This week has been a real nail-biter in our Rwandan office. After months, and even years of working towards obtaining some pretty important official documents that allow Wellspring to operate to our full potential here in Rwanda,  it all came down to crunch time this week.

Way back in December, while a team in Vernon, BC was busy packing a sea container of items and building materials for the Wellspring Academy secondary school project, our team in Rwanda was already busy trying to get the paperwork lined up to be able to clear the container once it arrived. Despite the early start, documents still weren’t in place by February when the container reached Rwanda and, although we were graciously allowed to receive the container (which in itself was amazing), we were informed that unless we could get our exemption status, we would be required to pay $4,000 worth of import taxes and duties in April.

We were experiencing a little of what you could call “the chicken and the egg” syndrome and were having a tough time figuring out which came first. In order to get our exemption for the shipment of goods for the school, we needed to obtain a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Education. Before an MOU could be signed, our Registration needed to be renewed. This was a lengthy process that took months to gather the material needed to submit our application.

When Monday came and went, followed by Tuesday with still only hopes for some solutions, we were beginning to get concerned. The Minister of State for Education’s personal assistant was understanding of our situation and doing everything he could to help push the process along, but by Tuesday night it seemed like his hands were tied. I came pretty close to despairing, but our team in Rwanda was busy praying and believing that God would still make a way for us.

Wednesday afternoon brought a huge sigh of relief when we were told that our Registration had been renewed! We all continued praying and I spent most of the day in government offices, until finally on Wednesday night, we got the great news that the MOU had been signed! While our hearts were rejoicing in the way God was making things happen, we still knew that we had to get the Letter of Exemption. First thing this morning I headed out the door with the hope that God would provide one more time. When I called the office with the great news that we had the signed paperwork in our hand at 9:30 am I overheard our entire office let out a cheer as we thanked God.  Miracles do still happen!

Thanks for being part of the journey with us.