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Finding Solace

By Andy Johnson III on September 22, 2009 in Africa, Causes, Current Trip, Featured, Rwanda

Informed by a mere paragraph in Lonely Planet and a quick glimpse at their website, I set out to find the Solace Ministries Guesthouse in Kigali, Rwanda. The vague map in my travel guide pointed in the right direction without actually pinpointing the location. Passing through multiple neighborhoods, making several phone calls, and asking anyone [...]

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East Africa’s Finest City

By Andy Johnson III on September 20, 2009 in Africa, Current Trip, Rwanda, Travel

Kigali has a fresh feeling to it. There is a chill breeze that carries minimal smog. Colors are vibrant and unhidden by pollution. Built on rolling hills, Kigali seems to naturally connect urban with rural. It is as though the cityscape is nestled into the countryside. The rise and fall of the local terrain means [...]

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Hotel Rwanda

By Andy Johnson III on September 20, 2009 in Africa, Current Trip, Featured, Rwanda, Travel

Here I am at the Hotel des Mille Collines, sipping a cup of tea and pondering the tragic events that unfolded here only 15 years ago. Amidst chirping birds, laughing people, quality food and the luxurious atmosphere of this place, it is hard to imagine that hundreds of Rwandans once hid here to escape the [...]

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Visiting Rwanda

By Andy Johnson III on September 19, 2009 in Africa, Current Trip, Rwanda, Travel

I have long desired to visit Rwanda. It wasn’t clear if this trip would afford the proper circumstances for a visit or if it would be too far out of the way. Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, requires a ten hour bus ride from Kampala and since there isn’t much public transport back to [...]

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One of Life’s Great Experiences

By Andy Johnson III on September 11, 2009 in Africa, Current Trip, Featured, Travel

There are rare moments in life where we have to remind ourselves to pause and take it all in. To realize that what is happening right now is unlikely to ever be repeated. When the extraordinary overpowers the ordinary and leaves us in awe. This is how I felt while trekking through the tropical rain [...]

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It’s Who You Know

By Andy Johnson III on September 9, 2009 in Africa, Current Trip, Travel

One thing I have learned about traveling here and this is perhaps the most important tip I could give to one interested in traveling at least this part of Africa, is that the old cliché is never truer than it is here that “it’s not what you know but who you know.” People are very [...]

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The Switzerland of Africa

By Andy Johnson III on September 9, 2009 in Africa, Current Trip, Featured, Travel

Passing beautiful people, exotic birds and breathtaking scenery we climbed. The familiar hum of the boda boda engine rose and fell with the alternately ascending then descending terrain. Each twist and turn of the road opened a window to yet another spectacular vista. This is the place known as the Switzerland of Africa, where the [...]

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Travel With a Cause

By Andy Johnson III on September 9, 2009 in Africa, Current Trip

The first half of my trip has drawn to a close. Having successfully completed both pastors’ conferences, my Bethel team has returned home and I am now on my own. From here the trip will be much more work because I will have to figure out every detail on my own. Having traveled here before [...]

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A Ride Through Gulu

By Andy Johnson III on September 2, 2009 in Africa, Current Trip, Travel

I recently rode a boda boda, Uganda’s common public transportation on the back of a motorcycle, across Gulu. Although it is the second largest city in the country, a ride through Gulu gives a good sense of what you encounter in Ugandan cities.

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Overwhelmed But Encouraged

By Andy Johnson III on September 1, 2009 in Africa, Current Trip, Spirituality

I am encouraged tonight by II Kings 6:16 where we are reminded “Don’t be afraid…Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Here in Africa I am beginning to feel a little overwhelmed. The magnitude of the need here and the countless arms reaching for help make me wonder if [...]

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