Westview sent a team to Rwanda in August 2019. The purpose of the trip was to familiarize the church with the ministries of Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) in Rwanda and their partnership with the Rwandan Baptist (AEBR) churches.
The team visited multiple churches and initiatives in the Bugesera region of Rwanda. The main church of the region is located in Nyabagendwa. The team met with regional pastors there and hosted workshops for pastors and their spouses. The site is also the location of one of the AEBR primary schools in the region. The Westview team engaged with the students and brought the students the gift of a couple dozen soccer balls. The team also visited a Guardians of Hope project in the region, serving families living with HIV/AIDS, and a Peace and Reconciliation project building a home for a local family. Bugesera is the location of two significant memorials of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda. Westview's engagement with both Rwanda's past and present enables the church to build relationships with churches and people in Rwanda. The team members attended four separate churches for worship on Sunday.
The team also visited areas outside the Bugesera region, including other genocide memorials in Kigali and Nyange. They also travelled to Southeastern Rwanda to visit Canadian Foodgrains Bank projects in Gahara. These projects are developing sustainable agriculture for Rwanda farmers. They also visited with leaders of Life Wounds Healing Association and one of their groups. Life Wounds helps people work through trauma in a local cohort. The cohorts then multiple Life Wounds engagement with communities.
Westview's trip to Rwanda was very successful. They made significant connections with key leaders in the AEBR denomination and churches. These relationships will help Westview establish a longterm commitment and impact in Rwanda.