(this is a copy of the first of my weekly updates for my internship with HOPE International in Kigali, Rwanda)

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings from the “Land of a Thousand Hills.” I have arrived safe and
sound here in Kigali after three long days of traveling. The brief
time I have spent here has been very enjoyable as it is quite hard to
not stay in a state of constant amazement at how beautiful and
friendly this city is.

Before I go any further, though, I’d like to extend my deepest thanks
to all of you who are serving here with me through your gifts of
prayer and financing. The ease of my travel and transition are a
testimony to your prayers and I can’t say enough how blessed and
encouraged I feel to have your support. I truly would not be here if
it weren’t for your generosity and intercession, so please know that I
am grateful to each and everyone of you that I have interacted with
about my trip as well as those who have stepped out with faithful
responses to a support letter from a fellow follower of Christ.

For those of you who don’t know exactly what I am doing in Rwanda,
here is a short summary. I am here as a research intern for HOPE
International and I intend to study savings-led and microcredit groups
that have been intitiated by the staff of the Anglican Church of
Rwanda. This will entail me doing detailed qualitative data gathering
and analysis through group and individual interviews as well as
through participatory observation (which is like hanging out while
taking notes). The aim of my internship is that I can provide a
summary of the differences in the impact of each type of group
(microcredit vs. savings-led) as well as some suggestions to HOPE
International and the Anglican Church as to how they can improve their
services and training.

Now that you see the monstrous task that I am undertaking here in
Rwanda, I will ask you to continue to pray, because it is clearer to
me now than ever that I will need The Lord’s provision and guidance at
every turn.

Here are some specifics prayer requests that I would ask you to lift up:

Please pray:

1.      That I would locate specific groups to study for my research that
will be conducive as well as representative (within reason) of the
rest of the existing groups.
2.      That I would continue to enter into meaningful relationships with
my housemates. (With all of us having very time-occupying day jobs, it
may prove to be a challenge)
3.      That I would be consistently starting each day at the cross and in
the word of God.
4.      That my health would remain strong, both physically and emotionally.
5.      That my relationships with my translator as well as other Anglican
staff would develop and that I would learn much about the Kingdom
through hearing their stories and seeing their lives.
6.      That the Gospel will go forth to the poor in both Word and Deed
through the groups I am studying.

That is all that I am able to write, now, but I will be blogging these
updates as well as some pictures and other accounts of my time here at
http://www.willkendall.wordpress.com (as soon as I have a better
internet connection…)

Thanks again for your love and support, and I pray that you might know
the Good News of the Kingdom of God in real and tangible ways this
day.

In Him, by Him, and through Him,

Will Kendall

P.S. You thought I would forget a top ten list but no! Here it is:

Top Ten Things That I have Seen With My Own Eyes in the Last 5 Days

10. Mitoke (the monotonous, yet endearingly inescapable starch of east Africa).
9. The mountains surrounding Bujumboro, Burundi.
8. Helmets required for all moto-taxi drivers and riders in Kigali,
(mom, don’t worry, its VERY safe….).
7. Piping hot water pouring out of the shower in my “muzungu” house.
6. Eyebrows. They are everywhere and they are being put to good use
here in Rwanda. Like in Uganda, the eyebrows are used for greeting,
acknowledging, pointing, and many other things. And I love it.
5. The stars and vast darkness covering the Sudan during my sleepless
night-flight from London to Nairobi.
4. Finally watching the Nairobi airport disappear from sight (it was
miserably crowded and hot, and my plane was 2 hours late….
3. The clothes that I unintentionally left on my floor being washed
and ironed (including underwear) and placed in perfect piles on my bed
by my cleaning/cooking lady, Violet.
2. The view from my front porch in Kigali. It is breathtaking.
1. Diagrams from my Theory of Community Development class being used
to train Rwandans to train their fellow church members on biblical
views of poverty and microfinance. Seeing diagrams of Myers’ four
broken relationships and the poverty trap in Kinyarwandan (the
language spoken throughout Rwanda) has helped to validate the
education I’ve been receiving at Covenant like you’d never imagine.