Rwanda!!!

Well…alot has happened since I last wrote…so this is going to be incredibly scrambled.

I moved. Which has been an incredibly wonderful experience. I love the girls I’m living with, we have so much fun! And I’m alot closer to the kid’s house so Mari and I go down there everyday in the morning and most afternoons. The rest of the day we hang out at the house, watch movies, do puzzles, rest, it’s wonderful.

Wednesday Mari and I went with Fabi to Libby and Honda’s to babysit their little girls, and thursday Mari and I went to their house for lunch! It was so good! We had homemade pizza!

God has provided in such amazing ways. Our big adventure was going to Rwanda this weekend! It was such a great experience! It ended up working perfectly because for some reason they gave me the wrong amount of days for my visa and it actually expired on friday. So we just left the country, Mari, Media and I. Thursday when we went to get tickets for the bus, we couldn’t find any. We assumed we weren’t supposed to go, then somehow we walked past a bus with extra friday tickets and bought them for $10! Very cool. The next morning we got up early and left Bujumbura at 6 am. The whole way to the border, people in the back of the bus sang worship songs in Kirundi. It was wonderful, I love the passion they have for the Lord and worship! We got to the border and while we were in line we were told that a Rwandan visa costs $60. We were planning on it only being $20 so we didn’t have the money for that. But we prayed, and it turned out that a Rwandan visa is free for citizens of the US, Canada, and South Africa! Crazy stuff. Then we got back on the bus and after an hour of driving through beautiful rwandan countryside, we had a flat tire. Mari and I slept while they fixed it. We started going again but after another 30 minutes our bus broke down on the side of the road. So we sat there in some village and entertained some kids with our cameras. Finally a taxi bus drove by which said it would take us to Kigali for $1.50, which was great but it took us 4 hours to get there since we stopped every 5 minutes. So a normally 5 hour trip became a 10 hour one, and we decided to stay in Kigali until today instead of leaving saturday.

Kigali is SO different than Bujumbura. Mari and I kept saying that we felt like we were back in civilization. They had street lights, and stop lights, and big buildings! The pastor of Jabe church’s brother picked us up at the bus station. And we were welcomed with incredible African hospitality! Him and his friend took us to eat dinner and then took us to a guest house for the night. Our whole stay, they paid for everything! It was such a blessing. Yesterday they picked us up and drove us all over the city, it was beautiful. After spending an hour at the bank getting money, we went to the Kigali memorial center for the genocide. Definitely a very hard thing to see. At the center they have 12 mass graves and 285,000 people are buried there. Only 2000 have names, since entire families were wiped out there is no one to claim bodies. The genocide took over 1 million lives and as we drove around it was hard to imagine that only 14 years ago, there was no place to hide and everywhere you went people were being killed. Rwanda has made an amazing comeback, but you can still see the reminants of the war, there are memorials scattered throughout the countryside.  It was definitely a surreal experience.

This morning we woke up, we were supposed to get picked up at 6:30 but our friend didn’t arrive so at 6:40 we decided we needed to hop on taxi motos or we weren’t going to make our bus. So my first experience on a motorcycle was this morning, flying down the hills of Kigali with the sunrising. It was amazing!!! We made it to the bus station just as they were about to sell our tickets to someone else. Praise Jesus! Again! Our driver was a mad man and we made it to Bujumbura in record time, 5 hours! We met another muzungu on our bus, he’s from spain, traveling alone. So we invited him to lunch, and media found him a place to stay. We had a few interesting conversations about catholicism. He said he’d never felt more welcomed somewhere, so I’m praying he saw a little bit of Jesus in us. He’s planning on hanging out with us tomorrow maybe swimming with the CRIB kids.

This week I’ll be saying good bye to the kids, and all my new friends here. I’ll be sad to leave, but happy to be going home, and incredibly thankful that the Lord has brought me here, and taught me so much. Thank you for all your prayers! We serve an amazing and gracious God.

10 days.

Only 10 days left(maybe less, Lord willing)! Then I’ll board a plane and head home. It’s a little bit crazy, it seems that I’ve been here forever and that I just got here, all at once.

So far my parents attempts to find me a flight home earlier haven’t proven very successful. But they’re still calling every day, and we’re praying, even 2 days earlier would make a world of difference as far as getting used to the time change before I head back to school. So prayers that God would make that possible would be wonderful, but either way I know He’ll provide and I’ll be here as long as I’m supposed to be.

Thursday I was in the clinic again and I got to draw blood for the first time. It definitely wasn’t a professional job, but I was able to do it. He then taught me how to change iv fluids, administer medication, and chart it all. It was very clear that I was inexperienced and had tons of people watching me, but somehow I figured it out and it was so exciting to learn new stuff! I went on another walk with Marie, Mercy and Baraka, and then spent the evening at their house, eating and playing cards.

Friday, I didn’t feel very good and was exhausted, I was having alot of sinus issues. So I skipped the clinic and slept in(although sleeping in these days has been 8am, if I’m lucky, normally I wake up on my own before 6:30) That afternoon Fabi, Esther, Medi, Marie, and I went to the market. I bought more fabric, and stood around while they shopped for other things. I was a bit miserable, cause my head hurt, but I survived

We went to the beach yesterday, my host family and I, after a morning of reading, and doing a puzzle with their kids. It was an amazing day. I still wasn’t feeling up to par, but i couldn’t have been happier. The weather was warm but breezy, and the beach was gorgeous. The water was cool, so we all put our toes in for a while, then proceeded to play soccer or “football” on the beach. It was alot of fun. And by some miracle I scored 2 of our 4 goals, and now they think I’m really good at football…haha. After we were exhausted from running around in the sand we found a table, and ordered fantas and brochet(a kind of bbq) There was a wedding reception going on in the cabana so we walked up and got to watch the burundian drummers and some rwandese dancers, very very cool. The sunset was breathtaking, and we took family pictures on the beach. We were all wearing our burundi shirts that I gave them. We came home drank tea and went to bed.

This morning was another glorious day at Jabe, I love worship there. We came home and rested most of the afternoon, then Esther and I walked to Libby’s to get more books, and pick up fabi. I’ve read 3, almost 4, books since I’ve been here!! Esther and I have become experts at the 2.5 mile walk, and can now make it in about 35 minutes Fabi came over and I set her up on facebook, she’s really excited

On the walk back there were some kids begging for money, they followed us a while, speaking in kirundi and sticking their little hands out. I couldn’t stand it so I gave them all I had left in my camera case 1,000francs which is a little less than a dollar. They smiled huge and said thank you very much!!! in french. As we walked off they were squealing with delight, jumping up and down, and hugging eachother. It was pretty clear that they had never gotten that much money before. It made me smile, being able to bless them. But at the same time it made me want to cry. Here were these beautiful children, dressed in dirty, torn clothes, living on the streets. Rejoicing over a dollar. A dollar! And I wish I had had more to give them, really, I wish I could take them home, pray for them, hug them, love them, feed them, and give them new clothes. I’m planning on carrying more cash from now on.

It’s moments like those, where God has shown me the smallest fraction of His heart. Broken for a lost, dying, and impovershed(in more ways than one) world. It’s enough to bring me to my knees, that’s for sure. It’s enough to make me never want to complain about being hungry, thirsty, or tired. It’s enough to make me rejoice and be glad that as hopeless as the situation seems. I know the truth, that there is an everlasting hope. Not just for those kids, but for people all over the world, living in a world of poverty, abuse, darkness. The Batwa kids sang a song about when the King comes He’s going to clothe them in the finest robes, place crowns on their heads and put shoes on their feet. And I can’t wait for the day, when I’ll get to stand in heaven with all those kids, the poorest of the poor on this earth, become the richest, sons and daughters of the King of Kings, for eternity.

All that to say. God’s teaching me alot. I’ve grown in ways that I don’t think I may ever understand. And I still have 10 more days!

Tonight is my last night with Elogue, Aline and their kids. I move in with Marie, Mercy and Media tomorrow. So tonight, I’m making them grilled cheese, or at least attempting to on their outdoor charcoal…stove? I told them about grilled cheese earlier last week and they were completely taken by the idea and haven’t left me alone about it. So yes, that’ll be interesting and exciting. I hope it turns out, eeek…

The next 10 days(maybe minus some) will be spent with the CRIB kids, swimming, dancing, playing, and loving them as much as the Lord allows me to.

I hope all of you are doing well, and I’m looking forward to seeing y’all in person and hearing about your summers! You’re prayers are definitely being answered, thank you!!

You are my supply

Well hello there, it’s been a while. I’m gonna try to recap the last 4ish days…

Saturday: sat around the house, and then in the evening went to one of Aline’s sister’s houses for a cousin’s birthday party. We ate homemade donuts, peanuts, cake, and drank fanta, very yummy.

Sunday: we went to Jabe for church again, since it was a communion day it was pretty much 3 hours of worship, so refreshing, and wonderful, I could have stayed there all day. An older english lady was sitting by me, and the pastor was talking and he said something about God being our providers and told us to tell our neighbors that God was our provider. She told me, and then she said “are you living in that?” I nodded, and turned back to the pastor but then I thought about it, and really thought about it. I wasn’t living in that at all. I was desperate to go home, and feeling really lonely. But that question stuck with me, and I really prayed through it. He is my supply and He is ALWAYS enough, and this week has definitely been evidence of that.

Monday: was supposed to be my first day in the hospital. On the way to the clinic, Aline and Eloge dropped me off at the Canada team’s house to say goodbye. We hung out, took pictures, and then they spent time prayingfor me, which was definitely what I needed. The Lord is such an amazing provider. I ended up going to the airport with them to see them off. It was bittersweet, and I was so blessed to get to meet them, and spend time with them. Afterwards, I went to the kid’s house, where I met Marie for the first time. She is so so sweet, such a peaceful spirit. I liked her immediately. We got to talk a little bit later at swimming, she’s very easy to talk to.  She’s 21, originally from South Africa, and she goes to univeristy in Montreal, majoring in kinesiology. Anyways, we get along great, and I can already tell we’re gonna be friends. We went back to the kids house, spent the night playing games and doing puzzles(!!) in fabi’s room, which I loved. And I got to talk to my mom on the phone, which was wonderful.

Tuesday: It was my first day in the hospital, I followed a nurse named Jackson around and watched him do ivs, draw blood, and administer meds. It was my first real encounter with AIDS patients. Definitely a hard thing to see, one man probably in his 50s, probably weighed 70 pounds, if that. Another woman in earlier stages, had very swollen feet with sores all over them, her two little boys sat at the edge of her bed and did her laundry. In hospitals here, the family is in charge of everything besides the direct medical care. It’s really interesting. If a patient comes on their own without family, they won’t eat, get clean clothes or sheets. So many times young children will come with a parent or relative to the hospital to care for them, since the adults can’t afford to miss work. It’s such a different world. We went to the kids house in the afternoon, and I got to see Belize for the first time in over a week, it was very very good to see her. Marie invited me to go on a walk with her and mercy(she’s from kenya, she teaches at the primary school, and lives in the teacher’s house that marie is staying in now, and I’ll move into next week.) and mercy’s 3 1/2 week old baby, Baraka. It was lovely, they are so fun and we had a great time talking. Plus Baraka is precious, and I loved getting to hold him, he just slept in my arms as we walked, and we kept getting alot of funny looks since I was carrying a black baby.  When we got back to the house, Meddia(she’s a teacher who lives there too) came home, and we all ate tea together. Then it was back to the kids house for cinema night. We ate pizza and fanta for dinner cause it was joshua’s birthday! It was really good!

Today: Another day at the clinic, today was much slower, and I did alot of sitting around, which can get a little frustrating cause I want to be doing stuff, but the Lord is teaching me patience. I did get to see alot of new things though, like putting in a catheter, removing an episiotomy, and giving intravenous injections, all of which were interesting to watch, and I know it will be helpful when I start clinicals. Then Jackson helped me practice taking blood pressure, and I think I’m getting the hang of it, which is also good, since I’ll need it for clinicals. I had alot of fun with their kids today, sitting in mine and esther’s room. I gave them shirts, candy and peanut butter crackers, we listened to music, and I taught them to make bracelets out of starburst wrappers. Surprisingly enough the boys were much more excited about making bracelets than Esther was, so we left them to do that and went swimming. After stopping by libby’s for new books we walked home. Now I’m eating homemade yogurt.

Jesus is so good, and has given me an incredible amount of joy. After alot of homesickness this weekend, the Lord has really come and carried me. I’m learning alot from Him, and joy and patience have been such gifts from Him the past few days. I had a sweet moment with a little girl named Rebecca the other day. I was sitting and praying for Ollie, and Rebecca came and sat down with us. After Ollie ran off, I was singing it is well with my soul, and Rebecca asked me to teach it to her. Of course, my offbeat, incomplete version doesn’t do the real one justice, I taught her what I knew and she sang with me. Then I got to tell her what that song meant, and she seemed to really understand and listen. It was really wonderful, and I thank the Lord for those small moments, and I’m praying He is planting seeds. God’s also teaching me not to plan my life, and to live in the moment, taking everyday and moment as a blessing.

I move in with Marie, Mercy, and Meddia on monday. And then I’m praying about and my parents are looking into me coming home a few days early so I can have a few days to recuperate and readjust before moving back to school.  I am feeling alot of peace about it, and I think that will probably end up happening, if I can get my ticket changed.

Sorry this entry was crazy long, and probably didn’t make much sense. I will try to make the next one shorter, thanks for hanging in there, and reading it!

Chewin on sugar cane

Yesterday, we went upcountry to visit the Batwa people, the pygmies, and some of the poorest people in Burundi.

We left at 8 am and took off up the mountain, about an hour of the ride is on a paved road and then after that it’s dirt(which is red here, very different!) Driving on these roads is a crazy experience, they’re really bumpy and dust is constantly being kicked up, filling the car with a film of redish dust on everything. But it’s so beautiful, everywhere. There are rolling hills covered in green grass, crops, and tall trees.

After driving for two hours we finally arrived at their village. All of the girls had to go to the bathroom, so Aline took us back behind some huts to show us their “toilet”. haha, it really wasn’t as bad as we expected but, it was just a hole in the ground under a little makeshift shelter of tree branches, which was only 3 feet tall. Needless to say it was an experience.

They showed us the pots that they make as their main source of income, the beautiful, large, handmade clay jars sell for 20 cents! Aline said that is one of the main reasons they are so poor. Their trade makes them virtually nothing.

We stood on the hillside surrounded by beautiful, dirt covered children who wore some of the most tatered and dirty clothing I’ve ever seen. We sang worship songs with them, in english, Fabi translated, then they sang for us. It was wonderful. Then we did a skit of the good samaritan, and shared about Jesus. Next, they pulled out soccer balls, and the older kids played soccer, I was amazed that they didn’t lose the ball since they were pretty much playing on the side of a mountain! The chief came over and their men did the traditional dance for us to welcome us, it was really cool. We then gave out balloons to the kids, which was utter chaos, so when it came time to distribute candy we had learned our lesson and we got them into lines by age. They loved the lollipops but alot of the kids spit out the sour candy Aline talked to the women about the importance of handwashing, and giving their children baths. Most of the kids, haven’t been bathed since they were born! We handed out bars of soap to all of the women. Some of the canadian team had also brought baby blankets which we gave to moms with new babies. The simplicity of their needs was amazing, soap and blankets.

We spent the rest of the time, sharing with the highschool students and being shown around the village. ARM is helping them to build houses, the villagers supply the bricks(which the highschoolers have been hired to make this summer in exchange for 2 pairs of shoes) and the ministry supplies the doors, windows and roofs(which cost $500 per house). The conditions they live in is hard to imagine, but God’s grace is definitely there and it was amazing to hear them worship.

We left around 2:30 and stopped on the side of the road to each sandwiches, it was a gorgeous setting for a picnic, nearby villagers stood at a distance and watched us eat.

We got back around 5pm, exhausted, we took showers, and spent the rest of the night sitting around, eating cake(it was Aline’s birthday), and greeeting the many visitors we had. Their grandparents are here, so Esther spent the night in my room.

Today is another lazy day, I slept in which really means sleeping until like 9:30, and have done nothing but spend time with Jesus, and read. It’s only 12 though so I’m hoping life picks up a little bit.

The canada team leaves on monday, I’ll definitely miss having them around, I’ve greatly enjoyed their fellowship, and one of the girls, Pearl, who’s 19, and I, hit it off really well and have had alot of fun together, the few times I’ve gotten to spend with them. So it’ll be sad to see them go.

Marie, comes tomorrow afternoon, and now I’m stuck deciding what to do with the rest of my 2 1/2 weeks. Pastor Ray wanted me to move in with her and the other two kenyan ladies living in the teacher’s house, so I would have someone to hang out with. But Aline has told me I’m welcome to stay here as long as I’d like. So, I’m working on making that decision. I think I might spend the next week here and move there on the 11th before Aline and Euloge head to China. I’m really not sure, so pray for wisdom in that, and for that friendship with Marie. It would be great to have a good friend here, I’m really starting to miss having friends my age around.

I’m really trying to fight off and pray through homesickness, days like today seem to bring it on alot. Last night, I got to talk to my dad, yay! He tore his Achilles tendon and has to have surgery next tuesday, so if you guys could pray for him, that would be wonderful. The daughter and nurse in me is having a hard time not wanting to be home for that.

Thank you guys for your prayers, they mean alot! God is meeting me, and I’m praying for continued growth in the next 2 1/2 weeks here. I’m praying that I’m able to savor them and not try to count down the days till I come home.

Oh and yesterday the kids taught me the art of chewing sugar cane, good stuff it grows in their backyard.

Until next time,

Mel