A letter from Kay Day serving in Rwanda
September 2014 - Two Contrasting Countries
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings from Rwanda. I have just returned from a three-week vacation in Malawi, so this is a different kind of letter, not filled with what God is doing in ministry but a few observations from time away.
Even as we flew into Lilongwe, Malawi, I was struck by the open expanses of the countryside, compared to Rwanda. Two factors account for this. First, Rwanda is the land of a thousand hills. Most of the country is hilly and homes and farming are constructed on hillsides. That alone gives a feeling of being enclosed and nestled into the countryside. Malawi has open plains with short shrubs and small trees in much of the central and southern region. Second, a population issue. Rwanda is one-third the size of Malawi and yet has a population of 11 million compared to Malawi’s 14 million. Of necessity, people live closer together. These differences were reinforced as I rode with my friend Sam Ncozana into the capital of Lilongwe. I had just left Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, driving through tightly populated neighborhoods with iron-roofed houses lining well finished tarmac roads, with curbs and street lights. The drive into Lilongwe was much longer and the road, with chipped edges, meandered through open fields and past thatched-roofed houses with goats grazing along the road. Even the cities are different, with Kigali boasting new high-rise buildings that house the markets and shops while Lilongwe is afforded the space for low, sprawling buildings and open-air markets. Kigali is a new city because of the need for reconstruction after the fighting during the genocide. Lilongwe is an old city that is expanding, growing around what exists. Rwanda’s motorcycle taxis dominate travel, while pedal bikes and pedestrians carrying bundles on their heads take the forefront in Malawi. I was back to the more rustic setting that was so familiar for many years.
While it was wonderful to see my adopted family and enjoy time with the four grandchildren who had grown in two years but remembered me and had anticipated my visit, there was the reality that this was a visit. Malawi is no longer the place where I live and where my life is. I was a very well received guest. Realizing that was comforting. I could recognize the familiar, like Liwonde and Zomba and the comfort of my sons’ homes, and appreciate the new, like the construction of the Zomba Road and my friend Silas’ new church building, but I was only there for a time. I was not involved in the politics of the place. I did make a few pastoral visits with my sons, as part of their work, but it was their work, not mine. I was there to enjoy the people and the landscape (and provide transportation, since I had a vehicle, thanks to Sam). If nothing else, this trip confirmed my contentment with where I am now and what I am doing. The highlight of the time was celebrating my 65th birthday with my family and closest Malawian friends, the Ncozana family, on the Zomba plateau. (For details, see my blog.)
Equally enjoyable was the realization that I am not retiring at 65 but have returned to a satisfying job. I was warmly welcomed by staff and students at PIASS and with requests for editing of several papers and projects. I have had a steady flow of visitors to the house, even though this is the school holiday, to hear of my travels. I realize more fully that Rwanda is now my home.
Thank you for your prayers for my travels and for the safe return. Thank you for your support that has made this possible. Rejoice with me in the place God has put me in my 65th year. September is a month of preparations and completion of tasks begun. Please pray for the preparations for the new term that begins in October. Please continue your prayer support and your financial support in this coming year as we partner together in ministry.
Yours in love,
Kay (Cathie to the family)
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 128
Read more about Kay Day's ministry
Blog: Day's Diary
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