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.