The Land of a Thousand Hills

Here they are...

2010-08-02T12:56:00.004+03:00

So I said I would try to put up some pictures of Josh and I, and so far these are the only ones I have that are half-way decent! :) Thanks to Anna for helping take these...now just to get the rest from Josh!
This is one of my favorites because it is so us! We're about the only people I know who carry on a normal conversation no matter what we're doing! :)

Big blessings come in little packages

2010-07-14T11:15:00.005+03:00

Last week I got to have one of the most memorable experiences of my life; helping a friend deliver her first baby! I wasn't even supposed to be in the room when he was born, but thanks to a chain of events that happened very quickly, I was anyway. I got to see the stages of a normal delivery, and when he decided he didn't want to come out that way, I watched the doctor do a C-Section. While my role was one that involved more coaching than anything else, it was still quite intense and something that I'm very glad I got to do. So, with the rest of us, please welcome into the world Mr. Joshua Kirenga Kalisa, one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen or had the priveledge to work with!

Legacy!!

2010-06-12T12:45:00.002+03:00

These are my girls in the choir at school, proudly called Legacy! Meet Rebecca, Shivani, Linker, Oorna, Shakila, Raissa, Grace, and Brenda, who wasn't here for this picture. Their first concert was Friday, June 11th for the German Exchange students. They did, as usual, an amazing job! What a privilege to work with such fantastic young ladies!!!

What our students do!

2010-05-15T16:29:00.001+03:00

Hey Everybody! I came across this today and thought you might like to see it. These are a bunch of our kids from school who got into the newspaper today!

Saturday 15th of May, 2010

WEEKLY » Childrens Times » KIDS NEWS : Green Hills Academy Donates to Orphans

KIDS NEWS : Green Hills Academy Donates to Orphans

By Grace Mugoya

Green Hills Academy entourage poses for a group photo with disabled children in Kamonyi. (Photo / D. Sabiiti)

Green Hills Academy students last week donated Rwf 800,000 to children living with disabilities in Kamonyi Rehabilitation Centre.

The donation is part of the students’ outreach programme.
Norbert Musana, a student’s representative from Green Hills Academy, said that the event was a learning experience for students from both institutions.

“When I see the children living with disability, I feel compelled to help and share my blessings with vulnerable people. This should continue even when I become a leader,” Musana said.

Sister Donatila Mukarubayiza, the orphanage director, said the support would benefit over 280 children with disabilities.

“The donor students have shown through this gesture the connection between education and being mindful of the less fortunate within society. We are grateful for their parents and teachers for enabling them to reach out to needy ones,” she said.

Kabale Kronicles...or at least the Easter weekend!

2010-04-12T11:03:00.003+03:00

Easter weekend....

I went with my friend Audrey to visit her family in Kabale, Uganda fro the long weekend. I had never been to Uganda before, but the whole weekend was really nice and very relaxing.

We spent the majority of Sunday afternoon in the kitchen, preparing an Easter feast. However, we did not have the tradional roast or chicken for dinner...we decided to have an Indian meal! We all worked together through the sweat (the kitchen was really hot...and so was the food!) and the tears (TONS of onions went into this!) and the result was fantastic! Kofta, chicken tandoori, palak paneer, rice, veggies, and of course yogurt to soothe our burning tongues!

Monday we went to Lake Bunyoni, the second deepest lake in Africa. We had a lot of fun canoeing, swimming, playing cards, and generally relaxing before we had to head back on Tuesday.

The Sorensens: Ruth, Audrey, Stan and Skip

Audrey's Shower

2010-04-12T10:46:00.003+03:00

We had Audrey's first bridal shower here, with only a few of Audrey's many, many friends. I know this will only be the first to come. It was a great evening, and she really enjoyed it!

Most of us did our gifts online and sent them to her mother-in-law's house,

so she was mostly opening cards.

However, there were a few actual gifts to open.

The beautiful bride!!!

The evening's guest list: Chrissy, Me, Liz, Jessica, Erin,

Audrey (of course), Allison, Molly, Melissa, Laura, and Jess

After a long time...

2010-04-12T10:34:00.004+03:00

I have discovered something about myself...if I don't make time to post things on here and make a genuine effort...it simply doesn't get done! So therefore, you're about to get hit with a few different posts. I've put these pictures up on FB, but for those of you who don't follow that, here's another look. First, I'll start with our Cell Birthday celebration: we had a couple of members of our cell group who are recent Christians and converts from Islam, so we had a "spiritual birthday party" for them. They were really surprised and excited by the whole thing. Here are some shots of the evening:
Philbert and Sifa, our new siblings!!

Cutting the cake...

Timothy, Me, Audrey, Sifa, Philbert (in the back), Nicole and Daniel

Our wonderful cell group!!!

Kigali View

2009-09-13T18:19:00.003+03:00

Today I went up to Juru Park, which losely translated means "the park above". It's up on one of the hills overlooking Kigali and is definately on of my favorite places. It's close to town, but far enough outside that you don't hear the noise of the city. It's the closest thing we have to an American park here, full of beautiful trees and flowers all year round, and from certain places on the hill you can get great pictures of the city. These are some of the shots I took today, and they should give you some small idea of how big Kigali is.

Jessica and Kalisa's Wedding

2009-08-16T13:04:00.007+03:00

Thursday was the traditional/civil cermony for my friends Jessica and Kalisa. The matron of honor was Alice, Kalisa's older sister, and the best man was her husband Jean Pierre. These first pics are of the traditional ceremony.

Yesterday was the church ceremony for them, and again, Jean Pierre was the best man and I was the maid of honor. It was a lot of fun and a beautiful wedding!

Lake Ruhondo

2009-08-08T14:15:00.005+03:00

Here are the pictures I said I would put up of our admin retreat to Lake Ruhondo. This first one is the one I told you about with my coworkers and the view we had from the guesthouse. The rest of the pictures...well...they kinda speak for themselves. :)

Doubly Famous

2009-07-19T15:48:00.003+03:00

Here are some of the pictures I took Saturday night at the Kigali Hope Festival. This first picture is just to give you an idea of the size of the crowd...it was pretty amazing!!

My favorite part of the day was the concert by Nicole C. Mullen, but not just the concert itself. She was great on her own...

but my favorite part was when she made Gaby, one of the premier recording artists of Rwanda (and one of her biggest fans...and a friend of mine) come up on stage with her and sing 2 songs!

They were really incredible!!

You know, sometimes you want to be the one in the picture with the stars, but this time, I was perfectly content to be the one behind the camera, especially when it can make my friend this happy!!!

The resident of the President

2009-05-30T19:21:00.004+03:00

So last weekend, we went to see the residence of the former president of Rwanda, Juvenal Habyarimana, which has now been turned into a museum. It was a really interesting afternoon. I expected to spend about 30 minutes and we stayed for about 2 1/2 hours.

We saw a lot of different things,

including the tree that he planted at the beginning of his time in office back in '79. We had to take a picture with it!

These are only a very few of the pictures we took, and for more you can look at my photoblog or at my pictures on Facebook, but I wanted to share a few on here.

This is what was left of his plane after it was shot down.

Bemused ramblings

2009-05-30T12:21:00.004+03:00

One of my biggest weaknesses is keeping in touch with people when I can't see them face to face. I'm horrible about writing (which is part of the reason I force myself to send out weekly reports) and I'm so bad about not posting things on my blog. Part of the reason for that is that I prefer conversations to simply rambling. I don't just want to hear my own thoughts...I hear those all the time. I want to hear what others are thinking about things beyond the weather. I want to know people's thoughts, feelings, reactions. I think its a bit of a balancing act for me...keeping me grounded in the reality of day-to-day life rather than in the philosophical and at times bemused ramblings of my somewhat overworked brain.

Maybe that's why I like reading so much...it gives me an escape into the world of a different kind of communication, no matter the genre of the book. If the books involve philospophy or reading, or if the characters involved are obviously intellegent and thoughtful, so much the better. Maybe that's why I don't like romance novels...in my opinion they're a waste of good paper and ink. They're completely based on emotion and manipulation rather than thought, which frankly annoys me.

I like quotes, I like displays of intellegence (note I did not say arrogance), I like being able to see people and characters who are connected to reality and to each other. But not just the surface-level reality of work, school, home and events, but the reality of the essence of life, of the physical, emotional and spiritual connections that make each of us who we are. I like those who can see and interpret the difference between image and shadow, between abstract and concrete, between illusion and fact, between essence and allusion. The only problem is, those conversations happen most often for me within the pages of a book. There are very few people that I've found, here or anywhere, who are really either interested in or up to the task of having such conversations face to face. I have a few friends with whom I can converse, for which I'm very grateful. That is a very real danger for a bibliophile...becoming so engaged with the books that one forgets to have human interaction. Perhaps that is why I so much enjoy face to face converstations. Marcus Aurelius said "The true worth of a man is measured by the objects he pursues." May I pursue the best of the world, the best of people, the best of literature and thought, and more over, all of the God who created them all!

John D'Amour's Wedding

2009-04-10T12:19:00.003+03:00

So most of you know that a couple weekends ago we went to our night guard, John's, wedding. I took some pictures there but most of them were too dark. However, here is one of him and his new wife Dative (Da-ti-va) coming down the aisle. And I couldn't help but put up some pictures of the girls and I all dressed up for the wedding! Though I'll refrain from putting up all the ones we took! :)

Don't we look good? And we have a great yard for taking pictures in!!

My New Computer

2009-03-22T17:50:00.004+03:00

I said in my newsletter that I'd put up pictures of my new computer, so here they are! Yes, I know...it looks like a toy! Sometimes it feels like a toy as well. Here is the outside of the computer....

It's made like this to be kid-friendly and with colors that will appeal to them. Each of the laptops has their own color combination for the XO/kid, whatever you want to call it. Mine just happens to be orange.

This is what the inside looks like....

The parts sticking up are the antennas so the computer can talk to the other computers on the network as well as get on the internet. Check out the keyboard...

And yes, the keys really are that small!! It's so hard to type on after using a real computer!!! But its the perfect size for kids' fingers. And yes, there are some keys that have 3 different symbols on them, so while the second symbol was easy to get, I had to figure out how to get the 3rd symbol on the keys to work. Fortunately between the tech and me we managed to figure it out.

Cold or Lukewarm???

2009-02-01T13:31:00.003+03:00

It's always interesting to me the idiosyncracies of living in other countries. One of the things we have to get used to living here is the use of water heaters. In most places in the States, they are automatic, but here if you want a hot shower youhave to turn on the heater and wait at least 30 minutes for a warm shower, an hour if you want it hot all the way through. Well, this morning as I was getting up and getting ready for church, I reached to turn on the water pump (so I'd have pressure) and realized that the heater had been off all night!!! If I had been living by myself, I would have been able to wait for it to heat up. But with 2 other people in the house whom I knew would want showers as well, I didn't have that luxury.

So I turned on the heater and was only able to wait about 10 minutes for it. The water wasn't quite cold, but it brought to mind the question...which is worse: a cold shower that you know will stay cold, or a lukewarm shower that has a hint of deceptive warmth? You think the rest of the hot water is coming, but then it never does. I think I've decided...I like the cold showers better!!! At least you know where you stand with those! Now needless to say, if I'm going to shower I would much rather it be hot, but if I had to make the choice....well...you know!!!

A quick note

2009-01-30T20:04:00.001+03:00

Ok...I have to make this fast because we're in the middle of a storm and may lose power and thus internet soon, but I'm working on putting up new pictures from Green Hills. I have the first set up on my photo blog, so go and check it out. I'll be (hopefully) putting up more this weekend, provided the internet cooperates! Hope you enjoy them!

New Photos

2008-12-30T20:02:00.004+03:00

As I'm sure you must have noticed by now, I have a new feature on my blog! This box allows you to go to Picasa's website and see all the photos that I've taken (and uploaded so far) from my trip to Israel, as well as other photos from Rwanda. Also, even though it's not as obvious, I've also started a photo blog that has very few words on it, but rather showcases some of my favorite or most memorable pictures. If you don't feel like wading through the whole collections (and trust me...there are hundreds!!), going to the photo blog will give you the best ones. the link is just off to the left of the main posts and is called "Images of Home". Have fun looking around and sharing in my experiences!!

Gingerbread Party

2008-12-13T13:20:00.003+03:00

Here are some of the pictures from our ginderbread party last night. Now for any of you who have ever done a gingerbread kit, you know that it comes with certain things...all the pieces of gingerbread, icing to hold them together, candy decorations for the top, and INSTRUCTIONS!!! But here's the problem...when you get a room full of guys and teachers who are used to figuring things out for themselves all day, every day, instructions become more like...suggestions. And this is the result:
Step 1...gather all the pieces
Step 2...test them out to see where they go
Step 3...begin "gluing" the pieces together with icing...and this is where it gets fun!!!
Step 4...once all the pieces are together (sort of), begin decorating the house...if it will stay up!
Step 5...add the tree and gingerbread man (both decorated!) to the ensemble. Well, ok...so it didn't turn out EXACTLY like the picture on the box, but it still tasted pretty good!!! I guess teamwork only counts for so much right?

Please don't ignore!!!

2008-11-24T22:04:00.003+03:00

Friends, I was made aware of a letter today that I think you all need to read. This is an open letter from organizations in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, right across the border of Rwanda, to the UN. Fighting has been going on in this region for quite some time, and i have been told that there have been more deaths than in the holocaust. Because it has been happening for an extended period of time and because other, "more important" things hae been happening in world news, everyone has been ignoring it. Those who haven't have been making visits to the country and expressing concern and well wishes, but as the letter states, "...we also urge you to move from theory to practice, by transforming your kind speeches and messages into action. Diplomacy always takes time, and we understand this, but unfortunately we do not have time." I would urge you to read the rest of the letter (follow the link below) and please, write anyone you can think of that might be able to help in some way. If you have friends connected with teh government or the UN, please pass this on to them. This is an open letter, and the only way this is going to stop is if the rest of the world steps in and does something. 14 years ago, the world turned its back on Rwanda and the genocide was allowed to happen. Let's not make the same mistake again!! I beg you, please don't just read this, cry, and then go back to your routine. Pray about it, but also do something!!!! This letter is not one that is easy to read, but IT MUST BE READ!!!! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/19_11_08_congo_letter.pdf

KICS International Fall Fest

2008-11-10T17:41:00.003+03:00

This Saturday at KICS was the first (and hopefully annual!) International Fall Fest, with great food from around the world, lots of games for the kids, performances from a couple of the classes, and live music from Staff Infection, the all-male-teacher band. They've been practicing for this for a couple weeks and they were a big enough hit that people started asking when the next concert was! Student Senate did a great job putting the event on and it was a lot of fun. Enjoy the pics! Yep...this is me with the band! Hey, every good band needs groupies right? (And yes, Jacob really IS that tall!!!)

Conversations

2008-11-06T15:01:00.002+03:00

If you're on Facebook, you'll notice that I've newly changed my status to being thankful for the opportunities for conversations, even unlikely ones. Yesterday I was blessed to be able to have a long coversation with a friend of mine who has just returned from the States, and it was a great reminder of a lot of things. Brad grew up Roman Catholic and went to Notre Dame but, while glad he did, he decided years ago that he wanted no part of religion. He says he's glad for his heritage because he can now understand and be able to talk to Christians. It was really interesting to me, because our conversation went from talking about the new moives he saw while he was back in the States to politics and religion. What was a bit sad to me was that he said at one point in our coversation "...but you're obviously not an evangelical Christian because if you were we wouldn't be sitting here having this coversation...you'd label me a sinner and then have nothing to do with me!" How sad that we are seen in such a manner!!! And yet how true it often is!! How many times in our quest to be holy and set apart have we shoved ourselves so far outside of reality and so far into an exclusivist mentality that we are no longer capable of communicating with people who we consider to be "in the world"? How many times have we labeled "those people" "sinners" to the extent that we fail to see our own fallen nature that is redeemed by a grace that we in no way deserve? What makes us think that we are in any way more worthy of grace than anyone else? What makes us think that God loves us more than them? Does His heart not break more for those who have turned their backs on Him than for those of us who are trying to be faithful, no matter how many times we fail? Someone said to me at one point "You shouldn't hang out with those people. Sinners are a bad influence on you!" Well let me ask you this...if we as Christians are afraid to hang out with sinners because we might get our white religious robes dirty, how are they ever going to hear the truth themselves? Now I'm not saying we should go wallow in the mud, but if we're afraid to get our hands a little dirty, what will ever get done? Will people come to Christ without hearing about Him? "How can they believe what they have not heard?" Even though Brad's language is horrendous and granted, he's not my favorite person to be woth or exactly the most uplifting in nature, that does not mean I'm going to turn my back and walk away from him. Who knows? I may be the only Christian he ever meets who's willing to accept him as a person without condemning him for his sin. After all...I may not have done the things he's done, but no sin is greater than any other. So thanks, Brad, for making me think and making me reflect on how the world sees me and the other people who believe as I do. May we learn to live more gracious lives and be a welcome light unto the world rather than a harsh glare!!!!

Situation in the Congo

2008-11-02T11:23:00.002+03:00

Hey folks....I've been thinking for a while about posting this and several things have been stopping me, the biggest of which has been that I don't want people to worry about my safety here. Know that what is going on in these two articles is happening 4 or more hours away from me and that I am in no immediate danger, nor do I expect to be because I am not going to be traveling to these areas. But I felt like it was time for more people to be praying for this situation as it is becoming more intense and there is a desperate need for prayer and for awareness that something needs to be done. Most humanitarian crises could be avoided if more people would be aware of them and instead of turning a blind eye to the situation, would pray for it and stand up against the wrongs of this world. If everyone stands together, something can be done. But the biggest thing that stops people is that they don't want to be the only one stadning in room where everyone else has turned away. Well, know this..you would not be the only one!!! There are people all over the world who are already standing on this, and we ask you to join us to do something about it, whether it is praying, talking about it or actively getting involved in helping in any way possible. What you are about to read are 2 different articles, one written by my friend Becky who works for Food For the Hungry International, and the second is a BBC article about the Congo. PLEASE keep this in prayer!!!!

Congo situation escalating
Thu 9:11am
Increased fighting, 850,000 internally displaced persons, suspension of programming… the things you don’t want to hear about a country already so wrought with chaos that you wonder what more could possibly happen to the Congolese people. When I was in Goma earlier this year, I knew so little of the situation that surrounded me. The January peace agreement was being observed on the surface, and there was a sliver of space for hope to hunker down and wait.On the surface, you could try to shrug this off as yet another “African conflict.” Let’s be honest, we have become de-sensitized to the pain that doesn’t seem to be coming to an end and really, I have a lot on my mind right now, getting that gallon of milk, paying too much for gas, watching the economy crash around me… But what if you don’t have the milk to feed your children, or the economy to even think about crashing. WAIT. Don’t stop reading. I’m not going to guilt-trip you, I don’t agree with it. But take the next couple minutes to just hear what is going on. Over the next few days, Food for the Hungry may have the opportunity to step in and give some emergency assistance to refugees and displaced people from this conflict. Please be in prayer with me about this developing situation and for my work as we will be coordinating efforts.Can I give you a brief history of what is going on right now? It’s a little complicated, but worth knowing as I keep you updated over the next few days of what happens. It will help you pray. First, here is a phone conversation that occurred between a friend of mine and her friend who is trapped in Goma- "there is shooting outside but i don't know who is shooting whom. my father is very afraid. we are all afraid" my dear friend francois, in goma, wed oct 29th, 6:30pm. Please pray for the tens of thousands like this young man who is simply trying to survive with his family.

Key Players: • 850,000 internally displaced people in North Kivu, 45,000 have flooded into Goma over the past 24 hours o 1,000 have crossed the border into Uganda (more will follow)
• General Nkunda- leader of the rebel group , who call themselves the CNDP (National Congress for the Defense of the People). Ethnically Tutsi, they claim they are defending the minority Tutsi population in Congo. Their offensive has taken key UN positions, as well as the Virunga Forest (where the last of the mountain gorillas are) and today are threatening Goma, the provincial capital in North Kivu, where I was earlier this year.
• Congolese army- FARDC. The Congolese President Kabila has accused Rwandan President Kagame of supplying the rebel group. Kagame denies the claim, but the US has confirmed that even if Rwandan soldiers are not directly supporting the rebels, Rwandan soil is being used for this purpose.
• UN Peacekeepers- called MONUC, this force of 17,000 is the largest in the world, but covers a country the size of western Europe. MONUC is in place to support the Congolese army, but are stretched almost to the breaking point. General Villegas, who was heading the MONUC forces, just resigned this week saying that the mission lacked clear vision and was doomed to fail.
• Rebel Group #2: FDLR- primary enemy of Nkunda’s rebel group. Ethnically Hutu...have rebels who fled after the Rwandan genocide to hide in Congo to avoid punishment. Congolese army has and might continue to ask for their support (despite disapproval of MONUC)And just because life stinks…
• Lord’s Resistance Army- led by Joseph Kony, from Uganda. For the past two years has left northern Uganda alone during peace talks, now is attacking North Kivu as well, abducting children, killing and looting villagesKey Locations: (refer to map if you are interested in the progression - http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/CJCN-7KVNHQ?OpenDocument )
• Sat. (start of offensive) Oct. 25o FARDC and CNDP fighting in Rugari, Mungo, Ntamungenga, Rumangabo. MONUC caught in cross-fire, 2 vehicles caught by rocket grenades
• Mon., Oct 27. Kibumba- if falls, on their way south to Goma. Heavy exchange of fire between rebels and Congolese army
• Tues. Oct. 28. Rebels fight along strategic road to Rutshuruo UN to evacuate 50 staff
• Thurs. Oct. 30. Reports of Congolese army leaving Goma. Panic and evacuation toward Bukavu. Goma is directly across the border from the Rwandan town of Gisenyi. May have refugees crossing at this point.We will be waiting to see what happens over the next few days. Our staff are based in Bukavu, 4 hours south of Goma. We may need to evacuate them to Rwanda. Please pray as we prepare to possibly take on funding to assist with the massive number of refugees and internally displaced people. Pray that we are able to act quickly and with an effective response, as people lack shelter, potable water, and sanitation systems which will lead to major health risks.I will keep you updated as things progress- Becky

Here is the article from BBC...

'Human catastrophe' grips Congo

Killings, rapes and looting have been reported around Goma
Fierce fighting between government and rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo is causing a humanitarian catastrophe, the Red Cross has said.
It said the number of displaced people was growing by the hour and that the precarious security situation was making it difficult to deliver aid.
Intense diplomatic efforts are under way to end the crisis, which has displaced a total of 250,000 people.
A tense ceasefire is holding in and around the eastern city of Goma.

See detailed map of the area
Rebel leader General Laurent Nkunda says he is fighting to protect his Tutsi community from attack by Rwandan Hutu rebels, some of whom are accused of taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The Congolese government has often promised to stop Hutu forces from using its territory, but has not done so.
Gen Nkunda has also objected to government plans for foreign involvement in exploiting the country's vast mineral wealth.
The Congolese government has refused to negotiate with Gen Nkunda, calling him a terrorist.
'Extremely unsafe'
With the lull in the fighting and a desperate shortage of food and water in Goma, thousands of people who sought refuge there have been leaving the city, heading to the village of Kibati, about 12km (7.4 miles) to the north.
The BBC's Peter Greste in Goma says the road from the city is choked with human misery.
(See this video for more) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7701593.stm

Thousands of people leave Goma
For mile after mile, it is full of families bent forward with their lives on their backs: stoves, food, clothes, bedding and children.
Aid agencies have all but stopped work because of security fears.
"The whole population in Goma, and around Goma are feeling extremely unsafe," Red Cross spokesman Marcal Izard told the BBC.
"They need food, water, shelter and, most of all, protection, [and] some sense of knowing that they will not be attacked, that they will be spared by this new round of clashes."
A spokesman for the UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, told the BBC that the situation was "extremely critical".
A Congolese aid-worker based in Goma, Godefroid Marhenge, told the BBC's Network Africa programme that some displaced people were without water or shelter, and "in desperate need of humanitarian assistance".

Oxfam and other leading international aid agencies have withdrawn international staff from the city, where a main hospital as well as numerous businesses and homes have been looted.
Gen Nkunda said on Thursday that he was opening a "humanitarian corridor" for people to return to their homes, and so that aid could reach those trapped between his forces and UN soldiers backing up government troops in the city.
Our correspondent said that instead of an open corridor, he found people hurrying back to Goma.
"Someone has been shooting at us," one breathless woman said. "We can't go any further."
But those who did reach Kibati told the BBC that they had more chance of getting food in the forests and bushes around the village than inside Goma.
Aid group Mercy Corps has begun to distribute water to the new arrivals.
Further north, the UNHCR says that it has received reports that several camps for internally displaced people near Rutshuru, about 90km (56 miles) north of Goma, have been forcibly emptied, looted and burned.
About 50,000 people are living in camps in the area, and aid workers are in the process of trying to verify the reports, the UNHRC said.
Overstretched peacekeepers
After several days of fighting, Gen Nkunda declared the ceasefire late on Wednesday, and his Tutsi forces are positioned some 15km (nine miles) from Goma - the provincial capital of North Kivu.
However, Gen Nkunda has threatened to take the city unless UN peacekeepers guarantee the ceasefire and security in Goma.
Looting, killings and rapes were reported in the city on Thursday, much of it blamed on retreating Congolese troops.
Meanwhile, intense international diplomatic efforts are going in a bid to maintain the ceasefire and bring an end to the fighting:
• The parliament in DR Congo has called on government to negotiate with Gen Nkunda, although President Joseph Kabila has previously refused to do so
• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said he is "deeply concerned" about the situation, and has called on regional leaders to take concrete measures to broker a peace deal
• EU diplomats are meeting in Brussels to discuss whether to send troops to back up UN peacekeepers, after EU envoy Louis Michel met Mr Kabila and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame
• The EU is also to discuss sending troops to the area to aid the humanitarian effort
• An African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council is to hold crisis talks at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa
• US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer has held talks with Mr Kabila in DR Congo's capital, Kinshasa.

The Newest Car Craze!

2008-10-25T12:04:00.003+03:00

A friend sent me this picture and I just had to share it with you. I'm not sure exactly where this was taken, but anywhere in East Africa would not be at all surprising. Anyway, I know that all of you are going to be anxious to get your hands on this new model, but please, for the sake of the dealerships, please contain your excitement and buy in an orderly fashion. New models arriving daily in a variety of colors and luxury packages, so watch carefully for your favorite! Notice the modified hood on this particular sample!

At the Lake

2008-10-04T13:31:00.003+03:00

So this last weekend turned out to be a 5 day weekend for us because we had Mid-term break, which gave us Friday and Monday off, and then on top of that we had Tuesday off because it was the end of Ramadan. So Friday afternoon I spontaneously decided to leave town. I was out running errands, so I went home, threw some stuff in a bag and headed east. I spent until Sunday morning at Lake Muhazi in the eastern province, staying at the Seeds of Peace guesthouse. I was the only person there most of the weekend, so it was really nice and quiet. I finished 3 books over the weekend and just generally got to relax. But enough words...take a look at some of the pictures!

Nulcear ovens!

2008-09-21T16:31:00.004+03:00

Ok, so for those of you who got my last email about our nuclear oven, I'm not going to repeat the whole thing, but this is the thing that is, as my friend CW puts it, "flicted"! Notice the one knob for the gas burners...and it comes off way too easily! Since I sent that email out, one of my housemates put a pot of water on the back electrical burner to boil, went into the living room, heard a loud pop, and went back in the kitchen to find flames shooting out around the bottom of the pot! So the landlord has been called and said he's coming tomorrow at 8am with a technician, but until then we can't use our stove/oven at all! Its just not safe! So please pray that we can get a new one very quickly, or else we're going to have a very interesting time trying to make our meals!

Time's Flying!!

2008-09-13T20:11:00.004+03:00

Ok, I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I've posted anything, but this whole month the internet has been so bad all over town that I rarely get a change to even finish reading emails, much less put anything up!! But I did want to post at least one picture. This is the background on my computer and everyone who sees it asks if this is my family. Well, I guess in a way they sort of are! So, just so you can see them, this is my Rwandan family the night Justin left to go back to the States. You see (from left to right) Myal, CW, Jenny, Mike, Justin, Ryan, me and Leslie! Thank God for folks that will be family when you're far from home!

Kentucky Castles

2008-07-12T05:58:00.002+03:00

One of the places I got to go on my trip this last week was Castle Post...Yeah, I know its kind of out of the way, but it was a beautiful trip and I just had to share the picture!
Ok, so really...I didn't go out of my way to get this picture....this castle really is in Lexington, KY right on the Bluegrass Parkway, so I drive right by it to get to Richmond. As I heard the story, the guy who owns it went to England or Ireland or someplace in that general part of Europe (yes, I know that covers a lot of territory!) and found this castle run down and falling apart. After finding the owners, he learned that they didn't care anything about the castle itself but rather were interested only in the land it was on, so he bought the castle stones, had them shipped to America and reassembled in KY. Its now something of a tourist attraction (for obvious reasons!), and while I don't know how much truth there is to the story, I think it would be kinda cool if that's the way it really happened! But either way, if you want to see some pictures from VA....read on!!!

Richmond Times

2008-07-12T05:34:00.003+03:00

I figured I should put up some REAL pictures from this last week, so this first one is on the road between KY and VA. These mountains are nowhere near the same size as the ones in Rwanda, but they are absolutely beautiful and this country has some of my favorite places to drive through.

This is a picture of Victoria and I Sunday after church...I still can't believe how tall she's getting!!!! She always said that she would be as tall as Barbara and I, and at the rate she's going, she just might do it!This is Alexis, the middle of the Ellis girls and our little petite princess. She loves pink and anything fluffy or girly, but fortunately she still likes to play outside...as long as she can do it without getting too dirty!
Samantha is the baby of the family, and she knows it! She is very strong-willed and stubborn, but we still love her! :)
All three of my..well..I guess I have to stop calling them "baby"...so...not-so-little sisters. My only regret is that I don't get to see them nearly as often as I would like. But maybe someday that will work out.

What's really sad is that she can now give ME piggy-back rides!! We had to take this one, because we have so many pictures of when she was younger and would ride on my back, so now it's payback time!!! Thank God for family!!!

Traveling Lite

2008-07-04T02:34:00.002+03:00

So, my trip to the States was very eventful for me this time. I'm used to a smooth trip with no interruptions, so I guess I was due for something to go wrong. Now, yes, part of this was my fault for not looking closely enough at my itenerary, but I didn't discover until I got to the airport in Nairobi that my ticket did not have me scheduled to go out at 11:50 pm that night, but rather 11:50 pm THE NEXT DAY!!! Needless to say I was more than a little upset. Some airports are ok to spend the night in, and I've done it in Nairobi before, but to spend more than 24 hours would have been nearly unbearable.

To understand this, you have to realize that it takes me approximately 15 minutes to walk from one end of that airport to the other...IF it's during the rush when 3 planes come in, and IF the halls are filled with people, and IF I'm strolling along looking in the windows of the shops as I go. And there are no real comfortable places to sleep there besides on the floor (which is of course filthy). So to spend more than one day there would have been awful. I wouldn't mind spending more than 24 hours in the London airport where there are places to sleep and shower and shops that take more than 2 minutes to browse through, but Nairobi... no thanks! So I asked if there was any way that I could get on the London flight that was going out that night. The agent who worked with me was a great blessing, and though I had to wait until the last minute to see if there was room and plane-side check my carry-on (because there was more than 3 oz of liquid in it!...but don't get me started on that!), she managed to not only get me on that flight, but also managed to bump me up one day one all my other flights! That meant that I didn't have more than about 6 hours in any one spot, which was really nice.

And while I didn't get to shower in London as I had hoped (since my shower stuff had been checked in my carry-on), I did get to find a quiet spot and get about an hour's uninterrupted sleep. The only hitches in the whole thing were that the final leg of the journey, from Chicago to Nashville, had not registered the change and they had to shove me on the plane at the last minute (thank God for those who didn't show up and I hope they had something better in the end!) and that they lost my carry-on bag somewhere between Nairobi and Chicago. However, the bag came in the day after I did and they delivered it up to my parents' house, which was really nice.

So all that to say thank you to all those people who were so helpful and such blessings to me on my journey but who will probably never read this and to say that I am safely in Kentucky and heading up to Virginia tomorrow. Sorry I don't have any pictures to go with this post (I thought about taking pictures of the Hasidic Jews who were praying beside me, but I thought they might not appreciate that!) but hopefully I'll have pictures for my next one of Richmond! Thanks for all the prayers as I travel!

Kicukiro

2008-06-26T15:43:00.003+03:00

I thought it was about time to put up some pictures from my neighborhood, because up until today I haven't had the chance to actually take any decent ones. Just in case you're wondering, yes, we do live inside the city limits (well inside them), but the rent is cheaper if you don't mind living on dirt roads instead of paved ones. We do have a few paved roads in the area, but today I went walking and got to take some really cool pictures. These are only a few of them but...well... I'll let them speak for themselves. After all... if you've got a picture, who needs words?

Going the Xtra Mile

2008-06-13T18:05:00.008+03:00

Let me introduce you to some of my favorite people here in Rwanda. The first is Charles Kabeza. He is my brother and has a truly amazing story. He is an orphan of the genocide and has decided that he is no longer satisfied with leaving things as they are among other orphans. To that end, he has started Xtra Mile Ministries to reach out to other orphans of the genocide. I had the priviledge of going with them last Sunday out to the village of Kinombe to visit a school where there is an organization of genocide survivors among the students. I went along as the official photographer and these are just a few of the pictures I was able to get.

This is Jim and Caleb Beck, dear friends of mine. Jim was one of my professors at LCU and is here visiting his son Caleb and his wife Jenny who are coworkers of mine here in Kigali. Caleb has been very instrumental in helping Xtra Mile get off the ground, and its a great opportunity for him to get involved with the community, as well as improving his Kinyarwanda skills.

Caleb is here with Rindiro, another one of our brothers and with another friend. Rindiro is another genocide survivor and spent months literally in the bush eating tree bark and dirt because there was nothing else. He did not even know the war was over until weeks later because he had no one to tell him whom he could trust. By the time he was bought back into an area where there were other people, he could not even eat real food because his body would reject it since it had been so long since he had had actual food. Now he is working for the Rwandan government and has one of the sweetest, most loving spirits of anyone I have ever met.

These last few pictures are from the actual event. Charles and Rindiro were able to share their stories and their faith with the students who came, and though plans did not go exactly as intended, it was a great success and they were able to be a wonderful witness to the people. Even though it was all in Kinyarwanda and I really could not understand it, it was still really neat to be able to see. I am so glad God has placed me in a position that even though I don't have a story that will really impact them, I can take the pictures for their website and can provide moral support for the men who are running this ministry. Please pray for them and for this very important work!!!

A Brand New Man!

2008-05-29T20:44:00.006+03:00

So I told you I would put up pictures of Corey for you to see the difference. The first picture is pre-shaving, but the beard was actualy just a bit thicker and longer right before he actually shaved, though not by much. Oh, and don't let the turban throw you...he was trying it out for part of his costume.

The second pic I took a few days after he shaved, and though you can't tell from the picture, the beard is already returning! He really prefers having one, and even though a lot of the girls at school (and the moms) are telling him be looks better without one, I tend to agree with him! Its no wonder my kids didn't recognize him!

A Comedy of Errors

2008-05-24T14:51:00.007+03:00

Last Thursday and Friday night we did our Spring Production of Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors" and it was a huge success! This first pic is of 4 of my boys before the play. The two with v-necked shirt were my stage hands and extras, but they did a great job. The next is of four of my main characters, and yes, the boys did request those particular sets of facial hair!

The next picture is near the end of the play when Nicholas' character (in the white shirt) is begging for justice from the mayor to be saved from unjust arrest while in the following pic, his brother is trying to get away from a woman who insists she is his wife!

This last one is of my two leading ladies with one of the "servants". All the kids did a really great job and had tons of fun! I am really going to miss working with these great kids!!!!

Musical Magic

2008-04-11T17:41:00.001+03:00

Saturday night started as just a welcome party for Jenny’s best friend Liz who is going to be staying with us for 3 months, but it ended up being a night of special surprises. Our third housemate Maggie is finally here, and she and her mom came over for dinner, and as we were sitting around talking, Maggie said, “Guys, I’m sorry but we’re about to be invaded by a bunch of people!” Now those of you who know me well know how important music is to me and how much I love singing, so the extra visitors who came by were really neat to have in my house. Turns out that it was 2 of Maggie’s brothers and four of the von Trapp kids who were coming over. Now if the name von Trapp sounds familiar, think “Sound of Music”…yep…those von Trapp’s. Naturally, these were not the original von Trapps who escaped from Austria, but if you remember the movie, think about Kurt. He is their grandfather, though as a side note, his real name’s not Kurt. It’s Wagner. But the 3 girls and their brother Justin, along with Maggie and her brothers, are going to be singing the Rwandan National Anthem for the president’s council on Sunday, so they were back in Maggie’s room practicing, and it quickly turned into a random sing-along. They sang everything from “Man of Constant Sorrows” to Irish jigs. It was a lot of fun listening to them, and before they left, they sang the anthem for us, along with several other songs. Christine even got them to sing “The Hills Are Alive”! Afterwards, we all just kind of sang along to whichever random songs we knew, and by the time we were done, we had had about an hour & ½ of singing, which for me was absolutely wonderful! It’s been so long since I’ve been able to sing with really good singers (especially a good bass like Maggie’s brother Thomas!), and being able to do so with the von Trapp’s was really cool.

Grand Opening!

2008-04-06T14:25:00.004+03:00

Friday night was a bit of an exciting note for those of us who live in Kigali. Bourbon Coffee (no relation to the alcohol!) is one of the biggest money makers in Kigali, and all of us enjoy going and eating there, and since they have wireless internet, it’s a great spot to go get some work done as well. We have been waiting for the opening of the new location for about 5 months, and Friday night was the big night! I arrived early, hoping to get a good spot and ran into my friends Sam and Sang. We got to be the first people in the door, and after we put out things down and took the grand tour, we went back out to the front to watch the ribbon cutting. While we were standing there, Rick Warren (pretty famous pastor for those of you who don’t recognize the name) came through and shook all of our hands, and since I was wearing my KICS shirt, he stopped and talked to me for a few seconds about working there. The guy behind him in line told me his name and said “Congratulations!” I said thank you, but I’m not entirely sure for what!!! When everyone got in and settled, the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Rick Warren all had something to say, and then we all just got to socialize and get free sandwiches, ice cream and coffee. I know both the owner and the general manager of Bourbon and have been hearing for the last several months about all the problems they’ve been having getting it open, but they have far exceeded anyone’s expectations! This place is beautiful, and for us slightly dangerous because its in between home and work, so the temptation to stop on the way to work in the mornings is something we’ll have to control! :) This is a picture that Sang took of Rick Warren right before he prayed for the grand opening.

A little thief!!!!

2008-03-24T19:04:00.005+03:00

For those of you who get my newsletter, this will be a bit of a repeat, but this last weekend, I went with my friends Jenny, Paul and Justin to Akagera National Park. We had decided to camp out, so we had all our food along in the truck with us. We wound up not camping (which is another story), but Friday morning, we got up early and went on our game drive. At one point, we went back up past the entrance/ranger's station, where we found a troop of baboons hanging out in the bushes. Naturally, since Jenny was driving, we had to stop and take pictures. Unfortunately, Jenny is not very accustomed to baboon behavior, so she was very surprised when one jumped on the hood of the truck and attempted to climb in her window! You would think that she would have learned from that experience, but not 5 minutes later (after the baboon had jumped off the hood) she got out of the truck AND LEFT HER DOOR OPEN!!!!! Now, I'm sure you can imagine what happened next. We were all watching the baboons and takig pictures, when suddenly Jenny turns around and starts yelling "It's in the truck!!!" Sure enough, one not so little baboon had jumped in the truck, quickly surveyed the food choices, grabbed our loaf of bread, jumped out and took off down the road with it. Jenny and Paul both almost started chasing it before they realized that probably wasn't the best idea. Justin and I were doubled over laughing so hard at all three of them that we almost didn't notice the other baboon that tried to come in our side of the truck, but we scared it away pretty easily. So since we were minus our bread for making sandwiches, we wound up eating at the guest lodge...oh the sacrifice!!! :) Happy eating little guy!

Delayed Birthday!!!

2008-03-06T15:33:00.003+03:00

Today, 8 months after it was sent, I finally recieved my birthday box!!! I got the notice for it on Tuesday, but wasn't able to pick it up until today. Honestly, I had no idea what package it was, and so was very surprised when I opened it up and saw everything that folks from home had sent. So a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to it! Maverick had fun helping me unpack it too...this picture is when we finally got far enough down for him to climb in the box, but he had lots of fun investigating everything as I pulled it out! Thanks again! Love you lots!

Benson's Last Weekend

2008-03-03T19:01:00.004+03:00

Our friend Benson (Justin and Myal's housemate) is leaving this Sunday for the States, so for his last full weekend in Rwanda, we all went to Kibuye and had a great time. This picture is Myal, Paul (not the Irish one), Benson, Justin, me and Jenny on the top of Bat Island. We had a really good time and laughed a lot! We'll miss you Benson!

Ridin’ High

2008-02-24T13:40:00.002+03:00

One of my favorite things to do is riding motorcycles. I haven't yet learned how to drive them myself (though I'm working on getting lessons), but I love riding with people…as long as they're good drivers. Most of the moto taxis around here don't really fit that description, so I don't ride them unless I have absolutely no other choice. I haven't had to ride one yet, and I'm hoping I won't, but what I do love doing is going riding with Justin and Myal. They are both great and will let me ride along when they go out on the weekends sometimes. I took this picture of the two of them last Sunday afternoon when we rode out to Bugasera. We rode for about 3 or 3½ hours and I played photographer for the trip. Good friends, music, and the open road…what more could a girl want?

School Favs

2008-02-20T18:08:00.012+03:00

I realized its been a while since I've put up any pictures from school (not to mention any new posts period!!! Sorry!), so here are some of my favorites from my class. Yes, the kids can drive me crazy sometimes, but they can also be very photogenic! This one on the right is Ted, my class clown. He and Haruki are my comedians and can always make everybody laugh..they just need to work on their timing sometimes!!! This was one of the pictures I took when we were talking about Kenya. One of the challenges of working at an international school using American curriculum is that all the Social Studies stuff is geared toward Americans. I have no Americans in my class, so I had to write my own Social Studies curriculum for the year. So naturally, we're spending the year talking about all the countries in Africa and doing a (very) brief overview of each one.

Every once in a while, if we're doing something really cool in class but my hands are too full to take pictures, I'll let my kids (VERY CAREFULLY!!!) pass around my camera to take pics for me. Most of the time, they come out very blurry and useless, but then I'll get a picture like this one of Siem and it makes it all worth while!

Cowboy up!!! One of the things I do in my class is learning units. We do a new unit every two weeks, and it allows me to tie in all my centers and be able to teach my kids things that aren't necessarily covered by the curriculum, though often they tie in together. One of my most recent units was Texas Cowboys (no, not the football team, and yes, I emphasized that not all cowboys are Texans), but the kids really loved it. They got to make and decorate vests made out of paper bags, and I took pictures of them in my hat and bandana and made wanted posters to put out in the hall! It was a huge success!

Nearly every afternoon after science, we have a DEAR session as suggested by Brian. For those of you not familiar with the term, DEAR stands for "Drop Everything And Read". I have a box of grade/reading level-appropriate books, and I've set the kids on a rotating partnership so that every time we do it, (provided there's enough time for all the rotations) each child will read with 4 other children (one at a time) at different stations around the room. They get 10-15 minutes to read with each partner before they switch and go to the next, reading books at their own level in each group. My job during this is to rotate and listen to each group read and remind them of the techniques we've learned on sounding words out and using context clues. It sounds like it could get dull, but for the majority of my class, its one of their favorite times of the day!

And then there were 4....

2008-01-29T21:17:00.000+03:00

We now have four residents of our house; Jenny, me, Colby, and Maverick. Those of you who get my newsletter have heard about Maverick, our cat, but since then, Jenny bought us a puppy from some kids on the street and named her Colby. These pictures are deceptive in a way...yes, they are both very cute and both like to cuddle, but they are also still very much babies and love to play. Maverick is 11 weeks old, and we're not entirely sure how old Colby is, but she's not more than a couple months. But these two are definitely our babies!

Spice Tour

2007-12-26T13:02:00.000+03:00

Here are the pictures I promised from the Spice tour. I've tried to explain each one, as many of the plants look very similar in photo form.

The first one is the lemongrass plant. They simply cut off the leaves and chop or crush them, depending on what they'll be used for.

The second one is a cinnamon tree. They can crush either the leaves or the bark to produce the cinnamon we get.

The third is a jackfruit tree.
This next one is a cross-setion from an unripe cacao pod.
This tree is the clove tree.

A banana pod.

Fresh Nutmeg.

Green vanilla beans.

There are so many more pictures that I could put up, but I'll spare you from having to look through them all. :) Hope you've enjoyed these, though I wish you could have been there in person to smell them as well. No perfume could be sweeter!

Sand and Sun...Beautiful Zanzibar!

2007-12-21T08:26:00.000+03:00

I really can't believe I'm getting these up so soon (aren't you proud of me!?!) but here are some of the best of my pictures from Zanzibar!

More Pictures!

2007-12-11T09:15:00.000+03:00

I said I would put up some of Myal's pictures when I got them, so here they are. Myal has a much better camera than mine, so he was able to get some really cool shots. Now obviously I'm not going to put all the pictures up (he took about 340 and I took about 260), but here are some of the best. I included a picture of Myal and I (on the right) and then Justin and I (in the middle) on the side of the hill that we climbed so you can get a rough idea of just how steep it was! I also added one of my favorite bat pictures!!! Some of them were almost close enough to touch!

A fun Thanksgiving Weekend

2007-11-28T19:16:00.000+03:00

For those of you who get my email updates, here are a few of the pics I didn't send out from our weekend in Kibuye. We had a lot of fun, and I hope to get more pics up as soon as I get copies of the ones Myal took. But for now, enjoy!

Blessings

2007-11-04T19:25:00.000+03:00

Every once in a while, certain people come into your life who make the difference between simply existing and truly living. I have two special friends who fit into that category. My housemate Jenny and our friend Justin have always been there for me when I needed a break from "the real world". Whether its dinner out, a motorcycle ride, or simply listening while I vent, they are always there to encourage and lift me up. Thanks for being Christ to me! Love you both!

Where I live...

2007-10-22T17:02:00.000+03:00

Several people have asked where exactly it is I live, and if you've ever gotten on GoogleEarth or a similar map program, you've probably noticed that Kigali is not exactly the easiest city to figure out. Let me give you a couple of hints...all the major roads are on the tops of hills, but even though the majority of major roads have names, nobody uses them and therefore no one but government officials know what the names are! So I've copied a couple of pictures from GoogleEarth so that you can have a better idea of where I am. The first is a picture of the city of Kigali (yes, it really is that big!!), and the second is zoomed in on my neighborhood. You should be able to see the tacks showing my house, the church and the school. Unfortunately, the tacks are all moved over slightly to the left, so look at the building immediately to the right of the tack, and you'll be in the right place. The picture of Kigali has tacks on some of the major places we go often. The City Market tack is right by the middle of downtown. When giving directions here, most of the time we say how many hills over and in which direction something is. So from my house, town is 2 hills over to the southwest. But you can't get to anything in a straight line!

Amanda's Birthday

2007-10-21T17:52:00.000+03:00

Amanda's 25th birthday was last Wednesday, so here are some pictures from her party. There were so many people there that she got distracted and forgot to open her gifts until after everyone had left!!! I am in a couple of these pictures, one with Amanda and the Shewmakers, who also worked in Zambia with mine and Amanda's families, and one with Amanda and Melissa and Justin, two of our friends who are also working here.

Oh, the drama!!!!

2007-10-10T18:22:00.000+03:00

I know its been a while since I've posted anything here (sorry!), so I thought you might enjoy some pictures from our drama group. We are doing a play called "A Royal Pain", an tale of Athurian proportions. I've included pictures of some of the principle players. The 3 students on stage together are the attendant, scribe, and Sir Bors (there is also a close-up of Sir Bors as well...doesn't he just look the part???); the kid with glasses is Sir Lancelot, and the bearded one is King Arthur. He was a bit nervous that I would make him shave his beard, but I quickly dismissed that idea. The play is set for November 16th, and the kids are both excited and nervous. I know they're going to do a great job! After all, they couldn't ask for a better director (if I do say so myself)! ;)

New school pics

2007-09-12T21:46:00.000+03:00

Ok, so we're two weeks into the new school year, and I figured it was about time to put up some of the pics I've taken so far this year...it's not much, but some from recess and the kids in my new class. Eventually I'll get some pictures of our drama group up!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

2007-08-24T13:39:00.000+03:00

As most of you know, my 26th birthday was Wednesday, and I went with about 9 friends to Indian Khazana, one of my favorite restaurants in town, and they surprised me with a cake and having the waiters all sing to me. They sing 3 songs, and the last one is one of my favirite Swahili songs, and three of us knew it, so we sang and danced along. The pictures are courtesy of my housemate Jenny! And yes...the waiters really do wear masks like that! It was lots of fun!

Innocent's Wedding

2007-08-17T18:37:00.000+03:00

Ok, so I thought I'd put up a couple of pictures of Innocent's wedding so you can get a very small idea of what weddings are like here. The two guys standing together are Dave (the preacher) and Willie, who translated. This was a small, working class wedding, so the church was not as decorated as it would normally be, and there were not nearly as many guests, but it was still an interesting experience.

Kumbya

2007-08-17T18:14:00.000+03:00

Ok..so here are some very belated pictures from our trip to Kumbya, including some before and after photos of the interns' braided hair. We spent a couple of hours one afternoon taking their braids out, which was very time comsuming, but lots of fun! I think at one time we had nine people working on Jessika's hair at the same time! The other pictures are just some random pictures of the area and a couple of "people pictures".

End of the Year

2007-07-25T23:48:00.000+03:00

Here are some pictures from our end of the year ceremony. The pictures with all the kids in a line are mine and Kyla's classes doing their "If I Lived in Africa" skit. There are also pictures of some of the high school kids, Koen in his cap and gown, and some of the boys with their graduation certificates. Enjoy!

Cards From Africa

2007-07-17T17:44:00.000+03:00

You're going to think we don't do anything but go on field trips! However, this was sort of a special trip, because this was the last field trip that our group will do this school year. The 3rd thru 5th graders went to Cards From Africa, where orphans and child heads-of-households work making paper and then taking that paper and banana bark to make greeting cards. Our friend Matt has been working with the group for about 6 to 8 months, and we got to go right before he went back to the US. He let the kids help make the paper, and then showed us how they make the cards. The kids thought it was great fun, and several bought cards before we left. Thanks for everything Matt!!! Come back soon!!

Sunset

2007-07-17T17:23:00.000+03:00

There is an old legend here that God roams throughout the whole world every day, but at night He comes back to Rwanda to sleep. Looking at the sunsets here, you can't help but see where the legend came from.

Our new house!!!

2007-07-17T16:43:00.000+03:00

Ok, so it's not nearly as elaborate as the Ntumba's house, but at least its ours! And really, we're very happy with it. we're two gates down from the school and a block and a half from church (so no excuses for being late!!!) I would love to paint, just so we'll have at least a solid color on all the walls (which weren't done very well), but that will have to wait until I have a bit more time. :) It's a split level house: when you walk in the front door, you are standing by Jenny's room and you can either go up to mine and Linda's rooms, or down to the living room / dining room and kitchen. We've been told that this layout has the most floor space of any of the 4 floorplans used in this neighborhood. But really, it was the yard that sold us! And I have rose bushes!!!!! They have beautiful flowers with the most delicate, heady scent that I have experienced in a long time. And the best part is that we can have lots of people over without feeling crowded!

Another field trip!

2007-07-06T11:50:00.001+03:00

Well, this time we went to a place called Dancing Pots, where a good deal of the pottery in the area is made. Our kids each got to pay to make their own pots, and I was given a crash course I remembering all the pottery stuff I have learned! Because there were not enough adults who have ever done pottery, I wound up bouncing back and forth between the 3 working pottery wheels helping the kids form their pots. It was very messy and a lot of fun!

House pictures

2007-07-06T11:40:00.001+03:00

Ok, so I said I would put up some pictures of the hose we were taking care of and then our new house. So, (after a very long delay) here are a few pictures of the Ntumba's house, or should I say "mansion". :) We were so spoiled!!! The pics of our new house are coming soon!

Field Trip!!!

2007-06-05T17:14:00.000+03:00

Well, here are some pictures from our field trip to the Dorcas Ladies' Project! The kids loved it and had a great time! I also added a couple of before and during pictures of us working on our garden. I'll have to wait for a while to put up the "after" pics. And even though I sometimes think gardening is just an excuse for adults to play in the dirt, we still had a lot of fun!!!

A Request

2007-05-15T20:16:00.000+03:00

Quick prayer (and monetary) request here...as most of you already know, in order to be here I had to do a lot of fund-raising, and unfortunately, it's not over. One of the biggest challenges to missionaries is having enough funds to do what we've been sent to do. My goal is to have about $2500 a month...I know that sounds like a lot, but the cost of living here is 10-15% higher than in Lubbock. For instance, I spent about $50 on groceries today, which will probably last me about a week or so...if I'm lucky, $30 for Joseph's paycheck (the Ntumba's driver that we're using while they're out of the country), $40 for cooking gas, and $80 for gasoline. Plus figure $30 a week for electricity (we are on a pay-as-you-go system...kind of like Trac Phones) and $20-30 a month (or less) for phone time. And almost all of that is only my half of the bill...my housemate Jenny pays the other half. Granted, those aren't every day costs (thank goodness), but they do add up quickly. So if you could keep me in your prayers as I try to get the money I need, I would really appreciate it! And if you ever want to help (wink,wink), I wouldn't turn it down! The GreenLawn Church of Christ in Lubbock, TX (5701 19th Street, 79407) is handling my funds, so checks can be sent to them. Just put my name in the memo line. Thanks a lot, and God bless!

Town Hall Meeting

2007-05-12T16:26:00.001+03:00

Well, for those of you who read my newsletter, you'll know that we had some pretty important visitors come to our school on Thursday. Friday afternoon, the American Embassy hosted a town hall-type meeting to discuss what the International School Committee had been looking into. The main purpose of the meeting was to assess how much interest there would be in having an International school here. The advantage to having one is that it would allow students who are only here for a year or two to transfer to another school when they move, either to a new post or back to their home country, and to be at the same level as their peers. There was a lot of interest shown by the parents who attended, and Paul Olsen, the representative from the State Dept. in D.C., is going to report his findings to his colleagues in the USA and they are going to start the process of deciding which of the schools here they are going to support. He made it pretty clear that the State Dept. prefers to support only one school over helping two or more. We are very hopeful that they will choose to support KICS, but we are also realistic enough to know that we have some pretty stiff competition from Green Hills, which is an older and more established school. The advantage we have over them is that we have an American-based curriculum and all instruction is done in English, but because they have a larger staff and have been around longer, they are able to offer a more diverse selection of courses than we are able to offer…yet. This week we sent out a survey to all the parents asking which extra courses they or their children would be interested in, and which ones they would be willing to help with. From the surveys that I have seen returned, the response seems to be very positive. So please pray really hard for more teachers to come and help us. The current teachers have sent out pleas to the schools we graduated from, but have not gotten much response yet. Please pray that God will prick the hearts of willing people who will want to join this wonderful team and make a difference in the lives of these kids and their families!

New pictures

2007-05-11T16:18:00.000+03:00

Well, I finally got the internet working long enough to add some pictures from our weekend in Gesenyi up. I hope you enjoy them!

A really funny shirt!

2007-05-09T21:40:00.000+03:00

Ok...so I wish I could have gotten a picture of this, but I didn't have my camera with me. Just a little bit of background so you'll understand why this is funny...in Africa, bodily functions (i.e. belching, passing gas, etc) are just NOT discussed! They are in fact a source of great embarassment. So I found it highly amusing to see a Rwandan man walking down the street today wearing a shirt that I'm sure he didn't understand. The shirt said "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Fart and you stand alone." Not something a respectable African man would have worn....provided he knew what it meant!

An interesting lunch

2007-04-30T22:18:00.000+03:00

So who would have ever thought that I'd be so connected? It occurred to me (or rather was reemphasized) over lunch on Sunday just how unique my life really is. I had lunch on Sunday with Zac Nsinga's family. Now that in and of itself isn't really all that strange, until you remember that Zac is the former Rwandan Ambassador to the USA. Also joining us for lunch was Emily, one of the Consular Officers for the US embassy here...with whom I also had lunch Saturday. In addition to that, one of the girls that goes to church with us and with whom I'm quickly becoming friends is Ky, who is an intern with the Rwandan President. Rwanda just seems to attract some interesting people.

My first official blog

2007-04-28T00:14:00.000+03:00

Ok...so if this looks a little rough for a while, you'll have to forgive me. I am still learning how to use this program, so it will take me a while to get all the bugs sorted out. But I will slowly get it to the point I want it to be. Thanks so much for all your love and suport, and I hope you will enjoy being a part of the incredible work that God is doing here in Rwanda!