Trip to Rwanda is worth 'more than any paycheck'
By Sheryl Kay, Times Correspondent
In print: Friday, May 30, 2008
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NORTH TAMPA — Despite a distance of more than 7,000 miles, there is a strong connection between the Church of the Resurrection in north Tampa and the country of Rwanda.
In fact, the local church is a mission of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, led by Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini.
Peace and economic development have finally come to the African nation that was almost destroyed by tribal genocide in 1994. But the progress is slow, so members of the Church of the Resurrection send missions to Rwanda to help with health care, engineering and other areas.
Thirteen members of the church, at 12720 N Florida Ave., will embark on just such a trip this Monday.
"It's what you call a reverse mission," said David Brookman, a mission leader at the church. "They've taken us under their wings, and now we go and help them."
With Christianity the faith of more than 90 percent of Rwanda's population, church missions are more for development than for proselytizing, said Brookman, a software engineer.
"Most of these people know the Bible really well," said Brookman, 50. "They are teaching us more about Christianity than we could ever teach them."
This year's mission includes several nurses, among them Peggy Rodebush, who also traveled on last year's mission to Rwanda. Rodebush and her colleagues will train health educators in the treatment of infectious diseases, operating room procedures, trauma care and other disciplines.
All participants in the mission pay all of their own expenses, including airfare, food and gas while in Rwanda. This year's estimated cost is just under $3,000 per person and does not include any lost wages while away.
Rodebush, 53, of South Tampa said helping people get back on their feet while watching them practice forgiveness and compassion far outweighs any investment on her part.
"Going over there last year and going this year has helped me get back to the basics about what is important in life," she said. "What I get out of this is so much more than any paycheck I get here."
Even upon completion of the mission, there remains a day-to-day connection between the church and the coffee-producing nation.
Several years ago the Anglican Church helped small groups of women form co-ops to cultivate and sell the coffee. Today, under the label the Land of a Thousand Hills, the coffee is sold at the Church of the Resurrection ($10.50 for 12 ounces), at other churches and via the Internet.
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