Thanksgiving with the Indians

Did you know that Rwandans don’t celebrate Thanksgiving?  Obviously!  The pilgrims never landed here, but the Asian Indians have opened a few delicious restaurants.  So we ended the day celebrating with them.

Thanksgiving began on Wednesday evening with all the preparations.  I actually made pumpkin bread from scratch!  Yes, me who doesn’t like to cook and especially doesn’t like to bake!  Check out me cutting the pumpkin with electricity and then without, by candlelight.  Thankfully, the power was only out for about 20 minutes that evening.  To my surprise the pumpkin bread turned out well and tasted almost like pumpkin bread from a can. 

I spent Thanksgiving morning teaching English.  We talked about American Thanksgiving Traditions and enjoyed the homemade pumpkin bread and banana muffins with a cup of hot tea.  Tea being a mug of hot whole milk, fresh from the cow, seasoned with lemongrass and loaded with sugar.  I always appreciate it when I’m allowed to put my own sugar in - it’s not quite so loaded that way!  And it’s very delicious.  It’s one of my new Rwandan cravings.  I can feel my bones getting stronger!!

The best part of the morning was explaining how Thanksgiving is a time for family.  As I was missing my family, the teachers interrupted me to tell me that they were my new family and I could celebrate Thanksgiving with them.  It’s been amazing at how quickly Rwanda has felt like home in so many ways.  I miss my friends and family terribly at times, but I’m so grateful for the Rwanda YFC staff who have eagerly welcomed me into their family.  It’s been a great and surprising gift!

 

 I’m also very grateful to have part of my biological family here with me.  Brad & Kiki have been here for four years and have two girls - Oliviana, age two, and the newly adopted Grace, age 5 months.  They’ve taken care of me, given me a safe place to adjust, and shown me the ropes of living cross-culturally.  But more than that I’m grateful for the chance to partner with them.  God has used them to accomplish mighty things through Kigali Christian School and it’s a pleasure to see it first hand and be a part of it.  

We celebrated Thanksgiving together by checking out a new Indian restaurant in town.  Preparing an American Thanksgiving meal just isn’t worth the effort (pulling the feathers out of your newly butchered turkey, making your own cream of mushroom soup, pumpkin desserts from scratch,...), so we decided Indian was a good alternative.  The food was delicious, especially the garlic nan, and best of all there were no dishes to do!  A great way to end a great day!

 Check out the album to the left for more pictures of Thanksgiving Day!

December 2009 Newsletter

I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS...

I really will be home for the holidays - in my new home in Rwanda, that is.  I’ve spent my first few months with Brad and Kiki as I settle into Rwandan life.  However, this month I moved into my own place.  I look forward to settling in to my new neighborhood and having additional opportunities for entertaining and hospitality.

AND HAVE A NEW FAMILY TO CELEBRATE WITH

Meet my new brothers and sisters, the ECK staff.  I spent Thanksgiving morning teaching English,
explaining our Thanksgiving traditions and the
importance of family.  As I was saying,  “My family cannot be here...” I was interrupted in a unison outburst,  “No, we are your family.”

I’m so grateful for my new family here.  We’ve spentthe school break together in English training.  The staff are working hard and the training has been very enjoyable.  During this time, we’ve also been meditating on God’s grace.  It’s been a refreshing and unifying time as we prepare for the next school year to begin in January.

AND SO MANY REASONS TO BE THANKFUL:

• For the ways God pursues us with his love.  
• For all of you who are thinking and praying for me and Rwanda YFC 
• For my new Rwandan family and the beginning of lifelong friendships 
• For a successful school year with our P6 (6th grade) students doing well on the national exams, in spite of the language change. 
• For the opportunity to follow the P6 students by adding a S1 (7th grade) class in January.
  

 

Some days are for tears

Some days are for tears.

Today was one of them.  Some tears are for joy, others for sadness.  Some are for overwhelming sorrow, others are for hope and love.  And still others are for anger.  I had them all today. 

The sadness tears began with an email from home.  I love to hear updates from home, but they often bring sadness as I realize how much I am missing out on at home.  My best friends are growing and maturing and taking new adventures that I can’t be apart of in a day to day kind of way.  And so I cry tears of sadness.  I’m sad about the things I’m missing, but excited to see how God is at work and the good he has for those I love.  I not ready to come home, but I wish home could come to me. 

And then there were tears of overwhelming sorrow, mixed with hope and love.  Today, we had appointments in Grace’s adoption process.  Grace is a 6 month old, happy and thriving Rwandan baby girl.  It’s by the grace of God that she is alive today.  She was abandoned the day she was born, but fortunately, was found by a shepherd.  He took her to the local hospital, hungry, covered with insect bites, and with a dangerously low body temperature.  Through a series of miraculous events, she recovered to full health and found her way into Brad & Kiki’s home.  While attitudes are changing, it is still common for unwanted babies to be abandoned or killed after they are born.  It is a miracle that she lived through her first hours, that the shepherd acted with compassion rather than turning away, that she made her way into the loving hands of the hospital staff, and that God had moved Brad & Kiki’s heart to take her in despite all of the unknowns that lay ahead.  Her story is one of overwhelming sorrow, as it reminds us of the harsh realities of life in this fallen world -  realities that kill and destroy innocent children.  But her story is one of hope and love.  So many people extended God’s love to Grace because of their hope in the God of all hope.  And there are many others here in Rwanda who share that hope.  We met two more of them today at our appointment.

Jocelyne and Josephine are Rwandan/Canadian twins from a pretty amazing family.  Most of their family still lives in Rwanda - 4 of their brothers are currently serving in the Sudan as a part of the UN peace keeping mission.  Out of gratitude for the life they have been given, they have started a charity (shelterthem.com) that serves orphans and street kids.  The stories of these kids brings overwhelming sorrow.  No child should have to endure the kinds of suffering many children around the world face.  But, the story of Jocelyne, Josephine, and their family provides hope -  hope in the power of God’s love and how it moves ordinary people to do extraordinary things.    It was an honor to have the twins stand as witnesses in Grace’s adoption. 

And then there were tears of anger.  There are some aspects of Rwandan life that are infuriating to a critical analyst from a western culture.  After 5 trips to the immigration office, 3 phone calls, 2 emails, and 2 text messages, I found out that my Visa is still pending because one of the documents for my application is missing.  Infuriating!!  So tomorrow I will return with the missing document and hopefully have a Visa soon.  Most things are much more complicated (to someone who doesn’t quite understand the system or the culture) and take much longer than they need to.  But that’s just a fact of life in a developing country that’s rebuilt everything in 15 years since the genocide.  It’s also a fact of life in a culture that values community and relationships over time and efficiency.  All of life is at a slower, less efficient pace.  There are days like today when it’s infuriating, but there are other days when lingering with new friends is refreshing.  

Go with the flow

Go with the flow.  It’s my motto in Rwanda.   Go with the flow means:

1. You do what others are doing because you have no idea what’s being said.
2. On Thursday night, you’re asked to teach a seminar on Friday morning. 
3. On Thursday night, you’re informed that the seminar you prepared for Friday morning has been canceled, because the teacher in-service day has just become a regular school day. 
4. You just show up with no expectations about how you will get there, what will happen once you are there, or when it will be over.
5. You find out on Friday evening, that Monday is a holiday and there is no school.
6. You find out on Saturday afternoon that Monday is a holiday and there is no school.
7. You wonder, “Where are we going?” when the moto-taxi driver takes you to a familiar place but goes the unfamiliar round-about way.  Is he showing me off?  Am I his prized bright skinned rider?
8. You hold the communal motorcycle helmet on with one hand while you hold onto the moto-bike with the other.
9. You hope there is water when it’s brown and you need to flush it down.
10. The local government informs schools that they need to send all their teachers to a meeting in a few hours and while school is in session -  “Just give the students exercises and leave a few teachers behind to watch the 500+ kids,” they say.
11. Schedules are loose estimates. Things happen when they happen.
12. You always have 3 or 4 backup plans.  And you frequently use number 3 and 4.
13. When people are laughing, you assume it’s about you and it doesn’t bother you.
14. “Normal” is in a continuous state of change.
15. You give extemporaneous speeches or prayers.    
16. You don’t ask what it is, you just eat it.  
17. It can rain at any time, but if you wait a few minutes it will pass.
18. You don’t wonder where the amoeba came from or how you got it, you just accept the resulting dysentery as a part of life.
19. You spend several hours at the clinic while the nurse takes your information and vitals in the waiting room surrounded by all the other patients and the lab tech walks in and says “Was that your sample?”  and then proceeds to tell the nurse exactly what they found in your sample.  HIPAA violation?
20. People blatantly stare at you all the time, watching your every move and you don’t even notice.
    

October 2009 Newsletter

It’s been a busy month!   Here’s a few of the highlights for me:

Language Study:  I’ve begun language study in Kinyarwanda and it has been invaluable to me as an English teacher.  It’s great to be able to apply what I teach and to experience the frustrations of not being able to communicate, the diligence and discipline required to learn a language, and the fear of making ridiculous mistakes.  I have a much greater compassion for my students and it’s given me a better sense of how much content can be learned effectively in one hour a day. 

This is Monique, my language helper.  She is also the team leader of the Nursery Classes.  She's an amazing women - a widow caring for her 3 biological and 3 adopted children. 











Dusting off my vocal cords:  Music plays a large role in Rwandan culture.  Rwandans love to sing and dance.  It’s a part of every event from church services to graduation ceremonies to simply visiting friends.  So, I’ve been signing a lot and am becoming the nursery school music teacher.  The teachers are just learning English, so they do not have many English songs, poems, or plays that they can teach the students.  So, I’m helping them out.  If you have any favorite children’s poems or plays, please send them to me using the email address above. 

Producing my first album:  One challenge the teachers face, is limited access to native English speakers.  So, I’m creating recordings of pronunciation drills, vocabulary, stories, and listening comprehension exercises.  The recordings are a big hit with the teachers.  I, unfortunately, am continually hearing the sound of my own voice.   Does anyone like the sound of their own voice?

Would you pray for:
- The P6 students as they take the national exam this month.  The exam is a significant determiner of their educational future.  Pray that the students would excel in their studies while resting in the love of God as their hope and future. 
- For the four week English seminar over the school break.  Pray that it would be exactly what the teachers need, that they would be quick to learn, and that it would be an enjoyable time. 
- For the devotional series that will accompany the English seminar.  The topic is “Growing in Grace.”  Pray that we would be renewed and refreshed as we reflect on the many facets of God’s grace.

Young Leaders Program Graduation

Yesterday was the graduation celebration for students in the Young Leaders Program.  In Rwanda there is a year long waiting period between High School and University.  So this year, YFC began a nine month internship for these students that includes training in leadership and discipleship and serving their local community and the world.  The students helped build and repair houses and took mission trips to neighboring countries.

The celebration began at 9:00 am and finished with appetizers at noon.  It included a speech by an African YFC leader, singing and dancing, presentation of certificates, some more speeches, and finished with a prayer.  Then we all enjoyed some appetizers and soda.  Some common Rwandan appetizers are sambosa (fried seasoned ground beef in thin triangle shaped pastry shell), cakes (a cross between a sweet bread and a muffin), sausage, and Gouda cheese.

Often at events like these, the women wear traditional Rwandan dresses which are very beautiful.  Check out the photos on the left for more pictures of the celebration.

Thanks Builders without Borders

It's amazing to watch a building go up, especially a two story school building in about two weeks. Builders without Borders has donated and built all of the buildings at KCS (Kigali Christian School). In January, the secondary school will open with two classes of Senior 1 (7th grade). Two building teams arrive this summer to build the new secondary school. In two weeks, about 9 builders and 30 Rwandans completed the framing, roofing, and siding of the new building. Amazing! Check out the pictures to the left.

Eye Exams

What can one optometrist and two volunteers accomplish in less than a week?  Our team from England, Peter, Sheila, and Ian, were able to do eye exams for more than 600 people in just a few days.  All of the YFC teachers, staff, volunteers, KSC kids, and the young leaders were able to have their eyes tested and receive glasses if necessary.  Sheila and Ian worked hard to screen everyone while Peter evaluated those who needed further testing.  Check out the pictures to the left!

New specs - Thanks Peter, Sheila, and Ian!

September 2009 Newsletter

It’s been a month of saying good hellos.  I arrived in Kigali, Rwanda on August 10 and am having a blast.  Here are a few of the people who’ve helped me say good hellos:

Brad, Kiki, Oliviana, and Grace:  It was so difficult to leave my family in the states, but having family here and getting to meet my new niece Grace has been wonderful.  They have made me feel welcomed, provided for my needs, and given me a safe place to adjust to all the changes of living in another country.

Charlotte has been here since June volunteering as a YFC intern.  She has introduced me to many people and helped to ease the transition.  We’re staying in the YFC dorm together until she leaves in September. 

Kellie, Sue, & Iona are counselors from Vancouver YFC who did a week long counseling workshop for the students in the young leaders program and several of the Rwandan YFC staff.  They did an excellent job and it was a great way for me to meet the students and staff as a participant in the workshop rather than as a teacher.  It was also really nice not being the only new white person.

The YFC teachers have been very welcoming to me and eager to begin English lessons.  This month we are doing pronunciation exercises and they are doing a great job.  There are many sounds in English that are new to them, but they are very willing participants in the silly sound drills. 

The YFC Students:  I am so famous here!  The kids laugh and run to shake my hand or hug me when I’m around.  Many still call me “Mama Oliviana”  (Kiki’s name in Rwanda), so the next Kinyarwanda phrase I’ll learn is “Auntie Oliviana”.   

Other expats:  I’ve met several other expats here who are very down to earth, have a great sense of humor, and love the Rwandan people.  They have also welcomed me with excitement.

I look forward to continuing to build friendships here, but miss you all as well.

The YFC Dorm

I've been staying at the YFC dorm for a few weeks. Here's a few pictures.

The Dorm: It's a nice 30 second walk from the dorm to the school.
It has one long hallway with several rooms on both sides.


This is my room - a bed with mosquito net, nightstand, and a dresser.

Some rooms have one full size bed, others have a few single beds.

This is the living / dining area.



This is the bathroom room - a row of toilets across from a row of urinals.

This is the water supply when there is no water in the pipes.
The shower room - a room of showers on one side and urinals on the other.



The view from the dorm.

Marching in Rwanda

Friday was sports day. I was looking forward to it all week because I had heard that we were playing volleyball. School is not in session on the last Friday of every month, so the teachers have an inservice day of training in the morning and sports in the afternoon. After English training in the morning, we headed to lunch for a some heaping plates of rice, beans, and potatoes. After lunch, sports day began. The dress code for sports day is whatever you want it to be, ranging from dresses and sandals to full athletic gear.

Now let me tell you a little about the location of the YFC compound. The YFC compound is directly at the top of a hill called Kibagabaga (Cheebagabaga). This is where the mawch began (that’s march in Rwandan English).

So with full bellies and at the hottest part of the day we set out mawching - we being the teachers, the YFC staff, the support staff, and the university students in the young leaders program. The mawch began as a very slow saunter for about 10 minutes and covered about 1/10th of a mile on flat terrain - it was a really slow saunter. Then we began going downhill and the mawch become a run accompanied by some chanting of words I didn’t know. I thought, “Oh, we’ll run down the hill, mawch through the valley behind the compound and then back up the hill just on the other side.” I was wrong. We kept on running for what felt like 5 miles - right through the valley of rolling hills. “Rolling hills aren’t so bad,” I thought to myself as I walked up them and ran down them. But then we passed the compound and kept going. “Yikes! Where are we going now?” No one seemed to know. I was beginning to wonder how long I would last when the road curved back up towards the top of the hill. I breathed a sigh of relief to round the corner and see all the super athletic men standing at the top waiting for everyone else. I thought it was so nice of them to wait for everyone, so that we could all walk back to the compound together.

To my surprise, I realized that I was one of the first women to reach the top. To my horror, I found out that the mawch was only half over. We had made a large half circle that went around the backside of the Kibagabaga and next we would take a half circle path down the front side of Kibagabaga. Brad, realizing that many would not make it through a full circle mawch, suggested that perhaps some could go on and finish the circle while others could saunter back to the compound. So many sauntered back to the compound while others kept mawching.

This is where it gets ridiculous. Being the new white girl with a competitive streak, I couldn’t quit. I had to prove something, but even now I’m still trying to figure out what that was.

So we ran down the hill and across to the other side and then back up to the compound. And this time the super athletic guys didn’t wait for us slower ones - they just kept going. I found my gang of run-walkers and after what felt like another 5 miles, we finally made it back to the compound.

We enjoyed some refreshing boiled water, did some exercises and stretches, and then had a volleyball tournament. That’s another story in itself, but one for another time. It was a great afternoon and a wonderful way to end a busy week.

Even though the mawch was painful at times, I finished the day with a sense of accomplishment and a bizarre thought that maybe I’d take up running in Rwanda. After all, I’ll be the only white girl mawching on sports day and I’d hate to let down all the bright skinned people all around the world!

On Saturday, I slept until 5 PM. I think partly from physical and mental exhaustion and partly from the 2nd night of Benadryl. Yes, I completed the mawch with a irritating sinus infection.

First Impressions:

• Brad & Kiki are awesome (my brother and sister-in-law). They've taken great care of me and made me feel at home. If I move out, I might starve to death. Cooking is not my forte.
• My neices Oliviana and Grace are super cute. I enjoy counting with Oliviana. It goes something like this - one, two, six, two, six, one. But six is beginning to sound more like three every day.
  
• The Rwandans have been very welcoming and hospitable. I look forward to getting to know the teachers and other YFC staff. I'm a big hit with the students - they love to stare, point, laugh, and say, "Bonjur", to which I reply, "Hello", and they laugh some more.
  
• It's really dry and dusty. Apparently, this is one of the driest dry seasons they've had for awhile. I've decided a layer of dust complements my skin tone quite nicely.
• Kibagabaga is a fun word. That's the hill we live on.
  
• Motos are fun, but I should have packed a helmet! I took a moto down the hill to get a phone and enjoy a cup of coffee with my new friend, Charlotte. The driver was very safe, but the communal helmet was way too big and the chin strap was tied together so that it could not be adjusted. No worries though - I held it on with one hand while using the other to keep my skirt from blowing up and revealing my knees. That may have been scandelous to all the onlookers.
  
• Kigali is a different city than it was a few years ago - it's expanded tremendously, a skyscrapper is being built, and it's much more westernized. I hear a lot more English (actually, it's more EngRish) around town, see a lot more jeans and women with braided hair, and even hear American music - the hardware store was playing some R&B and the grocery store was playing some top 40.
• For a mere 12,000 francs, I can buy a box of sugar smacks - that's around $21 USD. Instead I'm opting for the very cheap Whetabex. It's like oatmeal, only made with wheat instead of oats.
  
• Rice and beans are not so bad. We eat them every day for lunch with some cabbage and potatoes. It's especially good with seasoning salt, BBQ sauce, or super hot sauce called Pele Pele. I cleared out my sinuses today with a few too many drops of Pele Pele.
• I love dinner - that's when Kiki fixes a non-Rwandan meal.
  
• I love shower days, but showering everyday is really not necessary - spit baths on the off days work just fine. I already smell better than everyone I meet - it must be my natural phermones!
  
• The hills are really big and covered with several inches of dust (only a handful of the main roads are paved). I'm not sure I'll make it up the hill from our house driving a standard - luckily though, I'd have to roll back pretty far to hit the house below the road.
  
• I like having a dog and wouldn't mind having a cat. They eat or at least kill all the creatures that I'm not too fond of, like snakes and rats.
  

My new home

I've arrived! I'm staying with Brad & Kiki, just a few minutes up a giant hill to the school. Here's a few pictures of my new home.

The Front Yard & Porch - it's dry season, so the grass & trees are struggling.
The dog, Boochie - he's good at barking, killing rats and snakes, and running and jumping excitedly when you arrive home.



The water tank - it's dry season which means that frequently there is no water running through the water lines to the house, so then we rely on water in the water tank. When there is water available in the water lines, it fills up this tank. Rain water is also collected by the tank, but it hasn't rained in months.

This is the water heater. We plug it in a few times a week for hot showers. The climate is so warm that cold showers and spit baths are just fine for the other days.

My bed - I haven't seen a mosquito yet, but still sleep with the mosquito net. I hear malaria is no fun.

The bathroom - don't worry, the windows are tinted - you really can't see in

The kitchen - we eat rice and beans, potatoes, and cabbage for lunch every day and then Kiki fixes a delicious non-Rwandan dinner. I might be starving already if I were not staying with Brad & Kiki!


The view from my window - we live on Kibagabaga (sounds just like it's spelled, except the "K" makes a "CH" sound). It's a hill on the outskirts of Kigali with great views of the city.

July 2009 Newsletter

Life is full of paradoxes. The good comes with the bad, sorrow intermingles with joy, fear coexists with courage. My training this month centered around learning to live in and appreciate the new paradoxes that come with living cross-culturally.

As I leave for Rwanda, I’m experiencing so many paradoxes:

♦ Trading the known and comfortable for the unknown can be exciting and adventurous, while also being unsettling and anxiety inducing. Corrie Ten Boom said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” While the unknown is scary at times, I’m finding more comfort in getting to know a God who can be known.

♦ The feelings of incompetence that come with learning a new job, a new language, and a new culture coexist with a love of learning newthings. I was reminded in training that I will be an agent of cheer to the Rwandan people as I butcher their language and commit major social faux pas. It’s not a comfortable role for me, but what a perfect opportunity to relax a bit, learn to laugh, and understand more fully the adequacy of God.

♦ Saying good goodbyes allows me to say good hellos. I hate goodbyes.
They are so sad and I’d rather avoid them altogether out of self-protection. Saying good goodbyes means honoring the people who love me by mourning the separation, remembering, and affirming how valuable they are to me. Good goodbyes allow me to say good hellos. It allows me to keep my heart soft and my mind open to new friends and new ways to draw near to old friends.

In acknowledging the paradoxes of life I’m finding the freedom to mourn and grieve, the freedom to rest in the midst of both the good and the bad, the freedom to hope, and the freedom to move forward into the unknown.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers over the last month. It’s been a great month of training and saying goodbyes. I’ll arrive in Kigali, Rwanda, on August 10. Please pray for me through the transition.

June 2009 Newsletter

Greetings from Colorado!

I built a stone fireplace last year. It required someone with an eye for the big picture who could see how the individual pieces fit perfectly into the whole. Thankfully, my aunt and sister have an eye for that sort of thing.

I'm really thankful that God has an eye for that sort of thing as well. He see's the whole picture of our lives. He knows how to fit the pieces together perfectly - in the right way and in the right time.

In the last month, I've seen some big pieces of my journey to Rwanda fall into place – pieces that I couldn't even envision a few months ago. Here's just a few:

I was granted a leave of absence from work to attend training in June and July. I'm really grateful for my co-workers who have shared in my excitement, gone out of their way to pick up my workload, and made the transition smooth.

Youth For Christ has become home to me. At the YFC Summer
Institute, I met many great people with a passion for loving kids,
including Lynn and Paige. Lynn is a wise and seasoned YFC
counselor who will support me while in Rwanda. Paige is another
single gal hoping to arrive in Rwanda in January. She's a lot of fun
and a really good balance for me.

The task of teaching English is beginning to fall into place. I've spent the last two weeks in Colorado in language acquisition training. It's given me a great language learning foundation and many excellent tools and techniques. It's also addressed some of my fears and
increased my confidence and hope in the ability of adults to learn a new language.

In Colorado, He's surrounded me with like-minded people who are also beginning a new cross-cultural journey with God. It's a new community of friends that I did not expect. God has used them to encourage me and show me the depth of His love for people all over the world.

I'll remain in Colorado for the next three weeks for training in living cross-culturally. I'm really looking forward to all that God will teach me during that time and the people He will send to walk through it with me.


I'm still hoping to arrive in Rwanda by mid-August which means I need $800 more in monthly pledges. Would you join me on
this adventure? If so, tear off the bottom with your pledge and return it in the enclosed envelope.

Enjoying the Rockies!

May 2009 Newsletter

Muraho! (That’s hello in Kinyarwanda, the primary language in Rwanda).

It’s been a month of learning new things like:

• Driving a standard is harder than I thought it would be. Did you know that Rwanda is the land of 10,000 hills? Yikes!
• Kinyarwanda is hard. It’s a tonal language, but I’ve managed to pick up a few phrases.
• French is not so hard, but not so easy either. The Rwandan teachers currently instruct in French, so I’m studying French grammar constructs for comparison.
• English is a difficult second language to learn. I’ve been reviewing English as a Second Language materialsand have been surprised by all the rules and exceptions. For example, can you explain why these sentences are wrong?

- Crete is an Greek beautiful island.
- I walked to the store, but he runned to the store.
- I enjoy to study because I want learning everything about grammar.
- I worked very quickly and Tom worked very hardly to complete the project.

The Rwandan teachers have an extremely tough task ahead of them! This task is impossible. Sometimes it leaves me immobilized by fear, but your prayers are powerful and
accomplishing much. To name a few, you’re prayers are:

• Providing the resources I need as I prepare for this adventure.
• Allowing me to watch God check things off my list as things just “fall into place.”
• Triggering the thought that the people around me matter more than my task list.
• Opening people’s eyes to the needs of the Rwandese.
• Spreading the word about what God is doing in Rwanda through YFC.
  

Keep up the prayers!

My goal is to be fully funded in July so that I can leave for Rwanda the first week of August. I’m halfway there! I still need around $1,400in monthly support and $10,000 in up front costs. If you’d like to help me cross the Atlantic this month, just send in the pledge slip below.

Rwanda Quiz

Rwanda Quiz:

1.Rwanda is approximately the size of what US state:
a. Hawaii b. Kansas c. Ohio d. Maryland

2.The average student to teacher ratio in the public school system is:
a. 30:1 b. 50:1 c. 60:1 d. 80:1

3.The primary school completion rate is:
a. 27% b. 52% c. 64% d. 78%

4.The primary language is:
a. Kinyarwanda b. French c. Swahili d. Kirundi

5.Rwanda is the ______ poorest nation in the world.
a. 8th b. 15th c. 20th d. 26th

6.The annual per capita income in US dollars is:
a. $290 b. $370 c. $440 d. $530

7.The infant mortality rate is (mortality / 1,000 births):
a. 8 b. 37 c. 65 d. 86

8.The capital city of Rwanda is:
a. Kigali b. Butare c. Gisenyi d. Kibungo

9.Which country does not share a border with Rwanda:
a. Uganda b. DR Congo c. Zambia d. Burundi

10.The percentage of children who suffer from chronic malnutrition is:
a. 22% b. 37% c. 45% d. 58%

Some of my favorite books and movies about the genocide:
Movies
Sometimes in April – drama
Hotel Rwanda – drama
Ghosts of Rwanda – documentary

Books
We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will be killed with Our Families: Stories from Rwanda – Philip Gourevitch
Left to Tell, Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
This Voice in My Heart: A Genocide Survivor’s Story of Escape, Faith, and Forgiveness by Gilbert Tuhabonye and Gary Brozek
After The Locusts by Meg Guillebaud

Quiz Answers: 1.d 2.c 3.b 4.a 5.b 6.b 7.d 8.a 9.c 10.c

April 2009 Newsletter

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. ~ Henry B. Adams

As a young teacher, Claude loves his job and hopes to influence many students. He is in his third year at Kigali Christian School (KSC) and his income helps to support his wife and extended family. Here are some of his thoughts about learning English:

• Why is it important for Rwandans to learn English? Rwanda is in the East African Community where English is used. English is spoken by many people around the world.

• What will happen if you are unable to learn English? I will not develop my knowledge and my economy. It will be a pity for me because I will be unable to teach in Rwanda.

• What fears do you have about learning English? We need much time.

Claude and the other teachers at KCS are excited and determined to learn English, but also concerned about the having the time to learn it so quickly. The school will begin teaching in English in January! I’m excited to come alongside the teachers as they learn English, but can not do it without your partnership. There are several ways that you can join me in this journey.

First, join me in praying

For YFC in Rwanda:
Teachers: Quickness in learning English and rest from any anxiety that this may cause. Students: That they would not fall behind during the transition. HIV/AIDs Initiative: Hope, healing, and an eternal perspective for the women and their families. Post Secondary Training Program: Students would grow in understanding the depth of God’s unconditional love.

For Me:
Spiritual: Jesus would be the one who animates my life, brings me joy and peace, and motivates me. Cultural: Open eyes to see, ears to hear, mind to consider, and heart to experience the richness of Rwandan life. Educational: Quick to learn their language structure and effective teaching strategies. Social: Sorrow of leaving friends and family and joy of making new ones.

Secondly, would you consider supporting me financially? I will need to raise funds to cover monthly and one-time start up expenses.

As Claude say, “we need much time”, so I’m hoping to arrive in Rwanda this summer. Your tax-deductible donations can help me get there and are a great way to invest in something of lasting value.

March 2009 Newsletter

April marks the 15th anniversary of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The nation has made remarkable progress in the last 15 years, however there is still a long road of reconciliation and rebuilding ahead. YFC in Rwanda is coming alongside the people on this journey as they share the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

One way that YFC is sharing God’s love while meeting a tangible community need is through Kigali Christian School. This YFC school is indigenously staffed and has educated more than 550 primary students from all socio-economic classes since opening in January 2005. In addition to the required course work, students study the Bible and are challenged to become life long servants of God and their community.

In January 2010, the school must transition from French to English as the language of instruction. While this opens new opportunities, it is a daunting challenge as English is not widely spoken in Rwanda.

My role with YFC is to encourage, equip, and empower the teachers and staff during the period of language transition in three main initiatives:

1. Establishing an English Program and equipping the teachers to instruct in English.
2. Supporting the AAA Initiative. AAA is a HIV/AIDS outreach to increase Awareness and promote Abstinence among the youth, and provide Assistance to HIV positive women through employment and job training to enable them to develop small businesses and provide for their families.
3. Teaching in the Post Secondary Training Program. This initiative provides class room and hands-on training in bible study, evangelism, and discipleship to high school graduates who are waiting to enroll in university studies.
   

This is a huge task and one that I can not do alone. I look forward to sharing more with you as I begin looking for prayer and financial partners to share in this adventure.

February 2009 Newsletter

I went bowling with God. He won and I’m going to teach English
in Rwanda with Youth For Christ (YFC).

It all started with a Facebook message from my sister-in-law Kiki,

“Anglophone friends around the world… As you may know, we work at a pre- and elementary school in Kigali, Rwanda in East Africa. Our school just completed its 3rd year in existence, with 480 students and 34 staff. The language of instruction at the school is currently French, though the government of Rwanda has recently announced that they want all schools to teach in English by January 2010 - just over one year away! Since most of our teachers don't even speak English that presents a new challenge for us, but one that we hope you'll be able to help us fulfill. Do you know anyone who would be interested in coming to teach English to our staff?”

My heart skipped a few beats and my thoughts raced, “What about me? No, that’s crazy! But I love Africa - I love to teach. Yes? No! Maybe?” And so I began investigating and making lists - lists of pros and cons, doubts, questions, and fears.

The bowling began in January when I took all my doubts, questions, and fears to YFC World Outreach Candidate Orientation. The bowling pins were my questions, doubts, and fears. It was amazing to see God knock them down. But to my surprise the pins reappeared in the next round as I gained more information or examined them from a slightly different angle. God knocked them down again. In some rounds, he knocked all the pins down at once with a forceful strike. In others, he gently knocked down a few pins and returned later to pick up the rest. Through a series of rounds, God patiently but persistently knocked down all my pins and gave me peace about pursuing this opportunity.

I’m grateful that the Lord is patient and can handle all of my doubts, questions, and fears. He has enlarged my heart for Rwanda, opened my eyes to the opportunities the English language brings to Rwandans, and given me an excitement to play a role.

I look forward to sharing my excitement with you over the coming months as I prepare for this new adventure.