Today was another busy, very good day.
We started the morning at Question Coffee, gathered around shaded patio tables with croissants, mugs of hot and iced coffee, and the low hum of conversation. It was the kind of slow, attentive start that feels like a gift on a trip like this — everyone together, waking up not just their bodies but their attention. There is something about beginning the day with both good coffee and honest conversation that changes the way you carry everything that comes next.
From there, we headed to Peace House, where we would spend the next few hours. As we stepped through the gate, we could already hear worship — voices raised in praise, carrying across the courtyard before we even reached the building. As we filed inside, the room was wall-to-wall blue chairs and people praising Jesus together. The air felt full.
After worship, Julienne began the Discovery Bible Study. I was so impressed by the way she led. She didn’t rush. She didn’t let vague answers stay vague. When someone responded in a way that was too general, she gently pressed in: What do you mean by that? What does that look like in your life? It is easy, especially in a group, to hide behind vague answers. Julienne would not let that happen. It was beautiful to watch — a leader committed to helping people encounter Scripture in a way that touches real life, not just the surface.
When the Bible study wrapped up, we moved outside for a little more fresh air. Under the open sky, we listened to testimony after testimony from graduates of Peace House — young men and women who had once been living on the streets, trapped in prostitution and deep vulnerability, now standing before us as husbands, wives, parents, workers, followers of Jesus. They praised God loudly and often for the ministry of Peace House and for the people who had seen them when they felt unseen.
One of those young men was Peter. I first met Peter on my very first trip to Rwanda in February 2011. Back then, he was one of the first five boys to live in Peace House and had just recently transitioned from staying with the Shelbys into the home. Today, he stood in front of the group giving a strong, clear testimony. It did my heart so much good to see him now — in a good job, married, with a young son, and firm in his faith. Watching the arc of his story over these years felt like a visible reminder that the seeds planted long ago were not wasted.
“Watching Peter stand and share his testimony fifteen years after that first trip felt like a living reminder that the seeds planted long ago were never wasted.” — Dr. Laurie Bailey, field notes
As the testimonies continued, Eric leaned over and asked if the guitar players from the worship team could bring their guitars and quietly play under the prayers that were coming next. In typical fashion, this team responded with willing hearts. The musicians grabbed their instruments and began to play as if this had been the plan all along. First, those who had shared testimony and others connected to Peace House formed an inner circle while our team stood around them, praying over their lives and ongoing work. Then we switched — they asked us to kneel while they stood around us and prayed.
They prayed with such authority and conviction that even though we did not share a common language, the power of it was unmistakable. You could feel the weight of their words, even when you could not understand every syllable. It was one of those moments when the lack of shared vocabulary did not matter; the Spirit translated what needed to be known.
When the line formed for lunch, Peter and I sat off to the side and scrolled through photos from that first trip in 2011 — images I had posted online that he still remembered. He pointed out faces one by one, naming each person and sharing where they are now. He told me that all of the boys from that first group are now young men with families. He asked me to send him all the photos so he could share them with friends and family. We laughed, remembered, and then connected online so we can stay in touch. It is hard to put into words what it means to see such tangible evidence of God’s faithfulness over time.
Lunch was a delicious traditional meal, lovingly prepared — plates full of rice, beans, vegetables, and more food than anyone could reasonably finish. There is always so much food, and it always feels like an expression of welcome.
Leaving Peace House was bittersweet. It is hard to climb back into the vans when you have just heard so many stories of transformation and stood in multiple circles of prayer with people you could easily spend all day with. But the afternoon held more to come.
Chapel in the Upper Room
We drove to ATN for chapel with the teachers and staff. After unloading the vans, we headed back upstairs to the now-familiar room. We began with an icebreaker to help us know one another better. It is hard to describe exactly what unfolded, but at one point Jill used the “Waterfall, waterfall” call-and-response to gather everyone’s attention, and the room went quiet so the journey could continue.
As the icebreaker ended and people found their seats again, the group shifted into Kinyarwanda worship. As the singing began, I felt a sharp pang in my stomach and quietly slipped out to the landing to get some air. One of the teachers who had attended our session the previous day saw me and came out to talk. She shared her story — growing up Muslim, being rejected by family when she confessed Christ, surviving terrible abuse from the father of her first two children. Over and over, as she spoke, she said two words: “But Jesus.”
She must have said it at least fifteen times.
She is now a born-again Christian, teaching at ATN, married to a wonderful Christian man. She told me that her smile is real because of the joy she has in Christ. We stood on that landing for the rest of chapel, talking quietly while worship songs floated through the open door behind us. When we finished, we hugged and walked back into the room together.
The next part of chapel focused on testimonies from the Farming God’s Way ministry. Around that time, Darryl headed downstairs to finalize the setup in the computer lab, and I joined him to take photos. Aloys came to unlock the secured door where the laptops are stored. I snapped a few pictures, visited with Victor, ATN’s IT lead, about the laptops, and then lingered to talk with Aloys about our sessions tomorrow and the growth they are seeing at ATN.
It was one of those conversations that leaves you both encouraged and humbled. Aloys spoke with such joy and clarity about what God is doing in and through ATN. He is truly a remarkable man — grounded, hopeful, and deeply invested in both students and staff.
Eventually, he received a call from Mapendo that dinner was ready. We loaded the vans again and drove to a hotel where a pavilion had been set aside just for us. Under the canopy, tables were lined with a buffet of delicious food. We ate with a cool breeze moving through the space, surrounded by good conversation and the kind of tired that feels like it has been well earned.
The journey back to the villa was long — traffic was heavy and slow — but the van was full of conversation and processing and the normal end-of-day energy of a team that has seen and heard a lot in a short amount of time. Once we finally arrived, it was time for debrief and the download of plans for tomorrow. Today held old friends and new stories, worship in multiple languages, circles of prayer where we took turns standing in the center, and conversations that will stay with me long after we return home. It was another busy day. It was also a very, very good one.