Last week, we celebrated our 10th Anniversary with a special “Fabric of Hope” event and it was the best one yet! Hundreds of people descended on the Hollern ranch in beautiful Sedalia, Colorado, to celebrate all God has done over the last 10 years at Hope Haven Rwanda. Many people became “Hope Angels” for our students and others gave sacrificial gifts to help outfit our new secondary education and boarding school buildings.
We began the evening with a provoking question: What would it take to help a community transition from being one of the most vulnerable neighborhoods in a developing country to a thriving neighborhood filled with personal motivation, growth and purpose?
We believe it would take comprehensive education and intentional discipleship.
We know for sure this type of change wouldn’t happen overnight. It would take some time. Change is hard. Releasing people from false narratives of poverty which their families have clung to for generations is definitely an uphill climb.
But, just like it is possible to summit the 14’er’s we find ourselves surrounded by in Colorado, we believe it is possible to help these families climb over life’s basic obstacles and to build a brighter future!
What is so amazing about Hope Haven is that it is one of those rare projects in life that facilitate both physical and spiritual growth. We are meeting very practical human needs, we are shaping the next generation through education, and we are offering people dignity and purpose that will outlast the grave.
One of my favorite Scriptures is Proverbs 11:25 – “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” What an amazing promise. You will prosper and you will be refreshed as you refresh others!
I ran into a successful African woman in her fifties in the US this year. As we chatted about her story of growing up in poverty, and what she is up to now, I began to share about Hope Haven. She stopped, smiled at me and said, “What you are doing is so important! My father always worked hard to make sure we could go to school—and it was the best gift he ever gave us!”
Why is education such a significant gift? Here are two simple reasons:
- No one can ever take education away from you. Almost everything else we are given in this life will, as Scripture says, “perish, spoil or fade.” Not education. Once you have it—it’s yours—forever! It is an enduring resource.
- Education lays the foundation for human flourishing. Solid education is not about indoctrination or training. It is about helping people learn how to grow. It’s encouraging exploration and discovery and about paving the path to human flourishing that comes from life-long learning and development.
Our mission is to transform Rwandan families through a holistic approach to education and discipleship. Wow, what a joy to celebrate 10 years of God’s work on display in the lives of thousands of Rwandans!
Is God leading you to be part of this amazing story? We’d love to have you as part of our Hope Haven Rwanda family!