Dedication of the Joy of God Bible Institute

I am Dr. Frank Foreman. I am from Vancouver, WA, USA. I am the president of Come and See Africa. I am also the brother of Dr. Chris Foreman, the founder of Come and See Africa and original board member of Come and See Rwanda. It is a great privilege for me to welcome our guests from the most beautiful country in Africa. I have been told that God comes to visit all nations during the day. But that he returns to Rwanda every evening because it so beautiful. That sounds right to me.

Doctors Chris and Kim Foreman first visited Rwanda together in 2001. They fell in love with the country and with the brothers and sisters in Christ that they met here. With Dr. Chris being an academic pastor and Dr. Kim a professor at San Francisco State University, they were especially attracted to the brothers ministering to the students at the National University of Rwanda. They met Pastor Paul from the Assembly of God church and Pastor David from the Anglican Church. They witnessed their ministries to the University students. They became good friends with these two pastors and with one student in particular, Brother Franc. Doctors Chris and Kim returned repeatedly to Butare and their friendships with these brothers grew deeper and deeper. In 2005, they decided to form American and Rwandan ministries to advance their vision; Come and See Africa and Come and See Rwanda. They rented a house to support these ministries to the Christian students at the University and to the poor in Butare. In 2008 they purchased a lot of land to build a student center of their own.

Then tragedy stuck. In 2010, Dr. Kim died in a tragic automobile accident. Brother Franc was driving. My brother Chris was devastated and struggled to forgive the one who he had called: His African Son. But God’s grace softened his heart and his love for his departed wife re-ignited his vision. In her memory he re-hired Franc to manage the completion of the building. The fierce love of my brother and the grateful love of Franc for Dr. Kim’s memory combined to grow the vision beyond its initial bounds.

The Lighthouse as it is now designed will be a hybrid of ministry and business. The rent from the shops and the income from the hotel and restaurant will fully support the University Student Center. This is the center that we are dedicating today to the memory of Dr. Kim Foreman. It will be called the Joy of God Bible Institute. This is my brother’s favorite picture of his lost wife. It captures the Joy of God on both her face and her shirt. It is the joy that God poured into her soul whenever she visited your beautiful land. It is the joy that shines from her face lighted by your love for her and her love for you.

It is in memory of that joy that my brother returns to dedicate this Bible Institute. It is in memory of that love that her son’s, Zachary and Simon, return to witness that dedication. And it is my great privilege as brother and uncle to watch and smile at the grace and love and joy of God.