On April 30th, I had the privilege to represent Wellspring at the fifth annual RL Peterson Awards for Innovation in Cambridge, Ontario.  The awards are hosted by the Bridgeway Foundation, a forward thinking private foundation committed to helping non-profit organizations "engage in creative transformational projects both within Canada and the developing world."  I sat there with other business and non profit leaders, celebrating how God is using the passion and creativity of his people to make a difference around the world, and in awe of the creativity being unleashed to find solutions to some of the World's most pressing problems. 

In his book, The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen describes the great illusion of Christian leadership as the idea “that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.” “Who can save a child from a burning house,” he asks, “without taking the risk of being hurt by the flames? Who can listen to a story of loneliness and despair without taking the risk of experiencing similar pains in his own heart and even losing his precious peace of mind? In short: Who can take away suffering without entering it?”

For the past month I have moved between inspiration and agony.  In Rwanda, our new teacher trainers have bonded together, despite ethnic and cultural differences, through our Peace and Reconciliation training.  Meanwhile, in Kenya, my beloved homeland, a formerly peaceful nation explodes with hatred, frustration, and ethnic based violence.  The comparison could not be more chilling, especially considering the scenes of violent young men wielding machetes which dominate new headlines in Kenya were the dominant scenes of the Rwandan genocide nearly fourteen years ago. 

Merry Christmas from Wellspring!  We have a lot to be thankful for this year.  Hundreds of different people have contributed to make 2007 our best year yet and we have gained widespread support within Rwanda for our approach to improving the quality of education in Rwandan schools.  We take the time to pause and thank God for his faithfulness.  We celebrate all God has done and anticipate the future.  The foundation has been laid and we are seeing God multiply our efforts and increase our impact.   

"I love school," Andrea pronounced emphatically!  This statement indicates the incredible change that has taken place in Andrea this past year.  Her mother describedhow she used to dread going to school and would even pretend she was sick.  Now her mom tells me they cannot get going fast enough in the morning because, "we can't be late for school!" is Andrea's daily worry. 

 My son Jordan is only a few months old but he is already richer than I am:  He owns one cow and I own zero!  During August, our close friends Nicholas and Elsie Hitimana, held a naming ceremony to give Jordan a Rwandan name.  Many people came forward with wonderful suggestions.  They included: 

The following profile was written by Wellspring staff member Jodi Komant from an interview with Wellspring Academy third grader Enoch Kisa

Enoch Kisa is like any fun-loving and energetic eight year old boy.  He enjoys playing games with his friends, running around, and playing soccer and basketball.  Surprisingly, he doesn't like dancing, but he confessed that is only because he doesn't know how!  "My dad is absent, my mom is having a baby, and my little sister has a big problem!"  Translation:  His dad has gone to Uganda for a month with work, his mom is expecting her third child, and his sister has a bad cold right now. 

Nearly 100 people attended a rough cut screening of Rwanda: Hope Rises on Saturday afternoon, April 21st at the beautiful Vancity Theatre.  They were shown a 38 minute version of the film and asked to provide their feedback.  Event attendees were also asked to sign a petition asking the Canadian government to take more action in the ongoing genocide on Darfur and had an opportunity to learn more about the work of Wellspring in Rwanda.   

This week three of Wellspring's staff members are attending the Africa Roundtable in South Africa.  The week long roundtable, which is hosted by the Association of Christian Schools International, is an invitation only event for 125 of the top leaders in Christian education within Africa.   Wellspring's Program Director Yvonne Dyer, Country Director Jeffery Komant, and the Chairman of ACT Rwanda have been invited to participate.  

We have just wrapped up a busy Missions month at the Bridge Church in Fresno, California.  The warmth in which we were received, the heart of the people who engaged with this project, and their generosity will forever be remembered.