Our Newsletter Posts
THE MISSION
In 2024, our family decided to walk through the open door to serve alongside the wonderful staff and teachers at Virunga Valley Academy in Musanze, Rwanda. We were inspired by the vision for the school started by Matt and Andrea Miller in 2014 to develop young people into transformers of Rwanda and the world through academic excellence, growth in the character of Christ, and service to others.
In a country continuing to heal from one of the worst moments in history, the young people trained at VVA graduate equipped to make incredible impact on their community. The school has a focus on reconciliation between people to God, to each other, to themselves, and to creation. It is a unique academic community whose aim is to seek first the kingdom of God. We are excited to learn firsthand what this looks like and help put it into practice.
OUR FAMILY
We, Bekah and Thom Savage, met on a short-term mission trip to New Orleans. It was clear that we were glued together to work for something bigger than ourselves. We’ve found great meaning in investing in college students and serving in our local church communities. All of the relationships we’ve made along the way taught us the messy details of what loving your neighbor looks like when carried all the way through, from celebrating the delight of unexpected successes to trudging through the hour-to-hour grind of grief and loss.
We pursued parenthood in our eighth year of marriage, and in 2014 our first child was on the way. Our gender-revealing ultrasound uncovered that our baby was a very special little girl whose body carried the genetic condition known as Trisomy 18, which is usually incompatible with life. We made the decision to carry the baby to term, and Bekah delivered Elizabeth Glory Savage on August 5, 2014. Her underdeveloped brain prevented her from breathing and she passed away shortly after birth.
There’s nothing romantic about the incredible grief that our family endured processing the reality of death, but we can say now that we’re grateful for this experience as it shaped our family’s faith. In the middle of the valley of suffering is a crossroads where you get to choose whether to give up on faith or trust God anyway. We chose to trust Him, and it’s from that choice that expanded our appreciation for the hope that He provides. God has since given us the joy of three children, Hannah Joy (7), Mary Hope (5), and John Valor (3).
In 2024, we were presented with another time of choosing. The door before our family opened to join the work in Rwanda. We chose to step off of our current path of “the good life” in America and instead take the challenging but worthwhile path to help build up the work being done to transform lives in Rwanda.
We joined at teachers in the secondary school for the 2023-2024 academic year. Thom taught 6, 7, 8 grade math as well as Algebra I to the first class of in-person high school students. Bekah taught grades 7, 8, and 9 science. The year in Rwanda gave us the full spectrum of high and low experiences, which we chronicled in our Substack newsletter.
SUPPORTers OUR JOURNEY
Our work at the Virunga Valley Academy is as teachers and administrative staff. The school’s not-for-profit structure provides financial support for local Rwanda staff; however, staff from other countries must raise their own funds. We are not affiliated with any mission organization and are funding ourselves independently through donations.
Through the generous donations of our supporters and the Homewood Church of Christ, we raised all of the money we needed to sustain our work. We are profoundly grateful to those who believed in our family’s mission and shared in our vision for what we could accomplish together.
As the school continues to grow by adding a new class each year, you can help to sustain it by donating to the “VVA General Teacher Support” fund by clicking the Pushpay button below.