Our Rwanda Pilgrimage

Hello Family and Friends,

If you are here you know we are going to Rwanda! If you want to learn more about why we are going to Rwanda, please read below. Also, if you are looking for the latest updates, please keep reading below. Lastly, if you’d like to support us financially (thanks!), please see the Donation Link and “How To” video below.

Thanks for visiting and thank you for your support!

A+J

Donation Link (to church website): https://ccpdfwtx.infellowship.com/OnlineGiving/GiveNow/NoAccount

How To Donate Online (video below):

The What & The Why

In late January through early February, we will be joining a small team from Christ Church Plano on a short-term pilgrimage to Rwanda. For the last year, Christ Church Plano has partnered with the Anglican Church in Rwanda to support the development of rural preschools, nutrition programs, churches, and future pastors. We now have the opportunity to personally spend time with the people who have been impacted by our prayer and support.

Our hopes for this trip include:

  • An invitation to God to work in our lives through this pilgrimage. We pray that we will grow in personal discipleship and religious devotion during our preparation and time in Rwanda.
  • The opportunity to experience Anglican worship and formation in an African context. During our trip we will worship with Rwandan Anglicans and learn from their proclamation of the Gospel.
  • An understanding of how the Lord has worked in Rwandan culture and history. This is a country that was torn apart by genocide nearly 30 years ago. However, they have experienced transformative reconciliation through the work of Christ in their lives.
  • Finally, we will visit the villages where Christ Church Plano has supported the construction of preschools and nutrition programs, as well as a future site designated for additional development.

As you can imagine, a trip like this requires generous (tax deductible!) financial support from a number of people. We both need to raise $2,200 each (as of January 1st we’re 63% to goal). If you can support us in this pilgrimage – in any way – we would be very grateful.

We have set up a this website to help guide financial supports to a secure link where you can give electronically. Or you can mail-in a donation directly to Christ Church Plano. If the mail-in option is your preference (please reach out to us and we’ll get you the right forms) it is important to know that you are giving to Christ Church’s Mission Fund, instead of directly to us. You can select us (write our full names on a check, if that’s how you choose to give) as your preferred traveler for application of the funds, but the church has final authority on how your donation is applied. If you choose to support us financially, please do so by January 24th or sooner.

While we are very grateful for any financial support you can provide, it comes in a distant second to our primary need for your prayer support. We hope to have at least 10 prayer partners, people who will pray for us every day that we’re preparing for and in Rwanda on this trip. This prayer support is vitally necessary to the success of our team. Please consider committing to be one of our prayer partners. If you respond to us with this interest, we will send you more information on our travel dates and specific prayer needs.

We look forward to sharing with you all that God accomplishes on this trip!

Love,

A+J

Updates!

21 January 2024

Sent! On Sunday our pastor, Fr. Paul Donison, joined by our Christ Church Plano congregation, commissioned our Rwanda Team for our upcoming pilgrimage trip. We leave soon – Thursday January 25th! Final preparations are in process: last minute purchases for the trip, pre-packing the carry-on, and ensuring paperwork is all in order.

We humbly request your prayers: for the health of the entire group throughout the entire trip; for smooth travel to and from; prayers for our families back home while we’re away; and prayers to be attentive to what God has for us and the people we will be visiting… and prayers that we may be able to meet the two children we sponsor through Compassion International.

A+J

14 January 2024

Our pilgrimage group had our last official meeting before our trip. Together we packed 263 backpacks for the children at the three preschool we will be visiting. These are preschools which Christ Church has funded the building of and whose nutrition programs we continue to support. These backpacks include school supplies, a small toy, and a custom coloring book that Christ Church produced. Also, there may be a chance we’ll get to meet two of the children we sponsor through Compassion International – fingers crossed~

We humbly request your prayers: for the health of the entire group (don’t want to be sick en route or during the trip!); for pre-trip preparations of “life stuff” and “work stuff”; for peace with the kiddos before and during our time away; and that God blesses all of the folks involved in this pilgrimage (the people we’ll meet in country and for us travelers).

A+J

8 January 2024

We’re about two and half weeks out – it’s getting real! Flights have been purchased and we’re planning a short weekend layover in Brussels on the return, with the hope that some friends who live in Europe will be able to travel in to meet us. We learned today that our Rector, who was originally leading the tour, will be joining us near the end of the trip instead but our pilgrimage itinerary remains the same. We also learned that on January 28th we will be able to be celebrate the opening of a new, local church that Christ Church supported the construction of. Additionally, this weekend will be our last team meeting before the big trip, where we’ll pack bags for items we’re delivering to the children of one of the preschools we support.

We humbly request your prayers: for the entire team as we prepare for the pilgrimage; for our incoming family who are watching our kiddos; for our rector and his family as they prepare for his consecration as a Bishop; and that we (A+J) may be attentive to what God has in store for us.

A+J

Resources

Scroll to Top