New Rwanda

New video by Bridge to Rwanda. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwRgLnVI2so

Rwanda Goes English!

So, just the other day it was announced and in the newspapers that Rwandan schools have FINALLY gone English, meaning they are no longer going to teach in French, but require all schools to teach in English! This may not sound like a big deal, but i promise you it is!! For people in Rwanda, only knowing French and Kinyrwanda can be somewhat paralyzing when it comes to communicating with the rest of the world. For instance, if someone were to go just north to Uganda and/or Kenya where almost all nationals speak English fluently, already they struggle to communicate! The language of business, science, and the rest of the world is English, not french. In my opinion, this is the best thing for Rwanda. I am so excited to see the country continue to take steps towards development and prosperity. It is always one step at a time and for Rwanda this decision is a big one and will really turn the country around when it happens!! I am so excited!

Sureyman's Family!

I didn't have room in my newsletter to tell you much about Sureyman's family. Sureyman is a boy about 15 years old. He was one of my players from my boys soccer team I coached on Sundays. The entire time I coached him he never asked me for anything. If anything, he was always helpful and courteous. He was one of my favorite players because he ALWAYS gave his best and always had a smile on his face. Over time, he just grew on me. I came to rely on him to lead the team and translate for me if need me. I also felt as a coach he was a player I could trust and would keep the team in line if needed. Like I said, he never asked me for anything until one day I could tell he was in distress. He is a very bright kid and loves school. The day I noticed he was distressed, he told me his brother had lost his job and now he wasn't sure if he would still be able to go to school. After some thought, I volunteered to help him and have been thus since. Unfortunately, his brother is still without a job, but over time have in some senses taken in their family and helped them when they need it. I think my biggest motivation behind helping them is that I just trust them. I am confident that anything I give them is going to what it should and is absolutely being spent wisely. God has also shown me that they are for Him and deeply love him. I think God has also broken my heart for them because their parents threw them out because they were too old to take care of them, which happens often here. One of my biggest goals for my time back in Rwanda was to help get Sureyman in a good school. Like I said, he is really bright, but unfortunately, he was going to a school far away from his brothers and that was not one that would provide the education he needs to survive in Rwanda. Just yesterday, I met with Sureyman and his two brothers. We had a tradition African meal at a restaurant called Karibu. We also talked through getting him into school and he has already applied to a school right down the street from his home that is considered one of the best Rwandan schools in the country.

Six Bags, Eighteen Hours, and a Few Hundred Dollars Later...

Six bags, eighteen hours, and a few hundred dollars later all donated supplies, soccer balls, pumps, goalie gloves, cleats, socks, jerseys, baby clothes, food, donated laptops, books, shoes, school supplies, and more made it to Rwanda. I think I packed a half a bag for me and the rest was all the donations people have so generously given to me to take back to Rwanda. It was amazing what people donated. A wonderful lady named Virginia donated an entire bag of baby clothes that went to my friend Grace at Amahorro Imani for the women she knows and works with, as well as two other girls I know who have new born babies. Carroll Indoor Sports Center donated TWO bags full of used soccer balls. Imagine deflating all of them!! As well as at least twenty NEW MLS jerseys. Pictured the kids faces when they saw them!!! Most of the balls and jerseys either went to my friend and fellow soccer coach Kyle or George who runs the Saturday soccer camp for "street" kids and youth. There was even about twelve soccer balls that were color coed to share the gospel donated by a Myersville Baptist local youth group that also went to George and Kyle to use for evangelism. I think overall I brought back with me at least FORTY SOCCER BALLS!!! All of which will go to good use. In my opinion, it is just so worth it to bring all of that stuff back. I guess, one of my favorite parts about doing what I do, is being the person who gets to hand that stuff out or get the right equipment to the person who needs it most. I often will pray over the stuff and ask God who I should give it to, for him to place a person on my heart. I also believe that bringing all of that back with my as luggage is the absolute cheapest way to do it. My mom can tell you... mailing packages is expensive. The only other option would be to send a container, which often takes six months and is an absolute headache to try to get out of customs! Also, don't forget the hefty taxes they throw on top of the already $6,000 container you paid for. So, in my opinion, spending a week packing, hulling, and paying for all of the luggage that I brought back with me is just worth it. It is so worth it to see people's faces and to know the donations are going to the people who need it most. Thank you for being apart of making that happen!!!!

Salsa Lessons.

So, pretty hilarious. My roommate Amy started taking Salsa lessons a few months ago. So, when I returned of course I joined her. For the last two weeks, every Thursday, Amy, myself, and a few others go to Salsa lessons at this place called Torerro for an hour and half. We have three Rwandan teachers. Other then feeling like I have two left feet, I also get accused of not throwing enough hip into it and forgetting the steps. It is definitely humbling to learn something new, especially when it comes to dancing. Who wants to look like they are bad, I mean come on!! Either way it is really fun and after we go hang out with friends at a place that has "Salsa night." I call it applying your new found skills, where you take what you learned in the lesson and actually dance at a place that hosts a night for it. The only difference is you have about ten times as many people watching you and if you mess up... well... it's not just you that knows, ha.

Futsal, Futsal, and More Futsal!

Since I had been gone, one of the neatest developments was the Futsal league. Right before I left, I connected my friend Kyle with Gad, who was a Rwandan interested in creating a Futsal league for Rwanda. Now, you may be wondering if I am just misspelling futsal to mean football. Actually no. They are the same game but different. Futsal is a game similar to football (soccer for us Americans). It was developed in Brazil by taking a deflated football (soccer ball) and stuffing it with socks. Genius! Obviously, there are always deflated are broken balls around that no one wants, so the Brazilians utilized what they had and created a new game called Futsal. The game has now become known world wide and has its own international league. The game is also great for developing skills! Because the ball never bounces off the ground, players are forced to play with their feet and pass. Unlike in Rwanda, where players like to just kick the ball and pass uncontrollably. Playing Futsal is the best thing a player can do to help build their technical skills. So.... it is amazing that the game has now come to Rwanda! While I was gone, Kyle and Gad created a league. They started playing every Saturday at Eco Belge, the Belgium school in town. They took kids that we were already investing in from Saturday soccer camp and my own personal teams and just started teaching them the rules and how to play futsal. Just a few weeks ago they had a big tournament, where teams were able to compete against one another and receive a trophy if they one. The players really, really wanted to win and get the trophy even if it was a $10 plastic one. It means so much to them to win. Also, what is exciting, is that Kyle has also started up a girls league that plays every Friday. Just last Friday, I was able to go and play and coach!