It was a completely different experience from the usual nursing medical mission trips nursing professors Amanda Addis and Stacy (Swinney ’95) Smith had led to South America. This time, they and four nursing students joined teams from Mercy & Truth Healthcare Ministry and Grace Community Church of the Nazarene on a mission to Rwanda. The trip had its share of challenges, but these hurdles became opportunities for growth and teamwork.
The journey began with a 26-hour itinerary, though things quickly went awry. After boarding in Kansas City and flying to Amsterdam, the team faced a five-hour layover and a four-hour wait on the runway before finally taking off for Rwanda. Mid-flight, the pilot unexpectedly announced they would land in Uganda instead of Rwanda, leaving the passengers confused with no explanation. Upon landing, everyone had to line up to obtain Ugandan Visas.
“The airline put us up in a nice hotel,” Addis recalled. “We were disappointed to miss a day of work in Rwanda, but it was still an adventure.”
After some rest and a quick breakfast, the group’s leaders chartered a bus to Kigali, Rwanda. The journey to the border was long. Then, there were five arduous stops at the Rwandan border for security, visa stamps, and luggage checks. It was 3 a.m. on Monday when they finally reached Kigali—two days later than planned. Exhausted but determined, they grabbed a quick meal and headed to bed.
Despite the challenging start, the group maintained a positive attitude. “It was hard because we were tired,” Addis said. “But I believe there was a reason it happened. We got there when we were supposed to, and everyone stayed positive and worked as a team.”
Their travel wasn’t quite over yet. They still needed to travel to the city of Giseny to meet the Mercy & Truth physicians. From there, the team traveled daily to various clinics, assisting with a range of medical services, from immunizations and anti-parasite medications to health assessments and medication distribution. Each day, the team worked hard, and in the afternoons, the students could relax a bit by playing with children and helping with Vacation Bible School.
For seniors Kinley Kelsey and Jenna Stover, one of the highlights was working with an OB-GYN physician, where they assisted with ultrasounds for expectant mothers and even helped deliver babies.
“I’d say these trips are important to me because I not only get to provide healthcare to people who may have never had any before, but I get to experience amazing life adventures that I will never forget,” says Kinley. “Every time I come back, I learn something more about the world and more about myself!”
Beyond the clinics, the team visited Rwanda’s genocide memorial museum, an experience Addis described as deeply emotional. The Rwandan people’s capacity for forgiveness left a profound impact on the group.
“During the genocide, there were two groups set against each other,” Addis explained. “But their president called for forgiveness from the people whose families were killed—and they forgave! Rwanda is one of the least dangerous countries in the world now because the people live in peace. Seeing that example of true forgiveness is not something we will easily forget.”
Though the trip had its difficulties, it was a transformative experience for everyone involved. “We learned to function, tired,” Addis said with a smile. “But it was a wonderful trip. The students—and all of us—loved it.”
