We're back!

Ethan and I made it back safely to Kigali this morning, after what will go down as the all-time, worst-ever, "TIA", scary, awkward, extremely uncomfortable, Survivor-like, 12 hour nighttime bus ride from Kampala. There really are no words. But I'll try to conjure up a better image for you later! And also of the good times, the amazing scenery, views, and extraordinary people we met. We had such an awesome time exploring Uganda, and saw some stunning examples of just how cool and creative God is. After Ethan leaves on Sunday, I'll have a week before school begins, and I hope to have some time to try and reflect and write, and put some of the memories on paper (or computer!).

We slept some this morning, and were thankful for showers and clean clothes, after about 48 hours of wearing the same thing. We're at Shokola now, and just enjoyed some hummus and mint tea, and had an awesome skype with family, including the famous Aiden! Man, he's getting big! Miss him so much! Momma, we'll skype with you tomorrow, k? Been a good relaxing day. Gonna try to connect with a few friends tonight (most are still out of country.) Bout to head home and primp a bit and go to a "Seychelles" themed New Years party at the preacher's house so Ethan can meet a lot of the KICS families, then probably gonna head to my favorite estabalishment of Carwash for some great and greasy pork, and maybe try to see "Black Mzungu", the famous Rwandan hip-hop and reggae artist in concert later. Should be a fun and interesting night! Glad to get to spend it with my brother! Tomorrow, we've got big plans for an African market experience, craft co-op, and just some chill time. He leaves after church on Sunday. :-( I promise more stories and pics will come later from our adventures. Miss you all and thinking of you at home right now enjoying the snow! Can't believe ya'll had a snowy-white Christmas! I'm jealous! Much, much love, peace, and joy to you all...and many bright and beautiful blessings and promises for 2011!

Love from Kigali,
Emily

Merry Christmas!

Hi everyone! This is going to be really quick...because my brother, Ethan, is here!!! And right now, he's waiting at home for us to go out to Carwash for the best pork/goat in town! I took him on a 45 minute run through the village today, and it about killed him. :-) He's so hungry now! Sorry for the lack of blogs this week. There's sooo many things I want to write about, but they will have to wait a few weeks! The last week of school was wonderful, but crazy and chaotic too with all the fun Christmas chapels and programs. And then Ethan arrived Sunday afternoon (sans bags!) But they came later.

Since he's arrived, we've eaten at Bourbon, tons of great Rwandan food, played with the kids at the orphanage, visited the coffee factory, explored the lively market, eaten at Cactus overlooking the city, visited the genocide memorial, and ridden about 50 motos already. :-) He's about to get used to them! Tomorrow morning we head out for a 10 day adventure through Uganda and Rwanda. Not sure if we'll have internet access or not, so I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas!! We'll come back on New Years, and he leaves on the 2nd. I'll have about a week before I have to start school again, so I hope to catch up with you all during that week. I'm so excited Ethan is here, and I'm with family this year, and I get to share a bit of my world with him! But we will be missing all of you and miss being at home with the familiar sounds and smells.

As I've been preparing for Ethan to come, and getting "ready" for this time of year to celebrate this amazing birth of our Redeemer, this year one word has stayed with me...Light! We've been studying John in our Bible Study, and my kids had to memorize the beginning of John.

"The Word gave life to everything that was created,

and his life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it."


-John 1:3-4


You know, I think the disciple John was trying to describe something, or really someone, that is totally indescribable! It's so hard to put into words the power of the light of Jesus. When I think of light, I think of the sun, or a Christmas tree all lit up, beautifully decorated. But I think John was trying his hardest to capture the full power and mightiness of the Light, of the Messiah that had come to earth. He is the light in all of the darkness. There is darkness everywhere. We all know that. We don't have to look very far to find it either. It's here. And it's there where you are too. Loneliness, confusion, hatred, racism, sin. But John tells us that no matter how dark the world is, or your community is....the light of Jesus is always stronger and more radiant than ever! And I know it to be true. I see His light everywhere. I see His light working through people and in people that don't even realize it! This Light is real! The light truly overcomes any and all darkness, and this Christmas, I want to celebrate that! He is the Light of the world; a city on a hill cannot be hidden! ~Matthew 5:14.

Blessings to you this Christmas! Love you!

Emily and Ethan

Engineering for Change

Can hip-hop power a solar revolution??? Hmm...

Check out these two articles about my friend, Sam Dargan, who hails from none other than the huge metropolis of Mechanicsville, SC. He's one-half of the Dargan brothers...James works in coffee here too. Sam has lived in Rwanda for about 5 years now, first starting as an engineer and medical worker at his aunt and uncle's rural hospital in Shyira. (they are UNC alums, and Morehead scholars!) It's neat to have some hometown connection here. Sam, only 28, owns Great Lakes Energy, which sells stoves and solar-powered lamps and bulbs to rural communities. How he markets his products is even neater! He has discovered some of Rwanda's new, up-and-coming hip-hop artists, and he's started a production company to produce their albums! In turn, they provide on-air, and YouTube advertising for solar products. Both parties benefit, and the word about solar power and its effectiveness is getting out! That's what I call creative energy! :-) (This is also the guy who invented "moto polo." Don't ask. But you can also find that on Youtube as well!") :-)

Diplomate and Sam

http://www.engineeringforchange.info/2010/12/clean-tech-awareness-brought-to-you-by.../

http://newtimes.co.rw/print.php?issue=14420&print&article=34787

Keep back nothing

"Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end; submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will really be yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in. " ~C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

This challenges me. In the biggest way. Especially the part about, keep back nothing. I tend to want to hold onto things, and keep trying to work them around in my head, and fix it how I think it should be fixed. And many times, when I do give something totally over to God, I think that I'll just end up being disappointed. I feel sad about it, cause I feel like I've lost something. Such little faith! But you know, the things I have truly, truly given over to Him, I haven't at all been disappointed. So then, why does it still remain such a challenge to continue to let Him have control...control over my desires, my wishes, my ambitions, of other people that I want to know him, to love Him. What C.S. Lewis says is honestly hard to do, but necessary. "Look to Him, and everything else will be thrown in."

Jotham's Boys

On Sunday afternoon, our Bible Study headed out to Gasabo district, way out in the village, to Jotham's house. Jotham is a member of our church, and together with his wife, they have taken in 25 former street boys and have given them shelter, clothing, and paid for their school fees. The boys range in age from 12-18, but most of them are in 2nd or 3rd grade...a few in 4th. But they are all doing well; they are so eager to learn, and many are at the top of their class! It was a fun day of getting the house "tour", playing a Rwandan version of duck-duck-goose, running relay races, eating snacks, and singing Christmas carols with these boys. They devoured the chocolate cake and had fun eating the popcorn. At the end of the day, they opened gifts, and it was a complete joy to watch their faces. Then they prayed for all of us, through a translator. Their prayers were amazing and so precious. They said that they had asked God for a little, and He had provided them with a lot, and they could never thank Him enough. They prayed that God would bless us and keep us safe and strong. It is so humbling to have someone who has nothing pray over you for God to bless you with your needs. We are so blessed, we don't even know it. I can't wait to visit them again in a few weeks! After spending a day with these wonderful fellas, I am now officially in the Christmas spirit. God bless Jotham and his boys!

All 25 boys share these 3 bunkbeds, with a dirt floor.

The kitchen

The hallway

They've started raising rabbits behind their house to sell. If you look in the tree, the boys also have created a beehive, and hope to harvest their own honey.

Their soccer ball... made from sticks, straw, material, rags, trash.

Paul brought out his Ipod and speakers to add a little Irish Christmas music to the party. Looks kind of funny sitting on top of the concrete and rice bags.

Singing Silent Night in English and Kinyarwanda

Amazement at Doug's guitar

Piggyback rides!

Moses and Doug

Relay races!

Their first real ball and pump. They were estatic.

2 more! These came from America! Thanks Jordan and Caleb!

Smiling faces

Paul, showing them how it's done, ha!

I see this picture a lot....a "baby" holding a baby. I never get used to it though.

A day not to forget

Every year since 1988, December 1 has been a day for the world to remember those who have been infected, affected, and fallen by HIV/AIDS. Our church remembers this day on the first Sunday of December. Moses, our youth pastor from Uganda, spoke on this topic on Sunday, and we were flooded with statistics galore. You've probably heard a lot of these statistics...seen them on the news, read about them in Time magazine, CNN, etc. Statistics are just that...numbers. It's good to have statistics, but statistics don't tell the stories. People do that. But they are still compelling. Here's a few statistics that Moses shared with us...

Since 1980...

a total of 25 million have fallen to this disease. and we're still counting...

to date, 33 million are infected with this disease.

2 million of these are under the age of 15

In 2008 alone, 2.7 people were newly infected with the disease.

EVERY DAY, 7,397 people contract the disease.

that's 308 people every hour

5 people every minute

In 2008, 2 million people died of the disease.

Of the 33 million people living with the disease, 22 million of those are found South of the Sahara....that is 67% of the entire total.

90% of the whole total of children with the disease live in that same area.

Women constitute HALF of the world's HIV cases. This means there are about 16.5 million women infected with the disease, excluding girls below age 15.

In Africa, Swaziland has the highest HIV rate, with 25.9%

In East Africa, Kenya has the highest rate with 7.9%

Rwanda/Burundi has the lowest in E. Africa with 3.0%

150,000 Rwandese are infected with HIV

78,000 Rwandan women are infected.

19,000 Children....and 220,000 AIDS orphans in Rwanda

These statistics educate us and open our eyes, and they are shocking...but hearing stories from those infected, those affected, and knowing some of your friends harbor this illness, and some have died from it...it hits you harder than any statistic ever could. Last month, one of our KICS drivers died from this disease. He drove us to all of our fieldtrips last year, and was the personal driver of a student of mine. Manny was strong, robust, looked like he was in tip-top shape. Today, the face of AIDS has really changed. It's not the sunken-in, shriveled up faces we are used to seeing on our TV screens.Thankfully, due to the success of ARVTs (anti-retro viral treatments), people are living longer and healtheir lives. It's a great thing. But also, unfortunately, it has caused the disease to spread as well, because many who think they are "cured" because they are on medecines...they don't fully realize or they don't think they can spread this disease, merely because they appear and feel healthy. A sad mistake.

There's another stigma here against actually going for the testing and finding out your status and beginning the meds. Many people would rather wait it out and not-know their status, than discover they are positive. That was Manny. Manny thought he was ok. We did too. But he got sick all of a sudden, and contracted tuberculosis, and never came out of the hospital. He discovered in the hospital he was positive.

I am proud of our church here for their role in educating the community about this disease. In East Africa, often times the Church is who stands in the way of people finiding out their status. I know many Africans who have said they were encouraged by church leaders and elders not to go for testing, because either they didn't want the church to have a bad reputation, or the church didn't want to carry on the responsibility of supporting them....OR, the largest reason is because many church leaders say they don't beleive in that "white man's medicine", and that if you take the medicine, your faith is weakened and it means you don't truly believe in God's healing power! It's true. What a sad, twisted understanding of our Father's power to heal.

This was the case with Mama Sandra, the mother of 5 small children under 10 years old. She's a member of our church, and she gave her testimony on Sunday to a hushed congregation. Mama Sandra was forced into an arranged marriage years ago. She had 5 children with her husband, before he left her. After he left, he became very sick, but never would go for testing. Finally, when he was on his deathbed, he admitted to her that he had AIDS. After he died, Mama Sandra went for testing and discovered she was also positive. Next came the unthinkable. ALL 5 of her children tested positive for HIV. They are under 10 years old. They immediately began treatment. But after 2 years of feeling good with the medecine, Mama Sandra's elders in her previous church convinced her to stop her treatment so God could fully heal her body. She became very weak, almost to the point of death, before she began the ARVs again. Now, she is doing well, along with her children, but still is struggling to make ends meet, and to regain her lost dignity. She has a community of supporters behind her, and she holds on to her faith. She has good days and bad days. When I heard her speak, I couldn't help but think about the times when I've said I'm having a bad day, and how it pales in comparison to hers. Perspective. We have a lot of be thankful for! Even on our "bad" days.

The ARVs are free in East Africa, but as we all know, free doesn't necessarily mean free. You need transportation to get to the meds, especially if you live way out in the villages. And many people don't have that money. And what about condoms. Number one, they are expensive. People can use that money for food instead. Number two, they aren't good quality here. Number three, many Africans think they are "taboo," and they think the condoms themselves will actually harm them. And Number four, the conservative Penacostal church here will not advocate for their use or distribution. Another hurdle to get over...breast-feeding. Try telling an HIV-positive African woman who just delivered a healthy baby... that she can't breast-feed that baby. Huh!?! It sounds absurd to them. Breast milk is free! And it's natural. What will people think? Breast milk nourishes the child. It's the most natural thing for these women. But also the biggest reason that HIV is passed on to infants. So, even if you help the woman to finally understand that she absolutely cannot breast feed her newborn, then what else is she supposed to feed it? Powdered milk is extremely expensive here and not readily available.

So you can imagine some of the bumps in the road on the way to educating individuals about this disease. It's more complicated than just screaming about how AIDS kills. People need to understand the whys and hows, and they need to understand love and acceptance too. AIDS is real. It infects, affects, hurts, and kills. It is not prejudice. It has visited every continent, every race, tribe, color. Statistics are hard to read and sobering. Just like Mama Sandra's story. But there is a great hope too. People are alive today. The medicine is improving, getting stronger...and most importantly people are becoming more and more educated. For that we can celebrate. And for the rest...we can hold on to hope!

Pruning

This is a coffee tree. Sorry it's blurry! We've been reading the Gospel of John in our Tuesday night Bible Study, and last week was a memorable week on chapter 15. Really hit me hard.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

I started thinking about all my many branches and what fruits they are bearing. Some are good, and others, not so much! And still others, maybe are not bearing any fruits at all! And why is that so? It made me think about all aspects of my life and the fruit I am bearing or not bearing. I thought about church, teaching, my social life, friends, family, volunteer work, everything. It was really good to have some time to reflect, to see where my priorities are, and if they match up with His priorities for me.

How can we be sure we are bearing amazing, luscious, plump fruits? (I'm picturing the big mangoes in my yard and yummy passion fruit!) It's simple. We are to remain close to Him, the one who created us.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." We can do NOTHING...not ONE GOOD THING apart from him. That hit me hard. It's not that we will just have tiny fruit...maybe just not the best harvest without him. No! WE can bear NO FRUIT AT ALL! Nothing without Him!

Well, then, how can we remain in Him? Honestly, sometimes I feel so close to Him, and at other times, I feel farther away, and trying to creep back slowly. But I know and trust that He is still there with me even when I am staggering along, and He is pruning away at my branches. I say to Him, keep pruning! Prune away as if I'm a Bonzai tree! :-) And by the way, I think the answer to my question about how to remain in Him can be found later on in verse 12...."My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

Paul is a friend from Northern Ireland, and he hosts us every Tuesday night. He works in the coffee sector, for Technoserve, and last week at Bible Study, he taught us how to prune a coffee tree. :-) So I learned that there's two ways to prune a coffee tree. One is you have to cut the tiny little branches that grow all over the place that get in the way when there's too many of them. (just like in our life when we get too busy and have way too many distractions that clutter our life and take us away from what is really important!)

And the second way to prune the coffee tree is when there's a really BIG, healthy branch that grows out, and it looks VERY fruitful and the farmers all look at it and all they see is money, money, money!...But what they don't realize is that because it's so big, not enough LIGHT is getting into the inside of the coffee tree. Even though the branch itself is super healthy! So therefore, the coffee tree is really not doing so well afterall....and because not enough light can enter in, then the darkness is a great breeding ground for the bugs to enter in and eat the tree. (darkness=sin, Satan, garbage, whatever.) So that's why you have to prune the big, healthy branches, so that in the future, the coffee tree can end up doing well and bearing much fruit (coffee.)

It really spoke to me that even the big, healthy branches can end up harming the tree later on, if not properly pruned. The branch will just engulf the tree, and kind of take it over, and no light will ever enter in. In thinking about this chapter, I thought about the "pruning" that has taken place in my life and the reasons why. Pruning sure does hurt at the time, and you get mad, but then later on, you realize what it was all about! Or maybe you haven't realized yet....but you still know and have faith in the One who's doing the pruning, and you know His pruning is preparing you to bear much luscious fruit down the road!

So I say, bring on the shears and prune away! Even cut some of the bigger branches, Lord, if you need too, so the LIGHT can enter in!

My first Christmas card!

I got a Christmas card yesterday!.....

from Christmas 2009! Ha! :-)

Honest!

Here's what it looked like when Mrs. Dennis gave it to me. (she collects our mail.)

It looked like someone had spilled coffee all over it, and those tiny black dots all over the place are mold! Can you believe it!? When I opened it up, there was a nice card from my friend, Tracy, in Minnesota. Inside the card, there were more bigger black mold spores! I just laughed when I saw that she sent the card December 28, 2009!! There was also a really nice picture of her family, and it was still intact, with no mold growing on it!

It really made my day to get this card! Of course, the Rwandan post office had written on my letter in French that it had reached them already wet. Yeah, I don't believe it! Ha! But I think it's hilarious that it's been hanging out MIA at the crazy post office, and now that it's almost NEXT Christmas, they thought it would be ok to deliver it to me now. :-)

I've heard stories of things taking this long to arrive, but this is a new record for me! Until this 11 month card, my record was a box that took 3 months. This definitely takes the cake.

Thank you, Tracy, for your lovely Christmas card! Merry Christmas ya'll!

Delicacy

This announcement appeared in the KigaliLife newsletter today. It is legit. They eat these things! My curiosity wants me to pay the $4.50 for a packet of this scrumptious delicacy, but I think I'll pass. I can buy a whole lot with $4.50, ya know.

Hello,



Its the rainy season and indeed that time of year for the one and only delicacy that is: Nsenene! [Grasshoppers]. Already prepared, packed & yummy, yummy, yummy!! Ready for your immediate consumption at only 3000 rwf a packet.

Please call 0758888806

No thanks.

Intore Dancing

I forgot to blog about the Intore Dancers last month! We were treated to a wonderful Rwandan "Ballet" last month at an icecream social at the preacher's house. This was the third time I had seen the Intore Dancers performing, and it was by far, the best performance. It's such a neat cultural experience to see. Intore dancing is really an art form in Rwanda, and was started many centuries ago by the kings. But they perform it like a play, and there are 3 main parts to it. The Ballet (songs), the Intore (dance of the heroes), and the Ingoma (drums.)

The Dance of the Heroes is performed by men wearing grass wigs and carrying spears. This is supposed to depict warriors returning from battle and celebrating their victory. They move their arms from side to side, and make warrior cries. The warrior cries are individual to each dancer and represent how many they have "killed" in battle. Both the men and ladies wear bells on their feet, which creates a great rhythm. Their "battles" turn into a great artistic display of dancing, and jumping and drumming. The guys train so they can jump many meters off the ground! So neat to see! The ladies look so graceful and elegant, as they support their "warriors." Watching these Intore dancers was such a privilege!

Small world

At our big Thanksgiving feast, I noticed a new, but familiar mzungu face. After I got a closer look, I realized it was a fellow Merriewoode girl! Can you believe it!? Libby was a camper, about 13, when I first started as a counselor back in '01. Then she eventually became a counselor too. She's an Alabama girl, and just graduated from UVA and is here in Rwanda for 3 months volunteering. We laughed at the odds of us meeting up in Rwanda, of all places, and we had a good time talking "camp." And of course we definitely got a picture so we could make the Merriewoode newsletter. :-) Such a small world!

Great is His Faithfulness!

"Great is Thy faithfulness," O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

"Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!"
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
"Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Give Thanks

I think I even like Thanksgiving better than Christmas! It has more of a "togetherness" feel for me, and not too much hustle and bustle that often surrounds Christmastime. And fall is just my favorite season...I love the sounds, sights, smells, weather. I miss watching American football too. There's plenty of football here, just not the American kind. This is going to be quick, because I have to hurry home and bake an apple pie and make deviled eggs! But I wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, and let you know I'm very thankful for your thoughts and prayers and your generosity in so many ways. I have so much to be thankful for this year! I am truly blessed!

I miss spending this holiday at home, with family and friends, and fun times. But we're celebrating here too! I'm headin' over to a friends house tonight, where 40 of us are gathering and enjoying a huge feast of foods from all over! To say I'm excited is an understatement. James has had 3 LIVE turkeys running around his compound all week. Ha! Not live anymore. My friend, Jennifer helped me make my very first apple pie from scratch last night. I never realized how time-consuming pies are! But lots of fun to make. We actually had school today, but just for a half day. My kids learned about William Bradford, the Pilgrims, the Mayflower, and Squanto. We planted corn and squash in our garden this week and wrote thank you letters to Jesus. We made thankful turkeys, and multiplied and divided with corn. And my kids LOVED learning to sing "Over the River and Through the Woods" and "Albuquerque Turkey" (to the tune of Clementine!) It was neat to share holiday traditions and history with my students from all over the world. (We also celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving, back in October, by the way! :-)

As I get excited about celebrating this holiday of thanksgiving, I can just look around me, as we all can, and see others that are not as blessed as we are. And we can see MANY reasons to give thanks, and many opportunities to give to others. Let's give thanks to God, our Creator today! Thank Him for ALL things. Thank Him for the clean water that runs out of your sink today that you can drink. Thank Him for your car today. Thank Him for your grocery stores. Thank Him for your health. If you're sick, STILL thank Him...thank Him for giving you the time to rest and be in His presence. Thank Him for medecine, and the money to buy it. Thank him for hot water that comes out of you shower. Thank him for supplying ALL of your needs! Even the ones you aren't even sure about right now! Let's thank Him for ALL things today! Have an attitutde of gratitude! :-)

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever!

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart.
I will enter His courts with praise.
I will say this is the day that the Lord has made.
I will rejoice for He has made me glad!

Happy Thanksgiving ya'll!

Update on Kelly

Thanks for your prayers for my roommate, Kelly. She is still resting at home now, and finally has a healthy appetite back. She is still weak, and needs to gain A LOT of strength back before she can go back to being our enthusiastic P.E. teacher. But she is on her way! She goes back to the hospital on Thursday to get tests done on her liver to check her liver enzymes. So we're hoping for a good report. The jaundice is gone, and her cheeks are looking rosy again, so we don't refer to her as "Yellow Kelly" anymore! :-) Thanks for your prayers ya'll!

Prayer Request for Kelly

Thank you for your prayers! I finished my malaria meds last night, I'm back at school today, and I feel good. I sang "Fishers of Men" with my kids, led basketball practice, and just got back from Bible Study. I am just believing that the Coartem killed all the malaria, and it's now totally eradicated. Believe with me! I know that it can be pesky and come back, so I'm being cautious, and I'll take another blood test soon to make sure. But I am believing!

Now, I still need your prayers for my roommate and dear friend, Kelly. Kelly is from South Carolina and teaches P.E. here at KICS. She also contracted malaria....(we think we may have gotten it on our trip to Uganda?) Kelly became ill a few days after me, and because she initially thought it was a flu virus, she had malaria in her bloodstream for 3 days without taking any medication. Yesterday, just as I was feeling much better, Kelly took a turn for the worse and developed jaundice in a bad way, which means her liver is not functioning properly and cleaning her blood due to the malaria. She was taking the same meds as I was, and they usually kill the malaria 98% of the time, but not this time.

So now Kelly is resting at the Seventh Day Adventist medical hospital, and she is in good hands. They have her on a quinine I.V., and are giving her vitamins and glucose too. The doctor there is Dr. Tommy, from the Philippines, and he was an internist in California for many years, before coming to Rwanda in 2008. He has run many tests, and did an ultrasound on Kelly's liver today. She developed a bacterial infection yesterday as well. I just talked with her tonight, and she sounded the best she's sounded in a week. But she still has no appetite. Please pray with me that Kelly can get some rest tonight, and she can begin to eat again, and her body can fight this disease. We miss her, the students miss her, and I know she misses being with us and being healthy. If you will just pray with me that she can be comforted...because it's hard being sick so far away from home. We all know and believe in God's power to heal, and I know there is certainly power in the prayers of believers. Pray with me...  

The big, scary "M" word

Malaria. Yep, I've got it. Its humorous now looking at my last post on Tuesday when I thought everything was just dandy...I had only maybe eaten something a little odd....but with a nice long nap, I thought I would be fine. Huh uh. It's like right after I hit "send" on that blog, it went downhill from there.

Malaria, I've learned, is a cyclical illness....meaning it fools the heck out of you. Just when you think you're on the brink of getting better, all those evil symptoms reappear. I started on malaria meds Tuesday night after fever and aches and chills led me to believe that's what it was. But after taking two rounds of the pills, I stopped because we (principal, doctor parent, myself) thought it was just a crummy flu bug that lasted 3 days. That's where I went wrong. Shouldn't have stopped. Because I've also learned that when you're taking the meds, but stop them too soon, the malaria that's still left in your blood just multiplies and comes back worse. Which it did. After staying out of school Tuesday-Thursday, I felt strong and came back on Friday. But I stopped the malaria meds on Wednesday. Not good. So when I felt so strong on Friday, I thought I was good to go! I was back! Nope. So last night when the symptoms ALL came back, with the fever, and the crazy dizziness where the room feels like it's elevating in front of you...and when you look at someone, they have 4 heads...that's when I knew something was up!

So I finally took the blood test to verify, and yup....it's Malaria, plasmodium falciparum, is the scientific name. Apparently, that pf strain is not a good strain to have, out of the 4 types. But I'm back on Coartem now, and taking ALL of them this time. I'm very fortunate I have doctors here, and super cheap meds. When I was bored out of my mind the other day, lying on my bed, I thought about how expensive it is to be sick in America. You have to pay to go to a doctor just to get a consultation, then you have to come back for blood work, then come back a THIRD time to get your results, THEN pay for your prescription meds. It's crazy. That's one advantage of being here. I have great missionary doctors, and you can get prescription meds without even seeing a doctor...and the whole box put me back about $11, instead of over $100 in the States. (Of course, if I were in the States, I probably wouldn't have malaria right now. So I reckon it about evens out.)

But honestly, it's not that scary of a word once you realize what it is, and you have the treatment. But for so many here...sadly, that's not the case. While I am estatic that I can have treatment for just $11.....there are many who don't have near that amount, and if they had a fraction of it, it would be spent on food or water. Even though Rwanda is developing and I've seen improvement in education, health, industry sectors even since I've been here....there are still around 90% of Rwandans who live on $1 or less a day. So coming up with $11 is not an easy thing.

I am thankful for my health today. I am thankful that I have $11. I am thankful that I have a warm bed to sleep in and get well. Reading on CNN just now about the many dying in Haiti of cholera, it makes me feel so helpless. I wanna just get up and go to there! Haiti has suffered so much this last year with the earthquake, aftershocks, typhoon, and now cholera. Please, let's keep praying for that country, and seeing what we can do. And pray for all those around our world who don't have access to basic needs like clean drinking water and food to eat...and the $11 for malaria treatment. Be thankful today! And I thank YOU for your prayers! :-) Love you all.

Sick Day

I bit the bullet today and came home to rest. It was a wonderful decision. I'm ok..just think I ate some real funky food last night that didn't agree in a big way, so I pretty much had a sleepless night. Still went to school, but at Chai break, (yes, we have a "break" for that!) I decided I was crazy to stay and try to give energy to my kids when I felt like passing out! My principal is wonderful. He covered my class for over an hour until he found a parent to come in and help out. And before that, he walked me home and carried all my books. Not cause I couldnt' do it myself...just cause he's that much of a great guy...perfect Southern gentleman...except he's from New Zealand/England/NY. :-) I slept for 4 hours, and now I'm on the mend, but still trying to find something that agrees with my stomach. Days like today are when I really miss little things about home. Cheerios, air conditioned (or just the cool, fall weather), TV to cure my boredom. I never miss TV, except on a day like today when I'm even too tired to read. But I decided to get out and get some air and try to find some crackers, so I'm sitting at the coffee shop now and taking advantage of the Internet.

Even though I've felt less than stellar, today was a really good day. It's so neat how just when you need that pick-me-up for whatever reason, God has a way of sending a blessing. During Chai break today, when I was feeling so crummy, and getting ready to leave....one of my students from last year, Gwyn, from the Philippines, knocked on my door and came in with a big grin on his face. He had made me a card last night, for no reason in particular, and he wanted to read it to me. It was a green card, with a red, beaded star on the front. He opened it and read,

 "Dear Miss Griggs, I want to thank you for being my teacher and my friend. Last year, you taught me so much about the Bible and about God and who he is. Now, I really believe in God and I know more about him because of you. I am thankful that God has brought you to my life and my family's life. Thank you for teaching me everything! God Bless you. Then, at the bottom, he drew a picture of me teaching the class, and saying, "God is good, all the time....all the time, God is good."

Of course by the end, I had tears in my eyes, and I gave him a great, big hug.

We really do serve a God who knows all of our needs, big and small, and wants to bless us abundantly! May you know and experience Him today and all of His blessings promised for you.

Just breathe

This week, in Bible, we learned that God is omnipresent. Big word for 4th graders! But they understood. One of my students...Azarias, from Ethiopia, became so excited at the concept that God is all around us. It was precious how he described it to our class...

"Miss Griggs, God is like the air we breathe! We always need air to breathe, and we are always breathing in new oxygen. We can just breathe in God like that, anytime we want to! And sometimes, we just breathe Him in, even when we don't realize it and we don't even know it! We can breathe Him in all the time, and I think God would like that, don't you? I think that's what He wants us to do."

I think Azarias is right. :-) Children really amaze me. How they can just grasp a huge concept, and make it real to all of us. Azarias is the first Christian in his family, and he's learning more about the love of God every day at KICS. When I hear him pray, I get goosebumps. This kid is going to be doing great things for the kingdom someday. Actually, he has already started working, even at 10 years old. I can see the Lord working through this young child to reach others, even his own family. If only we could all receive the kingdom of God with such a childlike faith as Azarias!

If you're feeling overwhelmed today, or frustrated, or tired, or weary....just breathe Him in! He's the air we breathe. Take a deep breath, and let His Spirit enter in!

Goodnight ya'll!

Fall Festival Fun

Today, KICS had its 2nd annual Fall Festival. (I still find it odd calling this season "fall" here...seeing as how it is still 90 degrees in the daytime, and it stays about that year-round. But since the rains have started, it does cool things off at night, so I guess we can call it fall.) The festival was great fun again this year, and an excellent opportunity for outreach into our community. There were families from all over Kigali, all different ethnicities, religions, backgrounds...coming together to enjoy food and snacks and games and costumes from all over the world. It's a beautiful sight seeing a sea of different smiling faces. :-)

Last year, many families who came to our festival, also came to CCR church for the first time. I love the partnership that my school and church have. Many of our board members and leaders at KICS, are also leaders at church, and in the community as well. We hold chapel at the church, PTO meetings, and student assemblies. And "Sunday School" and youth group meets at the school each week. Last night, was "Reggae Night" for the youth at church/school. Only in Africa! :-) I loved walking home last night, and hearing Bob Marley's song being played and drummed as, "No Jesus, no life" instead of "No woman, no cry." :-) Everyone was dressed in black, yellow, red, and green, and sporting their very best dreads. :-) Love it! Reggae music has such a history here, and the youth really resonate with it. I remember hearing it every night as I walked in the village outside of Mombasa. There's something alive about it! The night becomes alive, and the people become united when they hear Marley. Hearing that song last night reminded me of sitting around the bonfire in 2006 at the Benedictine Monastery in Limuru, singing that song with a bunch of Kenyan monks. A memory I will never forget!  Anyway, sorry for rambling....I find the partnership between the schools and churches to be unique here, but in Rwanda, it's not uncommon to have churches and schools who partner with each other. Even government schools that are not at all affiliated with any religion.

I munched on sambusas, pizza rolls, falafels, and shawarmas today, and listened to our kids sing and dance different music from Ireland, India, Tennessee and Bolivia. My students painted pumpkins as their favorite book characters for decorations. They turned out great! Even though we had a huge downpour right as the festival began, and some of the paint washed away, they still looked amazing and I was proud! They wrote character reports to go along with their pumpkins. All in all, it was a great day!

 The Grinch, Horton, and The Cat in the Hat!

Harry Potter, and a hedgehog

 Beautiful ladies!

 Marijke, the pirate

Eyoviel and Azarias

With Joshua, one of my favorite students from last year

Book Review

I read this awesome "story" last weekend, while weaving down and around the bumpy Ugandan roads, and sitting by the shores of Lake Bunyonyi. It was recommended to me by my roommate Kelly, and now I am recommending it to you!

In "A New Kind of Christian," McLaren composes a fictional faith story from many conversations and dialogue between a pastor and his daughter's highschool soccer coach. In writing about these two men's journeys of faith, McLaren raises some great questions for the Church, and all believers today. In this fable, faith becomes a way of life for this pastor, not just a system of beliefs. Conversations become much more important than conversions.

Truth becomes more than just factual accuracy. Truth is contextual. Truth means being in sync with God. Knowing Jesus and loving Him. Not just knowing all the facts. He stresses that reading the Bible should be like a romance...we should allow the Bible to speak to us..it is Living and sharper than a double-edged sword! We should not read it the same each and every time.

I love this quote..."If Christians would take all the energy we put into proving that we're right and others are wrong, and invested that energy in pursuing and doing good, somehow I think that more people would believe we are right."

He makes a point of saying that spreading the gospel "should not be likened to a conquest, or a coercive rational argument, or an emotionally intimidating sales pitch, or an agressive debating contest where we hope to "win", or an imposing crusade..." Amen!

It should be more like a dance! In a dance, no one wins or loses. If both parties agree to dance with one another....you are both listening to the music, and trying to move with it. Asking the other person to dance to "God's dance" can be fun!

Instead of looking at the world with our "Christian goggles" on and saying, Hey, we're right, and you're wrong, so follow us." McLaren offers a better approach: "Here's what I've found. Here's what I've discovered. Here's what I've experienced. Here's what makes sense to me. I'll be glad to share it with you, if you're interested."

Throughout this fable, McLaren also asks some important questions of the Church and our role in missions.

"The church doesn't exist to satisfy the consumer demands of believers; the church exists to equip and mobilize men and women for God's mission in the world."

And what is His mission? I believe it is to go and make disciples of all nations. To love the Lord. To love one another as he has loved us. To be poured out as a living sacrifice. To go and be. To serve and do. To use our hands, our eyes, our feet for Him. To go everywhere and preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words. (St. Francis)

I give this book a grade of an A!

Birthday box

I ate Wheat Thins and orange slices today, thanks to Cindy!...and a whole box of Rasinets, thanks to Mom! My body was SHAKING with all the unwelcome sugar that I fed it, but it tasted great! Packages from home are fun, no matter how old you get. My sweet momma said this was my birthday box, and even included a birthday card. She wrote a sweet note saying that since last year, one box took up to 3 months to arrive, she wanted to be sure that this box arrived before my birthday. So I "celebrated" my birthday with Rasinets today, even though my real birthday is still 2 months away! :) Thanks Mom and Cindy! The treats came at just the right time, when I needed a pick-me-up. Love you!

Lake Bunyonyi

Lake Bunyonyi, in Uganda, has become my favorite "escape to" place in Africa. It's just across the border near Kabale, and less than 3 hours from Kigali. This is my second trip there, (I discovered the place in January), and it will certainly not be my last! If it weren't for the Ugandan visa and the hassle in crossing the border, I'd probably be there once a month. Lake Bunyonyi means "the place of many little birds," and it's surrounded by 29 islands, all unique in their own way. I've stayed on two islands, Itambira and Bushara, and the only way there is by dugout canoe. There's no running water or electricity and everything is solar generated. I love it! We had a short "fall break," (I guess I can call it that even though there's no fall season here!) We had Friday and Monday off school, so I decided to get out of the city. Every now and then I need to be surrounded by creation; and see things that God has carved out with His hands, and man hasn't intervened in them yet. I spent a great weekend swimming in the hippo-free, croc-free, blizharia-free lake! (a rarity here!) The lake is 900 meteres deep, making it the second largest in Africa. It has a HUGE otter population. The food was amazing, cheap, I slept in a tent and geodome, had time to journal, pray and write, and just THINK! My spirit feels refreshed for sure. I'm thankful for a place like this where I can experience peace in nature. It's my Merriewoode of Africa, and I love it!

This is the only pic from January's trip. All the rest are from this weekend. I realized that I didn't post a pic of "Punishment Island." This island, with only one tiny tree, is where the Bakiga people used to leave unmarried pregnant girls. They would paddle them out to this tiny place and leave them to die of hunger or die while trying to swim to the mainland (swimming skills were rare). This practice was to educate the rest of the girls, to show them not to do the same. The only way the woman could escape the island is if a poor man without enough cows to pay the bridewealth went and picked her up to become his wife. Can you believe it!?! This practice got abandoned around 1950, but there are still women living on other islands who were picked from Punishment Island. We met one in January! 

The only mode of transportation. I loved seeing the colorful Kayevu Market where everyone arrived in canoes!

We stayed in this awesome geodome at Byoona Amagara Saturday and Sunday night. It was open so we could lie in bed at have an incredible view of the lake. Byoona Amagara is a not-for-profit place that is dedicated to supporting education and sustainable community development at Lake Bunyonyi. 100% of their proceeds support local programs in sustainable agriculture, indigenous forestry, education and literacy, cross-cultural exchange, and even the development of a new "library" on the island. In January we stayed in a tiny log cabin that I loved as well, but I think I prefer the view in the geodomes. Even though the lizards, frogs, and other critters can enter in, the view is totally worth it!  

I woke up to this!

We rented these dugout canoes for $1 a day, and paddled all over the place.

Enjoying one of the simple things in life....:-)

Our "bathroom"

If you wanted a shower, you ordered it ahead of time, and a man would boil some water over coals for you, and carry it to your tent in a container on his head, and then climb the ladder and pour it in the bucket for you. I just swam in the lake everyday and counted that as my shower. (just like camp days!)

One afternoon we attempted to swim to this far island, called "Sharp's Island." After realizing a storm was brewing, we swam back to the dock. This island is better known as "Leper's Island," because until the 1980's it was a colony of people who suffered from leprosy. In 1931, a missionary named Dr. Sharp established the colony. The rationale behind the "voluntary segregation" was to create a happy community for leprosy sufferers to live in, so more would be attracted to the island, thus removing them from communities where they could infect others. Now, the old hospital is now a boarding school from kids who live on the islands.

We stayed in this tent on Bushara Island Friday night, and then paddled over to Byoona Amagara on Saturday. Bushara Camp is another place that devotes 100% of their profits to local communities, such as orphan-care projects, secondary schools, and agro-foresty. They make some amazing pizza and crayfish avocado here!

"tasty" termites

I'm "trapped" in my classroom right now with about 50 termites who have flown in through window cracks and the big gap under my door! It's rainy season, and today the really hard, long rains have come! Unfortunately, in Africa, this means the termites have arrived as well! The weather can be so odd here during rainy season. At noon today, it was sunny and in the 90's! At 4pm, it was rainy, windy, and in the 50's! The coldest day yet since I've been back! I've actually got a coat on, and my bony little fingers are having a hard time staying warm! But I like it! It reminds me of October weather at home right now (which I really miss). It actually feels like a fall-day here! Makes me happy! And to top it off, my housegirl bought some pumpkins at the market today for us. They aren't near as beautiful or tasty as the pumpkins back home, but they are orange and they at least resemble a pumpkin! Fall is my favorite season...I miss seeing the leaves change colors. Right now, I'll have to make-do with the fake fall bouquet from Ben Franklin that Keith sent to me last year when I was missing the autumn leaves. Now, if only I had some candy corn, and Momma's homemade vegetable soup, this would be a perfect night! And a fire would be nice too! But I'm stuck in my classroom until the rains stop (I may be here a while), fighting these little monsters. I've already killed 36, and their wings are all over the place. It's a pretty hilarious sight right now. I just wish they would stop making that buzzing noise when they fly past my face. Oh! One just landed on my computer. You know the kids in the village here eat termites! They just grab them from the air and gobble them up...tasty protein! In Kenya, they were a delicacy...the kids LOVED rainy season because of the free termite treats! I never ate one "raw," but I did eat a cooked one! It wasn't half-bad either. A little crunchy though. But right now, I don't wanna eat them...just wanna kill them! I'm determined to not let these critters ruin my African autumn night. I'm gonna go look at my Ben Franklin fall bouquet and dream of candy-corns while I grade papers. Goodnight!

Let's dance!

This past week has been one of the best weeks I've had since being back. My students were awesome this week, and we had A LOT to be jubilant about. We have been fervently praying for the 33 miners in Chile by name since the very first day of school, so as you can imagine, to hear that all 33 had been safely rescued, was music to our ears and our hearts. We started following the news on my computer on Wednesday, and each time a miner was pulled up to the surface, my kids just rejoiced and praised and danced like they were having a party. Then, one of my students, Monia, suggested that we sing "Rejoice in the Lord," each time one was rescued. What a wonderful idea! So on Wednesday, each time there was news of another miner rescued, we stopped what we were doing and broke out into spontaneous singing and dancing! Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice! Rejoice, Rejoice, and again I say rejoice! We celebrated each rescue that day, and we calculated when all the miners would be out, based on the fact that they were rescuing one miner every hour. We estimated that all would be free by Thursday at 2pm, but we have learned that God doesn't work in a human timeframe; He is much bigger and greater than that! What humans say is impossibe, God makes possible. I think this has been the biggest lesson my kids and I have learned throughout this incident.

So when we all arrived at school Thursday morning, to find that all 33 miners had already been safely pulled to the surface, we were ELATED! Many parents said that their kids had stayed up during the night and prayed for them, or woke up super early to find out how many were still left underground so they could pray for them by name. Their response to this event was such a testimony to me. When we first started praying, the news media estimated the miners wouldn't be out until Christmas. But my kids were adamant that we continue praying, and be specific about our prayers, and ask God that they be rescued sooner. Back in August, instead of being freed at Christmas, my students prayed to God that they would be freed before November! At first, I thought to myself that they were asking a WHOLE LOT of God, to pray each day that they be freed 2 months earlier than estimated! It sounded impossible, and totally contradictory to what the media was reporting. But sure enough, our prayers were answered. Each time there was a story reporting that the miners could be released earlier, my kids danced and rejoiced! They would say, "You see, Miss Griggs, God hears our prayers! We have faith and He is listening to us!" What began as a rescue date of near-Christmas, turned into sometime in November, then October! And mid-October at that! What a mighty God we serve!

"You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?" Good question! Why do we as humans doubt when we pray?? When we obviously know how great God is and mighty, and how He can move mountains and perform miracles! Why doubt? I have to admit that I am guilty of doubting. I teach to others about having faith, and then when I pray, often times, I pray, not really believeing that God can answer my prayers. Sometimes, I think my prayers are almost laughable! Do you ever feel this way? I'll pray for a person continuously, but not really BELIEVE in my heart that God can move in this person's life. Anyway, this week's events with the miners, and seeing my children's response to this event was a wonderful lesson for me about faith. He wants us to ask and come believing! "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you." ~Luke 17:6. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." ~Hebrews 11:1.

Back to dancing! Watching my kids rejoice and praise God each time a miner was rescued was AWESOME! Sofia, from Bolivia, made a huge Chilean flag that we had posted on our wall for the last 2 months, and she made a minature flag for each student. Sofia prayed for the lone Bolivian miner every day by name. It was so fun waving the flag back and forth and dancing and shouting praises when they were rescued. A wonderful day that I will never forget!

While I was watching them dance and sing praises so unashamedly, and not care who was watching them, but just having a big ol' time....I thought of David as he was writing the Psalms. David was just a simple shepherd boy, but he poured out his heart to God in a mighty way, singing and dancing to the skies, in the darkness of the night. No one was watching but God. I can just picture David with a wild, crazy, happy gleam in his eye as he looked up to the stars and just danced for his Lord. David danced all his life. Later on, he would take off his royal robes and shamelessly dance for joy. Michal despises David at one point and mocks him for being a buffoon. (2 Samuel 6:16-20), but David kept right on dancing. He was a simple, unashamed worshipper who delighted in God's presence more than anything in the whole wide world. That's the kind of crazy, unabandoned spirit I saw in my kids this week. They were dancing and didn't care a lick who saw them, or what they looked like. Being in God's presence is the BEST place to be...you don't care about anything else!

Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" We are created to worship Him. Soak Him up each and every day! Not care who is watching. I know that at the center of heaven, there is a God who delights in glorious dancing, and someday we will join Him, circle around Him, and dance with dizzying delight and laughter. But until then...may we dance for Him here on earth! Like David, and my precious 4th graders, may we all dance with abandon and be filled with an overwhelming joy for our Savior!

"Dance then, wherever you may be,


I am the Lord of the dance," said he,

"And I'll lead you all wherever you may be,

And I'll lead you all in the dance," said he.

Inzozi Nziza

Inzozi Nziza translates to "Sweet Dreams", and is Rwanda’s first ever local ice cream shop located in Butare (Huye). Try saying that three times fast! Inzozi Nziza, Inzozi Nziza, Inzozi zzzzzzz....! :-) We stopped here on the way back from the King's palace and museum. This one-of-a-kind icecream shop is a first for Rwanda, and there's a really great story behind it that I want to share with you. You all know how I love icecream, and it's also something near and dear to my family's heart (and stomachs!) Even though it's not Dairy Queen, it was pretty darn delicious! 

Blue Marble Dreams is an icecream shop in Brooklyn, New York, that has used the power of icecream and entrepreneurship to bring happiness and prosperity to people all around the world. 

Can ice cream really do all that?

It all started when Blue Marble’s founders, Jennie and Alexis, met a Rwandan, Odile Gakire Katese (better known as Kiki), at the Sundance Institute. Hearing about their work, Kiki approached Jennie and Alexis with an idea. She explained that while conventional development initiatives are vital to Rwanda’s physical wellbeing, there remains a need for efforts that boost the spirit of its people. Just as much as they need nutritious food and clean water, Kiki asserted, Rwandans need fun, joy, pleasure and laughter, as these are the ingredients of a life truly lived. And what better way to meet this need than through the sweet, symbolic magic of ice cream?

In her own words, this is why Kiki believes in Blue Marble:

“Because we struggle most of the time, we also find ourselves aggressive against happiness, love, joy, life. When we have children, we teach them that happiness doesn’t exist, that there is no pure love and, as legacy, we give them our despair, our debts, our doubts, our tears, our failures. Rwandan women … want to reshape life in its simple and sweetest form. We want to share moments that are not embossed by despair and death… We want to create a space where poverty, disease, illiteracy… are not obstacles to happiness and barriers between human beings… We have to, for the sake of the health of our soul. The ice cream will have the power to reconcile people with life by providing privileged moments when life reminds them that it is also sweet.”

That was Kiki, Jennie and Alexis's dream, and now it’s a reality! Inzozi Nziza, a non-profit venture, opened in June of this year, and is an amazing little place! All the women workers are part shareholders of the shop, and they are also the only all-women drumming corp in Rwanda. I wish we could have seen them perform....maybe another time. Inozi Nziza also supports other women in the community by training them in English, hospitality, and computing. The menu is diverse and affordable. You can enjoy passion, mango, strawberry and coffee icecream, and chocolate on most days. They also offer freshly baked bagels, sambusas, cookies, granola, and even fruit salad. They use fresh milk delivered straight from the local farmers to make their icecream. And they roast Rwandan coffee at their shop as well. Check out their menu below. And a couple other pictures from their website...

Great menu!

Delicious coffee icecream with granola on top

Teta, a happy worker!



Leontine's famous sambusas

To learn more about this venture, and Blue Marble in general, you can visit:

http://www.bluemarbledreams.org/

http://www.bluemarbleicecream.com/