A community building their own coffee washing station
Women farmers picking out the bad "cherries."
Talking to the farmers and listening to their needs
Washing the "cherries."
Laying the coffee out to dry
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Coffee
I had the privilege this week of traveling across some of the most beautiful countryside in Rwanda, and learning about how coffee is grown, cultivated, cleaned and produced here. It was fascinating to see how the coffee we drink at Starbucks begins here in Rwanda as a cherry on a tree. From there, it grows, it is picked, washed, washed again and again, soaked, dried, picked open...and the process continues....Finally it reaches Kigali from the farms, and is packaged and shipped in containers to the U.S. and other places around the world. I have a friend who manages Rwanda Trading Company, and was nice enough to take me into the field and show me the ins and outs of the coffee business. The neatest thing to see was how much the community is involved at each washing station and on the farms. The community co-op raises the money to buy the land, and the materials to build the station. It takes the whole community to support a project like that. But they will reap the benefits together as well. RTC is new on the coffee scene in Rwanda, and they have already changed the way business is done, beginning with cutting out the middle men, and increasing the earnings of the farmers. I was blessed to meet these farmers who were so hard working and humble. To see the caring relationship that these company managers had with the farmers was a blessing. It's a new thing for them....to have people high up on the ladder come to the field and hear their needs. I'm proud of my friend, and all those working for RTC. The coffee is about ready for harvest....and soon, it will be at your local Starbucks!
A community building their own coffee washing station
Women farmers picking out the bad "cherries."
Talking to the farmers and listening to their needs
Washing the "cherries."
A community building their own coffee washing station
Women farmers picking out the bad "cherries."
Talking to the farmers and listening to their needs
Washing the "cherries."
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Trees
This is how they cut down trees in Rwanda...no axes, no chainsaws....only Mother nature!
Speaking of trees...on Friday, my kids wrote in their journals about trees. The topic was: "If you could be any kind of tree, and grow anywhere, what tree would you be, where would you grow, and what would your purpose be?"
They came up with some very beautiful, creative, and insightful responses. Some said they wanted to be the palm branches so they could praise Jesus and sing Hosanna this Sunday. One said she wanted to be an apple tree to provide luscious fruit to all God's children. One said he wanted to be the tallest tree ever so when people looked up at Him, they would be looking towards Heaven. One said he wanted to be chopped down and made into a boat that takes people out in the ocean so they can scuba dive and see the great and giant ocean that God created! One girl said she would be the cross that Jesus died on. Another said she would be a "fun" tree, where friends and lovers could have picnics underneath. They had fun with it, and I was blessed after reading all of them!
This journal made me stop and think about trees for a moment...and do a little research. Did you know that the Bible contains 525 references to trees or wood? More than any other type of living organism, except humans? There are 22 trees recognized in the Bible. (I won't name them all.) But it makes you think about what a wonderful symbol of life a tree is. I can sit and admire a tree's size, age, the beauty of it's branches, or the mystery of it's bareness. Trees have always impressed me, nature in general impresses me! I've seen some ancient, just remarkable old trees in Africa. Often times, the tree is the center of life for a village. The tree marks the spot where the Maasi trades his cattle, or takes a new wife. Where the women sit and weave here in Rwanda, and the baby lies patiently in the grass. Where the kids play with their "tire" car, and their mom sells bananas nearby. Baobab trees are my favorite. They are so exotic, and mystery, with their bizarre looking arms stretching out in all kinds of directions, and a huge trunk that you can live in! A tree can't get any cooler than that! Trees represent life...they give food, beauty, protection, and they are also used in many holy books to describe how we are to live.
"He is like a tree planted by a stream of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Psalms 1:3
"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree; they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon."
Psalms 92:12
I thought this verse in the Koran was interesting as well...
"Do you not see how God compares a good word to a good tree? Its root is firm and its branches are in the sky; it yields its fruit in every season by God’s leave. God speaks in parables to mankind so that they may take heed. But an evil word is like an evil tree torn out of the earth and shorn of all its roots."
Sura 14:24-25
I think about the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, the Ark, Noah's ark, the tree that allowed Zaccheus to see Jesus, the tree of life in paradise in Revelation. Trees were important in the Bible, and they still are now! As my kids were writing, I was trying to answer the question as well. What kind of tree would you be? What would your purpose be? Would you be a tree that just stood there, doing nothing, but allowed a old tax collector the chance to see the face of Jesus? Whatever tree we would be, let us be one that bears many fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Speaking of trees...on Friday, my kids wrote in their journals about trees. The topic was: "If you could be any kind of tree, and grow anywhere, what tree would you be, where would you grow, and what would your purpose be?"
They came up with some very beautiful, creative, and insightful responses. Some said they wanted to be the palm branches so they could praise Jesus and sing Hosanna this Sunday. One said she wanted to be an apple tree to provide luscious fruit to all God's children. One said he wanted to be the tallest tree ever so when people looked up at Him, they would be looking towards Heaven. One said he wanted to be chopped down and made into a boat that takes people out in the ocean so they can scuba dive and see the great and giant ocean that God created! One girl said she would be the cross that Jesus died on. Another said she would be a "fun" tree, where friends and lovers could have picnics underneath. They had fun with it, and I was blessed after reading all of them!
This journal made me stop and think about trees for a moment...and do a little research. Did you know that the Bible contains 525 references to trees or wood? More than any other type of living organism, except humans? There are 22 trees recognized in the Bible. (I won't name them all.) But it makes you think about what a wonderful symbol of life a tree is. I can sit and admire a tree's size, age, the beauty of it's branches, or the mystery of it's bareness. Trees have always impressed me, nature in general impresses me! I've seen some ancient, just remarkable old trees in Africa. Often times, the tree is the center of life for a village. The tree marks the spot where the Maasi trades his cattle, or takes a new wife. Where the women sit and weave here in Rwanda, and the baby lies patiently in the grass. Where the kids play with their "tire" car, and their mom sells bananas nearby. Baobab trees are my favorite. They are so exotic, and mystery, with their bizarre looking arms stretching out in all kinds of directions, and a huge trunk that you can live in! A tree can't get any cooler than that! Trees represent life...they give food, beauty, protection, and they are also used in many holy books to describe how we are to live.
"He is like a tree planted by a stream of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Psalms 1:3
"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree; they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon."
Psalms 92:12
I thought this verse in the Koran was interesting as well...
"Do you not see how God compares a good word to a good tree? Its root is firm and its branches are in the sky; it yields its fruit in every season by God’s leave. God speaks in parables to mankind so that they may take heed. But an evil word is like an evil tree torn out of the earth and shorn of all its roots."
Sura 14:24-25
I think about the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, the Ark, Noah's ark, the tree that allowed Zaccheus to see Jesus, the tree of life in paradise in Revelation. Trees were important in the Bible, and they still are now! As my kids were writing, I was trying to answer the question as well. What kind of tree would you be? What would your purpose be? Would you be a tree that just stood there, doing nothing, but allowed a old tax collector the chance to see the face of Jesus? Whatever tree we would be, let us be one that bears many fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Monday, March 22, 2010
I bummed this blog...
I bummed this quote from a friend's blog, and it has really spoken to me this weekend about friendships I've developed here and in the past, about relationships I've been in, about children I've lived with and worked with...
"If forming friendships with exploited people is important to us, we will be drawn into some complicated situations. We will probably get splashed with some of the ambiguity and uncertainty. Can we really be friends of war criminals and girls who abuse their unborn children? What does it mean—for us, for them, for mission?Ambiguities often cause us to pull away. The circumstances are too tainted, too unclear. We worry about becoming complicit in the evil, about facilitating the wrong or being personally corrupted. It’s not just these very dramatic circumstances that challenge us—anyone who has a family member or close friend who struggles with an addiction knows about some of these questions.We want to fix things and people. As Christians, we long to bring healing to broken circumstances and to be instruments of God’s reconciling and healing work. Americans tend to take that a step further and expect to be able to solve problems quickly, on our terms and with our tools. But that assumes a level of power and control that is sometimes unavailable and often inappropriate."—
“Friendship at the Margins: Discovering Mutuality in Service and Mission,” by Chris Heuertz and Christine Pohl (IVP, 2010): page 96
I've always desired to love those who are living on the "margins," the ones who are among the "least" of us. The ones others may say are unlovable. The broken. Or the people who I feel like I can "fix." These type of relationships have the ability to be very tricky, to say the least. Not to mention, we all are broken in so many ways. But I do feel a strong leading to live on the margins. To be available to all people. To be translucent and open, and not fearful of people and cirsumstances that are somehow different than how I was raised, or how I believe. But this is not always so simple...it's hard sometimes to trust, and hard not to place my desires for these people above what God desires for them. To surrender my efforts to fix something or change something, and instead realize that it's not by me, but only from the Holy Spirit that change can occur. Or love can flow. It's through the Holy Spirit, by God's grace. Not anything Emily can accomplish by befriending someone. But even though these relationships sometimes scare me, and sometimes I worry about what others may think, I know that I'm in the right place, and I pray to God that he continues to show me things and reveal things to me through these relationships and friendships. I need patience and strength and a deeper love than my own!
"If forming friendships with exploited people is important to us, we will be drawn into some complicated situations. We will probably get splashed with some of the ambiguity and uncertainty. Can we really be friends of war criminals and girls who abuse their unborn children? What does it mean—for us, for them, for mission?Ambiguities often cause us to pull away. The circumstances are too tainted, too unclear. We worry about becoming complicit in the evil, about facilitating the wrong or being personally corrupted. It’s not just these very dramatic circumstances that challenge us—anyone who has a family member or close friend who struggles with an addiction knows about some of these questions.We want to fix things and people. As Christians, we long to bring healing to broken circumstances and to be instruments of God’s reconciling and healing work. Americans tend to take that a step further and expect to be able to solve problems quickly, on our terms and with our tools. But that assumes a level of power and control that is sometimes unavailable and often inappropriate."—
“Friendship at the Margins: Discovering Mutuality in Service and Mission,” by Chris Heuertz and Christine Pohl (IVP, 2010): page 96
I've always desired to love those who are living on the "margins," the ones who are among the "least" of us. The ones others may say are unlovable. The broken. Or the people who I feel like I can "fix." These type of relationships have the ability to be very tricky, to say the least. Not to mention, we all are broken in so many ways. But I do feel a strong leading to live on the margins. To be available to all people. To be translucent and open, and not fearful of people and cirsumstances that are somehow different than how I was raised, or how I believe. But this is not always so simple...it's hard sometimes to trust, and hard not to place my desires for these people above what God desires for them. To surrender my efforts to fix something or change something, and instead realize that it's not by me, but only from the Holy Spirit that change can occur. Or love can flow. It's through the Holy Spirit, by God's grace. Not anything Emily can accomplish by befriending someone. But even though these relationships sometimes scare me, and sometimes I worry about what others may think, I know that I'm in the right place, and I pray to God that he continues to show me things and reveal things to me through these relationships and friendships. I need patience and strength and a deeper love than my own!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Buffalo
I was just reading in the guidebook about buffalo and how more people are killed by buffalo in Africa than by any other wild animal. The book says when you encounter a wild one, you're supposed to either throw a rock at them (not my first choice), or try the much safer retreat-steadily-without-taking-your-eyes-off-them-until-they're-gone approach. I wish I had read this before my camping overnight in Akagera Park on Saturday. Let me just tell you some things I learned from my camping trip.
#1. It's not a good idea to "go jogging" or even go for a nice stroll in a gamepark.
#2 When you see a buffalo 2 feet away from you, rise up in the grass and come towards you, it's not a good idea to curse and then run full speed in the other direction. They can run too.
#3 When you trip and fall after running from the buffalo, and all you have is a scraped up knee, elbow, and hands, you thank the good Lord, through your tears.
#4 When you're camping high up on a ridge in the wind, a fire is not an easy thing to start. (even if you're camping with an Eagle Scout.) So don't bring a good book with you, one that you would mind if the pages got torn out.
#5 When camping on the ridge, be prepared to eat only a tomato and a passion fruit for dinner, cause you will never get the fire started, even after pouring hand sanitizer on the wet wood.
#6 Don't waste your good hand sanitizer from the U.S. It's not worth it. Just eat the tomato.
#7Don't be alarmed when you wake up during the night because you hear the buffalo mating. It's natural.
#8 Don't be scared of the zebra that are at your tent in the morning. They are beautiful and harmless creatures. God definitely had a sense of humor when he created zebras!
#9 Giraffes don't like it when you try to run up and pet them. and....
#10 Don't miss the sunset, sunrise, or the stars. There's nothing like it in the open African sky.
I'll post a few pictures in a minute!
#1. It's not a good idea to "go jogging" or even go for a nice stroll in a gamepark.
#2 When you see a buffalo 2 feet away from you, rise up in the grass and come towards you, it's not a good idea to curse and then run full speed in the other direction. They can run too.
#3 When you trip and fall after running from the buffalo, and all you have is a scraped up knee, elbow, and hands, you thank the good Lord, through your tears.
#4 When you're camping high up on a ridge in the wind, a fire is not an easy thing to start. (even if you're camping with an Eagle Scout.) So don't bring a good book with you, one that you would mind if the pages got torn out.
#5 When camping on the ridge, be prepared to eat only a tomato and a passion fruit for dinner, cause you will never get the fire started, even after pouring hand sanitizer on the wet wood.
#6 Don't waste your good hand sanitizer from the U.S. It's not worth it. Just eat the tomato.
#7Don't be alarmed when you wake up during the night because you hear the buffalo mating. It's natural.
#8 Don't be scared of the zebra that are at your tent in the morning. They are beautiful and harmless creatures. God definitely had a sense of humor when he created zebras!
#9 Giraffes don't like it when you try to run up and pet them. and....
#10 Don't miss the sunset, sunrise, or the stars. There's nothing like it in the open African sky.
I'll post a few pictures in a minute!
Simply Hibi
I found a new love in Rwanda...hibiscus juice! Its amazing! And it's grown by local farmers here and in Uganda. 100% hibiscus juice. Tastes similar to cranberry juice, but richer. I never thought flowers would be so tasty. But I gotta bring some of this home! 
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Don't worry
Just heard some wisdom from Bob Marley echoing from the local market on my run......
"Don't worry 'bout a thing...cause every little thing is gonna be allright!"
Coupled with what Jesus tells us in Matthew, I think we'll be ok!
"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."
"Don't worry 'bout a thing...cause every little thing is gonna be allright!"
Coupled with what Jesus tells us in Matthew, I think we'll be ok!
"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."
Monday, March 15, 2010
Open my eyes and let me see
"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. ~Mark 10:51-52
Thank you Lord for opening our eyes to things we need to see every day. We come in faith, asking you to continue to open our eyes, and remove all the scales. We want to see you in everyone, every place, in all circumstances. We are calling out to you like Bartimaeus. Hear us Lord.
My kids are performing a play on this story Wednesday for chapel. It's really resonated with me this week. Bartimaeus was a beggar, he was needy. But he came believing! He came believing and his sight was restored. Verse 50 says that he literally jumped up to his feet and came over to Jesus. Lord, may we continue to jump to our feet when you call us, with as faithful and joyful a jump as Bartimaeus's.
I love this song by Brandon Heath...here's the chorus...
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Thank you Lord for opening our eyes to things we need to see every day. We come in faith, asking you to continue to open our eyes, and remove all the scales. We want to see you in everyone, every place, in all circumstances. We are calling out to you like Bartimaeus. Hear us Lord.
My kids are performing a play on this story Wednesday for chapel. It's really resonated with me this week. Bartimaeus was a beggar, he was needy. But he came believing! He came believing and his sight was restored. Verse 50 says that he literally jumped up to his feet and came over to Jesus. Lord, may we continue to jump to our feet when you call us, with as faithful and joyful a jump as Bartimaeus's.
I love this song by Brandon Heath...here's the chorus...
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Monday, March 8, 2010
a verse
"When a soul sets out to find God it does not know whither it will come and by what path it will be led; but those who catch the vision are ready to follow the Lamb wherever He goes, and it is as they follow, obedient to what they have seen, in this spirit of joyful adventure, that their path becomes clear before them, and they are given the power to fulfill their high calling. They are those who have the courage to break through conventionalities, who care not at all what the world thinks of them, because they are entirely taken up with the tremendous realities of the soul and God." ~Bishop Bardsley
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Aunt Ruth
Aunt Ruth is a very young, spunky, and fun 88 year old lady from Louisville, Kentucky who's been volunteering here at KICS since January. She helps tutor children, and works with two boys who have autism. She flew here by herself, and she leaves in April to go back to her beautiful horse farm in Kentucky. We will certainly miss her. Aunt Ruth first started taking mission trips to Africa 20 years ago after her husband passed away. In those 20 years, she has lived in Eritrea, Tanzania, Kenya, Zaire, Ethiopia, and now Rwanda. She's taught in an orphanage, lived in a mud hut, taken public transportation in Africa (this says A LOT!), and been kicked out of Zaire by the late dictator, Mobutu. All of that took place in the last 20 years! Aunt Ruth is an example of a life that is lived! And she's still living it. She's so full of life. We went to town the other day and I was tired trying to keep up with her, weaving in and out of traffic and the rows in the market! Talking with Aunt Ruth is something I adore and treasure. She has so many amazing stories to tell, and yet, is unbelieveably humble. She loves to give me relationship advice, among other things, and I gladly accept it! The way she talks about her husband is so endearing. He grew up in an orphanage, and lived there until he was 18. She thought she would never marry and find someone that could keep up with her. But when she met her husband, she fell in love with his humble heart and how incredibly smart he was! They married and were flat broke in the beginning, but God continued to bless them both, and he ended up being the VP of General Electric. They had 7 children who are today spread out all over the country, and they were blessed with 13 grandchildren too. When we were eating the other night, and she was talking about her late husband, she smiled and said that they always kept a framed copy of Rudyard Kipling's poem, "If" in their house. And then she recited the entire poem for me over dinner! I wanted to share it with you....great lessons there! Aunt Ruth has really been a blessing to me these past few months. I only can hope to live a life this rich and full! Her life is an adventure that only God could have written. She makes me think of the verse in Luke, "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!" (Aunt Ruth is camera-shy, but I'll post a picture of her before she leaves for sure, so you can see the fullness of joy in her face!)
"If" by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
"If" by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
I forgot to post...
The best picture of the whole trip!!...posted on the factory wall...in TWO languages...
And...a random picture of Orla and I with our masks. :-)
And...a random picture of Orla and I with our masks. :-)
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