Hey guys! Well, I guess you all know by now that we made it home! Back in the good 'ol USA! We had a decent flight home and were only delayed by 7 hours in London. We arrived in Houston in the early morning hours and I did not actually fall asleep until 5am that morning. My body has NO idea what time it should be...but I am beginning to catch up I think..slowly ;)
I am happy to be home yet missing my home in Rwanda. It is a weird feeling, my body is here and my mind is back in Africa! I wake up sometimes having dreamt of Rwanda and not knowing exactly where I was!
Many of you have prayed for our safe travel and return and I am so thankful for each of you! I cannot wait to share stories and chat and show you all my pictures! I look forward to telling you any and everything I can, I would love to meet with anyone who wants to listen. Just let me know! Thank you all again, those words are not enough to express how I feel about each of you for following God's call on you to support me financially and through your mighty prayers! This summer was truly incredible and the things God did there were amazing. May you be blessed!
Imana igue umagisha,
Melissa
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Last days
Well, I have now been in Rwanda for what has felt like a very short amount of time but has actually been 2 months. Again, I am a MESS of emotions about leaving. The things God has done in me here have been beyond my imaginantion. I always change in some way while in Rwanda and this time it has been no different and in in fact has been more powerful than before. I absolutley love this culture, I have experienced such incredible hospitality, love and fellowship among them. They value people over time, schedules and frantic bussines. I feel renewed and encouraged by my friends and the relationships that have been grown more and more. How do I begin to say goodbye? It seems like an impossible task! But, by God's grace, I will be back in the USA in 4 days, so it is one I will have to accept, I know. I also know that resisiting the urge to plunge back into the rat-race will be difficult, and eventually it will happen in some way, but my prayer has been that I will take what I have learned and spend more time with what matters. God has shown me how much I love and value my family, my friends (especially those who are so far away from me in the US now--you know who you are ;), and how I have missed their presence in my life these past months, I have taken it for granted.
Being in Rwanda this summer has been an unforgettable experience and leaving is going to be tough, BUT in honesty I am ready to be back in Texas! I am craving barbeque like none other! Rudy's will be my first stop after Bush Intercontinental!, I also want a hot shower and my own bed and not to be living out of a suitcase!
But altogether, I feel like I have done what God has brought me here to do and that now it is time to move on to what He has next. I cannot wait to show everyone my pictures and talk to anyone who will listen! Be back soon!
For you who are interested, here is the last week in a nutshell:
Tuesday-Wednesday: The rest of the youth training went great! We had a nice q and a time and enjoyed getting to know some of the younger Remera CEER members.
Wednesday: Our last meeting with my favorite group of ladies went great! We were able to share Fanta's and mindazi together and just laugh and have fun. They danced for us and asked us to join in-which we got on video tape ;)-it was hilarious!
Thursday: Kathleen and Bruno (our Canadian friends) took us to visit a hospital way out in the countryside of Rwanda. It was an amazing place, very beautiful and the people there are doing some fantastic things with healthcare. It is designed to take a wholistic community approach and reach those in the most rural and poor areas. It was filled with people, yet it was a truly peaceful environment. They don't just treat and release people, but look at the whole picture. It was very cool. We also were able to go into Akagera National Park, which was very nearby, for lunch after our tour. We visited the lodge there and it was very quiet and had an amazing view of the lake-- so pretty. We also saw a monkey and a pack of warthogs! That day was really an unexpected treat for both of us.
Friday: In the morning we went to visit the Alivera and the DORCAS women. We were able to truly work alongside them and feel like strong African women (only for about an hour though)! They dressed us up and everything and we even carried dirt in buckets on our heads! Good times. We also had our last study with our group that normally met on Thursdays, they too brought out with the traditional Rwandan dance for us. So fun! We will miss this group of women.
Saturday : Today we had our last bible study of the trip. It was again a sweet time and lots of fun. (Fanta's and mindazi helped us celebrate once again ;) We are looking forward to tomorrow and going to church one last time in Remera.
As for the few days we have left we have no definite plans other than to take advantage of any opportunity God puts in front of us. (We also plan on eating as many avacodoes, bananas and maracuja's, aka passion fruit, as possible!)
Please pray for Katy and I for continued health and safe travel.
Again MURAKOZE CHANE CHANE (thank you all very very much!) for reading and for praying. I look forward to seeing everyone!
Imana igue umagisha,
Melissa
Being in Rwanda this summer has been an unforgettable experience and leaving is going to be tough, BUT in honesty I am ready to be back in Texas! I am craving barbeque like none other! Rudy's will be my first stop after Bush Intercontinental!, I also want a hot shower and my own bed and not to be living out of a suitcase!
But altogether, I feel like I have done what God has brought me here to do and that now it is time to move on to what He has next. I cannot wait to show everyone my pictures and talk to anyone who will listen! Be back soon!
For you who are interested, here is the last week in a nutshell:
Tuesday-Wednesday: The rest of the youth training went great! We had a nice q and a time and enjoyed getting to know some of the younger Remera CEER members.
Wednesday: Our last meeting with my favorite group of ladies went great! We were able to share Fanta's and mindazi together and just laugh and have fun. They danced for us and asked us to join in-which we got on video tape ;)-it was hilarious!
Thursday: Kathleen and Bruno (our Canadian friends) took us to visit a hospital way out in the countryside of Rwanda. It was an amazing place, very beautiful and the people there are doing some fantastic things with healthcare. It is designed to take a wholistic community approach and reach those in the most rural and poor areas. It was filled with people, yet it was a truly peaceful environment. They don't just treat and release people, but look at the whole picture. It was very cool. We also were able to go into Akagera National Park, which was very nearby, for lunch after our tour. We visited the lodge there and it was very quiet and had an amazing view of the lake-- so pretty. We also saw a monkey and a pack of warthogs! That day was really an unexpected treat for both of us.
Friday: In the morning we went to visit the Alivera and the DORCAS women. We were able to truly work alongside them and feel like strong African women (only for about an hour though)! They dressed us up and everything and we even carried dirt in buckets on our heads! Good times. We also had our last study with our group that normally met on Thursdays, they too brought out with the traditional Rwandan dance for us. So fun! We will miss this group of women.
Saturday : Today we had our last bible study of the trip. It was again a sweet time and lots of fun. (Fanta's and mindazi helped us celebrate once again ;) We are looking forward to tomorrow and going to church one last time in Remera.
As for the few days we have left we have no definite plans other than to take advantage of any opportunity God puts in front of us. (We also plan on eating as many avacodoes, bananas and maracuja's, aka passion fruit, as possible!)
Please pray for Katy and I for continued health and safe travel.
Again MURAKOZE CHANE CHANE (thank you all very very much!) for reading and for praying. I look forward to seeing everyone!
Imana igue umagisha,
Melissa
Monday, July 14, 2008
One week to go...
Hey everyone! Hope all is well on your side of the world! Thanks again for reading the latest.
Katy and I have one last week in Rwanda and like I have been saying we are a mixture of emotions. Saying goodbye is going to be really hard for me and I know I can speak for Katy as well. It feels a bit surreal and hard to imagine that this will likely be one of the last blog updates! We have had a wonderful week and look forward to another one this week. I will try to give the Reader's Digest version of our adventures as Katy so well put it. :)
Tuesday-Thursday: Last week we said our final goodbyes at the school, it was sad but joyful at the same time. We were able to give each class a little party and hang out with them. I have enjoyed the experience at the school on a new level this time around. Being there for 5 weeks allowed us to deepen the relationships and get a good idea on how things work. Providence was still at home recovering so we were able to visit her at her home on Tuesday and say goodbye. She was so gracious (in typical Rwandese style) , though visibly still a little weak from her illness, she welcomed us and served us a wonderful meal. I also got to finally meet her husband, Ernest, and look at her wedding albums with her. They are still newlyweds. We are about the same age I found out and she is no different than me and my girlfriends back home-- all excited about weddings and could talk about it for hours! It as such a nice visit, I am truly going to miss her.
Wednesday Bible study: We finished our study on prayer with the ladies. Many of them expressed afterwards how much they apprecitaed and learned from our time together over the last 6 weeks. Katy and I were tearing up as they discussed the things they had learned! I also feel like God has taught me new things through them and used these new friendships to encourage me too. This Wednesday will be our final meeting, we hope to have a little celebration with Fantas and mindazi (this delicious sweet bread stuff that many people snack on) after the lesson. It will be hard to part with this group!
Thursday Bible study: This week we were finally able to meet with these ladies again. Our translator and friend Mary is doing much better (praise!) and was able to help us gather the women at the Ligue this time. We were able to present all 10 of them with a Bible. They cheered and praised God as we passed them out, it was such a blessing to witness-- I take for granted how easy it is for me to own a Bible. We told them all we wanted them to do try to come back this week because we want to be with them one last time and say our farewells. We are looking forward to the next meeting.
Friday: We were not able to meet with the DORCAS ladies but did get to run some much needed errands around Kigali. We have become a lot more familiar with the taxi buses and our favorite spots around the city, we feel pretty independant these days!
Saturday Bible study: This week we met with the group again and have one more lesson to go in our study together. We also plan on having another little Fanta & mindazi celebration with these ladies as well after we meet. I am looking forward to just visiting with them about new things they have learned. We have had some really great discussions and Q & A time with this group.
Sunday (yesterday): Kezia', James and Katy and I left at 7am yesterday morning for the ladies conference in Rukira, a village outside of Kibungo. It was one of those 3 hour drives through the bumpy dusty roads and banana frields at times. Kezia' kept saying it was "very rural" ;). We were happy to get out of the city and into the village for a day, we have not done a whole lot of that this trip. When we arrived in Rukira Kezia showed us some land CEER is hoping to build a secondary school on, we asked her when it would be built and she told us "only God knows"! But he has provided them the land, the first step in the process. When we were walking back to the car the CEER Rukira pastor Alfred led us through a yard of a sweet old lady who greeted us with a smile. Kezia' later told us that she had lost her husband and every one of her 11 children in the genocide--yet she was smiling and greeted us so warmly. It was obvious she had Jesus in her life! I was really encouraged by her. When we got to church there were ladies gathered from all over the country, I was impressed by how far some of them had to travel to get there. Katy and I greeted them and presented the gospel via the wordless book. Afterwards we were fed some more good 'ol Rwnadan rice, beans, matoke and meat (we are pretty sure it was beef!) and of course you cannot eat Rwandan food without a Fanta. They were very gracious to us! We got home to the Ligue at about 7pm and were exhausted! It was a great day though and Kezia' said that she was so happy that we took a taxi because it allowed her to be there and encourage the women and otherwise travel would probably been really difficult, that made us happy too.
Today: We began our first of 3 youth Bible studies this week in Remera. We were a little slow to start but ended up having close to 15 people of various ages there. We just want God to work and are praying about the next couple of days. Vincent was our translator and we are excited to get to spend some time with him, we have not seen him around much this trip. I cannot remember if I have mentioned it but, the CEER church in Remera will be opening a cyber cafe sometime in August with a little store where people can hang out, drink a Fanta, and buy some mindazi. They are well on their way, they have been painting and sanding desks and chairs. Vincent says they hope to have about 10 computers. I am excited for them because I think it will be a great way of interacting with the community and people in the village.
I think this is all...I know what you are thinking..geez Melissa you wrote a stinkin' book! Thanks again for taking the time out of your lives to read...it helps me to feel close to you even though I'm halfway around the world right now! I also ask that you lift some prayers up with me this week:
All of our friends in Rwanda, old and new! We will have a hard time leaving them and want to enjoy them for the remaining time we have left.
Katy and I, that we will use the time left for God's glory alone and that we will finish strong the tasks He has given us to do. We praise God for our health (He has been SO gracious) and for allowing us to spend close to 7 amazing weeks here safely.
Thank you! I look forward to seeing everyone soon!
:) Melissa
Katy and I have one last week in Rwanda and like I have been saying we are a mixture of emotions. Saying goodbye is going to be really hard for me and I know I can speak for Katy as well. It feels a bit surreal and hard to imagine that this will likely be one of the last blog updates! We have had a wonderful week and look forward to another one this week. I will try to give the Reader's Digest version of our adventures as Katy so well put it. :)
Tuesday-Thursday: Last week we said our final goodbyes at the school, it was sad but joyful at the same time. We were able to give each class a little party and hang out with them. I have enjoyed the experience at the school on a new level this time around. Being there for 5 weeks allowed us to deepen the relationships and get a good idea on how things work. Providence was still at home recovering so we were able to visit her at her home on Tuesday and say goodbye. She was so gracious (in typical Rwandese style) , though visibly still a little weak from her illness, she welcomed us and served us a wonderful meal. I also got to finally meet her husband, Ernest, and look at her wedding albums with her. They are still newlyweds. We are about the same age I found out and she is no different than me and my girlfriends back home-- all excited about weddings and could talk about it for hours! It as such a nice visit, I am truly going to miss her.
Wednesday Bible study: We finished our study on prayer with the ladies. Many of them expressed afterwards how much they apprecitaed and learned from our time together over the last 6 weeks. Katy and I were tearing up as they discussed the things they had learned! I also feel like God has taught me new things through them and used these new friendships to encourage me too. This Wednesday will be our final meeting, we hope to have a little celebration with Fantas and mindazi (this delicious sweet bread stuff that many people snack on) after the lesson. It will be hard to part with this group!
Thursday Bible study: This week we were finally able to meet with these ladies again. Our translator and friend Mary is doing much better (praise!) and was able to help us gather the women at the Ligue this time. We were able to present all 10 of them with a Bible. They cheered and praised God as we passed them out, it was such a blessing to witness-- I take for granted how easy it is for me to own a Bible. We told them all we wanted them to do try to come back this week because we want to be with them one last time and say our farewells. We are looking forward to the next meeting.
Friday: We were not able to meet with the DORCAS ladies but did get to run some much needed errands around Kigali. We have become a lot more familiar with the taxi buses and our favorite spots around the city, we feel pretty independant these days!
Saturday Bible study: This week we met with the group again and have one more lesson to go in our study together. We also plan on having another little Fanta & mindazi celebration with these ladies as well after we meet. I am looking forward to just visiting with them about new things they have learned. We have had some really great discussions and Q & A time with this group.
Sunday (yesterday): Kezia', James and Katy and I left at 7am yesterday morning for the ladies conference in Rukira, a village outside of Kibungo. It was one of those 3 hour drives through the bumpy dusty roads and banana frields at times. Kezia' kept saying it was "very rural" ;). We were happy to get out of the city and into the village for a day, we have not done a whole lot of that this trip. When we arrived in Rukira Kezia showed us some land CEER is hoping to build a secondary school on, we asked her when it would be built and she told us "only God knows"! But he has provided them the land, the first step in the process. When we were walking back to the car the CEER Rukira pastor Alfred led us through a yard of a sweet old lady who greeted us with a smile. Kezia' later told us that she had lost her husband and every one of her 11 children in the genocide--yet she was smiling and greeted us so warmly. It was obvious she had Jesus in her life! I was really encouraged by her. When we got to church there were ladies gathered from all over the country, I was impressed by how far some of them had to travel to get there. Katy and I greeted them and presented the gospel via the wordless book. Afterwards we were fed some more good 'ol Rwnadan rice, beans, matoke and meat (we are pretty sure it was beef!) and of course you cannot eat Rwandan food without a Fanta. They were very gracious to us! We got home to the Ligue at about 7pm and were exhausted! It was a great day though and Kezia' said that she was so happy that we took a taxi because it allowed her to be there and encourage the women and otherwise travel would probably been really difficult, that made us happy too.
Today: We began our first of 3 youth Bible studies this week in Remera. We were a little slow to start but ended up having close to 15 people of various ages there. We just want God to work and are praying about the next couple of days. Vincent was our translator and we are excited to get to spend some time with him, we have not seen him around much this trip. I cannot remember if I have mentioned it but, the CEER church in Remera will be opening a cyber cafe sometime in August with a little store where people can hang out, drink a Fanta, and buy some mindazi. They are well on their way, they have been painting and sanding desks and chairs. Vincent says they hope to have about 10 computers. I am excited for them because I think it will be a great way of interacting with the community and people in the village.
I think this is all...I know what you are thinking..geez Melissa you wrote a stinkin' book! Thanks again for taking the time out of your lives to read...it helps me to feel close to you even though I'm halfway around the world right now! I also ask that you lift some prayers up with me this week:
All of our friends in Rwanda, old and new! We will have a hard time leaving them and want to enjoy them for the remaining time we have left.
Katy and I, that we will use the time left for God's glory alone and that we will finish strong the tasks He has given us to do. We praise God for our health (He has been SO gracious) and for allowing us to spend close to 7 amazing weeks here safely.
Thank you! I look forward to seeing everyone soon!
:) Melissa
Monday, July 7, 2008
2 More Weeks in Rwanda :(
Muraho!
Again, it is hard for me to believe that we only have two more weeks here. Like I have said it is a mixture of emotions, we are sad to be leaving our sweet friends, yet missing family and friends back home. The process of beginning to say goodbye (for now ;) is something I am not looking forward to. It seems like just a few weeks ago Katy and I had arrived, sleeping in our clothes, desperatley needing a shower, and waiting for our bags to catch up with us! But, here we are in the final weeks. However, things are not going to slow down for us, there is still MUCH work to be done. We will be busy every single day leading up to our departure on the 23rd.
Today beagn the process of saying bye to our cute little kiddos at the school. I will miss them terribly! It's like how I felt at the beginning of the summer, having just said goodbye to my Kindergartners at TWCA. But today we were able to have a little fun. We played with the parachute my mom sent us last year. They are still loving it. We also gave them a treat of bannanas, kazoos, and stickers--it was a par-tay! We plan on doing the same in the other three classes this week. The students are taking 'exams', they even are required to recite the memory verse we taught them in English. It is so great to see how they are retaining the lessons they have learned--at such a young age. Next week the school begins it's holiday, I think the teachers are ready for it, as I am back at home at my own school when we get breaks! My friend who teaches the 5 and 6 year old class, Providence, has left the hospital, but is still recovering at home. Theophile is taking Katy and I to visit her at her house tomorrow, I am excited to see her. Thank you all for praying for her.
This coming Sunday Katy and I plan on accompanying Kezia' to a women's conference outside of Kigali, which we are both pumped about! We may be doing some teaching there also. We have two more weeks of Bible studies coming up, the one on prayer we will wrap up this week and then with our Saturday studies we will have to do some catching up. We missed a few days due to the public work day (once a month all Rwandans are required to participate in some sort of public work--even President Kagame gets out and washes windows) and the election for mediators this past Saturday. We are also scheduled to do a study with the women at the DORCAS project on our next two Friday mornings. I have grown a deeper attachment to these ladies in our studies, my friend Bernadette (Pastor Immanuel's wife, mother of my buddy Gad) and Theophile's wife, Mama Olive especially. Bernadette and I just have a connection I feel, she and I cannot communicate well through language (she knows little English and I know even less Kinyarwandan), but we use any means possible. She is always smiling and laughing, it is contagious. She is such a joy to be around. I respect and adore her family. Mama Olive is fun too, that lady is such a servant, I need lessons from her on humility! She and Theophile both have been of so much help to us on this trip, she has many jobs, yet still has found the time to cook a feast for Katy and I every Wednesday while we are in Nabycindu. Imana ishimwe (praise God) for these precious ladies!
Next week we have set up Mon-Wed as a youth training to be held at the church in Remera. I am so excited about it because we are supposed to have the youth choir joining us, I have wanted to hang out with them more. Afterwards we hope to just chill and play some volleyball with them. We also hope to visit a hospital and possibly some schools that week.
We had a great time last Friday. The 4th of July is also a Rwandan holiday, they celebrate their independance from Belgium. We were able to visit a local Rwnadan Independance Day celebration happening near the Ligue. It was something I have never done before here and I really enjoyed it. We stopped by on our way to the new American Embassy for a 4th of July picnic! They had burgers and hotdogs and my favorite, potato salad, and some excellent desserts. I was suprised to see how many Americans are actually in Kigali, there were probably close to 200 of us there. We also got to chat briefly with the man who was in charge of Bush's security while he was in Rwanda. Very cool.
I know I am leaving things out, as usual, but by now I know these updates are getting lengthy. Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read them, I know they are super long!
Prayer requests:
1) Esron-he is doing some travelling for a seminar, please pray for his safety and that this man will get some rest!
2) Providence-praise for her beginning recovery and please keep praying for her continued health
3) Christy - our friend from the Ligue who is here working with World Relief, she heads out to the village in Tuesday
4) Sarah and Sylvan - they will be leaving us on Saturday :( Please pray for their preparations to leave and safe travel.
5) our students - for thier health and safety over the break
6) me and Katy - please pray for our continued strength and health during these busy last weeks
Thanks again my people! I hope all of you had a fun and relaxing 4th weekend, I am looking forward to seeing everybody again, I miss you all! Imana igue umagisha kandi daga kunda! God bless you and I love you!)
:) Mel
Again, it is hard for me to believe that we only have two more weeks here. Like I have said it is a mixture of emotions, we are sad to be leaving our sweet friends, yet missing family and friends back home. The process of beginning to say goodbye (for now ;) is something I am not looking forward to. It seems like just a few weeks ago Katy and I had arrived, sleeping in our clothes, desperatley needing a shower, and waiting for our bags to catch up with us! But, here we are in the final weeks. However, things are not going to slow down for us, there is still MUCH work to be done. We will be busy every single day leading up to our departure on the 23rd.
Today beagn the process of saying bye to our cute little kiddos at the school. I will miss them terribly! It's like how I felt at the beginning of the summer, having just said goodbye to my Kindergartners at TWCA. But today we were able to have a little fun. We played with the parachute my mom sent us last year. They are still loving it. We also gave them a treat of bannanas, kazoos, and stickers--it was a par-tay! We plan on doing the same in the other three classes this week. The students are taking 'exams', they even are required to recite the memory verse we taught them in English. It is so great to see how they are retaining the lessons they have learned--at such a young age. Next week the school begins it's holiday, I think the teachers are ready for it, as I am back at home at my own school when we get breaks! My friend who teaches the 5 and 6 year old class, Providence, has left the hospital, but is still recovering at home. Theophile is taking Katy and I to visit her at her house tomorrow, I am excited to see her. Thank you all for praying for her.
This coming Sunday Katy and I plan on accompanying Kezia' to a women's conference outside of Kigali, which we are both pumped about! We may be doing some teaching there also. We have two more weeks of Bible studies coming up, the one on prayer we will wrap up this week and then with our Saturday studies we will have to do some catching up. We missed a few days due to the public work day (once a month all Rwandans are required to participate in some sort of public work--even President Kagame gets out and washes windows) and the election for mediators this past Saturday. We are also scheduled to do a study with the women at the DORCAS project on our next two Friday mornings. I have grown a deeper attachment to these ladies in our studies, my friend Bernadette (Pastor Immanuel's wife, mother of my buddy Gad) and Theophile's wife, Mama Olive especially. Bernadette and I just have a connection I feel, she and I cannot communicate well through language (she knows little English and I know even less Kinyarwandan), but we use any means possible. She is always smiling and laughing, it is contagious. She is such a joy to be around. I respect and adore her family. Mama Olive is fun too, that lady is such a servant, I need lessons from her on humility! She and Theophile both have been of so much help to us on this trip, she has many jobs, yet still has found the time to cook a feast for Katy and I every Wednesday while we are in Nabycindu. Imana ishimwe (praise God) for these precious ladies!
Next week we have set up Mon-Wed as a youth training to be held at the church in Remera. I am so excited about it because we are supposed to have the youth choir joining us, I have wanted to hang out with them more. Afterwards we hope to just chill and play some volleyball with them. We also hope to visit a hospital and possibly some schools that week.
We had a great time last Friday. The 4th of July is also a Rwandan holiday, they celebrate their independance from Belgium. We were able to visit a local Rwnadan Independance Day celebration happening near the Ligue. It was something I have never done before here and I really enjoyed it. We stopped by on our way to the new American Embassy for a 4th of July picnic! They had burgers and hotdogs and my favorite, potato salad, and some excellent desserts. I was suprised to see how many Americans are actually in Kigali, there were probably close to 200 of us there. We also got to chat briefly with the man who was in charge of Bush's security while he was in Rwanda. Very cool.
I know I am leaving things out, as usual, but by now I know these updates are getting lengthy. Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read them, I know they are super long!
Prayer requests:
1) Esron-he is doing some travelling for a seminar, please pray for his safety and that this man will get some rest!
2) Providence-praise for her beginning recovery and please keep praying for her continued health
3) Christy - our friend from the Ligue who is here working with World Relief, she heads out to the village in Tuesday
4) Sarah and Sylvan - they will be leaving us on Saturday :( Please pray for their preparations to leave and safe travel.
5) our students - for thier health and safety over the break
6) me and Katy - please pray for our continued strength and health during these busy last weeks
Thanks again my people! I hope all of you had a fun and relaxing 4th weekend, I am looking forward to seeing everybody again, I miss you all! Imana igue umagisha kandi daga kunda! God bless you and I love you!)
:) Mel
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Final Weeks
It is hard for me to believe that I only have 3 weeks left here in Rwanda. The time has FLOWN by! It has been an incredible experience for me. I am a mixture of emotions, sad to be leaving yet also looking forward to the end of an amazing summer.
I have not updated in a while so I hope I do not leave anything out! Today was our last official teaching day in the school, next week we will be doing some observation and saying goodbye to each class. We are going to have a celebration of bananas and cookies and just play and hang out with our sweet little students for the last time. This week we taught about Jesus' death and resurrection in Bible and shapes and colors in English. I am in awe of these little ones, they learn so fast and are very advanced in their studies learning English and French. I was able to present the wordless book and Katy played a fun "color and shape" relay game with the kids. We also both listened as they recited their memory verse and handed out stickers (they are a really big deal to kids here too--very universal). It was a good week for us. The week after next marks the beginning of "summer break" for school kids here so we will not be in Nabycindu but rather focusing on more ministry in different areas that week.
We were able to visit with some friends Kristen and I made last year, a missionary couple living here from Canada. Kathleen and Bruno invited us over to lunch Sunday afternoon and have invited us back over tonight for dinner. Kathleen is a great cook and it always feels like a little piece of home when I visit them. Sunday morning Katy and I went to see Andre' and Alivera at their church just a short walk up the road from the Ligue. Andre' is a pastor here we have worked with through an organization called ALARM (African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries) on some of my past team trips. It was so cool because they were some of the first people we saw here in Rwanda and we just happened to run into them at our favorite pizza joint Sole' Luna (yes pizza in Rwanda, it is actually delicious, we love it!) our first night in Kigali. We hope to possibly work with them during our last full week in Rwanda.
Our bible studies are still going strong on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mary is still recovering from her infection and we hope to start our Thursday study back up when she is able to be with us again. The topical study on prayer has been great with the Wednesday small group, we are now in week 3 of that. Katy and I always walk away saying that we both feel things were translated and understood well. Kezia', Esron's wife who translates, is doing such a great job--we could not ask for someone better. It has been a blessing to reflect back on our time with the ladies in these studies, we have made some lasting friendships and have learned so much from them too. I have a deep respect for the women of this country. We are excited to have a good amount of time left to spend with them.
This past Tuesday was Rwanda's Independence Day holiday and therefore school was cancelled. Sarah and Sylvan asked us to go to a Rwandan soccer game since we were free that day and it was SO much fun. I am a fan for sure now! We had great seats, really close to the players and in the shade. We were thrilled to be there, though Sylvan's team lost. It was a nice break that helped us continue on this week, it also made me feel a little closer to the culture because everybody is crazy over footbal (pretty much everywhere but the U.S.). We felt as if we were the only Mzungu's there!
This morning we said goodbye to the team from Michigan, they returned safely from Kigufi and we were pretty sad to see them leave us! Sarah and Sylvan have just a week left after 3 months here, they leave next Saturday. We will miss them so much!
Specific Prayer Requests:
Michigan team--for safe travel home to the States
Mary-- for continued recovery from her severe infection
Esron and Kezia'--they are both so tired and in need of good rest and time together as a family
Providence-- one of my favorite teachers at the school, she is ill and in the hospital (she is so dedicated and obviously enjoys her profession as a teacher which I admire gretaly)
Sarah and Sylvan--as they prepare to complete the difficult task of saying goodbye
Katy and I --continued health and saftey (like I have been saying, we have been extremely blessed) and for the physical and spititual strength we will need to complete these last 3 weeks.
That said, HAPPY 4TH OF JULY everyone! Be safe, have fun and thank God for the country we live in. Wishing I was celebrating with you all!
*(Mom, Dad, Dean, Jack, Aunt Connie and Uncle John,
Pop some fire crackers for me and don't have TOO much fun at the lake without me! Love ya'all!!)
I have not updated in a while so I hope I do not leave anything out! Today was our last official teaching day in the school, next week we will be doing some observation and saying goodbye to each class. We are going to have a celebration of bananas and cookies and just play and hang out with our sweet little students for the last time. This week we taught about Jesus' death and resurrection in Bible and shapes and colors in English. I am in awe of these little ones, they learn so fast and are very advanced in their studies learning English and French. I was able to present the wordless book and Katy played a fun "color and shape" relay game with the kids. We also both listened as they recited their memory verse and handed out stickers (they are a really big deal to kids here too--very universal). It was a good week for us. The week after next marks the beginning of "summer break" for school kids here so we will not be in Nabycindu but rather focusing on more ministry in different areas that week.
We were able to visit with some friends Kristen and I made last year, a missionary couple living here from Canada. Kathleen and Bruno invited us over to lunch Sunday afternoon and have invited us back over tonight for dinner. Kathleen is a great cook and it always feels like a little piece of home when I visit them. Sunday morning Katy and I went to see Andre' and Alivera at their church just a short walk up the road from the Ligue. Andre' is a pastor here we have worked with through an organization called ALARM (African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries) on some of my past team trips. It was so cool because they were some of the first people we saw here in Rwanda and we just happened to run into them at our favorite pizza joint Sole' Luna (yes pizza in Rwanda, it is actually delicious, we love it!) our first night in Kigali. We hope to possibly work with them during our last full week in Rwanda.
Our bible studies are still going strong on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mary is still recovering from her infection and we hope to start our Thursday study back up when she is able to be with us again. The topical study on prayer has been great with the Wednesday small group, we are now in week 3 of that. Katy and I always walk away saying that we both feel things were translated and understood well. Kezia', Esron's wife who translates, is doing such a great job--we could not ask for someone better. It has been a blessing to reflect back on our time with the ladies in these studies, we have made some lasting friendships and have learned so much from them too. I have a deep respect for the women of this country. We are excited to have a good amount of time left to spend with them.
This past Tuesday was Rwanda's Independence Day holiday and therefore school was cancelled. Sarah and Sylvan asked us to go to a Rwandan soccer game since we were free that day and it was SO much fun. I am a fan for sure now! We had great seats, really close to the players and in the shade. We were thrilled to be there, though Sylvan's team lost. It was a nice break that helped us continue on this week, it also made me feel a little closer to the culture because everybody is crazy over footbal (pretty much everywhere but the U.S.). We felt as if we were the only Mzungu's there!
This morning we said goodbye to the team from Michigan, they returned safely from Kigufi and we were pretty sad to see them leave us! Sarah and Sylvan have just a week left after 3 months here, they leave next Saturday. We will miss them so much!
Specific Prayer Requests:
Michigan team--for safe travel home to the States
Mary-- for continued recovery from her severe infection
Esron and Kezia'--they are both so tired and in need of good rest and time together as a family
Providence-- one of my favorite teachers at the school, she is ill and in the hospital (she is so dedicated and obviously enjoys her profession as a teacher which I admire gretaly)
Sarah and Sylvan--as they prepare to complete the difficult task of saying goodbye
Katy and I --continued health and saftey (like I have been saying, we have been extremely blessed) and for the physical and spititual strength we will need to complete these last 3 weeks.
That said, HAPPY 4TH OF JULY everyone! Be safe, have fun and thank God for the country we live in. Wishing I was celebrating with you all!
*(Mom, Dad, Dean, Jack, Aunt Connie and Uncle John,
Pop some fire crackers for me and don't have TOO much fun at the lake without me! Love ya'all!!)
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