BRIDGING THE GAP

Headed Back to Rwanda!

2009-08-19T16:31:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

After a long, extended time at home, a new adventure back to Rwanda is ahead of me. As of September 1st I will begin full time staff as the Special Projects Director for an organization called Project Rwanda (www.projectrwanda.org). I wanted to share the great news with you! I will be flying back to Rwanda September 6th. I will be working with Project Rwanda in many fashions, but my main purposes will revolve around coordinating the Wooden Bike Classic race and helping with the bike distribution program that distributes bikes to farmers through microfinace loans.

I am very excited about returning to Rwanda! It is almost hard to believe that in less then three weeks I will be back. I have deeply missed my friends and work there. I encourage to join me once again on the journey back to Rwanda. Just like last time, I will be writing and updating my blog: http://mountain-tops.blogspot.com/. Please feel free to check it out and stay up to date with what is going on.

Also, before I leave and even over the next year I will continue to collect soccer cleats, socks, shirts, and shorts. If you are interested you can either mail these items or drop them at my house. All mail, donations, and/or love notes ;) can be sent to this address:

Project Rwanda
c/o Jennifer Conaway
P.O. Box 193
Musanze, Rwanda
East Central Africa

Even though I will be receiving a paid salary, I am still accepting donations for school fees. Currently, myself along with the amazing St. Matthews By the Sea Church have been sponsoring three students, Sureyman, Napathali, and Gaston. There is still a great need to sponsor other students. Please, please consider sponsoring.

Last and probably most importantly, can you please continue to pray for me and the country of Rwanda. Whatever God lays on your heart, just pray. Thank you for sharing in this excitement with me.

Lots of love to you,
~Jenny

New Rwanda

2008-12-14T07:34:00.002-05:00

New video by Bridge to Rwanda. Check it out!

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

Rwanda Goes English!

2008-12-14T06:25:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-12-14T06:13:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-12-14T05:58:00.003-05:00

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.

2008-12-14T05:52:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-12-14T05:42:00.002-05:00

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!

Family of Five.

2008-11-07T23:44:00.004-05:00

During my time in Rwanda, my little family of one (me) has grown to a family of five. First, there is my sweet puppie Colby. We found her on the street at about six weeks old. A few kids who live behind our neighborhood were playing with her. She looked tired and ragged. So, to keep the kids from complaining I paid them off for $2USD and took her home.
Then there is the Sureyman family. Sureyman is one of my boy soccer players. He is about 15 years old and an amazing kid. When he was just on my team he was always so thankful and helpful. If I needed anything, translation included, I would always go to Sureyman. Over the course of the year that he was on my soccer team, he never asked me for anything, that was until he was desperate. So about eight months ago I began to take him and his two other brother in as my own. Their parents are still alive, but too old to take care of them. Usually when that happens they throw them out of the house, which is what happened to Sureyman and his brothers. They were left to fend for themselves. I didn't know this at first, but over time and through conversations with him I learned more about his situation and God just broke my heart for them. So, I kind of took them in and began assisting Sureyman with school fees and their family with money for food. The below picture is a picture of Sureyman's older brother who I had just met for the first time in August. I had talked to him on the phone and through e-mail for several months, but in August we finally met. He said he had to meet me because Sureyman kept telling him that I was like his mom. They really are like family.

Oh My Gosh He is Going to Eat Me!

2008-08-01T13:13:00.004-04:00

Through the generosity of Kids Across Africa, I was able to go see the famous Silverback Gorillas! It was amazing, but not without a little mud and sweat. In order to get to the Gorillas we first had to hike for about two hours up the side of a volcano/ mountain. It was no easy task. It was straight up and if you have not worked out very much, like myself, you definitely could feel it! So... we hiked and when we finally reached the top we were met up with the Gorilla trackers who stay near the Gorillas at all times to protect them against poachers and any other people who many want to hurt them.
We walked about a 100 yards in before we saw him! He was the daddy of them all and he let us know. He grunted at us and let us know that he was protecting his clan. All I could to do to not turn and run was grab on to my dear friend John Wilder. I think I might have even covered my mouth from letting anything come out as he walked within a few inches of my legs. If he wanted to bite me, grab me, or hurt me he could have and probably would have done it in a matter of seconds.
A few minutes passed before yet again he passed by us as he went back into the brush and back with his group. After he went back into the group we were able to get closer to the eighteen other gorillas, but before we did a curious little one year old baby pounced out to greet us. Once he saw that we were definitely not other gorillas he jetted back into the bushes.
When we finally reached the other gorillas it was a sight to see and they did not seem to mind at all that we were there. We saw one gorillas climbing a tree in hopes of claiming a good piece of bark for his mid-day lunch during what the guides called their "social hour." At times the gorilla would throw down a few pieces to the other eager gorillas below. At the bottom of the tree there were mommas and new born babies, mommas without babies, and lots of little one to three year old babies.
They all were sitting around eating almost anything they could get their hands on that was green. While we were diligently taking pictures, we would often witnessed a gorilla fight, literally. When one gorillas of higher status wanted something from another of lower status, the high status gorillas would just walk over and just take it right out of the hands of the gorillas. The lower status gorillas would grow and make awful noises out of protest.
After a few minutes of fighting they woulc calm down and continue eating. We also witnessed little babies wrestling. Often the older babies picking and pushing around the younger ones.... interestingly enough just like humans.
Who would have thought?! Overall, it was a great experience even though at one point I really thought the main male silverback was going to eat me or at least take part of me with him. It was just an amazing experience. Thank you Kids Across Africa!

The House Next Door.

2008-08-01T12:28:00.003-04:00

We have lived in our house for about seven months now and have lived next to a huge abandoned house. The house, according to locals, was abandoned by a Belgium business man right when the genocide began. Currently the house is still unfinished, is falling apart, and has bullet holes all over its exterior. It is some times hard to look at it because it is a sure sign of what life was like during the genocide and most international workers response to the beginning of the war. So many people just picked up and left. In the movie, Shaking Hands with the Devil, you see exactly that. You see many, many white people and upper class Rwandans pushing, shoving, and hurrying to get on the last few planes out of Rwanda. It is so sad to see because people who do not necessarily fit that description also try to get on the planes, but you see militia push them away and deny their right of passage away from the all the fighting and killing. So, this house just reminds me of the genocide. It also reminds me European wealth because it is this large, expensive house amongst more modest houses. When I would tell people about the house they would often ask if anyone lived in it even though it is unfinished. Based on what I know, I would always tell them that people do live there. I often see people going in and out of the unlocked, vacant gate. Also, at times we even see people upstairs during the day. I was told that the homeless and those who need a space to work often reside there during the day. To me this house was a sign of the past like I said, but also just emptiness, death, and abandonment. That was until the other day when I was laying in my bed. As I lay there in silence people began to sing. From where, I had no clue, but it sounded like it was coming from the abandoned house. Then I began to hear drums and the sounds of people dancing. I just layed there thing this may just be a one day event and then quickly drifted off to sleep. Then the following day I came home from town. As I walked up my steps I began to hear the same familiar singing from the day before. It was joy to my ears. It was beautiful and a reminder of life in Rwanda. So, instead of walking into my house and occupying myself with what I should clean up in my house or eat from the pantry, I walked out my gate and in the direction of the abandoned house. The gate was wide open and there were people sitting on top of the fence around the house. They waved at me and welcomed me in. As I walked in people began to smile and sign louder. As I took steps onto the driveway and closer to what was going on children began running over to me and of course yelling Muzungu, Muzungu! As I looked up I saw about thirty Rwandan women of all sizes and ages just signing, dancing, and practicing their traditional Rwandan dance. It almost brought tears to my eyes. Not only was I welcomed into a place that has for so long been a sign of death and abandonment, but I saw one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my time in Rwanda. I saw women just being women. Just praising the Lord. Just having fun and loving on each other. It made me proud to be a woman. It also made me proud to be living in Rwanda. It brought hope to me as I looked at how a group of women could take this place and transform it into a place of meeting. It was just so beautiful...

Coming Home!

2008-07-30T07:08:00.002-04:00

There's nothing like a best friends wedding to bring you home. See you all in September and October! The things I look forward to the most:

1) Jumping on the bed with my nephew.
2) Hearing my nephew talk for the first time!
3) Seeing my family.
4) Seeing my best friend Jesse get married.
5) Hanging out with friends.
6) Using a washing machine!
7) Sleeping in my own bed.
8) Taking a shower without having to hold the shower head.
9) Eating honeycombs, pops, and any other sugary cereal I can get my hands on with milk that doesn't taste like it came straight from the cow.
10) Driving!
11) Going to movie theater as much as possible.
12) Watching tv.
13) Good American food.
14) Having electricty that does not go out.
15) High speed internet or internet at all!
16) Fall weather, the leaves, the smell... so nice.
17) Cheesecake, icecream, milkshakes, snowballs... the list goes on.
17) Just being home...

Along for the Ride.

2008-07-30T06:41:00.003-04:00

The Kids Across Africa football camp finally arrived. For the last week and half we were up in Musanze, a district about two hours outside of Kigali, putting on a five day camp that served 130 Rwandan kids and 22 Rwandan coaches. It is kind of complicated to explain, but there was ten teams and each team had two coaches as well as one player coach from America. There was about 20 or so American staff, fathers, and sons from America who came for the event.
The event was kicked off on Tuesday night and ended on Sunday with a huge awards ceremony that took place in the main stadium of the district. Throughout the week the ten teams, ages 10-12, 13-15, and 16-18 learned skills from their coaches and competed in afternoon matches.
Each match counted towards an overall tournament that ended in a semi-final and final match. It was a big deal for the players and coaches.
More importantly then the details of camp was the little and big ways God showed up. For the last four or five months I have had the privilege to help coordinate this camp.
For me, this camp was so much more then some big soccer camp. It was God being faithful and teaching me how to walk, lead, and organize in his name. From my first meeting with Gregg Bettis the President of Kids Across America, God continue to reveal his visions for this camp. As we all took babysteps forward God led and helped provide the right people, money, and set-up for how this camp should go.
Even to the simplest thing such as a bracelet God took care of the details and allowed for 130 kids from the Musanze district to hear about life and how their lives can be lived for Jesus. There are so many other ways that God was faithful and moved and work.
I really wish you could have been there because trying to put it all into words on a blogger just does not suffice. All I can say is that God showed up from the littlest of ways to the biggest.
He knew every person, every player, and every coaches who was suppose to be there. He knew the good, the bad, and the ugly of what putting on first time camp can bring. He also knew that something like this would not only grow me, but would teach me more about letting go and trusting him to fulfill his plans.
Trust can be such a hard thing to learn in life. Some times I feel like I am so far away from grasping it. Actually, maybe trust isn't even something you grasp, but like a relationship, it is a process. There are moments of great trust and moments of where you struggle and feel nervous about every turn in life.
Even though I am so greatful for the opportunity to work with KAAC and help organize this camp, I think I am even more greatful for the hard lessons that were found within.
As Oswald Chambers always says... God cares less about the goal and more about the relationship and the process itself. To God be the glory.

Zambia and Beyond...

2008-07-20T03:47:00.003-04:00

School ended on June 20th and on June 27th, I set off to South Africa to meet one of my best friends from high school Drew Myers and his girlfriend Jackie. We spent a few days in South Africa seeing penguins, whales, sharking diving (which I was sea sick for the whole time), the ocean, and so much more. South Africa is a beautiful place. It is also ridiculously cold right now because it is their winter. (South African Coast Line) I called South Africa Little America because being there did not feel like Africa. It felt more like I was in the U.S. then in Africa still. After South Africa we went to Zambia for a few days. While in Zambia we took a seven hour bus ride to Victoria Falls. The falls are unbelievable!
(Victoria Falls) They are so powerful and yet so beautiful all at the same time. They are so powerful that you can see mists from miles away and while you are there you get soaked from the mist that comes up. Victoria Falls is about a mile and 1/4 wide. You can only see the 1/4 of it on the Zambia side, while the rest lies on the Zimbabwean side. So even though you feel like you get to see so much of the falls, really you are only getting to see a small portion.
(Drew, Jackie, and I... love them!) Unfortunately because of the political instability, not many people get to see Victoria Falls completely, except if you are lucky and get to go on what is called the Micro-light! Thankfully we did get a chance to do that. It was honestly probably the best part of the entire trip. We were high up in the sky flying over the falls. We could see hippos, crocodiles, and elephants all from above.
(My friend Vaughn from Zambikes) My German born driver even let me drive. It was a blast. After that we headed back to Lusaka where I met up with my friends from Zambikes. They broke us in by eating traditional food with our hands. It was great! I also got to meet many of the Zambians working for them who are helping to build their bicycle work shop. It was great to be able to see them and see what they are doing and how they are doing it.

End of the School Year!

2008-06-20T05:38:00.005-04:00

The end of the school year has finally come! With it comes excitement, but also a few tears as any end of a chapter in your life or new season does.

As much as I look forward to a break, it has been sad to say goodbye to those students who I have grown so fond of. Throughout this year, the one class I have worked with the most is the 6th grade. I have had them for homeroom, science, history, and P.E.
They are a fun group of students all having very diverse personalities and backgrounds. For instance, they all pretty much come from different countries, Russia, Ghana, Philipines, Rwanda, Canada, U.S. There is seven of them in total. I just love this group of kids. They have made me laugh so much!

With the end of the school year, KICS has many things to celebrate and be thankful for. First, we had our first ever field day that was more fun then all of us imagined it would be. Our students competed in team competitions, relay races, individual competitions, and team cheers. It all led up to the end of the day when totals were calculated and one overall winner was named. At the beginning some of our students were not that into it. Plus, it did not help that most of them had no clue what a field day/ play day was. We are not in America that is for sure. But, by the end of the day pretty much everyone, from the kindergarteners all the way up to our secondary students, were giving their best and really into every activity. They were cheering and determined to win. It was also really neat to watch the older students help the younger ones. The teams were created with each having a student from almost every grade. KICS also can celebrate because we had our first ever graduate. Roland was our only one and was the first.

Playing with the Girls.

2008-06-20T02:04:00.007-04:00

Here are some pictures from our last IS Kigali game in Byumba. Liz and Jen came with me. It was about an hours drive. We played in a stadium that stands on one of Rwanda's highest points, so it was a bit colder then normal. Byumba is definitely one of the most beautiful places in Rwanda.
This us turning and faces the fans. We are suppose to wave at them, which i think could possibly be one of my least favorite things. I get embarrassed.
I think Jen laughed the entire time we warmed up. For warm-up the team does very interested moved. They are almost like dance moved. They also try to pick the most complicated to see if I can keep up. Lets just say I try my best. Pic of the team.
They teach me.
It was so great to have friends from home at my game to actually see me play. It was nice to have my oen personal fans. Thank you girls, your the best!

Be the Same No Matter Where...

2008-06-18T17:34:00.003-04:00

If there is one (or should I say another) thing I am learning I think it would be this... Africa is really not as different from America as it seems. I know that is a bold statement, but let me try to bring some clarity to it. Of course, Africa is different in culture, people, ways of business, life, and pretty much everything. For some reason, I actually think we as Americans or westerners put Africa onto this pedestal where we think it is this magical, rustic place. Of course yes it is different in many physical senses, but what I mean by my statement is that the way in which we go about living, working, and praying should be no different then in America. Again, let me explain. I guess, I get frustrated when I hear some people set off on these big adventures to Africa. It is as if we are going to, like I said, some special, magical land. When we go all of a sudden we start asking for prayer requests, setting up blogs, inviting people into our lives and adventures. I guess my frustration is that what is so different about our adventure to Africa then our everyday adventures in America? Isn't it just as adventurous to reach out to and love your friend then it is to extend a hug to a African? Isn't there poverty and similar problems in America as there are in Africa? What changes? Or is it just our way of thinking? Is our calling, our walk, our relationship with Jesus, the way in which we relate and pray so different here in Africa then it is in America? Personally I think we are being fooled. My point is, I don't think the ways in which we pray, relate, invite people into our adventures should be any different whether we are in Africa, America, Saudi Arabia, China, Australia, etc. Like I said, what makes Africa so attractive when so many other countries are dealing with the same issues, struggles, problems? I think we have been fooled by who ever, maybe it is actually marketing and media, into thinking that when we take off for an adventure to Africa all of a sudden we are going to embark on this new enlightenment. I know that sounds cynical and harsh, forgive me, but I think my challenge and what my heart is crying out for us as Christians is for us to see our daily mundane lives as just as important and a holy calling as an adventure to Africa. The ways in which we pray and ask people to pray should be no different whether we are reaching out to colleagues at our workplace or loving on kids in an orphanage. I guess what I also want to say is that Africa is not all made up of orphanages and the impoverished. Frankly, I am sad that most of the western world thinks that or has that stereotype. If anything, the people of Africa that I have experienced are far different then the stereotype. They are hard working people, people who believe and live simply, they know how to love and relax, they are often committed even if that some times means they are late to a meeting. Personally, Africans, more specifically Rwandan people are just beautiful and I have so much to learn from them. I am not here to just teach, coach, and organize. I am not the boss. I am just an ambassador. I some times need to remember to step down and just listen and learn from the people that surround me. Also, when and if I come back to America it is my hope that my mentality does not change. I so deeply desire to be a woman who pursues my passions just as hard and prayerful;y no matter where I am. I desire to be a woman who loves people and encourages their value and worth just the same, no matter where I am on this planet. God's purposes, truths, communities, and desires simply do not change for me, for you, for us no matter where we are. May we pursue people, the Lord, prayer, mass emails, and blogs as strongly in America as we do in Africa. We need to remember to keep asking for prayer no matter where we are and we need to not stop sending those mass e-mails out to friends and family asking for prayer and updating them on our lives, again, no matter where we are...

Playing with the Boys.

2008-06-18T16:39:00.005-04:00

Some of my favorite people here in Rwanda are a bunch of Rwandan boys or men who just love to play soccer. I spend almost every Saturday coaching, teaching, and playing soccer with them. We all share a love for the game and a love for kids. (Me and all the other leaders from Saturday Soccer Camp. Our friend Kent was leaving to go on a break in the U.S. for one year, so we celebrated with food and competitive games, which led to me being pushed into a torn bush while going for a football.)
More importantly we all love the Lord. Of course, I wish there were more girls in the picture and rightly so I think there should be. But unfortunately, in Rwanda, like other places/ countries, soccer is for the boys or as it is said. For women, playing soccer in Rwanda is what people call a man's sport. Women just are not suppose to play. To prove my point, it is interesting to watch the women from my club team. The way they act, dress, and relate to one another does in fact resemble what I have come to know as boyish qualities (i.e. big baggy jeans, style of clothing, the way they carry themselves, etc.). Of course, that is my western skewed philosophy and view, but I really do not think it changes too much from culture to culture. Most often, there are things boys do and things girls do, and in Rwanda soccer is definitely not yet a women's thing to do. Thankfully, times are changing. I mean, I definitely am very much a girl with liking pink, wearing very much so girls clothing, and whatever else us girls do and like. So... I guess what I am trying to say is that sometimes it just takes time to change mentalities and stereotypes that have been around for years maybe even centuries. There is no way this Rwandan stereotype will probably change in my life time that is for sure. Yet that does not mean I give up and stop encouraging the change. It actually simply means that I continue to do what I do, do what I love, and if that takes just playing with boys at times and loving on those girls who feel like they have to dress, act, and be like boys to be accepted and play then so be it. It is my job, my role to just be who I am and follow my heart in the things that I love and am called to do.

Famous in Kigali.

2008-05-19T11:35:00.003-04:00

The Friendship Baptist team that was just here in Rwanda made it into the local Kigali Focus newspaper for their work with the sewing project. Below is an excerpt from the article. You can also check out the article with a picture at this link: http://focus.rw/a/content/view/403/26/

GIVING YOUNG GIRLS A VOICE

A team of members from the Friendship Baptist church based in the US were in the country last week for a five day visit to teach vocational skills to members of Children’s Voice, a local NGO that advocates for the rights of young girls especial street girls.

Barbara Conaway, the leader of the team, said that last February their church had donated seven sewing machines to Children’s Voice, and that part of their visit was to teach the girls how to use them.

“By teaching these young homeless girls hand sewing and machine sewing, we anticipate that they will acquire skills that will enable them to take care of themselves and become self sufficient,” she said.

The team was accompanied by a group of men who are voluntarily constructing a play ground, pavilion and fencing near Lake Kivu, which will serve as a camp to accommodate people.

“Part of our program was to also visit schools like the Kigali International Community School where we showed them a film about Jesus and shared our faith with them,” explained Maize Bell, who was also on the team. “We have also gone through the book A purpose-driven life of pastor Rick Warren, since it has been translated into Kinyarwanda,”

Bell added that she was truly touched to see the revival which Rwandans have achieved even after going through horrifying experiences during the 1994 genocide.

“One can clearly see that people have room for forgiveness and growth,” she said.

“We have also donated clothes to the young mothers, along with health kits for the African New Life School in Kimironko, and when we get back home we will share their stories with our congregation so that we get more financial support to help these young girls in every way possible,” Carol Reed, another team member, remarked.

Even though their stay was short, she said that they had been able to teach the girls vocational skills that will help them in the near future. “We taught them how to make pin couches, skirts, and to practice sewing by hand in addition to machine sewing, and we noticed that these girls had this big drive to learn.”

Writings by Rebekah...

2008-05-19T10:56:00.002-04:00

We have a community newsletter that goes out once a month and my fellow teacher and running partner Rebekah submitted an article about the Peace Marathon we ran in. I love how she describes it. It is below...

Kigali International
Peace Marathon

Rebekah H. Lewis

Five minutes into my first run in Rwanda, I had to turn around and check the number of our duplex so I would be sure to make it home. All the houses looked the same, all the gates blocked visibility, and all the hills insured that even "fun" runs would be moderately difficult. Ten months and several reddened running shoes later, I have set courses around this beautiful city, conquered dozens of the thousand hills, and have successfully made it back to the gate that marks my start and finish line each day.

Running in Rwanda has given me a sense of independence in this foreign culture but has also created a dependence on the continual help and kindness of others. It has been my energizer before teaching, my clarity when I'm confused, and the best remedy for jet lag I know. I have been accompanied by stunning sunrises, a steady chorus of "Muzungu", encouraging friends, and a string of uninvited but welcomed running partners as I have plodded through this new territory.

All of the hills and miles did not prepare me for the event on May 11 – a date I had starred in my calendar and counted down with long Sunday runs. The Kigali International Peace Marathon was held at the Amahora stadium. Anticipation woke me at five that morning. The drive to the stadium was a feat in itself as the main roads were blocked and the sidewalks were sprinkled with runners warming up. The first runners released to run were the 5K fun runners. Hundreds of kids with proudly displayed numbers and timing chips tied to ankles, wrists, sandals and shoes took off.

After smiling at the sea of eager faces, the half marathoners were gathered. Friends in the stands waved and clapped. The anticipation ended and the work began. As my running partner Jenny and I started settling into a reasonable pace, a swarm of marathoners thundered past us. My jaw dropped as I watched these amazing athletes glide on the four loops that made up their playground of 26.2 miles. After the sixth mile, my jaw was no longer dropped in awe but set in determination to make it to the

next water station. At times I would beg Jenny to let us walk for two minutes. At other times I would push myself through to the next area where I knew friends and my students were holding cameras and water bottles. This would be a needed break and distraction from the immensity of the course and the challenge ahead. I kept running, Jenny kept up the encouragement and pace, and the miles passed one footfall at a time.

Two hours and twelve minutes later, this half marathoner crossed the finish line. Six minutes later the marathon winner, Kenya's Jacob Kenfagor, breezed through. As I fought off waves of nausea and exhaustion, he gave thanks to God, completed interviews, and took time out to pose with a new, admiring fan. The marathon was over. I paused to soak in the moment as I triumphantly limped through the gates toward home.

Holding on to our Pride.

2008-05-15T01:57:00.004-04:00

KICS soccer is up and going again. We started practicing again in about February, but because of breaks and different holidays finding time to practice has been a bit of a challenge. Plus, we can only practice three days a week being a small school because on the other two days half of the team participates in drama. Just the other day, the KICS team had our second game of the season against Nu-Vision High School. We were definitely the underdogs since they beat us last time 3-0. This time we were ready and were more prepared. Unfortunately, the outcome of the game did not fall in our favor, but we did walk away with both our pride and a few lessons learned. We learned that we had to stick together as a team. We also learned that no matter what the score is we must always keep our head up and keep trying. I really tried to encourage them at the end of the game that one month from now or ever a few months from now the score will mean nothing and they won't even remember it, but what they will remember is how they responded in that game. Did they play as a team? Did they feel defeated and give up? Or did they keep fighting and trying? We are learning a lot as a team and it is my hope that despite the score we are able to keep fighting as a team.

Friends.

2008-05-14T03:33:00.006-04:00

Thankfully I have friends. Some times living in a foreign country can make you feel a bit lonely and isolated. Thankfully, I have a few people here in Rwanda that I can call friends and who just provide amazing support. We tend to all hang out a lot on the weekends because some times all we have is each other. We will often go out to dinner and then either play games or watch a movie at someone's house. This particular night we went out to a local restaurant called Indian Kyzana to celebrate/ say goodbye to our friend Paul who was headed back to the U.S. Also, talk about counting your blessings... I think one of my biggest blessings right now is having one of my best friends, Liz, here for three months. She has been my side kick for the last month and half on different projects. I have loved having her here. Some times I don't know what I would do with out her help and support. Plus, she gives me someone to watch Prison Break with. She will be here at this point until June 20th, but hopes to change her ticket to the beginning of August, so she can stay and continue to work here in Rwanda as long as she can.

Up and Coming!

2008-05-14T03:14:00.002-04:00

It is still many months away, but a project that is up and coming is a Kids Across Africa soccer camp. We are currently organizing all of the details for the camp and recruiting about twenty Rwandan coaches and professional coaches/ athletes. It should be a big deal with about 100 Rwandan kids from the Ruhengeri district being ministered to. One of the main reasons for Kids Across Africa and the soccer camp is help develop servant leaders within the country of Rwanda. Many problems in Rwanda and East Africa as a whole is a lack of leadership. So, many Christian leaders and governments are pushing to develop strong leaders within their countries. Bishop John is partnering with KAA to create camps and projects to do just that. KAA is just breaking ground here in Rwanda and is actually a spin off of Kids Across America, which is an organization that reaches out to inner city youth for Christ through sports camp. Kids Across Africa plans to develop a full scale camp in Ruhengeri within the next year. Rwandan schools and leaders from the community will then be able to bring their kids to the camp where they will participate in sports, learn about servant leadership, and who Jesus Christ is and why he died for them. It has the potential to be a God glorifying, beautiful thing. I am very excited about its potential and what this next year is going to look like for them. KAA first kickoff event to help reach out to kids and promote the organization is the soccer camp, which will be held from July 22-27.

Fun Football Community.

2008-05-14T02:48:00.003-04:00

Here in Kigali there is a fun community of people who love to play football. It typically is all guys, but I often go and play as well. We have a team called Muzungu United, which plays about once every two months against local Rwandan or Embassy teams. We also have a drop in league every Wednesday night from 8-10 p.m. where people come from all over Kigali to play small sided games. There are usually people there from many different backgrounds and countries, Lebanon, Russia, Netherlands, Belgium, U.S., Britian to name a few. Many of the people who participate are here working for international businesses, their national embassy, relief organizations, or are missionaries. Just a few weeks ago, Brad and Kiki, who are here working for Youth for Christ held a 3v3 tournament at their house. We picked teams and I was on Kent and Paul's team. Everyone of us was from American, so we joked that we were team America. I think we were third out of the whole tournament. It was a fun day. We played from about 12-5 p.m. Also, the people who were there and invited I have grown to appreciate. They are all just really fun people who just want to have a good time.

Making Puppets and Sharing Jesus.

2008-05-14T02:13:00.003-04:00

After the sewing project the women from Friendship Baptist came to my school for the day. In the morning they had my 4th through 6th grade classes make puppets out of long tube socks. The kids loved it! There were dogs, horses, and people puppets. At the end, Carol, another lady apart of the group, shared the Christian Farmers bead bracelets with my students. On the bracelets are several different colors that represent different aspects of who Christ is and your walk with Him.

For instance there was a gold bead, which meant, heaven and how everyone who believes in Jesus goes to heaven, it is a place we all want to go. There was a black bead for sin, brokenness, and represents how all have gone astray and the wages of sin is death.
Red for the blood of Christ and his death on the cross. Then there was white, which represented how when we give our lives back to Jesus he says that we are "New Creations" and all may be saved through Christ. Last was the green bead, which signified growth in Christ.
The kids loved learning about the different beads and what they mean. Even to this day some of the kids are still wearing their bracelets. Even some took a few extra and went home and shared what they learned with their families and friends.

Learning How to Sew.

2008-05-13T03:52:00.008-04:00

What a blessing of a time this past week has been. My mom and a group of eight people from Friendship Baptist Church came all the way from Maryland to Rwanda to serve in sewing and construction projects. For the projects the men of the team traveled about six hours away to an area called Changugu. There they painted, built dorms, and roofing. The women stayed in Kigali and participated in a sewing project between Amahoro a sewing co-op here in Kigali, Children's Voice that works with girls in difficult situations, and Friendship Baptist Church. The goal of the project was to reach out to, love on, and share Christ with the Children's Voice girls. We also wanted to provide them with training and skills in the avenue of sewing, which has the potential to become a life trade for them. The project was five days long and required five sewing machines that had been donated months prior by a donor in the U.S. During the five days there was morning and afternoon sewing sessions. Also, during out time all women were able to share in a morning worship time as well as an afternoon small group time. Currently Rwanda is involved in what is called the PEACE plan. It is a joined effort to help Rwanda deal with reconciliation and move in the direction of peace through the use of principles set up by Rick Warren and the Purpose Drive Life. The ENTIRE country is currently doing the 40 days of Purpose and are going through the book. Every church, government officials, and organizations are encouraging people to read the Purpose Driven Life and consider what it is saying. Even the newspaper is posting daily the principle of the day or week. It is unbelievable. So... during our time with the girls we also went through the Purpose Driven Life and shared about God's purpose for our lives and how we were not created by accident. Each girl walked away with a bible and Purpose Driven Life book in hand, as well as other things such as health kits, skirts, clothes, etc. Praise the Lord for that! Also, during our time we shared lunch with the entire team (Amahoro, Children's Voice, etc.) and just spent time together. There was also one day where we showed what is called the Jesus film. It is a film about the life of Jesus that has been translated into Kinyrwanda. What is even more amazing is that Mrs. Mazie Bell asked at the end of the video if there was any girl(s) who would want someone to pray with them to ask Jesus into their life and EVERY ONE of the girls, ALL of them stood up and walked over to her to pray. Everyone of us in the room was so full of joy and excitement because the girls got it and just wanted Jesus. There were so many days like that that we celebrated with tears, dancing, and singing. Thank you Lord! I think the most beautiful part of it all was just watching everyone together. Since this was a group effort with Amahoro sewing co-op allowing us to use their facilities and a few of their women and Children's Voice allowing us to work with eight of their girls, as well as the American women from Friendship Baptist Church it took so much patience, flexibility, and teamwork on everyone's part. It was just amazing to watch it all come together. The idea for the project began many, many months about eight or nine when my mom said she was interested in coming to Rwanda to visit. Her simple desire of wanting to come turned into a big mission trip where she invited others from her local, home church. She then mentioned she wanted to do a sewing project, which none of us have any experience in doing. It was completely a gift from the Lord how he took our willingness to serve and create a project and molded it into something beautiful and impacting. It was completely the Lord and his grace. He gave the idea of asking Amahoro to partnership, he gave the idea of reaching out to the girls. He gave the ideas. It was just time before all the pieces of the puzzle began to come together. If there is one thing I continue to learn during my time in Rwanda I think it is that. The things of the Lord happen in their timing. Some times their fast, some times their a bit longer, but no matter what you will know by how you take your steps and how you are lead to take your steps. You can feel the Lord in it and he is not hidden, so he also lets you know he is in it. He also gives ideas, visions, and a sense of love and unity for all involved. I also think God is a God who desires to see people working together despite their background or experience. God is the God of reconciliation and unity. He loved to see all his Children whether they are American, Rwandan, Kenya, black, white, dark skinned, light skinned, etc. all coming together for one purpose. I think that was it. It was beautiful because it was about the Lord. It was for His glory. It was also His children reaching out to others in His name.

We Did It!!

2008-05-13T02:26:00.005-04:00

We did it!! After SEVEN months of training, Rebekah and I finally reached out goal and completed the fourth annual Kigali Marathon/ Semi Marathon. It is something we will never forget and was a big accomplishment for both of us considering it was both our first times to participate in something like this. It was not easy though. I felt great most of the time, but by the last six miles both Rebekah and I were feeling some aches and pains. My knees were hurting and she just felt so tired. Thankfully, through it all we had each other and were there to encourage one another to finish. We finished the half or semi marathon in 2 hours and 12 minutes. Right after us at 2 hours and 18 minutes was the marathon winner. He was unbelievable. He ran 26.2 miles in that time, which we averaged out to be able 5 minutes miles. He was from Kenya and probably runs on their Olympic team. I am determined to find out. Either way since he was practically famous that day in Kigali, Rebekah and I decided too take advantage of the fact that he practically ran in with us and get out picture with him. Too bad he ran twice as much as we did and looked nearly half as tired as we did.

R-U-K-R-B

2008-05-04T16:17:00.010-04:00

We called it Spring Break Africa 2008, but it was more like the great adventure of a life time across east Africa. We traveled from Rwanda to Uganda then to Kenya back to Rwanda then to Burundi to come all the way back to Rwanda again. The trip in total was about two weeks (April 6th-21st) and took place during my spring break from school. (WELCOME TO UGANGA! LIZ AND PAUL. I THINK LIZ IS TIRED HERE, SHE WAS ONLY IN AFRICA FOR ONE DAY. SORRY IT'S SIDEWAYS, I COULDN'T QUITE FIGURE THAT ONE OUT.)
Somehow for the great adventure I was able to rope in my dear friends Myal, Paul, and Liz. Liz has literally just arrived the day before the trip from America. She flew in at 1 p.m. on Saturday unpacked what she had and repacked for our trip, which we left for at 6 a.m. Sunday morning. The trip started with us taking an 8 hour bus ride from Kigali, Rwanda to Kampala, Uganda. While in Kampala we met up with Myal's friend Jen who took us around town. We loved Jen, she was awesome! (BEAUTIFUL KENYA)
We only spent two days there one of which was taken up by rafting the Nile. Rafting the Nile had to be the highlight of the entire trip. We all really, really enjoyed it even though there were moments of near drowning experiences, rafts flipping over, and major sunburns. Overall it was just amazing to be on the Nile and rafting one of the hardest rivers in the world with friends. After that we took another 8 hour bus ride from Kampala to Kisumu, Kenya.
(WELCOME TO KENYA, WE MADE IT! JENNY, PAUL, AND LIZ :-)
While in Kisumu we toured around town, experienced a riot over the political elections, and took a boat on the largest lake in the world, Lake Victoria. We only spent one day there before we took an overnight train from Kisumu, to Nairobi, Kenya.
(IN KISUMU WE ALL CRAMMED INTO OUR FUN MINI CAR)
We spend three days in Nairobi, which we spent going on a small safari, seeing town, eating at Carnivore, and just touring the city.
(ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS GROSS.. I THINK I WOULD PASS ON GIRAFFE "KISSES" ANY DAY. NOT WHAT I CALL FUN.)
(FEEDING BETTY!)
After Nairobi we took another night train to Mombassa, Kenya, which rests right on the Indian Ocean.
(THAT'S OUR TRAIN! WE SPEND TWO NIGHTS SLEEPING ON THE TRAIN!)
Our main goal was to get to the ocean, so we could relax on the beach. While we were there we did relax and enjoyed our very family friendly place Turtle Bay. After that we traveled back to Kigali by plane.
(ON OUR SAFARI. STILL NOT AS GREAT AS AKAGERA.) (PAYING OFF THE WORKERS, SO WE CAN PET A CHEETAH!)
(OH MY GOSH, I HAVE NEVER EATEN SO MUCH IN MY LIFE!)
(OH PAUL...)
(OH JENNY...)
(KENYA IS REALLY BEAUTIFUL.)
(SWITCHING SUNGLASSES.)
(THIS IS THE MOTHER COMPANY TO AMAHORO, A LARGE SEWING CO-OP HERE IN RWANDA. WE VISITED IT WHILE WE WERE IN NIAROBI AND TOOK A TOUR. WE ALSO MET A GREAT WOMAN NAMED MAGGIE!)
(NAIROBI, NAIROBI!)
(SITTING ON THE BEACH AT TURTLE BAY!)
We spend one night in Kigali before Liz, Paul, and I took a bus to Burundi to meet up with our friend Freddy who works for Youth For Christ. While in Burundi we spent a few days working at the YFC orphanage teaching kids sports and physical education. We did a lot of fun games, jump rope, parachute games, and relays. (SWEET SHADES! WE LOVED THOSE KIDS!)
(A BABY CARRYING A BABY...)
(THE WAY I WOULD DESCRIBE BURUNDI IS THAT IT IS A UNFOUND TREASURE.)
(ONE OF THE MANY FIRST AND POTENTIALLY LASTS... PETTING A BABOON. THE POOR GUY WAS LOCKED UP IN A CAGE AND SMELT LIKE POOH. HE WAS REALLY GOOD AT FINDING BUMPS AND BLEMISHES. I THINK HE FOUND A FEW THINGS ON ME.)

We spent some time meeting the Youth For Christ staff and just getting to know Burundi a bit better. We also got to see another side of Burundi, which not many people get to see. During one of the nights the last rebel group attacked and filled the skies with all kinds of bombs and grenades. (THANK YOU TO CARRIE WEAVER FOR SENDING A PARACHUTE! WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE THE PARACHUTE TO BURUNDI AND LEAVE IT AT THE SCHOOL. THE KIDS LOVED IT AND HAD A GREAT TIME PLAYING DUCK DUCK GOOSE AND MAKING THE LARGE DOME.)
It was definitely intense and something none of us have every experienced or seen before. It kind of looked like fireworks, but they were all red. The raids definitely shook the country and caused many problems.... (SO PRECIOUS :-)
Before leaving we had a great send off by the YFC staff. They set up a dinner with dancers, drums, and lots of good food. We then headed back to Rwanda, this time by car with Freddy and a few other missionaries from Burundi. (PAUL TAUGHT SOME EXERCISES AND STRETCHES. WE ALSO DID SOME RELAY RACES)
(BONDING WITH PAUL)
(FREDDY AND THE YFC TEAM GAVE US A HUGE THANK YOU DINNER. THE DRUMMERS WERE AMAZING!)
(OUR NEW SWEET FRIENDS)
In total the entire adventure was two weeks long! It was amazing and we were definitely able to do many "firsts" and probably "lasts" on the trip such as eating crocodile, rafting the nile, petting a cheetah, being kissed by a giraffe, seeing an illegal black market leopard, being on largest lake in the world, riding a camel, being on the Indian Ocean, experiencing a rebel raid, etc. It is a trip and experience I will never forget.

Made it into the New Times!

2008-03-26T06:13:00.004-04:00

Just recently some of our KICS students played the Saturday camp kids. It was a great time. The New Times, the local Rwandan paper, was there to interview and write an article about the community development event. It made it into this weeks paper with pictures and all. Unfortunately the pictures are not on the actually website and can only be found in the local printed paper. Definitely check out the article below. http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=13480&article=624&week=13

Attack of the Baboon!

2008-03-24T09:28:00.005-04:00

Oh my did I have a hilarious weekend.... So my friends, Justin, Amy, Paul, and I all decided to take a little road trip adventure to Akagera the Safari game park here in Rwanda. We wanted to go camping and thought it would be fun to camp in the park. I did this last August, so I knew it was safe and we wouldn't get eaten by a lion or something. Anyways, so we showed up at 7 p.m. to find out that the park closed at 6 p.m. and that we couldn't camp. After finally getting a room at the hotel (thank you Justin), we slept and then woke up nice and early to drive around the park and check out the animals. So... after seeing pretty giraffes, zebras, wart hogs, and lots of deer looking things, at about 10 a.m. we came across some very friendly Baboons. Being the young, adventurous people that we are we decided to stop and take some pictures and try to get close to them, maybe even a little too close. Well, actually, first before I got out of the car, I was just sitting there looking at the pretty baboons when all of a sudden one decided to come a bit too close. The baboon who saw me looking at him decided to come get a closer look at me! He decided he would do this by jumping on the hood of the car I was driving and then climb onto my mirror and then into the window that I was FRANTICALLY winding up!

(picture of the baboon, if only they had gotten me screaming from inside the car, I think this could have made for a better picture!) I definitely screamed and freaked because no way, no how did I want a baboon on my lap! Of course I got made fun later for the little incident and my girlish freaking out scream. So... after my friend realized he was not coming in my window he decided to get off the car and just look at us from a far. So... Paul and I decided to get out of the car and get a picture.

After the picture, we noticed another Baboon had decided to climb on the hood of the car again.
(I must admit, not the most flattering picture of me and I think the Baboon has fleas or just really bad exma). Before I go on, let me just say that our guide was with us this whole time and kept saying its okay, its okay.... so of course if our guide said was okay then we thought it was okay. Anyways, so mr. baboon decided to climb onto the hood, so Paul decided to go pose with it, which is the picture below.
As Paul was posing, the Baboon who seemed to not like Paul being so close and wanted to let Paul know who was boss decided to climb down off the hood and attack Paul. Like any grown man would, Paul screamed and threw his bottle at the ambushing baboon. Once the baboon realized he had won the chase he walked away or should I say strutted away with pride. Then... as I was standing there taking in what just happened I looked over at my driver side door that was open and before I could scream baboon there was one CLIMBING IN and onto my seat!!! There was a baboon in the car!! He wasn't there long because his main goal was to just do a quick snatch and steal. He was on a mission to steal our one and only loaf of bread that we had brought on the trip. Why he didn't steal the pringles, popcorn, or cookies is beyond me. Because if I was a baboon that's what I would have gone for. The baboon saw what he wanted and went after it. Before I could do anything, the little booger had snatched up the loaf of bread, jumped out of the car, and into the trees. Not long after his quick exit did he wander his way back onto the road to taunt us and rub in our face that he had snagged our lunch, the little punk.

So... I think it was after the third incident that we realized the best place to observe baboons was probably from inside the car, not outside. Plus, we were tired of getting bulled around by a bunch of baboons, so with our heads hanging low, we headed off. I think I might of even looked in the rear view mirror and saw them cheering and doing what looked like a touch down dance as we drove off... moral of the story... don't mess with baboons or just do what my roommate Amy does when a baboon climbs onto the car, just yell at them.

What's Been Going On in Rwanda...

2008-03-19T01:35:00.012-04:00

I have not given an update on what has been going on in Rwanda in a while. So here we go...

There is much to be said. Since returning from the U.S. almost three months ago, things have begun to pick back up. At first when I returned, I tried to ease my way back into life here in Rwanda after spending one month at home. The slow, easing process was good both for me physically and emotionally. It was really hard to return after spending great quality time at home with many people I love. It was hard on me emotionally because I was missing home, even though I was and am confident of my call and where I am suppose to be, here in Rwanda. Yet, calling or not, moving away from friends and family is never easy... Now that I am back in the swing of things and past the transition, everything has picked up.

IS KIGALI WOMEN' TEAM....
First, a huge prayer was answered. About a month and half ago, I ran into the assistant coach to the women's national team, Grace. Her and her professional women's team were practicing. I went over and talked with her and through that conversation I was invited to join the team. For over a year, the soccer federation along with the German football federation have been trying to get women's football up and running.
It has honestly taken this entire last year for something to be organized. When I ran into Grace they were just starting the league and had their first game of the season. Coincidence? Or answered prayer? I think I choose answered prayer. Since the day I arrived in Rwanda I was told that I would be able to play, but since then ever opportunity has fallen through or doors have been closed until now. I have played in four games since running into Grace and been able to meet/ play along side some of the most serving, loving girls. I really enjoy the girls on the team so much and I think for them they love having a white girl on their team. This past weekend we had an away game in a district called Ruhengeri. We always get to play in different stadiums around and so this past weekend we got to play in the Ruhengeri stadium, which one of the best in Kigali. (Ruhengeri Stadium)
We unfortunately lost the game 2-1, but still it was fun to travel all the way out there just to play and get the experience of what football is like in Rwanda.

SEWING PROJECT...
There has also been a lot of preparing and preparation for what is to come. I am greatly looking forward to May when my mom and seven others from her church come to Rwanda for a sewing and construction project. For the construction project, the team of four men will be traveling three hours west to Lake Kivu where they will help build shelters, work on plumbing, and carpentry tasks at a retreat center. The sewing project on the other hand will take place in Kigali at a sewing co-op called Amahorro, which means peace.
This place is one of my favorites. The women make amazing products and have really built a life for themselves in a country that is not easy to make a living. So, the four American women and the four Amahorro women will be partnering up to work with eight Rwandan street girls to teach them how to sew.
All of them will also be spending time in prayer and worship together encouraging one another and sharing what it means to have a relationship with Christ. Our hope is that the street girls are able to walk away not only with a relationship with Christ, but renewed in hope that they can as they pursue the task of sewing make it just like the older women at Amahorro have. Just two weeks ago another big step was taken towards organizing the project. Through the help of some generous friends back home we were able to raise money to buy five sewing machines, which will all be used for the project!

KIDS ACROSS AMERICA CAMPS...
Just last week, I had a meeting with a man named Gregg Bettis who is the President of an organization called Kids Across America. This organization reaches out to youth for Christ through sports. Their main focus in America is on inner city kids. To help get these kids out of their environment for a week they bring their leaders and the kids to a camp in mountains where kids are free to be kids and enjoy sports. They also use this time to share about the hope and freedom found in Christ. Kids Across America's first international effort will be called Kids Across Africa and will happen in Rwanda. Just recently Gregg and his team have been working to buy a 100 acre lake front property in Ruhengeri to build their first ever African camp. The camp will not be build for another year. Even with the camp not being built, KAA wants to start reaching out to Rwanda and this July will hold it's first soccer camp. During my meeting with Gregg, he asked me to help organize the camp on this side in Rwanda while working with some of his team back in the U.S. It should be a HUGE event with one of the U.S. national coaches, some professional, college, and high school players attending. These coaches will be partnered up with Rwandan coaches from all over Rwanda and together they will reach out to a group of boys to help them grow both in their soccer skills and knowledge and understanding of who Jesus is and his sacrifice for us. The camp will also be held in Ruhengeri in the stadium!

SATURDAY SOCCER CAMP...
Saturday Soccer Camp continues to run. It is amazing to see how how far we have come. At the beginning Kent and I ran most things, but that was not our goal. We wanted in time for us to take a step back and for the Rwandan coaches to be able to run the camp themselves and take ownership. This past week, I just sat and watched and felt like God had heard our prayer and answered. I just sat there and watched as all the Rwandan coaches ran the drills, stretched and warmed-up the players. They ran everything! It was truly encouraging to see! Also this past week I was encouraged by a conversation I had with one of the Rwandan leaders Charles. Charles is a great Rwandan man who works with us at the camp. He was talking about how he loved coming to camp to work with the kids and at first it was not "his" camp, but not him and the other Rwandan coaches are able to call it "their" camp. He was saying that when they can't come they miss it and for those like our friend Calixte who go to school in Butare (two hours west of Kigali) will often drive two hours just so they can be there on Saturday. I think that is pretty phenomenal and such a testimony to God's doing. Kent and I can only encourage ownership and a love for the kids and camp, but in my opinion, it is only by God that those things actually become a reality. Thank you Lord. Also, just this past week the goalies started to receive training. My friend Paul who has been in Rwanda for a little over a month, played soccer in college. He has been coming to the camp and just this week started to work with the goalies on footwork, ball control, and composure.
Most of the goalies here have never had anyone work with them, so they were really thankful to receive any training Paul could provide them. (Using our free time to take pictures with our friends) Definitely a blessing, because it is not always easy to find someone who knows how to train goalies and can really provide them the training and encouragement they need to get better. Hopefully, in the next few weeks Paul will also have the chance to work with the goalies from the IS Kigali women's team.

KICS SOCCER...
Last, KICS soccer will be starting up next week. From the first day of the semester in January the students at KICS having been begging for soccer to start. They really do enjoy it. Next week is our tryout and we will have our spring season go from April until June. This season we are trying to play other schools in the city such as Eco Belge and Greenhills. Both very competitive teams. Just last week, some of the soccer players from KICS came to Saturday Camp. They are involved in a Community Development class here at school. They decided one way for them to reach out to kids in the community would be to go and play soccer with them. So, they came to Saturday Camp and played against out 14-16 year olds. The camp kids beat the KICS students 4-2, but I think most people really enjoyed themselves and it was a great opportunity for the KICS kids to get out in the community and play.

KIGALI INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL...
At school, I am still teaching K-12 Physical Education, 6th grade History, and 4th-5th Science. Definitely a fun variety. In science, we just began learning about the plant and animal cell. (4th and 5th Science Class)
In history we just finished the long interesting unit of Roman & Byzantine history and will be starting a fun new unit of African civilizations. This will be really interesting teaching about African civilizations while living and working in Africa.... and in P.E. we are just finishing up the unit of stations and circuits and will be beginning American Flag Football, which is one of their favorites.
(Middle School Physical Education Class)
(Caleb Jenkins and other Middle School students)
(High School Physical Education Class)

VISITORS...
Actually, there is a few more things to tell you. I have many things to celebrate and to get excited for. Just this week, one of my very best friends, Liz, booked her flight to come to Rwanda!!! She will be in Rwanda for about two and half months working and living with me from April until June. It will be such a joy to have her. I am confident her time here will not only bless her, but grow her as well. It will be nice to have a little piece of home here with me in Rwanda. Also, as I mentioned my mom is coming from April 28th until May 8th with a group of people from her local church. Along with her will be one of my favorite mentors and role models, Mrs. Mazie Bell. She is always so encouraging and always seems to have a word of encouragement or scripture. Along with those visitors one of my best friends and long time friend from high school Drew will be coming to visit in July. He has never been to Africa and therefore jumped on the opportunity. I am really looking forward to the next several months. It will be such a joy to have best friends and family here. It will be even more a great joy to see how Rwanda impacts them and hopefully changes their perspectives on Africa and the world.

Stashes and Wells.

2008-03-17T09:02:00.004-04:00

So, I have some pretty phenomenal friends who wanted to do something different to raise money so they could buy wells through an organization called Blood Water Mission (http://www.bloodwatermission.com/) that creates well and fights AIDS in high poverty locations and countries, more specifically Africa. They just wanted to do something unique that would raise money for their cause. So, a few guys put their heads together and came up with the idea of a "Stash Bash." Now this is no ordinary fund raiser. It is a fund raiser where grown men grow out their "stash" or mustash in hopes of having the longest or best one. After a few months they all come together and are judged. In order to raise money, for the cause, they go around asking supporters and sponsors to support their cause and/or their stash that will be judged. After raising enough money to buy several wells last year, I think five, they decided to do it again. The Stash Bash was held this past Saturday at a place called Mt. Washington tavern. There were over 225 people who came out to support both the men who grew the staches and their effort to help fund clean water wells in Africa. To their surprise they raised over $10,000!!! I think that is pretty unbelievable! What is even more unbelievable is that our friend Ryan Casey even had a chance to speak, right there in the bar about the ultimate purpose and reason they were raising the money. He got to share about Jesus. Overall, it sounded like it was just an amazing event and people were able to hear the gospel both through actions and without having to go to church on Sunday. In other words, those of my friend Mark, who with his amazing stache is pictured above....it's was also a great opportunity for us people of the church to start being the Church.

Reflections from Liberia.

2008-03-14T06:28:00.004-04:00

This is from my friend Allen. He just spent eleven days in Liberia helping to run a Young Life camp. I think his words and thoughts just speak for themselves. Just another glimpse into some people's lives in Africa...

How do you put into words the moments and people that mold your heart? My last day in Liberia i sat and had breakfast with Marvyn, a 21 year old 11th grader. See in Liberia you must pay to go to high school.... so you go when it is possible to do so. He shared with me about the time he heard his first gun shot..... which was the time his mother and father were taken from him by the Rebels during the war.... his attempt to run away and escape that night was a failed one and Marvyn was forced into being a child soldier at the age of 15. For 3 years he was treated terribly, under nourished and forced to be a soldier or lose his life. He has seen things i can not fathom. he has done things that may never leave his mind. All of which helps to build up the amazing faith he has. As a student leader for Young Life in Monrovia, Liberia.... Marvyn shares that faith and the amazing story he carries with other students daily. He has a deep love for God and said "if it were not for God, i would be dead". Chilling truth and said so matter of factly. Marvyn is one of the brightest 21 year olds i have ever met, and has a future with no ceiling, i can not wait to see how God uses this incredible young man. "I want to be a Doctor" Marvyn told me, "Or a Pastor"..... He isn't sure yet. But, one thing for sure, how blessed i feel to have encountered this man of God.

I wish i could sit here and tell you all the stories i have. To let you for a few moments enter my brain and pick out the ones that i know would melt your hearts. I am so thankful, so humbled, so filled with faith that there must be a God who can create such loving people in the face of such seemingly unlivable conditions and periods of time.

As i sit here and stare at my computer, thinking back on my 9 days in Africa, it seems so much longer, it seems like a month or so, feels like i learned more in that brief period of time than i have in my 26 years prior. Grace takes on new meaning after living with people that have hurt so deeply. Love takes on new vehicles.... when eating camp meals with kids that may not be garaunteed meals outside of camp. Smiles seem to mean more to me now, after sharing them with a war torn country. Camp was tough, no sugar coating. But camp was incredible. As Dave and i stood infront of the kids for the first time staring into blank faces after we attempted to crack jokes, we difficulty blow in to camp like a warm breeze grazes your face on a hot summer day. A simple week later we had learned how to speak their language....(broken english as it were).... not even really sure of the things we wwere saying at times but seeing them revel at the chance to laugh at us, at the chance to teach us, and for once in their lives be served..... be treated truely like Kings and Queens.

Things taken for granted by me...... Bible, running water, food, electricity, parents.... things that are not a sure thing for most in Liberia.
Allen

Today.

2008-03-06T07:30:00.002-05:00

I read this today....

"Too many Christians are simply dissipated and drained by the attractions and surpluses of our prosperous society. Let me assure you, most of these things are not evil in themselves, especially when accommodated in moderation. The deception is in our definition of moderation, for what seems like a modest lifestyle to us would be excess and luxury to NINETY PERCENT of the world..."Francis Frangipane

Big Step.

2008-03-05T06:38:00.004-05:00

There is a big team coming here in April/ May to do a sewing and construction project. I am beyond excited about it and greatly look forward to it. With any project there is always many steps that have to be taken to organize everything. First it was housing, then it was schedules, flights, transportations, etc. Also, a step in the process was finding donors who wanted to contribute money towards the five sewing machines needed to run the sewing project. This was a huge step and with the help of some pretty generous, amazing individuals the money was donated. So just the other day, with money in hand, Grace, one of the project managers, and myself went to go buy the five machines!! After arriving at the store and expressing that we wanted to buy not one, but FIVE machines, and negotiating the lowest price the machines were finally purchased. We only had to wait about an hour before we saw four men coming down the road carrying four of the five machines on their heads! It was quite the sight to see as they weaved through mid-afternoon traffic with big sewing machines on their heads. Once the machines made it to my friend Justin's truck, we packed the machines tightly into the back and were off. Right now the machines are just in waiting until May when they will be used to teach sewing to eight girls from the Kigali community.

Crazy KICS

2008-02-28T13:09:00.003-05:00

Here are just some fun pictures of kids from KICS. It all started with taking pictures of my 4th and 5th grade Science class for the Penpals we were writing and it was all down hill from there...

(4th and 5th Grade Science)

(2nd and 3rd Grade P.E.)

(Principal Dolinger at his best)

Play Like a Girl, Run with the Zebras...!!?!?

2008-02-25T04:23:00.006-05:00

BIG game yesterday! All week, after running into Grace, I finally played in my first all women's soccer game here in Rwanda. I played for IS Kigali, which is a team made up of women from all over Kigali, selected from the different districts.

We have been practicing for one week and one week only to prepare for the match. The team is also made up of girls ages 14-20. The other team, APR soccer club, has been practicing for three months.

IS Kigali and APR are the best two women's club in all of Rwanda. Most likely, between these two teams they will compile the women's national team.

So... it is true practice does make perfect or close to it and APR out ran us and out played us. Beating us 1-0.

With this being my Rwandan women's soccer debut two of my friends came out to watch, Myal and Paul. Myal took some pictures, which you will see below and have a little photoshop touch to them.

It was great to have them there and to be supported! Unfortunately, with how Rwandan soccer is played my laughing joke was they didn't necessarily get to watch me play soccer, but run up and down the field.

The entire game I felt like all I did was defend and run around, which is not fully true, but how it felt.

Myal's only comments of the game were... good game and boy do you run like a girl! Of course I responded with... well Myal it is because I am a girl.

Thank you photoshop.

He got lots of pictures of my running and just sent me them this morning. Let's just say I had no idea I was running or playing along side elephants and zebras! Who would have thought!? Only in Africa....

Best Friends and Skittles.

2008-02-21T04:55:00.005-05:00

I truly am blessed to have some very sweet, amazing friends. Since being in Rwanda, I think God has really shown me what real friendship is and who those friends are. Certain friends have truly strengthened me through their encouraging e-mails, packages, letters, and phone calls more then they know.

One of the hardest parts about being far away is missing out on big events both in my family and friends lives. For instance, I missed some of my close friends Laura and Shawn and another dear friend Pete get married. I will also miss my nephew turn two. Little or big things like that can some times be the hardest to miss. One of the other hard parts is just being away from some of my best friends. I deeply value those girls who have stuck by my side over the years and I just want to be close to them. After I left, my best friend Jesse and I literally weeped at missing one another. I have sent more e-mails just saying I miss you then I ever have before. I miss being a few minutes away and being able to grab dinner whenever we want. It is even hard to catch one another on the phone, especially when internet is slow and not readily available. Don't forget to add to that the difference in timezones. When I am available most people are in the middle of their work day or when they are available I am either asleep or in the middle of mine. Life here does not make staying in touch an easy task, but it does makes you appreciate and value you when things are easy and friends are close. But, like I said if there is one thing God has shown me, he has shown me what true friends look like. He has also given a lot of grace to keep some of those friendships going. Thank you Lord.

Today, I smiled and felt so blessed by one of dearest friends Becky because I received a BIG package from her. This girl, is amazing and continues to be a strong encourager in my life. She keeps me going. In the package was many of my favorite things, most importantly skittles! I love skittles. She also wrote me a card a reminded me of who I am and what our friendship has meant. It really meant a lot to me, but I think more importantly, what means more to me, is the actually friendship with people like Becky. Those friendships keep me going and give me the strength and the encouragement to continue in running hard here in Rwanda.

BLESSING of a Day!

2008-02-21T01:02:00.002-05:00

Oh wow, was yesterday amazing. After running into my friend Grace who works closely with women's soccer here in Kigali, I was finally invited to play! First, let me just say that I have been praying for this opportunity since the day I arrived in Kigali, almost a year ago. When I first arrived, I was told I would be able to practice, play, and coach on different teams (professional and national). Of course, I got my hopes up and unfortunately was let down when things just started to not work out and every door seemed to close, one after the other. In those moments, I had to remind myself that this is Africa and that women's soccer is not organized and run like it is in the U.S. I also had to remind myself that God knows and that is enough.

Sooooo... almost a year later, I have finally been asked and the opportunity has arrived. Praise the Lord! So, yesterday was plain and simply AMAZING!! When i first got to practice I went up to the dorms to meet the girls. The Kigali City team is currently staying in dorms located at the Red Cross because they are practicing two times a day for a BIG match they have on Sunday. They were so excited to see me and two specific girls came over and gave me very warm welcome by asking, in their sweet broken English, my name, where I live, what I do. Their names were Julianne and Janet. We had a good laugh because all our names started with J's and were very similar. They never left my side the entire night. After that we headed down to the practice field where we played a match against each other. The German technical director was there, so there was an extra pressure for everyone to play well. By the end of the game I was absolutely beat!! I am not use to the Rwandan style of soccer, which tends to consists of kicking the ball back and forth and little control. The ball doesn't do the running, YOU DO! Little to say, I ran A LOT!! It was great though.

Another great aspect to the whole night was meeting this girl they like to call Cider. From the first time I saw her I knew she was the leader of the team. You could just tell. She was small, but there was a presence about her. She actually kind of looked a lot like CeCe from the Brazilian Women's National Team. She also played a lot like her too. She was amazing and I knew right away that I would have a ton of fun playing with her. I was right. She was creative, had amazing skill, and was really fast. At first I played against her, which was interesting then second half we played together. I liked the second half better :-).

I think what also made the night amazing was not that I got to play, but that there I was sitting in a group of over 25 Rwandan girls/ women ranging in age from 14-23 years old. There I was immersed in their culture and given a chance to see another side of Rwanda that I had not seen before. These girls laughed, smiled, and had fun together. They were so sweet, kind, and welcoming. They wouldn't call me muzungo (whiter person) because every time they did my new friend and team caption Cider would reprimand them and say her name is Jenny. You don't know how much that means to me because on of the hardest things about living here is that people so often see you for your skin color and what you can give them and do not see you as a person with a name. Thank you Lord. They goofed off and danced, which has turned into a game of trying to see what moves they can do that I can't do. I gave it my best shot, but some of those African dance moves are hard!! Just being there, I saw beauty, worth, and value in all these young girls and women. They were just so precious. I can only imagine how much more love God has for them.

This whole experience has just reminded me of the Lord's faithfulness. I needed this encouragement and he knew it. It also reminds of the verse in Luke about being faithful in the little things and to those God has given much he has entrusted much. It also reminds of a sermon I once heard by John Piper where he encouraged us to stop looking for the large and important roles in ministry, but to ask God what simple role he would have us to play and to let him know that we would be okay with any role even the most simplest of roles he would bless us with. It all just comes full circle for me. Upon coming to Rwanda I never would have thought I would be coaching a boys team and teaching at a soccer camp almost solely for boys even though I had women and girls on my heart and in my heart when I first arrived. But if there is one thing I have learned from my time in Africa it is that my expectations are not always God's expectations. I learned to take the little blessings and opportunities God gives me and to just be blessed and thankful for them. I have also learned as you focus on what God has before you in time he brings about new people, situations, and opportunities maybe even those ones you first expected, desired, and so deeply prayed for. Thank you Lord!

Condoleezza in Kenya.

2008-02-19T04:28:00.004-05:00

Things are still hard in Kenya. Thankfully, some of the killing and fighting has decreased. Condoleezza Rice just visited Kenya while President Bush spent time in Tanzania. Here is an article on how it went, just copy and paste it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7250158.stm

Talk of Bush All Over Town.

2008-02-19T04:02:00.006-05:00

So kind of funny, President Bush is in town, but only for one day and one day only. Kigali is kind of like a small town, especially when it comes to relief workers, missionaries, and the American Embassy. Everyone tends to know everyone and hears about everything going on. For instance, on Saturday I was playing soccer with a few women who work at the American Embassy. We have known for a few weeks that President Bush would be coming to Rwanda on Tuesday (today) to visit, so of course I inquired and asked questions. One of my questions was about getting their picture taken with President Bush to which they responded oh of course, I mean he will be at the embassy and will be meeting all the staff. My mouth dropped at how cordial the encounter sounded. She made it sound like they were just going to meet another one of their bosses. My next few questions were about schedules, his whereabouts, and exactly what he would be doing while he was here. Look at me getting all caught up in celebrityism.... and yes, I know that is not a word:-).... Interestingly enough one of the other regular players, could not be there on Saturday because she was preparing First Lady "things." She was preparing to meet and greet and take care of the First Lady who would also be here Tuesday. Also, just weeks prior to his arrival the White House sent in loads of Pre-Bush-Arrival staff who filled up three of our big, main hotels here in Kigali. All those people were here simply to prepare and prep for Bushes one day visit! For the last several days, of course, there has been all this hype about his arrival. American flags have been going up all over town and every taxi driver or person you talk to likes to inform us that our President is coming. I think the Rwandan people are very excited. Even some of our kids are headed to the airport and to the American embassy to meet Bush today. Unfortunately, being the responsible teachers, us teachers cannot leave and go too. Bummer. There is so my hype about Bush coming that this morning all roads from the airport to town were closed from 7-8 a.m. Most likely for high security purposes. So, in order to shift our day around Bush, Amy and I had to leave an hour earlier, 6:20 to get to school instead of our typical 7:10 or so departure. I guess it gave me more time to prepare my classroom being here at school an hour earlier :-). Also, interestingly enough because Bush is doing this BIG five day tour of Africa going to Ghana, Benin, Liberia, Tanzania, and Rwanda he is flying with three Air Force One planes. Boy, would I love to go up to the airport and get a picture of one of them.... As it would be, one of the planes is for the President, First Lady, and Condoleezza Rice. The second is for President Bush's convoy cars, and the third for reporters and other staff who are coming along. Even as I sit here and Bush is running around Kigali, all I can here is a bunch of helicopters hovering and flying. What a big deal and a lot of people for one important man....

Full Circle.

2008-02-19T02:03:00.004-05:00

I had an interesting encounter yesterday. I ran into Grace who works closely with women's soccer in Kigali and was the other women's national coach assistant before the team kind of disbanded. I have not seen her for probably over four months or more. Since coming to Rwanda, one of my biggest desires was to work with the national team and to more specifically work with women soccer players. When I first got here, I pursued those opportunities, but as I pursued those opportunities, it seemed more and more doors closed, while other doors like coaching boys soccer opened. After a while I just surrendered my desire and prayer and just said, Lord it is up to you to work those things out. I just had to let what I wanted go and be excited about the opportunities that did lay before me. So.... how this comes full circle... well, yesterday as I was pulling up the field where my boys team and I typically have practice I noticed a bunch of women soccer players all dressed in blue and yellow playing on the field next to us. I was definitely curious. Then I noticed this tall, Rwandan women standing in the middle of them talking. Immediately I thought it was Grace. It took me a few minutes, but eventually I walked over and to my surprise it really was Grace. We both got excited and asked how each other was doing. As conversation would go, women's soccer came up and I just simply expressed to her that if she ever needs me, I am available to both help coach and play. Praise the Lord, she jumped at my words, and invited me immediately to start playing with her and her team. She even told me that would be practicing all week preparing for a match that would be held on Saturday against another big team in Kigali. Of course, you probably know my response. I was excited and told her even though I could not practice right that moment with them, I would definitely return the following day at 3:30 sharp to play. So... who knows what this opportunity will actually end up looking like but as it seems, my prayer have come full circle and today at 3:30 I will head to the Red Cross field to go play with about twenty Rwandan professional soccer players and Grace :-).

1/2 Marathon Here We Come!

2008-02-12T04:17:00.001-05:00

We are doing it! My good friend and fellow teacher, Rebekah and I started training several weeks ago for a 1/2 marathon that will be held on May 11th here in Kigali. It has been one of our life goals to run one and together we decided this year we were going to do it. We are still about twelve weeks away, but are training four to five times a week with one of our runs being a long one, 6-8 miles. We are following a schedule for the next twelve weeks that will gradually lead us to running 20-25 miles per week with a long run of about 10 miles. I always laugh because if it wasn't for Rebekah I am not sure I would be able to finish the training over the next several weeks. It is not the 1/2 marathon that scares me, it is the training, the numerous, long runs I have to do each week in order to maintain a certain level of fitness. They definitely are painful...

Pen Pals!

2008-02-07T04:32:00.000-05:00

So fun... I received an e-mail the other day from one of my old Young Life club kids and varsity soccer players, Megan, asking if there was some way she could help. Her idea was to have students from Hereford High School write and be pen pals with some of my kids and/or students here in Rwanda. It was such a great idea!! So, I talked with my 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classes. They were so excited about the idea and the thought of having someone all the way from America write them and be their friend. Yesterday, in writing their new pen pals, I had my students tell about who they are, why they are in Rwanda, and what they like most about Rwanda. They even added in a little bit about their favorite sports and what their families are like. Hopefully in about a week after they finish writing, creating personal envelopes, and putting pictures into their envelopes letters will be sent. It may take a month or so for letters to be received in America and maybe one more one for them to send return letters, but no matter what my kids are excited and hopeful. I can remember one time when I had a pen pal all the way from China. I remember how excited I was to get a letters from her. I remember thinking how cool it was to be receiving a letter from someone half way around the world and how neat to see her Chinese letters translated into English. I am sure they might feel slightly the same way...

Anticipation.

2008-02-06T05:39:00.000-05:00

I am getting exited! About six months ago my mom said she wanted to come visit. Then she decided to not just come alone and decided to invite others. She started inviting people from her church as well as friends and family to join her on a trip to Rwanda. That little trip has officially gone from one person to nine who will be coming to Rwanda in May for a construction, sewing, and sport projects. I am getting excited to have visitors and because I am confident that those who come will be impacted by their time here. I also believe that God is going to great things during their time here. Just other day I started to really dream more about their time here. For me, what originally was a simple idea of getting a few Rwandan girls together to learn sewing has now turned into this idea where the sewing corporation Amahorro Imani, my friend Emerethe and her street girls, and the women coming on this mission trip will all work together. I have a meeting in the next week or so to discuss the details with the manager of Amahorro. I pray it goes well and that they catch the vision of what is going to go on. Also, I am getting excited because on the trip will be a professional, swiss player/ coach. He wants to coach some soccer while he is here, so in the afternoons we will be putting on a camp for both KICS students and Rwandans from the community. I also have a meeting with the Red Cross here in Kigali to discuss all those details to see if their street children would like to participate in the camp and if they would allow us to use their facilities. Again I pray that they catch the vision of what is going to go on. I truly believe that God has great plans for this time in May. I am getting excited for the time, but definitely need to keep praying about the whole thing because there are so many pieces to the puzzle, more then I can fully take care of myself.

School Fees.

2008-02-05T10:19:00.000-05:00

Currently a few NEEDS have come up. There are about seven boys here in Rwanda who cannot go to school. The school systems here in Rwanda require school fees, which are $100 USD per term. There are three terms. That is NOTHING compared to the education, especially college education, we pay for in America. Three of the boys names are Eric, Joseph, and Leonned. I work closely with these three boys each week. In the next couple of weeks, I plan on getting their pictures and a write up of their stories. If you are interested, you can support one of these seven boys and I will be able to send you their information and picture. The other four boys work directly with my friend George. He mentioned to me about a month ago that several of his boys cannot pay for school for various different reason. I asked him to consider and pray for four boys to support. There is no way to support all of them. Most of these boys cannot go to school because school fees are a little less then twice the amount of a monthly salary. On average, a decent job of cleaner, cook, guard, etc. pays about $60 a month. Again, that is a decent, good paying job.... It makes complete sense to me why their parents and families cannot pay for their schooling.... so... if you are interested in supporting one of these seven boys in the upcoming months, e-mail me and/or send a check and note, mentioning that you would like your donation to go to school fees, to:

Bridging the Gap
4719 Ridge Road
Mt. Airy, MD 21771

I will be posting on my blog the boys pics and stories in the next week or so.

Culture.

2008-02-05T09:33:00.000-05:00

I am always amazed at the difference in culture. I mean here in Africa you can literally get a pretty stamp and cross a country border and experience a completely different culture. I experienced a taste of that this weekend when for three days a few of my friends and i jetted off to Uganda for a little R&R. We literally crossed the Rwanda/ Uganda border and felt the difference between the two. The people were a bit different in Uganda then Rwanda.

They treated us as visitors a bit differently too. The scenery, yet still very green, looked just slightly different. The roads were very different. I mean I wouldn't say Rwanda takes a large amount of pride in their roads, but it definitely is a bit smoother in Rwanda then Uganda. One thing I noticed less of in Uganda was the starring. Some times here in Rwanda, people will stare, to the point of even glaring at you. It can pretty intense some times where it makes you not want to make eye contact. Here in Rwanda people tend to be very curious about "white" people. They tend to see us as very different and separate from them. They also tend to think that we have lots and lots of money, which I guess compared to some we do. Yet, since i have lived in Rwanda/ Africa I have also noticed practices and attributes that are similar and universal. For instance, women, unlike in America or most western countries, carry their babies on their back. No strollers here :-).

Also, instead of carrying everything in their hands, people free up their hands and carry almost anything from water, suitcases, wood, bags, bananas, etc. on their heads. It's definitely not every day that you walk the streets of America and see someone carrying something on their head. Maybe we should consider adopting that one, I mean it does free up your hands and works on that bad posture we tend to have. Also, there are a few other cultural differences that I have noticed such as the value of milk. Yes, I said milk. It is very typical for you to walk into a restaurant or a pseudo coffee shop and see a big business man, in a nice suit just drinking a big glass of milk. Milk here is expensive, so only if you have enough money can you buy such a luxury.
It is seen as a rich mans drink and when someone is seen drinking it, it is kind of a status symbol. Something also interesting is that when a couple decides to get married, cows are given to the family of the bride as a dowry. Typically one or two cows are given, but depending on the value of the woman some times more can be given. How many cows are you worth? So many more things to be said, but will leave it at that for today....

MARYLAND!!

2008-02-05T09:19:00.000-05:00

Tell me... how does a Maryland shirt end up in Rwanda??!

The Real Kenya...

2008-02-05T08:54:00.000-05:00

Sad but true... http://jakelyell.com/blog/

Prayers.

2008-01-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your love and support. Most importantly, thank you for your prayers... Here are a few things both myself and my community need prayers for:

COMMUNITY
-We need a biology/ science teacher asap. We had to let go of the other one.
-Pray for the KICS soccer team that will start up again in March. For my role both as a follower of Christ and their coach.
-Pray for unity. Definitely there are struggles at times with many people crossing paths and working together. Pray that we all would be united and would love each other well. This is really important!
-Pray for Kenya!
-Pray for my boys soccer team. I have been asked if I can help with some of their school fees and am trying to discern what is a need and what isn't.
-Pray for Saturday camp. They are taking the month of February to extend the field. We will start up again in March. I need prayer in terms of leadership, my role, and commitment. It is hard to give my all after a long week. I often don't have much energy come camp time.

RWANDA
-Reconciliation
-Peace on the border of Congo. Peace between governments.
-Shortages in fuel and products because of the crisis' going on in Kenya.
-Pray for missions teams, NGO's, and other workers here to be peace keepers and for their work to be fruitful.

ME
-My time with Christ.
-Transition back after month in U.S.
-Some personal struggles and pains.
-For my next year here, how I spend my time, how the Lord would have me to serve.
-To be a good steward of my time and money.
-Leadership as I oversea projects and people
-NEED of a car and better transportation.
-Training for a 1/2 Marathon in May.

Ferocious Attack Dog

2008-01-26T15:01:00.001-05:00

I officially added another member to my family this week, taking it from one to now two :-). Her name is Colby and I pretty much found her on the street with a bunch of kids. She was dirty, hungry, and tired. After convincing the children to sell her to me for $2 (1,000 Rwandan Franks), I took her home. She is about a month or so old and is really tiny.
Some day she may become our big ferocious attack dog, at this point it isn't looking too promising. We are also working on the whole process of not peeing on the floor. I think that one is going to take some time...

Lets Celebrate!

2008-01-20T15:08:00.000-05:00

Following the championship games, we held an awards ceremony! It consisted of some food, fantas, donated t-shirts and shorts, slide shows, a juggling contest, player testimonies, and a speaker. It was a lot of fun and I think made the players feel like they had actually earned something. Even though what they had actually earned material wise was some great donated t-shirts and shorts that some of my friends, supporters, and churches has donated.
I think the most important thing besides celebrating them and their achievements was when Kent talked about what it means to follow Christ.
He used a soccer ball as an analogy and explained how without God we are like a deflated soccer ball that does not quite fully fulfill its purpose, but with God, with life and air, it can fulfill the purpose it was created for and be used.
There was about twenty kids who walked up front after and prayed for the Lord to use them and come into their lives. For me, it was awesome to see three of my very own soccer players, Sammy, John Pierre (the one who broke his hand), and Betra walk forward and pray. Amazing.

Definitely a celebration, definitely an amazing time...

Championships!

2008-01-20T14:35:00.000-05:00

It has been about two months since the beginning of the tournament with this Saturday being the Championship weekend. The players (young, middle, and older age groups is what we call them) were off from school from October until January, so as coaches we decided to do a two month long tournament that would lead all the way up to a Championship that would have an awards ceremony and celebration to follow. At the Championship, we lined the field and had an official ref who was actually dressed as a ref. It was a big day for the players. They were definitely really, really excited and pumped for the games. It actually made me laugh because you could tell there was a big difference between them just playing for fun and them actually playing for an award. Everyone wanted to win and they were determined.

It was kind of fun to watch and to feel their excitement. I think even some of them cried when they lost. They took it that seriously. I mean, think about it... Rwanda is nothing like America. Here we do not have rec. leagues or regular games.

You often end up just playing street ball, which consists of high kicks, no boundaries, dirty playing, and about twenty players too many. You also never play on lined, grass fields, and never have nets. You never really get to feel what a "real" season is like, nor do you get to feel what it is like to actually practice every day and be so dedicated to something that it exhausts you, especially come the end of the season.
These boys have no clue, so when they are actually playing for something or with a purpose they take it very seriously. For instance, right before I went to the U.S. for Christmas, I had two jerseys to give away, so what I did was I held a 2v2 tournament with my boys soccer team. You would not believe how much these boys wanted to win these two used jerseys. They were so determined. Well, when the winner was finally named and they were celebrating, I looked back and there sat the two boys who lost literally balling their eyes out in tears.
My heart just sank and I felt so bad for them because they had won every game up to that point and lost to the "under dog" team. It was so heart wrenching for them and I honestly think it is because there is not a lot of opportunities for them to actually work towards something like a tournament, to be apart of a team, and to actually experience the feeling of winning.

Game Day!

2008-01-20T14:04:00.000-05:00

Today was game day! Most of the leaders from soccer camp played in a game vs. the older boys team (16-24 years old) from camp. We were suppose to play a team from the area of Kunyba, but as it is in Africa things do not always go as planned. So, instead we played the older boys. It was a big day and us leaders actually came out with a 2-1 win! I love coaching and get to do a lot of it here, but there is nothing like actually getting to play for yourself even if you are out of shape, not as good as you use to be, the sole girl on the field, and slow :-). I really do miss playing in games. There is always a chance to play at practice or on Saturday. There is also, a drop in night for expatriates here in Kigali on Wednesday nights, but those times are nothing like actually getting the opportunity to play in a game.
Also, kind of fun... the jerseys we wore for the game were some of the jerseys donated by my Hereford High School girls teams that I coached. The team had replaced these jerseys with new ones and had them just sitting around in a bunch of boxes. Thank you to Ferg and Megan Kennedy, those jerseys made it all the way from Hereford to Kigali, Rwanda :-).

Leadership.

2008-01-14T02:09:00.000-05:00

When I worked with Young Life back in Northern Baltimore, one of the biggest needs was always volunteer leaders. It is never an easy task to find people to volunteer hours of their time let alone good, solid, Christian leaders who already have so much going on. I have always been so impressed how leaders and people just seem to show up and come out of the woodwork. I guess there is hope and confidence in asking for workers for the harvest. Through word of mouth, at the Saturday morning soccer camp, we will have about 5-12 adult, Rwandan, Christian leaders who come to just volunteer their time and reach out to the players. I am so thankful for these leaders and I am always so amazed at how solid, fun, and great they are. They really do love the players and they really do just want to love and serve the Lord. Since leaving Baltimore Young Life, one of the things that has stuck with me the most was what my Regional Director Gary Wilmer told me before I left. He said, Jenny no matter where you go, no matter what you do, you are doing Young Life even if it is not labeled Young Life. He was so right. I think one of the biggest things I have learned and noticed since I have been in Rwanda is exactly that.
No matter where I go and no matter what I do, I still have a calling to reach out and love people, to build relationships with them for Christ. I love that! I love that all I was taught back in Baltimore still applies to Rwanda. Yes, I am in a different country, with a different language, and a different past and heritage, but no matter what Jesus still applies here and my life still has the ability to impact here. No matter where I go the rules still apply and never change. One of my biggest prayers is to actually see YL come to Rwanda. YL and youth organization really do need to come to Rwanda, because even though there is many NGO's (non-governmental organizations) and money being poured into this country, there literally is no organizations specifically reaching out to the youth, the ones most impacted by the genocide and the largest of Rwanda's current population. Part of that prayer has already been answered with my friend George being brought on YL staff just last month! In the next year or so, if all goes well, he will begin to be trained through YL and learn more about how to reach out to youth for Christ. As for me, it just excites me to know that George will be getting involved in Young Life Africa. I just look forward to being apart of that no matter what my roles looks like. What is also kind of neat is that even before George was considered for staff, one thing was true about him, he was already doing Young Life without even knowing it. Kind of like what Gary said... He was already building relationships with youth and through that he was sharing his life and the life of Christ. So, maybe it is more appropriate to say it wasn't YL he was already doing, but more so he was already being Christ to the youth he was working with. He has been and will continue to be the hands and feet of Christ to those players and so will the rest of the leaders who show up each week to just hang out with, coach, and love on those players.

My Sweet Friend.

2008-01-13T15:32:00.000-05:00

Very little words are spoken, but one thing is for sure I have a sweet, little five year old friend. This little boys name is Quezada, meaning faith. I just love this little boy and if I could I would probably adopt him in a heart beat. He is my friend because ever Saturday morning when I arrive at Saturday soccer camp he is there waiting for me. He always greets me with a big smile and hug every Saturday morning. Even throughout the day he is my little shadow, following me everywhere I go. When I need to go into the tent for something, there he is grabbing onto my hand and walking with me. When I sit down, he sits next to me. Even when I leave the facility and head to the main road to get a taxi or moto there he is walking beside me.... but just like most children here, Quezada has a story. From what I do know and see, he is only five years old, wears the same clothes every day, every week, he stays at soccer camp all day with no parents to be seen, and rarely is washed or takes a bath. That is just the way of life for Quezada.

Clean Filter, Clean Water

2008-01-13T14:56:00.000-05:00

One of the big projects at Saturday soccer camp this week was to clean out an old, algae infested filter so the players could actually have water to drink at camp. In order to do this, they had to shovel out all of the sand inside the large tank or filter, carry the sand to a place where it was cleaned by hand to get all of the algae and bacteria out of it, and then move and clean the tank. It then had to be refilled with sand by the correct layers, with the rocks on the bottom, medium grain sand, and then fine grain sand on top. Once the filter was filled back up with the sand it was then okay to use again. Pre-cleaning out the filter, Kent Smith, a missionary helping out with the camp would filter and bring enough water each week for the players. This was a long process for him and so with a few connections, we found this old, large, sand filled filter to use. It will be great once it and all the rocks and sand inside it is cleaned. It is kind of neat process how a sand filled filter works. Pretty much you just pour water into the container and as the water passes through the filter, all the levels of sand it is cleaned of most impurities. I am sure it is not 100%, but I guess water from a sand filter is better then no water or water straight from the tap. Water straight from the tap can cause many problems. From what I know, it can cause water borne diseases and parasites. I could be wrong about this, but I have been told you can also get what is known as an amoeba. It can also just cause simple things, such as stomach pain and diarrhea, but enough about that... It will be nice to finally have plenty of water for all the players to drink. Clean, good water is definitely not in abundance around here. Of course there is water, but it can some times be hard to find good, clean water because any time you want that kind of water you have to go through the process of boiling it and filtering it. One thing I will never take for granted is the luxury of drinking straight from the tap like we can in America.

KICS

2008-01-13T10:28:00.000-05:00

Its only mid-year and it feels like we just started a new school year. There are several things that have happened since we took our one month break from school in December. Well, for one, I went home for a month :-), also all of the secondary (6th-12th grade) classes moved up to the upper building, which is a big office looking building a few yards from the primary campus, a circular, open air building.
Also, with the start up of school many of us teachers have either dropped previous subjects and/or picked up new ones. For instance, I am no longer teaching 6th grade science and will only be teaching K-12 P.E., 6th grade History, and 4th and 5th science. Other teachers, such as Amanda have dropped other classes such as math and science and are now teaching the new Bible Class.
Even though most of us teachers LOVED teaching all different subjects, it was very nice to free ourselves up a bit. I definitely feel more relaxed and prepared this semester. We were able to drop a few classes because we have officially hired two more full time Rwandan teachers. One teacher, Javera, teaches all of the secondary science classes, while the other teaches all the secondary math classes. I am very thankful for them!
Also, there are some new faces in and around school. We had just added about 15 new students. Three of the new students are from Ghana, two from Japan, as well as some Rwandan. I think at this point we have a little over 15 nations represented.
Another new development in terms of growth is we have added 10 more preschool children. Before it was Mrs. Christine and Mrs. Laura teaching together, but now they both have their own classes! Just the other day Mrs. Christine was talking about how excited she was to have her own class now.
Some other fun and exciting things that are going on in the realm of KICS is that our principal will be going back to the U.S. in February on a teacher recruiting trip. This trip is a must because come June we will have several teachers contracts ending. For instance, Miss Lauren and Miss Moore, who both have been here since the start up of the school, will be seeing their two year commitment come to end as of June as well as Miss Lewis who has been here a little less then a year.
There will still be several teachers committed for another year or so, but having three great teachers leave could potentially leave a few gaps. Hopefully this recruiting trip will be helpful and we will be able to bring in several new and great ones.
I think that is all the excitement for now. Our next break will occur in April for two weeks. The break will be for the "Month of Mourning," which will take place during the month of April. Rwanda takes the month of April to mourn the dead and losses from the Genocide of 1994. They specifically take those two week in April, which will be off for to pray and shut may stores and entertainment down, so that people can mourn.

Back as back can be.

2008-01-08T10:13:00.000-05:00

I am back in Rwanda after a long, painful sixteen hour flight. I never thought I would start to feel old because I am not, but seriously after a sixteen hour flight you start to understand what it might just feel like... your joints ache, knees ache, neck hurts, your exhausted, and you just don't feel good. I arrived Saturday around one in the afternoon. Some of my bestest friends, Justin and Amy, here in Rwanda picked me and my eight bags up. You should have seen their faces when they saw how much stuff I brought back with me.
I had bags full of donated cleats, socks, t-shirts, jerseys, sports equipment, food, book bags, etc.... and I am sure you are wondering about how in the world I got through customs well.... somehow, yes somehow, I did make it through customs with no problems. I don't know how, but I did.
Since I have been home, I have had one night where I literally slept from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. (only 3 hours!) and then laid wide eyed until I had to get up at 6:30 a.m. for school. The other night, I slept literally from 7 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. Yes, I did sleep 11.5 hours.
It is definitely a joy to be back. I can distinctly remember getting off that plane and just thinking just how nice it is to be in warm, nice weather again. Especially, after leaving the bitter, cold, twelve degree weather in Maryland. Also, just getting off that plane and seeing all the houses on the hillside and seeing the Rwandan scenery again just made me feel like I was home once again.
If I am honest, for good or bad, it feels like I never left. I definitely thoroughly loved, enjoyed my time at home. It went by incredibly fast and during my time I had highs, lows, laughs, tears, aches, and joys. I loved being home and wish I could have just spent a little while longer there hanging out with my friends, family, and specifically my fast growing nephew who continues to not only grow over night, but just make me smile and laugh like never before. What a joy he was to be with and what a precious, sweet, yet independent age he is at. I already miss everyone deeply.
So, if I can let me just say thank you for a great time home. Thank you for such a sweet welcome and send off. Thank you also to Liz and Sara for letting me not only sleep on, but break their coach in the middle of the night. Hereford YL girls, Katie M., Spark, Jess Goodie, Pat and Bets, Luttrell, Healy, Kathy and Kyle, Ben and Mel, Drew, McGregor, Joshie, Matten, Katie and Phil, Mike, Team Awesome, Mrs. Laura Smith (wink), my supporting churches :-), and everyone else who I saw, but did not mention... it was so great to see you! When ever I think of you all, I just feel myself fill up with so much joy and praise. Thanks for being my friend ;-).
Alright, well... like I said, it is good to be back. I am alive, I am well, and I am catching up on sleep. You have to just love jet lag. I definitely don't think God created our bodies to change timezones. Lots of love to you all and thanks again for all the joy and support. Come visit me!!!

One Month Break.

2007-12-06T14:31:00.000-05:00

This week has been the week of tying up loose ends. This was my last week in Rwanda before a one month break in which I will spend in the U.S. I am so excited about my break and so excited to see my family. I will say there are parts of me that are sad to leave certain people and things here in Rwanda for one month. For instance, my boys soccer team.

They are on their holiday right now so all of them are available and excited to play any time, any where. Even though I have been telling them for months that this week would be it until January the news still came as a shock to them. I am kind of sad to leave, but I will say there is nothing like taking a break and seeing those whom I have not seen in over seven months. For instance my nephew, who had just turned one right before i left to come here. From what I am being told, he is like a little man now and has already grown so much in the last few months. I am sure he will not be the same, but I am sure we will still have a great time together preferably maybe in the snow :-).

Just this morning, I received an e-mail from my mom with this picture attached. It said something along the lines of "Aunt Jen, please come home and take me sledding!" He is all ready for me to take him sledding and I can't wait!

Presents.

2007-12-04T05:47:00.000-05:00

My friend Katie from the U.S. told me a few weeks ago she had shipped me a package. Packages are like Christmas here and so therefore I was beyond myself excited about finding out what inside that little box she sent.

About a month later I finally received her promised package and inside it was filled with soccer socks, two jerseys, and a pair of shin guards. The shin guards were also quite large, man size, and so as soon I saw the very large shin guards and what the package contained, I knew exactly who these items were to go to, my one soccer boy Eric and to a few other boys on my U16 soccer team.

This Sunday I handed out the items. When I informed Eric that the shin guards were his because he was both the captain and a very tall/ large boy he was ecstatic. I wish you could have seen the smile on his face! He just kept smiling and saying thank you coach, thank you. I wish you could have been here to see it.

Below is also a picture of another friend who has donated equipment. My friend Shami is a generous business man here in Kigali. He has many different businesses with one being screen printing. Over the last couple of months, he has personally donated enough shorts for my entire team and a few jerseys. In the next few months, he says he is determined to provide us with not just shorts for the whole team, but also jerseys and socks too. He wants to provide them with new and complete uniforms. That is pretty amazing to me.

Baskets.

2007-11-28T15:53:00.000-05:00

There is a basket making factory here who makes thousands upon thousands of baskets for Macy's. They are actually called Baskets of Hope. You can read more about them in the NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/11/garden/11rwanda.html?_r=4&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
You can also check them out at Macy's website: http://www1.macys.com/campaign/rwanda/index.jsp

Anyways, so a group of us went today to see the women and buy baskets. I have read a few articles about the project, but never fully understood the process until today.

When I walked into the room, I was blown away by how many women were there working. I mean, I guess it should not have shocked me considering Macy's has the women making about 500,000 baskets a year and each basket takes between 1 week to 4 weeks to make!

Yet, still I was shocked to see so many women just sitting in a room, on a floor, just weaving baskets. They seemed to be really enjoying themselves too. When we walked in they all had big smiles on their faces and gave us a big wave.

I also noticed as I walked through MANY of the women were paraplegic. There were crutches laying everywhere. It could bring tears to your eyes thinking about all the women who would not be able to find jobs anywhere else because of their disability.

How beautiful it is that these women can, despite their disabilities, sit on the floor with other women and make just enough money for them to support themselves and their families.

There are certain parts of Rwanda that have taken some time to warm up to, to get use to. There are many cultural differences and some racial stereotypes that are hard to fully embrace. Yet, today encountering those women, seeing their smiling faces, and feeling their warmth is definitely something I want to continue to get use to.

These women were so beautiful to me today and literally all they did was sit there in their element and be themselves. I love Rwandan people and specifically women here for that very reason.

Kibuye.

2007-11-26T05:56:00.000-05:00

A few of my closest friend and I decided it was about time to take a vacation and so we packed up our things over the Thanksgiving holiday and headed west. We went to a little place here in Rwanda called Kibuye. It is the kind of place, situated right on the water, where you can just relax, read, watch movies, or whatever you want.
... and that is exactly what we did. We sat around and did nothing but those things. With Kibuye being right on the Lake Kivu you can also rent a boat for the day and go to a few of the islands there.
My friend Maggie and I, being the girls that we are, did not manage to get up in time, so the others, Justin, Amy, and Myal, headed out early one morning and went to "Bat" Island. It definitely lived up to its name.

On our way home from our relaxing weekend in Kibuye we ran into some instrument playing kids. They were not only crazy, but hilarious. They were very persistent about us playing their handmade instruments. Maggie and I gave it a try.

YL Coming to Rwanda.

2007-11-26T05:55:00.002-05:00

Many people seem to want to help Rwanda. There is just something very attractive about coming to Rwanda, therefore many people come and go with some to few who actually stay long term. There for a little while it was up in the air whether or not Young Life would come to Rwanda because of so many people and NGO's involvement already. Yet, there is literally NOTHING for the youth here. Thank you though, through the holy spirits leading and proding I am happy to say there are many steps being taken towards it being so. The needs of the youth here in Rwanda are simply just not being met. More importantly there are few who are actually telling them about the love of Jesus and letting them know they are valued and loved. Witnessing that day in and day out is painful to see. Yet, I am thankful and can stand here today with great praise in my heart because Young Life will and is coming to Rwanda!!

Learning.

2007-11-26T05:55:00.001-05:00

A few of my sweet friends here in Kigali and I decided we should take the weekend and go to this place called Kibuye. It is about three hours away and is found snuggled up next to Lake Kivu. Lake Kivu is beautiful and greeted us each morning all dressed in a glimmering bluish green. It is a beautiful place, Kibuye. Definitely a place you want to go to find rest and just sit in the beauty of God's creation and goodness, which is exactly what us friends did. We spent the weekend just hanging out together, taking boat rides, watching movies, reading, journaling, praying together, learning about one another, and just reflecting on the lives God has laid out before us. Through my dear friends and the conversations we were able to have I continue to learn. I continue to learn God is placing themes in my life and is always at work on me. Recently, I have been learning that in life whether I realize it or not, I some times say yes to Satan and some of the lies he whispers in my ears. As Christians, we try so hard to focus on truth, to pray, and to find ourselves literally on our knees before God, yet some times missing that some of our pains, our struggles, and insecurities have come from saying yes to those dark, fleeting, and insecure thoughts we think and feel in our weakest moments. For me, this weekend I began to realize and God began to shed some light on some of these "yes' " in my life. One of the biggest things I have said yes to is the feeling of I am not good enough. Not good enough to lead, not good enough to be in the presence of certain people, not good enough to be pursued, not good enough to be where I am doing the work I am called to do. We all experience these moments. Some times, like my one friend this past week, we experience them in our weakest moments where we are sick or physically run down. Thankfully, there is hope. Thankfully, even in our weaknesses and in those moments where we have began to believe those defeating thoughts, God has a BIGGER yes for us. Thankfully, God takes those moments where he has given us the wisdom to realize these weaknesses and says get up again, lets attack this together. Thankfully God allows light to be shed and these "yes' " to come to surface so he can continue to take us from where we are today to the place he wants us to be tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. God does not give up on us, God does no give up on me, God does not give up on the people of Rwanda. God does not believe those lies we often believe and/or think about ourselves. He absolutely sees us as beautiful and a work in progress. He sees us as his child. Praise Jesus, we can live for a God who sees exactly how we are, as we want to be seen. He sees us in his image. Praise Jesus, we can live for a creator who loves us and has a greater life and plan for us then we have for ourselves. I am so thankful for these things. I am so thankful we can come to God and ask for strength, ask for courage. Our past does not have to be our future. As one of my friends shared with me... "may I be as confident as I am about my past as I am about my future because Christ has already written it." I pray for you and I pray for me, that God would give us the strength and courage to not believe those lies, but to believe the truth about who He says we are. I pray God will continue to shed light on our lives and turn us into people who are full of freedom, joy, and a desire to just live for Him and Him alone.

Broken Hand.

2007-11-26T05:47:00.001-05:00

Only a few weeks ago my boys team played our KICS school team. The game went well with my boys team coming out with the win. I think it was 5-1. The game was on Tuesday and I did not see the boys until the following Saturday. It was part way through the day before I noticed John Pierre, one my boys, had his hand wrapped and kept holding it as if he was in pain. I called him over and took at look at what was going on. To my surprise his hand was obviously broken leaving the bone right behind his pinky finger bowing upwards. He winced in pain any time I touched it. We went straight to King Fiscal Hospital, the main local hospital in Kigali. Being it is the main hospital in Kigali they actually do have an emergency room. Now it is nothing like an emergency room in America, but at least they take emergencies and try to provide some form of help. We sat in the ER for a good long while.
Finally after about two or so hours he got an x-ray, which just confirmed even more so his hand was broken. The doctor then informed us, unlike in America, we should return in a few days, on monday for surgery. So... John Pierre had to wait two more days for help. The surgery he was suppose to have would require them putting him under anesthesia and would take about one hour where they would straighten the bone and put a pin in his hand. So, monday came and I showed up at the hospital after school around 3:30. JP was suppose to have had surgery around 10, but he was no where to be found. After searching for him, I finally found him outside where he told me the doctor had said they only do emergency surgeries on monday. My mouth dropped because in my head I had thought a broken hand was an emergency, but I guess not. He was then suppose to return on Wednesday for his surgery. So... John Pierre had to wait two more days for help. Wednesday arrived and JP was suppose to have surgery around noon. Once again, I arrived after school to check on him and to see how he was doing and once again I found him outside. This time the hospital staff had forgotten to inform us he was not suppose to eat the whole day before his surgery. NO ONE told us this. This time we were to return thursday for his surgery. So.... John Pierre had to wait one more day for help. Thursday arrived and I was pretty confident this time all would go well and his hand would be taken care of. With great confidence I showed up at the hospital like usual at 3:30 to see how JP was doing. This time unlike the two times before I found JP sitting on a hospital bed in the adolescent in his jeans and t-shirt.

I asked him what was going on and he said he did not know. I then went and found a nurse who informed me that I had to sign a second of kin consent form in order for JP to have surgery performed on him. At this point, you are probably where are his parents in all of this and why they were not there to sign off for his surgery. Well, the short story is that JP's dad died in the genocide about fourteen years ago. JP's mom got pregnant with him right before the death of his father and she survived the war. John Pierre fourteen years old, the genocide happened fourteen years ago. Now JP lives with his mom and mom alone. I have never talked to nor seen his mom. She did not even one try to contact me or show up at the hospital therefore making me the second of kin guardian to John Pierre and able to sign in her place for his surgery. So... once again, John Pierre because of not having the right paper work signed had to wait one more day for help. Finally, on Friday, I showed up ready for one more hang up in the process and found that JP was finally in surgery. I found his sweet friend and one of my best players sammy sitting by his bed waiting for JP to come out of surgery. After about an hour, he finally did. We spent the next few hours just sitting beside and with JP as he recovered. To pass the time together I set up the movie X-Men on my labtop. About three hours after surgery John Pierre was finally released, cast and all. Now two weeks after the surgery, JP and I will go this Tuesday to have the cast removed and to see how his hand is healing. He is doing great, but misses being able to fully play soccer all the time without Momma Jenny telling him to be careful or having him sit out.

Saturday Morning Camp

2007-11-26T05:33:00.000-05:00

A group of us have created a SATURDAY MORNING SOCCER CAMP for about 100 Rwandan boys from ages 4-24. The camp since then has been thriving and we are seeing a lot of growth. Us leaders are also spending more time together and starting to really just enjoy one another's presence. We have a great group of leaders who are all just so fun and have heart's for children, youth, and the game of soccer.

We are also just falling in love with the kids and seeing the fruit of consistent coaching. My friend George after ever camp has nothing but positive things to say. He has been one of the main founders of the camp and one of the main guys who first started working with this particular group of boys. Every time we get together as leaders to discuss how the day went George continues to remind us of how far we have come.

Its amazing to see the boys grow from not wanting to play with one another and fighting all the time to what it is now. Now, unlike before, they actually enjoy playing together and the arguing has literally stopped!

I think George is right, if there is anything we have encouraged or done right, we have helped a group of boys who come from diverse families, backgrounds, and racial segregation stop fighting! Now that is worth celebrating and in a sense worth fighting for!

Live, Love, Learn...

2007-11-04T15:12:00.000-05:00

Its amazing to me how a simple game of futbal can bring a group of people together.

The Count Down is On!!!

2007-10-31T10:19:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe, but I am 37 days from coming home for a visit!! I think my mom has already started sleeping at the airport waiting for me to return. All I have to say is that I am really looking forward to coming home to see familiar faces, friends, and family. I am looking forward to the blessing of being around those who really know me and have known me for a long time. I am looking forward to being able to sit across the table with my best friends and being able to have a conversation instead of a delayed skype phone conversation, which often ends in one of us being disconnected. As much as I will be excited to return back to my home in Rwanda, right now all I can think about is just coming home for a little while. See you in December!

I want to be a tree...

2007-10-31T10:16:00.000-04:00

"But blesses is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." ~Jeremiah 17:7-8

Combining Two Teams.

2007-10-31T10:08:00.000-04:00

I really adore my friend George. We work together often. Like me, he also has boys who he coaches. He has three age groups he works with, young (7-10 years old), middle (11-15 years old), and old (16-25 years old). He is a man of great influence who at this point does not have a job, but goes to school and does full time ministry all the time. I always joke that he does have a job, he is a young life leader in the making, and doesn't even know it. Anyways, George and I have been partnering on several occasions to do joint practices, training sessions, games, etc. Just last week we decided to combine my team with his middle aged boys for a match versus another team. It was really fun to see my boys planning with others and actually doing well. I think they would admit that they even enjoyed it as well.

X-Men.

2007-10-31T09:59:00.000-04:00

There is this once a month community holiday called Umaganda. Simply put, once a month no one is allowed to go anywhere or drive until noon. After noon you can do whatever you want, but before noon you are required to help serve your community by doing whatever projects your neighbors and community need help with. This past Saturday was Umaganda and so therefore there was no soccer camp in the morning, but instead of just playing in the afternoon, we decided to set up the projector, set the movie on French with English subtitles, and showed the boys the movie X-Men. They seemed to have a really good time.

Sweet Friends.

2007-10-31T09:51:00.000-04:00

There are two individuals specifically that I seem to spend a lot of my time with. They are my friends Justin and Amy. Already we have had some pretty fond memories and laughs together. Just the other night we decided to go out to dinner, which is our typical "social event of the week" which is what Justin likes to call it. I am very thankful and blessed by my sweet friends. I really would not know what to do with out them.

Bandaid.

2007-10-31T09:42:00.000-04:00

It was yet another fun filled day for me. My boys club soccer team played my KICS school team. I have been working with both teams, so we organized a game between the two. This is their second time to play each other. Interestingly enough for the last several matches whenever my boys get hurt, bummed, or bruised they often ask for "cream." I am always so confused on exactly what they are asking for. This time I came prepared for any injuries, medical kit and all. So, as predicted one of my boys received a gash to his leg, which shin guards would have protected if he had any. He immediately asked me to put something on it. Usually I have nothing to give them, but this time with my med kit ready I was able to pull out an alcohol pad and a bandaid. Coming from America I just assumed he knew what those things were, so I just started handing them to him. After a few minutes pause I noticed he was still holding the pad and bandaid just blankly staring at them. Long story short, he had no clue was they were nor how to even apply a bandaid. I asked him if he had any clue what it was or how to use it, he just shook his head. We all kind of laughed and then I showed him how.

Soccer Camp.

2007-10-15T13:00:00.000-04:00

For the last several Saturdays and hopefully for many more to come, a group of us including three Americans and the rest Rwandans have been putting on a soccer camp from 7-2 in the afternoon that serves a bunch of Rwandan boys ages 5-23. The original connection was my friend George. For the last year George has been giving up three nights a week literally on no salary (he currently does not have a job and is not being sponsored to work with kids) to go and play soccer with a bunch of street boys from the Kycuiro area. He is absolutely a Young Life leader in the making and doesn't even know it. George's sole purpose for getting together with these boys is to just hangout with them, build relationships with them, and share Christ with them, but with so many boys (40+), in the last few months, he has begun to start to see that this is bigger then what he can handle. After meeting the YL Africa country director in September, George started praying for people to help him and to come along side him to help with all these boys he continues to take on. Within in only a few weeks after George started noticing this need that our friend Kent came up with the idea to hold a camp every Saturday morning for Rwandan boys where we would do training, play games, meet with the boys in small groups, and share a devotional. It was pretty unbelieveable because also within a month this camp had started to take place to serve not just George's many boys but also my twelve or so as well. Also, George's prayer for more people to help him was definitely answered. It is no longer George who is working with these boys, but every Saturday around eight to twelve men have begun to help all of which come from several different denominations and local churches. I think between the group of us leaders there is probably six different churches and denominations taking part. The grounds are also owned by Youth for Christ, so as it seems everyone is working together and really doing something meaningful for this group of boys.

800 Girls!!!

2007-10-15T12:40:00.000-04:00

Also, I wanted to share with you about my day yesterday. It was a bit unbelievable to say the least. For over two months now my friend Emerthe has been asking me to speak to some girls at King David's Academy on sexual health and how to honor God with their bodies. Her main reason/concern in having me come talk to them was that many of the girls at school had been having sex and/or getting pregnant and having to leave school. I have been putting it off with so much going on at school and actually had to cancel twice. Well, yesterday we finally went and literally I had hardly planned because I spent my entire week planning for school and that morning from 6:30-2 coaching a soccer camp. I also thought there would only be able 30 girls there, so we could just have a conversational discussion about the subjects instead of me sitting in front of them like a lecturer. I had also brought a tin of cookies for the girls thinking it would only be a small group of us. Well... with only a tin of cookies, my bible, and no notes in hand, I showed up and walked into this huge hall to 800 girls!!!!!!!!!!! My mouth dropped and the only thing I said to Emerethe was "oh my gosh there is a lot of girls" to which she responded "oh yeah, sorry I forgot to tell you." I was shocked, unprepared, and feeling a slight sense of "what in the world did I get myself into".... I seriously just stopped in my tracks and started praying. It was all I could do because there was no way I was going to get through this meeting as a guest health teacher speaker on my own thoughts and planning. Thankfully, I can report that I did make it through and I do think the girls were interested and learned. It was a sweet time where I was able to share a bit of my story with them and my mistakes. I was also able to share with them from 2 Corinthians where it says your body is a temple and how as girls they have value. I also was able to share not only my heart, but also the little knowledge I know from teaching health and sexual reproduction. It was pretty unbelievable all around, but I think what was most shocking was the little they actually knew on their bodies and how it works. Yet, their lack of knowledge on the subject does not surprise me with it being slightly culturally taboo for parents to really talk about these matters with their children, most of the girls living at a boarding school hundreds of miles from parents and relatives, and most importantly because health education is not seen as valuable here and so there is literally NO sex education in schools. No one is telling them the simple things that could really help them value themselves, say no and/or be safe, as well how how to just simple honor and take care of their bodies for the Lord. Again... crazy. It was a pretty amazing time though and I really felt blessed to be there, to a share, and felt a desperate need for God to really speak..... it was just an unbelievable time.

Beautiful day.

2007-09-21T09:58:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day not in the weather sense, but in the community sense. In physical education I have been teaching my KICS students the fundamentals of the game of soccer. We do not have a very big field to play on, but we have made it work, and it has been a ton of fun. Many of the high school and middle school boys expressed they would like to play in a "real" game. So, through a bit of energy on my part, I was able to provide them with exactly that. I organized a game between many of the secondary KICS students and the boys team (they call themselves Wyldfire) I coach during the week. The Wyldfire team I coach were estastic to have a game and to have a crowd of people to play for! This is definitely something they do not always get. So, come game time there was about fifty people standing around the field watching. You could feel the energy. We even had lots of parents and other teachers come out to watch. It was so great to see people in the community come and support. Our Principal, Brian Dolinger, was the coach for the KICS team and I was both the coach for my Wyldfire team and the ref for the game. It was quite hectic to try to coach and ref at the same time. The game started off with my boys doing a great job of spreading out and passing. After four long months of coaching them they have finally caught onto this concept. One of the largest blessings/ problems about coaching in Africa is that you will often have many players who are really talented and have amazing ball control, but they have no concept of how to pass to their teammates. They are what we call in the soccer world "pre-madonna" (I sure hope I spelled that right). Not that they are trying to be errogant about their ball skills, but more so they just have never learned how to play as a team and allow the ball to do all the work/ running. Everyone is a dribbler here. I hope that makes sense. Anyways, so finally for the first time yesterday, I saw them actually passing and playing as a team! It was amazing. Not only that they started scoring, not just once or twice, but they ended up scoring seven times during the game! They kept saying "coach, coach we scored!" To which I responded "yes, yes you did." The final score between the KICS team and my boys team ended up being 7-2. The KICS team gave it their best shot and did an amazing job for never playing together as a team before. Also, every single person who played gave it their best shot. I was really proud of everyone. Yesterday was just so beautiful for me for several reason, most of which I just described. It was also beautiful for the mere fact that I was able to see two big parts of life here in Rwanda come together, the KICS community and my soccer boys. It was just a beautiful thing to see. I wish you could have been there.

Fighting for a job.

2007-09-17T11:18:00.000-04:00

Another teacher and I have been waking up at 5:45 a few days a week to go for a run. During this time it is kind of cool and there is not many people out roaming around. Yet, the people who are out are out fighting for a job. One morning I noticed this big group of people standing in front of a housing construction site. I was puzzled, but as I got closer I saw them all trying to push there way forward to hand their identification cards to a man running the site. It reminded me of the scene in Cinderella Man where he was not allowed to box anymore because of his broken hand, so he went to the work yard to find a job and had to push himself up against the gate just to be noticed. It was kind of like that in the sense that people were urgently pushing to be noticed and for their cards to be taken. As I ran by I could hear a small group of men cheering behind me. They were the lucky ones who happen to be selected for that day.

Oswald.

2007-08-25T12:18:00.001-04:00

"We think that if Jesus compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have thought that our dreams of success are God's purposes for us. In fact, His purpose may be the exact opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance and reaching it only comes merely as an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself... His purpose is the process itself."
~Oswald Chambers

Deeper Appreciation.

2007-08-22T18:05:00.000-04:00

What a blessing it is to have friends and family come visit you. For the last month Mike came to visit me and it was so great to have someone from home here to see and experience my life in Rwanda. It can definitely be an adjustment for people when they come because life here is much different then the one we live in the U.S. It takes time to warm up to people, to get use to being stared at, and constantly asked for money. There is no chicken here, so almost everything you order is either vegetarian or made with beef. Also, we do not have the luxury of a washing machine or dryer so laundry is always done by hand and hung on a line. Adjusting to life here just takes time. I think the best part of it all is that when people finally do return home they see life a little differently. Through a new perspective and they have a deeper appreciation for the things they have and have access too.

Home.

2007-08-22T17:56:00.000-04:00

Some of the hardest things about being overseas and living in Rwanda is missing some of the familiarities, comforts, and people from home. When you are away and cannot come home for a long time you miss out on weddings, nephews growing up, and family. Some times it is easy to get through and some times it near breaks your heart. Life here is great and God is moving and working, but some times there is no place like home and the familiarity of people who really know you and love you.

Tap Water.

2007-08-03T07:31:00.000-04:00

My Friend Mike's thoughts... I think he is on to something. It really is interesting how we take our clean tap water for granted, especially when you would be caught dead drinking out of the tap water here in Rwanda let alone collecting water from the sewer, which much of the Rwanda population does here. To them water is water whether it is coming from the sewer or not. For those who do that they are just desperate for water even though they know it will make them sick even after they take it home and boil it.

Thoughts and article from Mike:
We Americans take tap water for granted. As I watch people take water from the sewers it reminds me how good we have it. We open the tap and we drink the water - costing just pennies. Here's an article from the NY Times recently:

August 1, 2007
Editorial
In Praise of Tap Water
On the streets of New York or Denver or San Mateo this summer, it seems the telltale cap of a water bottle is sticking out of every other satchel. Americans are increasingly thirsty for what is billed as the healthiest, and often most expensive, water on the grocery shelf. But this country has some of the best public water supplies in the world. Instead of consuming four billion gallons of water a year in individual-sized bottles, we need to start thinking about what all those bottles are doing to the planet’s health.
Here are the hard, dry facts: Yes, drinking water is a good thing, far better than buying soft drinks, or liquid candy, as nutritionists like to call it. And almost all municipal water in America is so good that nobody needs to import a single bottle from Italy or France or the Fiji Islands. Meanwhile, if you choose to get your recommended eight glasses a day from bottled water, you could spend up to $1,400 annually. The same amount of tap water would cost about 49 cents.
Next, there’s the environment. Water bottles, like other containers, are made from natural gas and petroleum. The Earth Policy Institute in Washington has estimated that it takes about 1.5 million barrels of oil to make the water bottles Americans use each year. That could fuel 100,000 cars a year instead. And, only about 23 percent of those bottles are recycled, in part because water bottles are often not included in local redemption plans that accept beer and soda cans. Add in the substantial amount of fuel used in transporting water, which is extremely heavy, and the impact on the environment is anything but refreshing.
Tap water may now be the equal of bottled water, but that could change. The more the wealthy opt out of drinking tap water, the less political support there will be for investing in maintaining America’s public water supply. That would be a serious loss. Access to cheap, clean water is basic to the nation’s health.
Some local governments have begun to fight back. Earlier this summer, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom prohibited his city’s departments and agencies from buying bottled water, noting that San Francisco water is “some of the most pristine on the planet.” Salt Lake City has issued a similar decree, and New York City recently began an advertising campaign that touted its water as “clean,” “zero sugar” and even “stain free.”
The real change, though, will come when millions of ordinary consumers realize that they can save money, and save the planet, by turning in their water bottles and turning on the tap.

Somebodies Trash is Someones Treasure.

2007-08-03T07:20:00.000-04:00

It has been a long wait, but finally all of the boys, except for two who have really big feet, have cleats!!! This is a BIG deal considering that these boys have been playing barefooted or in sandals for the last few months or even year. For one player, Vino, he had a pair of cleats, but they were not what we would consider comfortable. One day I noticed that he kept taking his cleats on and off and he was even limping when they were on. I asked him about it and then felt where his toe was to see how tight they were. To my surprise, his cleat must have been two sizes two small! I was appalled. It was through Vino and me watching them run around barefooted in a field with sharp rocks and other trash that I realized I needed to do something. They were so excited!! They kept saying "thank you coach, thank you coach." It made me laugh. I mean the cleats they received were nothing like the cleats we have in the U.S. If anything the cleats they received I bought from the market where most of our used and goodwill/ salvation army clothing goes when it cannot sell in the U.S. If anything each pair was a little worn down, had a slight smell to them, but they were completely functional. It made me think once again how for some of us what we consider to be trash just happens to be someone elses treasure.

Much to Celebrate.

2007-08-03T07:08:00.001-04:00

On Sundays I meet Emerthe and about twenty girls ranging in age from about 10 to 16 who either live on the street or who have found temporary homes. These girls hardly speak any English and often laugh at me when ever I speak or do anything. Last Sunday was a BIG day. It was the first time for me to actually instruct them in soccer and they received cloth donations from some girls from the Netherlands. It was like Christmas. During soccer I just had them do a few passing drills and had them work on controlling the ball. Many of the girls just laughed at each other. Plus, trying to play soccer in sandals is quite the challenge, so I think they will be better once they finally receive a pair of sneakers. After practice we distributed clothing. Each girl was able to receive two items, either a pair of pants and a shirt or a sweatshirt and a shirt. It can get very cold at night here, so many of the girls do not have something to cover themselves with. The girls were very excited to receive their clothing since it will be one of the few things they own. Another celebration will come in the next week or so when they each receive a pair of shoes. Through the fundraising done in the U.S. I was able to contribute 33,000 franks, which is about $66 USD or about $3 per pair of shoes. Only 11 out of the twenty girls will receive shoes, but it is a start and at least some of them will be able to play soccer with closed-toed shoes. The other girls, Emerthe, Odette, and I are really hoping to find funding to create a sowing shop. We are currently in the process of submitting a proposal to the Netherlands government who is interested in helping to fund the sowing project for one year and get it off it's feet.

Akagera Sarfari Park.

2007-07-21T07:40:00.000-04:00

What a day. A group of interns (Jessica, Jesse, Kendra, Adam, Sarah, and Lukkason) from Christ Church Rwanda, Dave who is one of the main missionaries of the church, and myself all took a day trip to Akagera Safari Park yesterday. It was so fun. We were in the car from 6a.m. until 4p.m. in the afternoon. It was a long day in the car, but was completely worth it to see baboons, impalas, hippos, gariffes, zebras, water oxen, etc. There is just something special about seeing animals in the natural habitat instead of cage in at the zoo. They are definitely more beautiful in the wild. Just a little history on the park. During the genocide and after the wild life was completely desomated and destroyed. The RPF who liberated Rwanda from the genocide, for some reason, decided that when they went through the park, the best thing to do would be to kill all the animals. Why, who knows, other then maybe to make room, land, and food for refugees. Over the last thirteen years the tourist industry and the government of Rwanda has been trying to restock and bring wild life back into the park. It is already a small tourist spot, but it is still struggling with only a few visitors a week. It is not expensive to go and stay and I really think in the upcoming years as Rwanda invests more time and money into the park and begins to focus more on tourism as a source of income the park will once again flourish and be a place where people will be able to not just see a few herds and packs, but many.

Young Life Africa.

2007-07-19T06:30:00.000-04:00

Last week, I had the privilege to join about 16 African staff and 12 American committee members in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for an African style Young Life camp. It was quite amazing to experience a YL camp that was completely run by all African staff from countries such as Liberia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Uganda. The backbone of the camp was just like YL camps in America with club, skits, mixers, volleyballs tournaments, dances, silly entertainment, etc., but it was different in the fact that everything was spoken in Swahili, the countries mother language, and that everything was done with a little Africa flare or touch. The songs were slightly different, the skits were slightly different. There was about 140 campers there for the second three day camp. They came from all different kinds of homes. Some were orphans, some from homes who do not have very many things or money, and some who came from really decent homes. It was a wide spectrum of kids, but they were all from Tanzania. I can attest, Young Life Africa is doing an amazing job reaching out to the teenagers of Africa. God is moving because many teenagers at the end of the camp literally bowed down, got on their knees after their twenty minutes of quiet time, and professed a relationship with Christ. Praise Jesus!

More Soccer...

2007-07-01T15:46:00.000-04:00

Soccer Sundays.

2007-07-01T15:01:00.000-04:00

After practice today I had the boys over for pasta, pineapple, bread, and marcuja. We had quite the time. They ate like typical boys. Actually they piled food on their plates and combined pasta with anything that was on the table. They even threw some cashew nuts on top of what they already had. It was hilarious. I wish you could meet them. They are a really fun group of boys. They also are very thankful and kept telling me just how thankful they were for everything. More pictures to come...

Emertha's Mission.

2007-06-27T13:31:00.001-04:00

Through a friend, I met Emertha. She works for the City of Kigali, but has a deep passion to reach out to children who live on the street. She started her mission in 2005 through radio broadcast. She gathered up a group of girls, some who go to school, some who do not, some who have homes, and some who do not. Since 2005 she has been working to find most of these girls homes. Along with finding them homes she has held counseling sessions with them where she asks them about their home situations, trauma, and life. Also during the time she helps to teach them about sex and how to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancy. There are currently four girls who have either had children or who are currently pregnant. She also teaches them soccer, which gives them an outlet and a sense of hope. Like I said, I met her through a friend just by random chance. In my time here I will partnering with her on her mission. She currently has three proposals for finding ways to provide schooling, school lunches, and soccer shoes for these girls. Many of the girls cannot afford the public school fees that every student has to pay in order to learn. For those who actually can afford school fees they sacrifice their lunch and often do not eat but maybe one meal a day. We will be meeting with the girls twice a week both on Tuesday and Sunday afternoons.

Some Pics from KICS...

2007-06-27T12:47:00.000-04:00

So here are a few pictures from KICS. The first picture is of the back of the school. All of the classrooms are located in the building shown an actually face the courtyard. The building is not enclosed, which is kind of neat, especially when it rains. My classroom is located just left of the center of the building. The other pictures shown are of my five biology students. The first one is Roland. His parents are from Burundi and Rwanda. Then there is Moe. Her family is from Japan and have lived in Africa, Great Britain, and else where. Sarah is next. Sarah and her three other siblings are here with there parents who work for Food for the Hungry. Brenda her mom is the current head mistress of the school. Camilla is next. Her family is from Rwanda and Finland. Last, but especially not least is Michael or also known as Mikel. He is Sarah's oldest brother. Not included in the picture is Corey. He left about a month ago with his family. They are currently in the U.S. on furlow. They are quite the fun students!

Joy.

2007-06-26T11:22:00.000-04:00

One of the biggest joys of my life right now is a group of about ten to twelve, 11-16 year old Rwandan boys that I am coaching soccer and English to every Sunday afternoon in the valley. They were passed on to me by a World Relief intern who was leaving the country and heading back to the U.S. Together, the boys and I, share the love of soccer and life. They are some of the most energetic and fun-loving kids. We laugh a lot. The first time I ever asked them to start moving around and playing they all together started to dance and jog in place. It was magnetic and all I could do was laugh. Last week after practice we took some time to just talk and hang out. During that time Sammy, who we call the "translator" because he does most of the group translations, started to talk about how many muzongo (white people) here do not love Africans or black people. He told me in his own words that for some reason they just don't seem to like us, but there are some muzonogos who do. He then said to me that he can tell I love them and am not one of those muzongos who hate. It made my heart melt, not because anything I had done, but I truly believe they have seen Christ in me.

A Lot to Praise.

2007-06-16T05:28:00.001-04:00

I feel like there is so much to be thankful for today. Today a friend and Lauren's friend Jackie arrives from Baltimore. Along with her comes a bag full of goodies from my parents! It makes it feel like Christmas day! Also, this week we officially signed a contract for a house. We finally have a permanent home to live in! What a blessing. For the last two months Amy and I have been living temporarily in two different homes. It will be such a blessing to finally move into a house that we can make our home. Our prayer, and Linda's our newest roommate as well, that our house is a place where people feel welcomed, loved, and the presence of Christ. I am so excited to finally have a home, a room where i can settle. Also, this week I had a meeting with the Food for the Hungry International country director about me teaching english to his Rwandan staff. In return he is going to help me process my work visa or permit. I am super excited about interacting and teaching more Rwandans. A lot of things to be thankful for and to Praise God for...

Teaching Me.

2007-06-16T05:19:00.000-04:00

"So the church is not to be understood primarily as a means to the end of transforming society. This would be to trample over the uniqueness and infinite worth to God of the Christian community. Besides, the amazing and profound fact is that the Church most transforms society when it is itself growing and being perfected in the love of Christ. In fact when the Church is taken merely as a means to transforms society, very little is accomplished. For in that case the uniqueness of the Church is denied and we enter the battle on the same terms as secular and godless forces. We assume the battle for right and justice can be won by force, by technique, by doing. It can't These very clearly are not the weapons of Christian warfare (Eph. 6:10-20). Truly Christian transformation of culture comes through Christlike (and hence sacrificial) love, community, and being.

But this fact by no means cancels out the responsibilities to do, to act, to walk in the words of God. Rather, the being and the doing go together. The being is fundamental, but the doing is the natural result."
~From The Community of the King by Howard Snyder

There are two things I really feel like God is teaching me right now. 1) That we are peacekeepers. That we are to encourage peace and community amongst friends and Christians. As Christians we are to give the benefit of the doubt, to NOT talk about people when they are not there to defend themselves, and to not create walls of self-protection. 2) That as an ambassador for Christ we are to just be in Christ and to be present in the community. As Christians we are NOT to assume right and justice can be won by force, but by growing and abiding in Christ. It is solely about you and God, your relationship in Him. First, abide and then everything else flows out of that.

To Pardon.

2007-06-07T16:46:00.000-04:00

Lord make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
Seek to be consoled, but to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
~Saint Francis Assisi

CLA.

2007-06-07T16:33:00.000-04:00

They aren't afraid to raise their hands in praise. They aren't afraid to work hard or take a risk. They love Jesus and truly do represent Christ and the diversity of the kingdom. The church I have found in Rwanda is called CLA, Christian Life Assembly. They are a lively Christian church that truly does a great job of reaching out to Rwanda and the community. Even though english is the main language spoken they will often do many worship songs in kinyarwanda, the language of Rwanda. It is very obvious that they love to Jesus. For the last several weeks I have been attending CLA and already feel like family. I am in the process of becoming more invested there as I pursue a cell group, a small group to be in. I think what I love most about CLA is just that people are not afraid to praise God. Sometimes in American and maybe this is true in other places as well, as Christians we start to care more about what others think and how they are perceiving us and so we become timid in the way we praise God. We begin to be afraid to raise our hands in praise or to pray out loud. We start to care more about people then God. I deeply appreciate the abundant life that is evident in this church and the mere fact that people care more about their hearts for and towards God then they do about what people think. They praise Jesus through words, prayers, raised hands, song, and dance. They are focused and grounded on Christ and Christ alone.

New Friends.

2007-06-07T15:47:00.001-04:00

Meet some sweet new friends of mine. The picture of the crazy man with the headdress is the Ntumba's driver. We (Amy, Linda, and I) are staying at the Ntumba's house in Casse Sociale until they return from the U.S. They have been there on a long term visit. Joseph is the driver for the Ntumba's and with them being gone he has been taking care of us and driving us to the many places we need to go. He has become quite the dear friend to all of us with his African sense of humor and deep willingness to serve. He is also our translator in most situations. He says that his english is "not good" but to us he has been a blessing to have around. About the picture in the middle. All of us teachers and American's living abroad have just fell in love with a place called Amohoro Amani. The word amohoro means peace. In my opinion, this place called Amohoro is a little piece of heaven right outside of Kigali. It is a sowing shop owned by a genocide survivor and widow named Grace. With the opening of the shop Grace has provided many jobs to widows. She not only gives them a job, she gives them purpose. She loves Jesus and provides bible studies for the women. I truly believe her business is being blessed because of Grace's sweet obedience, humility, and heart for God. She is the sweetest, dearest woman you will meet and she truly does make great bags, bed spreads, aprons, and skirts and it is all for the Lord. Last, but not least is a picture of our newest roommate and KICS teacher Linda. Linda has officially been here one week and what a blessing it has been! She joins us from Houston, Texas. She is a great person and loves Jesus deeply. She is going to do amazing things here in Rwanda through KICS, World Relief, and working with local orphanages. I truly feel blessed to have her here and look forward to walking beside her and seeing how God uses her here in Rwanda.

KICS Kids.

2007-06-02T10:48:00.000-04:00

I promise that our KICS kids really do not look like that, but I think these pictures do capture the personalities of some of our students. They are quite the fun group of kids. They are all unique with fun spirits. They just want to laugh and have fun as any student would. They also love to play with my computer as we and use my photo booth program which has the capability of changing the way you look simply by the touch of a button. Currently at KICS we have about 45 students in grades K-12. Next year we are looking at bringing in more students from all over the world. There have been several Rwandan families, specifically, who have been applying to KICS. We hope to live up to our name KIGALI INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL. We desire to be a real international school with students from many different ways of life and backgrounds. That is our desire. We are off to a good start with us already representing 10-14 different countries.

12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body. ~1 Corinthians 12:12-20

YL in Africa...

2007-05-24T05:15:00.000-04:00

Lately God has been laying on my heart the teenagers of Rwanda. Many of them have lost parents in the war/ genocide and are currently the head of their households. Many of them have been orphaned and abandoned. People often talk about how young the people of Rwanda are mainly because many of the adults and elderly were killed in the war. It is true, the main population of Rwanda is young, they are the survivors. Young Life is in most countries in Central/ Eastern Africa, all except for Rwanda right now. Interestingly enough, the President of Rwanda met with Denny Ryberg about a month ago and gave him PERMISSION to bring Young Life to the country of Rwanda! Can you imagine a President of a country asking you to share Christ with the country he oversees? People are already praying about all of this. Please partner with me in praying for not just the people of Rwanda, but for the teenagers specifically. They are the next generation that has the ability to continue to change the pain and past of Rwanda. They have the ability to take the pain and make it into something great and good. Please pray that God would bring workers here to reach out to them and to share his good news with them. Please pray that the teenagers of Rwanda would be apart of making Rwanda a light in the midst of darkness. God is moving here, God is good, God is doing a great work in Rwanda... Please pray for the Lord to open up and bring Young life here... http://sites.younglife.org/sites/Africa/default.aspx

Kigali Genocide Memorial.

2007-05-13T09:16:00.000-04:00

No words can even begin to describe the death of a million people in 100 days... Rwanda is compared in size to Maryland. It's unimaginable. I went to the Kigali Genocide Memorial and it is hard to find the words to explain what I read and saw. The hardest part about the whole war for me is learning that before colonization the Rwandans were united in tribes, languages, and were intermarrying. They were not divided at all. It wasn't until the Belgiums came in and forced division among the people by creating identity cards based on physical features and giving certain classes privileges and jobs that Rwanda found itself with "ethnic" divisions. It is amazing how as humans some times we think we have the best intentions, but find out later that we were completely wrong.

A Way of Life.

2007-05-13T09:07:00.000-04:00

Carrying water for blocks, even miles, is just a way of life around here. Everyday when you drive the roads, you will see children probably as young as two to adults of all ages carrying water jugs. They are walking to a local spring that provides water for that area. You will also often see people with several water jugs strapped onto bikes. You notice it most when they are straining, walking, and pushing the bike up a hill. Most of us have no idea what it is like to not have indoor plumbing or facets with easy access to water. For us in American, life just comes easy, things are in abundance, and we have all we need. Lately with changing houses and thinking about, even for in Rwanda, how blesses I am, I have been trying to place myself in the shoes of the typical Rwandan who does not have a car, works for little pay, has no indoor plumbing or water, only has a few sets of clothes, lives on less then $2 a day, etc. It is hard to imagine because I think my mind has been clouded with so much that it is hard to imagine having so little. Even for me, I see having to walk to get water as an inconvience more then just a way of life. I think it is a complete mentality shift that is hard to envision, to imagine until you really are living simply without all the luxuries of the world/ America. I think one of the most beautiful projects going on in much of Africa right now is well digging. I have run into several people, specifically those working for Living Water, whose sole purpose in Africa is to dig wells and provide clean water for those who do not have it. I have been researching websites of those who are digging wells in Africa and would like to share them with you. In American, we have no idea what it is like to not have clean water or to have water that is fished out of a puddle. Without local springs and a willingness to walk to get it the only other resort for people is puddles or any other place that might just contain water. There is a great need to pay for and to build wells. I am just so thankful for those companies, organizations, and projects who are taking it upon themselves to make this "need" of fresh water a reality. Here are some websites: 1) Living Water- http://www.water.cc/main.aspx 2) Blood Water Mission- http://www.bloodwatermission.com/ 3) Charity Water- http://www.charityis.org/current/