Fall 2004 –
SHOCK is launched at the Elk River Area
High School and Learning Center. This
is a student-led club of Mission Rwanda
that stands for “Students Helping Other
Country’s Kids.” Twenty-five Rwandan
children are sponsored collectively by
Elk River High School classrooms, with
each student contributing $1.00 per
month.
December 2004 –
The Minneapolis Star and Tribune does a
feature story on the Mission Rwanda
Community Partnership entitled “Reaching
Rwanda.” The Minneapolis Star and
Tribune has a readership of 600,000.
Sponsorship requests come from
throughout the Twin Cities metro area
bringing the total to 250. Pastor Greg
Pagh also shares the Mission Rwanda
story on a popular talk-radio station in
the Twin Cities and was asked back again
in January of 2006.
December 2004 –
A year-end community-wide sponsorship
drive through the local Star News
results in 50 additional sponsorships,
bringing the total to 300 just prior to
the first-year anniversary of the
partnership. Seven churches are now
involved and about 10 local businesses.
The partnership is becoming recognized
throughout the community as a worthwhile
project that represents a long-term
collaborative effort.
February 2005 –
Rev. Nathan Gasatura Kamusiime, World
Vision Church Relations Director from
Kigali, Rwanda, is the first official
partnership guest to visit Elk River.
An extraordinary week unfolds that
includes meeting with the Mission Rwanda
Leadership Team, the Mayor of Elk River,
the Pray Elk River Pastors’ fellowship,
and the Elk River Area Coaches
Association. Presentations are made to
more than 500 Elk River high school
seniors who have just viewed the film
“Hotel Rwanda.” A special marketplace
luncheon is held attended by 250 local
business leaders that results in 5 more
business partnerships. A “Hope for the
Children” Community Gathering is held at
the Elk River High School Zabee Theater
for child sponsors and their families
with more than 400 in attendance. A new
23-minute Mission Rwanda video
documentary is premiered telling the
story of the people of Karaba and
casting vision for the community-wide
partnership. A huge vinyl banner is
signed by Elk River Area sponsor
families with messages to their
sponsored children. This banner now
hangs in the ADP office in Karaba,
Rwanda, as a tangible symbol of our
partnership. 75 more children are
sponsored during Pastor Nathan’s visit
to Minnesota, bringing the total to
375. In addition, $10,000 is raised in
support of special projects in Karaba.
Summer 2005 –
The Mission Rwanda team agrees to serve
as a pilot project for World Vision’s
School Tools Program. A tremendous
community-wide effort results in 546
backpacks filled with school supplies
plus 30 soccer balls and pumps being
shipped to the school children of Karaba,
Rwanda. More than $2,700 is raised to
offset shipping costs. Each “School
Tools Backpack” also contains a
personalized note of encouragement from
Elk River Area families to the children
of Karaba.
September 2005 –
The seven local churches that are
involved in the Mission Rwanda
partnership all engage in a child
sponsorship re-emphasis bringing the
total number of sponsored children in
Karaba to 425.
November 2005 –
Eleven members of the Mission Rwanda
Leadership Team travel to Karaba,
Rwanda, on a 10-day “partnership
development trip.” The purpose of this
second trip to Karaba is to strengthen
relationships between Elk River and
Karaba and evaluate the progress of the
partnership as we approach the 2-year
mark. Team members include Pastor Greg
and Colleen Pagh, Pastor Paul and Deanna
Salfrank, Bryan and Jan Adams, Bryan and
Rachel Telfor, Lorrie Franz, Shelly
Nemerov, and Nancy Strong. The team
consists of two pastors, two teachers, a
city government official, a nurse, a
worship leader, and four business
people.The trip includes tremendous
meetings with World Vision staff in
Kigali and Karaba, many local families,
most of the 425 sponsored children,
pastors from every church in the Karaba
District, the Mayor and Vice-Mayor of
Karaba, the Superintendent of Schools
and about 20 local school teachers,
hundreds of school children, local
micro-enterprise entrepreneurs, and
HIV/AIDS health care providers.
Miracles of healing take place during
our times of prayer and impartation.
Love and encouragement are overflowing
at every stop of our journey. We
receive more than we give! We are
deeply moved by a visit to a national
Genocide Memorial site where 50,000
people were killed in one night during
the Spring of 1994. As a result of our
partnership we witnessed improved health
and vitality in sponsored children,
three new elementary schools, 57 new
homes, nutrition programs, improved
clean water accessibility, broader
HIV/AIDS awareness, growing church
unity, reconciliation among the Rwandan
people, and literally countless other
impacts. We also saw a great deal of
hope for the future. We returned to Elk
River inspired to press on with the
Mission Rwanda partnership having
witnessed first-hand the tremendous
impact it is having for our wonderful
friends in Karaba, Rwanda.
January 2006 –
Presentations following the November
partnership trip result in 35 more
children being sponsored, including 10
children by one family, bringing the
two-year total to 460. A full report
of the 2nd Partnership Trip
is published by the Star News and our
sponsor families are briefed in detail
on the impact of their sponsorship
investment. Presentations are made to
the Elk River Area Chamber of Commerce
and a new video is produced.
March 2006 –
The Mission Rwanda Leadership Team
provides a display booth at the Elk
River Area Chamber of Commerce Expo,
attended by 5,000 area residents.
Currently, 15 area businesses are
providing financial support, sponsoring
children, and serving as partners for
Mission Rwanda. Examples include:
Riverview Community Bank, Remax Real
Estate, Elk River Ford, Baaken Builders,
Lighthouse Chiropractic, the Star News,
Beaudry Oil Company, and Sport-tech
Corporation.
May 2006 –
Pastor Greg Pagh and Pastor Paul
Salfrank represent the Mission Rwanda
team at a World Vision National
Partner’s Conference in Seattle, WA.
They meet with World Vision staff,
present the Elk River model at a
workshop, display the new Rwanda poster
series designed by Sarah Pagh, and are
inspired by awesome guest speakers and
other ministry partners. They return to
Elk River with a greater burden to also
respond to the poor in their own
communities.
November 2006 –
The 544 “School Tools Kits” finally
arrive in Karaba and are distributed
among the sponsored school children
amidst a festive gathering of World
Vision staff and community leaders.
Each kit includes a school backpack and
various school supplies. These kits
were provided by Elk River Area families
in the fall of 2005. Many lessons were
learned in the process of this World
Vision “pilot project” that will lead to
more effective shipment and distribution
of such gifts in the future.
December 2006 –
Special guests are received from
Rwanda including William Ngabo and
Nathan Gasatura, both World Vision
staff. They bring greetings from the
staff and sponsored children in Karaba
and updates on the progress of our
community-to-community partnership.
Special gifts of $2,000 each were
presented to these honored guests to
assist with ministry and family needs.
We were enriched by their presence!
