Presbyterian Mission Agency

A letter from Kay Day serving in Rwanda

August 2015 - Consolee's Return to Faith

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings from Rwanda, where God is at work in people’s lives.

Consolee is a 55-year-old mother of nine—she has eight sons and one daughter. Her youngest son, Philemon, is one of my students. When he cut his Achilles tendon at the beginning of the school year I aided him as I could as his pastor, since he is a member of the English chapel. In November when I preached at a parish in his home area Philemon translated for me. His parents came to see him. His mother hugged me and thanked me for helping her son. We chatted briefly through Philemon’s translation. He explained that his parents are struggling farmers. His father spent two years in prison because of his participation in the genocide. When he was released, his father turned to the Presbyterian Church but his mother turned away from her faith community, the Roman Catholic Church. Now she was attending no church at all.

A letter from Kay Day serving in Rwanda

July 2015 - Mutual Learning

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Rwanda. As you celebrate Independence Day in America, it just so happens that we are doing the same in Rwanda.  Independence Day here is July 1, but the circumstances here are quite different. For Rwanda, it is an opportunity to celebrate independence from genocide, the end of the killing.

Although that was 21 years ago, there are reminders everywhere of the horror, on the face of the land and on the faces of the people. One of those faces is a colleague of mine.  Pastor Thadde is just a bit younger than I am. He bears a deep scar from his right temple to his chin, another veering from that one across his chin and yet another on his forehead, from his graying hairline to his left eyebrow. Amazingly, what I notice first when I see his face is not the scarring, but his gentle smile and compassionate eyes. He is a grace-filled man. When I finally gathered the courage to ask him about the scars, he said he would tell me the story when his English was good enough for him to do so in English.

A letter from Kay Day serving in Rwanda

April 2015 - Two Celebrations

Dear Friends and Family,

President Bataringaya

Holy Week greetings. I pray that you have had a blessed Palm Sunday and are anticipating more of God’s blessings as this week continues and we celebrate our Savior’s passion, death and resurrection.

Easter season observances in Rwanda are always in the shadow of the Genocide remembrance, which begins on April 7. This year, because Easter comes before the remembrance, there is the opportunity of joyful celebration. Many years the celebration is muted by the remembrance.  For the Presbyterians the celebration began on Palm Sunday with the momentous celebration of the installation of the new President and Vice-President of the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda (EPR). Representatives from more than 10 countries and 15 denominations gathered, approximately 5,000 worshipers in all, to witness the commitments made by the President, Rev. Dr. Pascal Bataringaya and the Vice President, Rev. Julie Kandema, and to say farewell to the outgoing President, Rev. Dr. Elisee Musemakweli, who has served the church for 13 years. Dr. Bataringaya has served for the past 13 years as the Vice President, so he comes to the office with a wealth of experience and the confidence of the church.

Observing the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

In 2015, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) observed the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide—the systematic massacre of one and a half million Armenians that began on April 24, 1915, and continued into the early 1920s. The 221st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) called on congregations to remember this event in worship on April 26, 2015 and every April 24 thereafter. This page provides resources for learning more about the Armenian Genocide, as well as suggestions for liturgical commemoration in years to come.   

A letter from Kay Day serving in Rwanda

February 2015 - Moving Beyond the Pain

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings from sunny and warm Rwanda. My garden is in bloom with roses and impatiens and bougainvillea and hibiscus. While I am enjoying my flowers, many of you are battling snow. My prayers are with those of you who are struggling with the ravages of winter weather. I read of the storms that blanket the northern U.S. and I pray for your safety.

These contrasts of life are present in so many aspects of our lives. I experienced one as a fresh reminder last week. Two German pastors are visiting lecturers at PIASS at present, and last Thursday they invited me to accompany them to the Murambi Genocide Memorial in southern Rwanda, about an hour’s drive from Butare. This is a genocide site where 40,000 Tutsis were killed at a school where they had taken refuge during that dark period in 1994.  It is a solemn place. As we approached the town where the turnoff is to the memorial, we encountered large groups of fans on their way to a soccer match. They were cheering, some blowing long, plastic horns, one in full body paint of his team’s colors. It rivaled any pre-football gathering in the States. Our driver, Bosco, carefully wove his way through the crowd on its way to the stadium. Once past them, we proceeded to the memorial.