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!