Friday, October 21
Mark and Brandon’s last day in Rwanda. We visited the Center where Mathilda and her husband minister to the widows and children in an impoverished area. We met several children who had been near death with malnutrition and AIDS, but are now looking healthy and energetic thanks to the nutrition and medical attention they are getting from the Center. Mark and Brandon bought baskets made by the women who meet in the Center. Without the Center, the children would be left alone all day in their tiny homes as their mothers look for work around town. Mathilde is not only caring for the children, but she is providing income generating opportunities for the mothers and spiritual food for all. We joined with the group in fervent prayer, led by one of the mothers.
Made a brief stop at the only fast food chicken restaurant in Kigali—Quick Kuku—owned by someone who attended the seminar yesterday. The Chick fil-A guys enjoyed it.
On to a meeting at the Rwanda Development Board to discuss their need for training small ICT company owners in entrepreneurship. They want 100 of these owners to complete our 14-week program in early spring. I felt like the TV commercial—“I can do that, I can do that; how can I do that?” A great opportunity. We just need to determine how we can assemble the facilitators and visiting execs (from IT world) to do it.
While Mark & Brandon did a little last minute sightseeing, I returned to the office to meet with Mats Tunehag (BAM leader from Sweden) and Chuck Welden (entrepreneur from Alabama). Kigali seems to be the place for meeting people interested in international development.
Could hardly keep my eyes open for the last class of this trip. The learners blessed me with prayer and with the gift of a traditional walking stick. They insisted it signified “strong man”, not “old man”.
After class, I took a cab to the Serena Hotel to meet with Dale Dawson, founder of Bridge2Rwanda, and six others. I mentioned the customer service training we had done this week. Much to my surprise, I was sitting next to a couple who had just completed training the staff of the Serena. They had worked at the Four Seasons Hotels for 15 years and were from Rwanda and Uganda. We exchanged contact information for possible collaboration in the future.
Saturday, October 22
Up early to pack. This is my last day. I’m looking forward to getting home to my family, but still plenty to accomplish before my flight at 8 pm.
David Lamar, videographer hired by Winshape Foundation to document the Chick fil-A team’s visit, interviewed me first thing. Men on the lot below us were breaking rocks with sledge hammers. That, rooster crowing, and the cars entering the gravel parking lot at our guest house provided some challenges to sound quality.
Apollo, our contact at Rwanda Development Board, came by for breakfast. It was good meeting him in a less formal environment than his office. Our relationship with him has been growing as we continue to have successful events. We talked about Regent University's proposal to train the presidents, deans and faculty of Rwanda’s 18 universities. I invited Apollo to visit Regent to finalize details. He was very excited about the prospect. He hasn’t been to the U.S.
Now to take care of next steps for three business opportunities. Dona picked me up to go see trucks for sale. He wants to convert them from fuel trucks to dump trucks and run them for the BDC. Lunch with Sandrali to talk about next steps on the mining project in Congo. He had the results from the analysis of the first samples. Finally, Jean Pierre stopped by my room to do a skype call with Dale Fenwick, Regent MBA who visited Rwanda this Fall. Dale has been extremely helpful in gathering information and strategizing with the team to help them get an insurance company started. God is using Dale’s expertise and contacts to move this project along. This kind of follow up from a Visiting Executive is exactly what we had hoped for when we designed the program.
Off to the airport—early this time. Last time I got stuck in a crowd of 1,000 people trying to fit through a single door and a single security line. I was so early this time, though, that check in hadn’t started yet. They were nice to open it for me. I didn’t like my seat, so I asked for one with more leg room. They sent me to the manager’s office. I told him about our customer service seminar and how the Civil Aviation Authority wanted us to train everyone at the airport, but that he seemed to have it down already. He said he had no seats at that time, but he would call me when check-in closed. He did, and I got a seat with great leg room—praise the Lord!
God always provides an interesting contact as I’m leaving Kigali. I thought Ronald, the ticketing manager was it for this trip, but there was one more. As I was standing in line for boarding in Amsterdam, a woman standing next to me said she saw me on the flight from Africa. We started talking and I found that she is president of a foundation that funds projects in Africa. We might not fit their profile exactly, but it is worth a follow up call. If not RCE, then perhaps our law school. The firm that funds the foundation is involved in international human rights law.
Smooth flight home. When I mentioned all the amazing leads that this trip produced to a friend, he said it sounds like you have created a lot of work for yourself. True, but it is such worthwhile work. We just need more people and resources to do it.
Mark and Brandon’s last day in Rwanda. We visited the Center where Mathilda and her husband minister to the widows and children in an impoverished area. We met several children who had been near death with malnutrition and AIDS, but are now looking healthy and energetic thanks to the nutrition and medical attention they are getting from the Center. Mark and Brandon bought baskets made by the women who meet in the Center. Without the Center, the children would be left alone all day in their tiny homes as their mothers look for work around town. Mathilde is not only caring for the children, but she is providing income generating opportunities for the mothers and spiritual food for all. We joined with the group in fervent prayer, led by one of the mothers.
Made a brief stop at the only fast food chicken restaurant in Kigali—Quick Kuku—owned by someone who attended the seminar yesterday. The Chick fil-A guys enjoyed it.
On to a meeting at the Rwanda Development Board to discuss their need for training small ICT company owners in entrepreneurship. They want 100 of these owners to complete our 14-week program in early spring. I felt like the TV commercial—“I can do that, I can do that; how can I do that?” A great opportunity. We just need to determine how we can assemble the facilitators and visiting execs (from IT world) to do it.
While Mark & Brandon did a little last minute sightseeing, I returned to the office to meet with Mats Tunehag (BAM leader from Sweden) and Chuck Welden (entrepreneur from Alabama). Kigali seems to be the place for meeting people interested in international development.
Could hardly keep my eyes open for the last class of this trip. The learners blessed me with prayer and with the gift of a traditional walking stick. They insisted it signified “strong man”, not “old man”.
After class, I took a cab to the Serena Hotel to meet with Dale Dawson, founder of Bridge2Rwanda, and six others. I mentioned the customer service training we had done this week. Much to my surprise, I was sitting next to a couple who had just completed training the staff of the Serena. They had worked at the Four Seasons Hotels for 15 years and were from Rwanda and Uganda. We exchanged contact information for possible collaboration in the future.
Saturday, October 22
Up early to pack. This is my last day. I’m looking forward to getting home to my family, but still plenty to accomplish before my flight at 8 pm.
David Lamar, videographer hired by Winshape Foundation to document the Chick fil-A team’s visit, interviewed me first thing. Men on the lot below us were breaking rocks with sledge hammers. That, rooster crowing, and the cars entering the gravel parking lot at our guest house provided some challenges to sound quality.
Apollo, our contact at Rwanda Development Board, came by for breakfast. It was good meeting him in a less formal environment than his office. Our relationship with him has been growing as we continue to have successful events. We talked about Regent University's proposal to train the presidents, deans and faculty of Rwanda’s 18 universities. I invited Apollo to visit Regent to finalize details. He was very excited about the prospect. He hasn’t been to the U.S.
Now to take care of next steps for three business opportunities. Dona picked me up to go see trucks for sale. He wants to convert them from fuel trucks to dump trucks and run them for the BDC. Lunch with Sandrali to talk about next steps on the mining project in Congo. He had the results from the analysis of the first samples. Finally, Jean Pierre stopped by my room to do a skype call with Dale Fenwick, Regent MBA who visited Rwanda this Fall. Dale has been extremely helpful in gathering information and strategizing with the team to help them get an insurance company started. God is using Dale’s expertise and contacts to move this project along. This kind of follow up from a Visiting Executive is exactly what we had hoped for when we designed the program.
Off to the airport—early this time. Last time I got stuck in a crowd of 1,000 people trying to fit through a single door and a single security line. I was so early this time, though, that check in hadn’t started yet. They were nice to open it for me. I didn’t like my seat, so I asked for one with more leg room. They sent me to the manager’s office. I told him about our customer service seminar and how the Civil Aviation Authority wanted us to train everyone at the airport, but that he seemed to have it down already. He said he had no seats at that time, but he would call me when check-in closed. He did, and I got a seat with great leg room—praise the Lord!
God always provides an interesting contact as I’m leaving Kigali. I thought Ronald, the ticketing manager was it for this trip, but there was one more. As I was standing in line for boarding in Amsterdam, a woman standing next to me said she saw me on the flight from Africa. We started talking and I found that she is president of a foundation that funds projects in Africa. We might not fit their profile exactly, but it is worth a follow up call. If not RCE, then perhaps our law school. The firm that funds the foundation is involved in international human rights law.
Smooth flight home. When I mentioned all the amazing leads that this trip produced to a friend, he said it sounds like you have created a lot of work for yourself. True, but it is such worthwhile work. We just need more people and resources to do it.
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