The word “Impili” in Kinyarwanda means “viper” and due to the socio-dialect spoken in this area, people transformed the name “Impili” into “Imbili” and since then this area was known by the name “Cyimbili”.

A bridge called “Igisubizo”

admin — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 13:00:52 +0000

The health center and the secondary school of Cyimbili have been separated by a small river for several years. It was a big problem. People of each side felt lonely especially during the rainy season when it was practically impossible to cross.

Pupils and students had problems not only to go to school but also to reach the dispensary. They used to cross the stream with great risk.

Football (soccer) players had also a risky task to reach the playing field. The new bridge has solved this problem. The people of Cyimbili have named the bridge “IGISUBIZO” which means “An answer”. Now, people can cross without fear. That is making us hopeful for the future.

When the road that joins the health center and Cyimbili center is complete, it will be a big party for the people of this area.

Ephrem

The New Office

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:33:19 +0000

During the last trip, the team was able to set up an office complete with laptop, printer, camera – and even internet. The people of Cyimbili can now communicate with the outside world via email.

V Working in the New Office

Highlights from Pastor Dave

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:53:39 +0000

Here are some highlights of the Rwanda update from my trip.

On the plantation there is a medical clinic that serves the residents of the plantation and the surrounding community. This is a picture of the delivery room, where they deliver babies. How would you like to have a baby in this room? They deliver between 10 and 20 babies each month here. And when we got there, there was no running water in this room. So one of the little projects we did last week was to bring running water into the delivery room. Little thing to us, but makes a huge difference to this community.

This is a picture of the bridge that connects the two sides of the plantation. On one side of the stream is the coffee production…and access to the main road is on the other side. When the team was there two weeks ago, this bridge was under construction…and it was completed last Thursday. It’s strong enough to support a truck with a coffee harvest, so they can bring the coffee to market and operate their business. So again, little thing, but huge implications for the economy of this community.

Pastor Dave standing with Jean Claude, known to us as JC. JC is the head English instructor for the 1,300 students on this plantation. Incredibly humble, gracious man. And here was the shocker: he did not own an English/Rwandan dictionary. So while we were there, we found an English-Rwandan dictionary online, about 130 pages long; we printed it out; we put it in a binder, and we presented it to JC—and he’s holding it there…and he was absolutely thrilled…because this is a tool that he will use constantly.

Thank You to the Chapel family for being part of this partnership—it’s just a great thing!

Visit Dave’s blog here