Our 2023 Scholars serving in Africa
Be sure to see how our scholar alumni are utilizing their Wheaton training in Africa.
Pacifique Bisangwa
Rwanda - Ministry Leadership
Herbert J. Taylor Scholarship
Pacifique took his experience with Intervarsity, Youth for Christ, and missions awareness from the Kairos and Perspectives courses to found Tubasange, which means “Let’s go to them.” Tubasange is an indigenous mission organization determined to mobilize the church of Rwanda to take the gospel to unreached peoples using preaching, Bible studies, mission awareness seminars, conferences, discipleship programs, and mission school training of potential new missionaries. Pacifique has a young family, so he is thankful for the hybrid learning model of this Wheaton master’s program. Watch a video introduction for Pacifique
Tricia De Boer
Canada to Uganda - Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership
Walter H. & Ethyl Smyth Scholarship
Tricia lost both parents by the age of six and struggled throughout her childhood in foster care. At age 13 at summer camp, the Lord revealed His incredible love for her, and Tricia met her forever Father. She now testifies that “her past struggles and pain as a child became a way for me to connect and grieve with other children and youth in similar circumstances. My past also became my testimony of how God can bring healing and hope.” She now ministers to survivors of war with I Live Again Uganda. Watch a video introduction for Tricia
Olayemi Ilesanmi
Nigeria - TESOL & Intercultural Studies
W. Lloyd & Helen Fesmire Scholarship Ketch Family Nehemiah Fund
Olayemi was sent by his mission organization, Calvary Ministries (CAPRO), to an unreached people group in northern Nigeria and he is preparing to deploy outside his home country. Olayemi desires to be a professional, wise, and well-rounded English language teacher to bless and serve long-term his students in the Middle East. He will study primarily online. Watch a video introduction for Olayemi
Salome Kariuki
Kenya - Evangelism & Leadership
Rev. Wayne I. Wessner Scholar
Salome is a bold evangelist and gifted administrator. She is the international mission administrator at African Enterprise collating and analyzing missions data from 12 countries. She also supports the partnership between African Enterprise and the Lausanne Movement. “I believe it’s time for Africans to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the rest of the world.”
Saruni (Patrick) Lemargeroi
Kenya - Evangelism & Leadership
Rev. Wayne I. Wessner Scholarship, William & Loretta Gaunt Fund
Saruni pastors an Africa Inland Church and founded Maasai Transformation Project which promotes evangelism, church planting, development, and education among the Maasai. He expects this education to help him develop a manual for training church and community leaders to reach the unreached and disadvantaged.
Edward (Ato) Manful
Ghana - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Albert R. & Marjorie Fesmire Scholarship, Elaine A. & Michael G. Jordan Fund
Ato is the Country Director of Excellent Youth Outreach (EYO), Ghana. He is encountering mental health issues in more and more students from the university campus to rural communities. He seeks the training at Wheaton to minister more holistically, disciple effectively, and create a thriving system for mental health within EYO. We congratulate him on his recent marriage
Lawrence Owinya
Uganda - Leadership
Thomas B., Jr. & Carrie E. Wessner Scholar
Lawrence and his wife, Lydia, will come to Wheaton to live and study. They sensed that “mission focus and strategies seem to be shifting from the global west to the African Church,” so they founded an indigenous nonprofit mission called Reaching Frontiers. The vision is to work with local churches to inspire, mobilize, train, and launch indigenous cross-cultural workers. Lawrence and Lydia are missionaries among the Tepeth among the Karimojong.
John Bosco Rumanzi
Rwanda - Marriage & Family Therapy
Norman H. & Mabel A. Cook Scholar
John currently serves on the Navigator’s National Leadership Team as Head of Missional Communities Initiatives. Trauma from the 1990-94 genocide has affected the fabric of Rwandan family life leaving a high PTSD rate and few healthy mentors. John’s study will help him strengthen family and marriage mentorship and parenting programs.