Testimonials

“My name is Eunice Mukarumongi. Pastor Mpyisi is my biological father, mentor, counsellor, spiritual father, role model, and educator. What I have truly admired my father for is that he fully accepted us his children for who we are. We are not perfect but he has always loved us though he administered tough love to us. This is a lesson I have learned from him and it has taught me how to deal with my own children. I have also admired his photographic memory. A few years ago, he visited Tanzania and met with students he taught in the 70s but the amazing thing is that he remembered each one of them by name. We are blessed to have him as our father”. .

Dr. Eunice Mgeni

I will never forget his instructions to all who treasure and read the Bible. The instruction was – “The word of God is sweet but to really enjoy it and understand it you must chew it carefully and then swallow it. Its message must reside in your brain.” When I was in the Senate, we invited Pastor Mpyisi at the Senate retreat as a guest speaker to share with us his wisdom on leadership and to educate us on the history of our country. When he talked to us he did not tell us just what we wanted to hear. Even when the topic was sensitive and bordered on ‘politically incorect’, he stated it as it was. He spoke truth without fear. I found this straight forwardness quality in him very admirable. Pastor Mpyisi’s life should be emulated by all God-loving people. He has aged gracefully and has the gift of being loved by all who know him.

Hon. Dr. Charles Murigande

Pastor Mpyisi reminds me of one of Rwanda’s great intellectuals and philosophers – Alexis Kagame. Pastor Mpyisi is an intellectual and a philosopher in addition to being a true man of God. He is a an accomplished researcher and teacher of the word of God. He preaches and teaches what the Bible says and not what people want to hear even if it might contradict what the church leaders say. Being a true man of God allows him to speak the truth which has often created wrong perceptions of his true character. He speaks truth to power fearlessly – a quality that is rarely seen these days. We are blessed to have such a man with us. .

Pastor Antoine Rutayisire
“A patriarch and a counsellor among us. A father who is there for his children and a pastor who walked the talk. He was there for my ordination as a minister of the gospel. He and mama were there for the weddings of our children. He is a principled person and a man of his word who fears no man because he stands on God's principles. He loves children and God has blessed him with many; his own and others. He and mama have large hearts. No stranger or visitor will be turned away hungry or lack a place to stay. Their home is always blessed with people of all types and ages. Their home is always full of people. One of his achievements is that he is the founder of University of Arusha, which still operates to date. His accomplishments cannot be measured here on earth because he considers earthly things of no value, for he has set his eyes on heavenly treasures. He knows who his shepherd is and has followed Him throughout his life. We glorify God's name for the over 100 fruitful years He has given him. He is truly blessed and is a role model to all of us”.

Pastor Godson Mgeni

My family and I will never forget Pastor Mpyisi for not only did he wed us but he continued to inspire us spiritually and continued to advisor us on how to build a happy family. As our wedding day approached Pastor Mpyisi fell ill and we were worried that he would not be able to conduct the church service. Despite his illness, he came and wedded us while seating. Pastor Mpyisi never says no to anyone who asks for his assistance. We were very happy and to this day we treasure the photos of him preaching while in a chair. My family will never forget his kindness to us and all the members of Kibagabaga English Church in Kigali. The decision by the church to honour him as our Pastor for several years and to celebrate his 100th birthday was unanimously passed by the entire congregation. Many beautiful words were said about this upright man on this occasion. We pray for God’s continued blessings.

Elder Kabera

I have known Pastor Mpyisi for many years. In my journey towards becoming a Pastor he was my spiritual father. I first met him in 1973 when I went to Bugema School in Uganda in search of better education. Simply because I also come from Rwanda, Pastor Mpyisi and Mama Mpyisi welcomed in their home for several months.  Several years later when we both were living in Rwanda and after I became a Pastor, I frequently visited Pastor Mpyisi for he had become my counsellor and mentor. Whenever we discussed the Bible, which was always, he would tell me as I read the Bible, to understand it meticulously and be clever enough to interpret it correctly. His expression was – “read between the lines so you can understand the message behind what you are reading”. The story behind the news as CNN would say.  His love for God and people is hard to match. God has blessed him and given him long life to keep touching the souls of many. May the Almighty continue to bless him and his family.
Pastor Ephron Nyamaswa
I have known Pastor Mpyisi for many years and find him very intelligent, wise and humble – the characteristics of a true leader and man of God. He is a man who has spent years researching the Bible to understand it and to interpret its writings in order to benefit all the thousands who attend his Bible classes and those that follow his sermons on his YouTube channel – Studying the Bible with Pastor Ezra Mpyisi. He is a good example to us all. May God continue to bless him and his family.

Hon. Emmanuel Mudidi

Reverend Mpyisi did not become an ordinary pastor, he became a servant of the people.  He is a father and a comforter who denied himself and devoted his life to serving everyone in need without tiring. He was ready all the time, day or night, regardless of the inconvenience to himself and his family. He rebuked sin without bending but with love and compassion that came from a heart that cared.

He brought down the pride of many with his humility. He called sin by its right name, showing the spirit of Christ in him. I never saw him quarrel with anyone. Many times, he spent his own money to ensure the work of the Lord reaches many. This continued even during his retirement years.

When Pastor Mpyisi left our country Tanzania, it was a very sad occasion for us all. We bought the biggest farewell card since everyone wanted to write a message and when it was presented to him, he could hardly read it as it was inscribed all over. I am at a loss for words to describe Pastor Mpyisi for he became a father, a grandfather and a dear guardian. Pastor Mpyisi and mama Esther Mpyisi, treated me like their own daughter.

One day Pastor Mpyisi had an accident involving another car of three drunk young men in which Pastor Mpyisi was at fault. The young men got out of their car and angrily attempted to confront the Pastor physically with lots of insults. Pastor Mpyisi got out of his car and told the young men – “My children, I have done something very stupid and I am sorry”.  On hearing this admission from this old man, the young men cooled down and instead asked for forgiveness for their bad behavior and disrespect. Pastor Mpyisi’s humility resulted in an amicable resolution of the problem. He is a good example of elders of the faith. This is all I can say. May our good God bless our father, shepherd and guardian, Amen and Amen.

Mrs. Mercy Maseke

The general idea of the documentary film - Man with a Mission, depicts the life of Pastor Ezra Mpyisi. Pastor Mpyisi is a 96-year-old man living in Rwanda. As we will learn, Pastor Mpyisi has a lot of influence in this country. Some of the reasons for this, is that he is highly knowledgeable about the Rwandan history, culture and society. Pastor Mpyisi is also a very outspoken personality who often speaks his mind and believes very much in what he speaks about. This at times has led him to be misunderstood by a few in the public arena and labelled a controversial person. On the surface, I have come to realize that a lot of people in Rwanda look up to him and he is highly respected by all age groups mainly for speaking the truth openly without fear. He is a man of God and this also adds to his high reputation. However, what is behind his strong personality? What are his fears? What are his ambitions even at 97 years old? What are his dreams? What keeps him grounded?

What motivates him? When is he vulnerable? In other words, what makes this great man just like you and me?

In this film, I want to show that behind all of his great achievements, he is a husband, a father, a grandfather, a friend, a mentor, a student of God and generally a student of life. One of his memorable achievements is bringing back the body of the last king of Rwanda, King Kigeli V. Through interviews and few archive material, we will embark on this journey with him. In this journey, we will be able to dive into topics such as Rwandan history including colonial times, Rwandan culture and compare the Rwanda of then and now.

In getting to know about Pastor Mpyisi more, we will visit his home in Nyanza. We hope to visit the areas where he grew up. Fortunately, this is also the King’s village home and therefore we can learn more about their close relationship. We hope that we can find out how much this place means to him and how significant it was/is in the Rwandan culture. Also, we can hopefully get to see the King’s former parliament of which Pastor Mpyisi was a member. Hopefully we can get to find out more about what it was like being the “King’s advisor”. 

An important part of the film is getting to know his family. He was a married man until not so long ago when he lost his wife in 2013 due to illness. He has nine children but lost three also to illness. The remaining six are healthy and alive and do their best to keep him happy and proud of them. He has 24 grandchildren and has 9 great-grandchildren. We will get to see them interacting with each other and generally seeing what keeps them together as a family. Pastor Mpyisi has made many friends over the many years in 7 countries where he served teaching the Word of God – the Bible.

More on his daily activities, we will follow him to the radio station where he has a weekly show. This should be quite interesting to see Pastor Mpyisi behind a microphone in a studio. This shows more on his innovative character. Also more of his mission, which, in my opinion is spreading the word of God to as many people as possible. Listening in on the callers should also be interesting.

In a documentary that was produced to celebrate Pastor Mpyisi’s 100th anniversary.

Kamikazi Mpyisi in Sogokuru (a documentary produced by his granddaughter )

We would love to hear your personal stories and testimonies about Pastor Ezra Mpyisi. Please send it to our email with your name and contact (optional)
at
pastormpyisifoundation@gmail.com