"Gold mines" for preaching

One thing that you find when preaching in the English field here in Kigali is that universities are very fruitful territory. (I imagine this is the case in most parts of the world.) In particular, because the university students take their courses in English, their English is a cut above everyone else's, especially if they are majoring in English.

So, on the way to the neighborhood known as Kimironko, there is a university called the Kigali Institute of Education (KIE), which houses students majoring in biology, chemistry, education, English, geography, literature, and mathematics.

Kigali Institute of Education (KIE)

OK, aside from the nice-looking exterior, the quality of the campus as a whole isn't the greatest. Buildings are old and could use paint, notice boards need repair, and rooms are small. To show how overcrowded the place is, each room of 10 square meters holds eight students, with two bunk beds, and two persons per twin-sized bed. The students hang their clothes on the wall wherever they can find space. I have been told this is standard practice—and apparently Africans are used to it. Each floor consisting of 20-25 rooms, that is, 160-200 students, has a communal bathroom and shower. (In America, even just two persons sharing a bathroom can cause rioting.) Due to a budget shortage and consequent lack of cleaning workers, there is always the overpowering smell of urine wafting down the dimly lit, narrow corridors. I have used the bathroom at KIE only once, and I wouldn't recommend it except in case of dire emergency. Because having to go to a Rwandan hospital is by far a worse alternative.

Despite these issues, as the title of this post indicates, KIE is a "gold mine" for preaching. During the school year, which began on October 6, you can go door-to-door in the dorms and find many students to talk to—and on occasion all eight of them in one room. The challenge is to (1) keep all the names straight, (2) remember the students' schedules, (2) track where they are at any given time, because there is shifting from room to room, and (3) determine the level of genuine interest, since all of them will profess interest in our message.

Nevertheless, among the numerous return visits I have at KIE, there are two very serious students. One of them, John, studies every Saturday morning faithfully and we have reached Lesson 4 of the Good News brochure. He asks many questions, so I know he has more than passing interest. He has a Kinyarwanda New World Translation, so that is helpful for those moments when greater understanding is needed.

Another student, Peter, wanted to make sure that I returned to see him and by the end of the first lesson of the Good News brochure—and also after watching the short video on meetings—said he wanted to come to the Kingdom Hall.

On Saturdays when most of the students have time off, they do their laundry (by hand, of course—what did you think?), and those who don't complete it in time to get space on the lines have to drape their clothes over every available bush on campus. Then, they all go off to play basketball or soccer until their clothes dry. So there is a great deal of camaraderie among the students, which no doubt contributes to their enjoyment of life, if not perhaps to their academics.

By the way, KIE also has a Confucius Center, which has Chinese instructors teaching the Chinese language to locals. The tuition is reasonable, and most of the students want to use their knowledge of Chinese in business relationships. In case you were wondering, yes, I have return visits among the instructors also.

Another university close to the center of town, called the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), is another good place to preach. This university is much newer and that is reflected in the quality of the campus. I have been to this campus only once—it seemed like I was walking forever because it is such a huge place—and had some productive conversations wherein we made a point of showing the 4-minute video. Other brothers in the congregation preach at KIST regularly. I can tell you, they have a nice cafeteria where you can get a buffet for only 1000Rwf ($1.43). The cashier is even one of our sisters.

Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)

So, there you have it. Two places where you can strike "gold," spiritually speaking. Will keep you posted on the progress of this territory.