A letter from Kay Day serving in Rwanda
november 2014 - thanks
Dear family and friends,
As November begins, even though I am thousands of miles away from the States, I immediately think of Thanksgiving. While that is not a holiday that we celebrate in Rwanda, I believe with all my heart that it is the way God wants us to live. (How many times does Scripture say, “Give thanks”?) So I delight to reflect on those things and those people for whom I am most thankful. As I do that, I realize that most of my thoughts center on people and relationships.
I begin with my colleagues. There are many, but the first one who comes to mind is my friend Juvenal Rwamunyana. He is the chaplain for PIASS and the dean of students and he teaches, but he is also the president of Kigali Presbytery—like the general presbyter in the PC(USA). Kigali is the largest of the presbyteries of the church here. So he has two enormous jobs, one in Kigali and the other in Butare (a two-hour driving distance apart). He carefully juggles his schedule to meet the requirements of both. What impresses me is that when you are in his presence, he makes you feel as if there is nothing and no one as important as you are. He does this with students, faculty and cab drivers. It is an amazing gift. I am thankful to call him my friend.
Then, I am thankful for my students. They are a committed group. Many of them juggle many responsibilities, as well. Delphine Nyirabakundukize is one example. She is a senior, president of the Presbyterian Association, an elder in our English chapel, and works in the library to help cover her tuition costs. On Sunday she preached for the English service. Immediately afterward the choir and I were to go to the Butare congregation to worship with them. Delphine called for motorcycles as we were finishing the service. After we greeted the congregation, she hustled me out of the chapel and onto a waiting “moto” to rush to the church, where I preached and Delphine translated for me and sang with the choir. After the service she escorted us back to campus on motos and then went to work in the library, all of this while smiling. Her commitment and energy are representative of so many of my students. They encourage me about the quality of the future of the church here.
Then, I am deeply grateful for you, my faithful family and friends. Your prayers for me sustain me. Your cards and emails encourage my heart. Your support, financial and spiritual, makes it possible for me to be here with Juvenal and Delphine and all the others. I will never take your love and care for granted. You are blessings to me in so many ways. I thank God for you. But I also want to take this opportunity to say thank you to you personally.
This year I will be blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving with three other Americans from the PC(USA). Meg Knight is a long-term volunteer teaching English at the Presbyterian headquarters in Rwanda and Boyd and Shirley Edmondson are partners-in-residence for six months from Kiskiminetas Presbytery to Gitarama Presbytery. What a great blessing to have other American colleagues in the country! As we sit down to stuffed chicken (no turkeys easily available), I will be giving thanks for you and for all the people here who bless me. I pray that your Thanksgiving will be filled with the same gratitude for God’s provision.
Yours in love,
Kay (Cathie to the family)
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 128
The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 152
Read more about Kay Day's ministry
Blog: Day's Diary
Write to Kay Day
Individuals: Give to E200502 for Kay Day's sending and support
Congregations: Give to D507524for Kay Day's sending and support
Churches are asked to send donations through your congregation’s normal receiving site (this is usually your presbytery).
Double Your Impact!
A group of committed donors has pledged to match all gifts sent by individuals for mission personnel support now through December 31, 2014, up to $137,480. This means your gift today will be matched by a gift to support mission personnel around the world, wherever the need is greatest. We invite you to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to double the impact of your gift. Thank you!
