Pay it Forward

As we enter Thanksgiving season in the United States, I want to remind us of a day last summer that many Hope Haven students will not forget—and a day they are grateful is over!

On that memorable day in mid-July, hundreds of students met at the Gasogi Testing Center at the top of the hill above Hope Haven to “sit for” the Rwandan national Primary Leaving Examination (PLE). 

This exam is the first significant gateway for any student in Rwanda. As girls and boys desire to transition from primary school to secondary school, they must take the country-wide standardized examination. They are literally ranked in comparison with every other student in the nation and this ranking determines many of their future opportunities.

For several years now, Hope Haven leaders have decided to “Pay it Forward” by blessing students throughout the community—regardless of which school they are enrolled in. In a gesture of goodwill toward our entire community, Hope Haven provides a hearty, nutritious lunch for all the students and examiners at the testing center—hundreds of meals for three days of testing—at our own expense. We love our community and want all the students to excel.

We also pray hard and ask others to pray for them. 

We also dance with them. Yes, you read that correctly—we dance with them. During their lunch break, we crank up some tunes and help them get a little physical exercise! After lunch and a lively dance party, they are ready to go back in for another round of testing.

What motivates Hope Haven to make this happen each year? We believe that we are simply stewards of what God has entrusted to us. We don’t “own” anything—it’s all on loan from God. He asks us to carefully manage it. We believe that the investments we make in the community we serve are ultimately investments in eternity.

Interestingly, at the precise time our Hope Haven students were testing, our interns were memorizing Matthew 6 together. This well-known section of the Bible is where Jesus said, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19). When we give to others, we are investing in eternal fruit.

I am so pleased to report that our students scored in the highest categories in the nation—again! And their older colleagues who took the O-Level National Examinations did just as well. To God be the glory for His ongoing grace to Hope Haven. We will continue to “pay it forward”—how about you?

P.S. During the next two weeks, get ready to hear from Paige Steele who is spending her first Thanksgiving in Rwanda and can’t wait to share what is happening there!