Our family had the chance to spend Christmas in the US this year, and we are so grateful for the time we had with friends and family there. My dad said while we were home that, “God really just provided for us.” And He did. Our family had a house to stay in and a car to use. Anything that could have been challenging was taken care of. It was our first Christmas with family in the US after three in Rwanda, and it was a really precious time for us and our kids. Thank you for your support that made it possible!

We were so excited and ready to get back to work in Rwanda after our trip ended. God is doing so much amazing work here in Kibogora, and it’s truly just been fun to be part of it since we’ve been back.

January

• The annual Better Together meeting took place in January. International and local partners came together to talk about the progress made in 2025 and plans for 2026. All of the updates shared by different partners made us hopeful for what’s to come at the hospital and the local university including the installation of a CT scanner at the hospital, the opening of Amahoro (Peace) Hospice House, and the develepmont of a Medical School at Kibogora Polytechnic.

• The Free Methodist Chaplains Association visited the hospital and university in January as well, and they are working with the school to develop a post-graduate chaplaincy program. We thank God for that as more chaplains are needed in Rwanda.

• We have been working with Wunders to pilot reusable menstrual health kits at the hospital, and this January, we expanded the pilot program to local Free Methodist schools. We provided kits and training to 40 girls, and we recieved so much positive feedback and requests for more kits. We’re praying for this partnership to continue to grow to meet the local need of women and girls for reusable menstrual supplies as disposable can be unattainable financially for some of them.

February

• Emmanuel traveled to Togo this February to attend the West Africa Mission Alliance and the West Africa Area Fellowship meetings. He is also attending a retreat for Africa Area missionaries this week. It’s been a great time for him to attend trainings with Africa Area leaders and to see how God is at work throughout the region.

• This weekend we are recieivng a team of specialists and residents from the University of South Alabama. This team comes annually, and they are always a big blessing to us, to local staff, and to patients. We are looking forward to their arrival.

• The team from Alabama includes two Trauma/Burn Surgeons. This opens up the care that the young boy I mentioned in a previous newsletter, Junior, is able to recieve. He has been at the hospital for about three months now with a third degree burn that requires surgery. He was very malnourished on arrival, so we’ve been working to improve his nutrional status so that the surgery will be successful. His medical team is planning for him to have sugery while the specialists from Alabama are here. Please be in prayer for Junior that his surgery will be successful, that his pain will be well controlled, and that he’ll be closer to his burn wound being healed.

March

• We are planning another pediatric burn survivor event for this March that will be similar to last year’s. We’re praying the children who attend will be blessed and will leaving knowing how loved their are by their community and by Jesus.

Thank you always for your prayers, support, and partnership in God’s Kingdom work here in Kibogora.

In Christ,

Rachel & Emmanuel