KIGALI, Rwanda — On the last day of spring, Tom Wheeler left home in Southern California with his wife, his two kids and two audacious dreams.As a civil engineer, he hopes to bring standard, nicely paved sidewalks to a city with almost none.
As a follower of Rick Warren, the evangelist who wrote the bestseller The Purpose Driven Life, Wheeler dreams of making Rwanda the world's first "purpose-driven nation." That means spreading the Gospel and helping this tiny African country, which 14 years ago endured the worst genocide since the Holocaust, continue its unlikely journey toward peace and prosperity.
"Rick challenged us all to go out," Wheeler says. He and his wife, Lori, "wanted to serve God, and we wanted to be part of something big."
The Wheelers are part of a generation of Americans for whom Africa has become the place to try to make a difference. Their dreams vary: to end poverty, to stop AIDS, to make a fortune. Whatever the motive, Africa has united celebrities, missionaries and politicians like few other causes.
1 comment:
LMAO at the tall, suspicious young man on the left.
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