KIVU goes to Rwanda?

KIVU students standing on the banks of Lake KIVU in Rwanda

By now, you've probably heard of our International Culture Service trips (a.k.a. Mission Trips) we do during the summertime.  We take trips to Haiti and Rwanda during the summer for students interested in expanding their global world view.
When I started teaching the Christian World View to students, I quickly noticed so many World View teachers are obsessed with the academic side of knowing how to think, but very few are working experiential training into their programs.  Here at KIVU we decided to marry the two.  If we Love God and Love Others in the classroom, we ought to be able to extend that Love at home in our own communities, on a greater grandstand in our country, and across international borders.  

KIVU Students outside an Orphan Home

Our intention was to expose students to a totally different culture, a totally different lifestyle, and a totally different language.  It's easy to live inside the spaces we know well, but when we push students to see the world for what it is, they need a totally different context.  

Last week, we sent 15 students to see what life is like, Rwandan Style.  

Jamie Jo and I adopted two children from Rwanda back in 2007, and quickly fell in love with the people of this tiny African country.  We saw orphan kids getting world class education at the Sonrise School in the North.  We worked with various orphanages in Kigali, the capital city; and we were introduced to some of the highest levels of the government as we tried to explore how teenagers might engage here.  

Most of the criticisms tied to short term mission trips are underlined with the word "exploitation," and we wanted to make sure this wasn't just another trip kids go on for a 'vacation,' but rather; how could we orchestrate something they could give something, and receive something.  It's our highest goal to make sure we don't add to the Missionary Syndrome happening in many African nations that tends to do more harm than good.  So we told the kids, "This trip is all about serving the needs of others.   We're not here to hand out.  We're not here to take pictures of little African children to feed our own social narcissistic tendencies.  This is about pushing your worldview to help you explore your future."

KIVU Students getting ready to set up games for orphans in Rwanda

It's amazing to watch American students explore their own faith core in the midst of another culture.  They get a chance to see how normal boundaries begin to stretch as they engage with kids who love God in spite of different circumstances.  Some of the African kids come from wealthy homes, and others come from total poverty; but the light they have in their eyes quickly encourages the Americans.  They see their faith doesn't have to be tied to a certain system, and they can learn principles of community living even when they can't speak the same language.  

I believe every high school student needs to go somewhere in the world to serve another culture however the other culture needs to be served.  High School students need to see life is more than video games, iPhones, and the next athletic event.

When they get a chance to put the lessons learned here at KIVU in Colorado in context with the greater world, they walk away with a jump start to their own vocational goals at the University and beyond.

I'm so proud of the KIVU students who went to Rwanda.  Their lives will never be the same.