Team McNatt

1994 – April: Genocide began in Rwanda that would last 100 days, killing about a million men, women, and children. What was already a tense, hostile relationship between the Hutus and Tutsis turned into a massacre, forever changing the cultural landscape of this beautiful country. Hope shattered. Dreams crushed. Families murdered. Although Rwanda is often known for mountain gorillas and green tea, one cannot escape this haunting event that continues to impact the people of that country, even the world. August:  I got out of our family minivan my first day at college not sure where to check-in. I saw two cool girls walking by and asked them where to go. The first one I met was Melia, who, you guessed it, I later married. That event, although we didn’t realize it at the time, began a relationship, a dream, that would someday grow into a family and a passion for making a difference in our community, even the world.

20 years later – Rwanda? Still hurting, but beginning to find healing and reconciliation. Team McNatt?  Experiencing God’s blessings, but clearly sensing a desire to reset, refocus, and reunite. Time for courage. Time for an adventure. A country and a family, both in need of renewal. So, after a number of conversations, applications, interviews, and lots of prayer, we are excited to share that we have accepted the opportunity to move to Rwanda, Africa as educators and missionaries.

What will we do? – We will serve at Kigali International Community School (KICS), an accredited K-12 Christian school of about 200 students with 20+ nationalities and 40% Rwandese students. We will be equipping students to impact the world with the message of Jesus and a world class education. Our kids will attend the same school…McNatts united.

Who will we serve? – We will serve missionary families, NGO families, embassy families, business families, and the Rwandan community. We get the honor of leading, educating, and learning from these people, all of whom play a role in ongoing development and renewal in Rwanda. We will do so in community with colleagues at KICS with the same heart for reconciliation.

How will this happen? – Only through God’s grace, power, and generosity can we do this. We are asking you to be a part of our mission support team, including praying for us and the people we will serve, giving to this mission and our family, following this story of what God is up to, and sharing this adventure with others who might want to get in on the action. You can “like” our Facebook page, “Team McNatt,” and check out the family blog, our home base for this mission.

Why now? – It’s time for renewal, not only in our own family, but in Kigali. We want to be a part of the amazing story of forgiveness unfolding in this community. We want to join in as people not only remember, or kwibuka, the genocide of 1994, but the divine story of God redeeming his people, offering hope and light when it seems that there is none…making all things new.

Thank you for believing in us and considering this opportunity to invest in the mission in Rwanda through our family. The adventure begins…

~ Team McNatt (Chad, Melia, Afton, Michal, Wyatt, and Presley)