ZOE Ministry is a vast and quickly-spreading organization that helps starving orphans worldwide develop the systems, training, and support they need to become self-sufficient. It sounded entirely too pie-in-the-sky for my taste. Even on the first days in Rwanda, having the mission explained to me, they have a such a stringent take on not being a handout organization that I thought they sounded almost willfully cruel.  

Then I traveled with them to all corners of Rwanda and saw the ways that these children have come to life under this organization's guidance. It changed the way I thought about missions, and what missions organizations are supposed to do.

We happened to be in Rwanda during the 20th anniversary of the 1994 genocide, and the shadow of that event covered everything we did. Some realities never get any easier, no matter the distance time brings.

When I returned, I produced a video about the work ZOE is doing in Rwanda, you can watch that here.

I like these pieces a lot, and I'd love it if you read through them all (there's only six). But if you'd like to pop in real quick and get an idea of what these are like, go ahead and read Mythical Creatures, which is informative and hopefully sporadically funny, plus, you'll learn what to do if you're ever kidnapped by a gorilla.

The last three pieces, starting with Our National Heroes..., are focused solely on the Rwandan Genocide. They are my favorites of any pieces of writing I've ever done. But they're tough, blood-soaked reads, and I recommend skipping them if you find yourself not in the right headspace for that. 

In whatever case, if you made it this far into this introduction, feel free to read on...

Part 1: An Introduction. Lying sleepless in a country I could not find on a map a few short weeks before.

Part 2: A Lingering Dread. A visit to the surprisingly swanky Hotel Rwanda.

Part 3: Mythical Creatures. The unusual history of progressive feminism in Rwanda, and what to do if you are ever abducted by a gorilla.

Part 4: Our National Heroes... Part one in a three-part series starts with me on the outskirts of the Rwandan Genocide Museum, staring at the flowers and listening to the screaming.

Part 5: The Light at the Top of the Stairs. We trace the history of the Rwandan Genocide through its grisly steps.

Part 6: Carved In Stone. Exploring the possibility of hope returning in modern-day Rwanda, somehow built from the blood and ashes of their loss.