Land of a Thousand Hills: Christmas Day!

Christmas Day was the best! We had another wonderful service at church, complete with Rwandan traditional dancers on a very cool rendition of O Come All Ye Faithful, and Little Drummer Boy. We also had a Christmas choir for the first time this year, with beautiful sashes made by the "41" girls (I'll tell you more about them later!) We had two beautiful baptisms after church! What a great day to be baptized!

After church, I enjoyed a nice brunch with some American teachers. They had a guest visiting from Texas, and she brought some REAL American bacon, and we had biscuits n' gravy, eggs, breakfast burritos, baked oatmeal, and ham biscuits! Delicious! Later, on my way down the hill, I visited with the soldiers who guard our neighborhood and shared some breakfast and treats with them, before we all got caught in a Christmas Day rain/hailstorm that soaked my African dress. :( No pictures of that! (or brunch, sorry!)

After brunch, I walked to Kagugu down the road, and feasted again with 125 Koreans who are serving all over Rwanda! The Lee family has Korean church services at their home each Sunday, and I have taught and tutored their son, Kang-Hee for 3 years now. They are a really special family, and I've learned a lot about Korea from them and enjoyed Mrs. Lee's cooking so much! Mr. Lee has answered soo many of my questions, especially about North Korean relations. (I'm fascinated!) After a wonderful Korean meal, (yes I ate again!), each Korean family/mission group performed a Christmas skit or song and dance for everyone! It was so neat taking part in this cultural experience. The oldest goes first, and they end with the children. It was all in Korean! I loved hearing favorite Christmas hymns sung in different languages. I think I sang Away in the Manger in four different languages this Christmas! How special! I took some videos of the children singing in Korean, and I'll post one when I figure out how to do that!

Then, I left there mid-afternoon and took a moto to Kinamba village, to visit my worker and dear friend, Beatrice, and her family. Beatrice's daughter, Karia, just had a successful surgery on her leg and is wearing corrective shoes now, in hopes that she will be able to walk very soon! She was in such good spirits and enjoyed the chocolate cupcakes so much! Beatrice got a new radio and some earrings for Christmas, and Karia some pretty pink dresses!

Finally, in the evening, I took a moto to the Nashes house. They are missionaries from Minnesota who taught at KICS last year, but now are with another organization. Jeana prepared a real honey baked ham, and it was glazed all over! Yum! And she had a special recipe for the cheese biscuits from Red Lobster, so that was a fun treat! They also invited my friend Jamies Boiles, who is working with 3 of the "41" girls, Passy, Amelie, and Diane. "41" girls are a special co-op that was formed from girls living in the Noel orphanage in Gisenyi. Now, these girls are in their twenties, and have earned enough money to live on their own, and are trying to "phase" out of life at Noel. Jamie is working with them and training them, and helping to market their products. They made me a special Rwandan Christmas stocking, and it is beautiful! After dinner, they did an impromptu Rwandan intore dance for us, complete with drumming! I'll post a video soon! Then we played this hilarious Sankaliwa Swahli "I spy" game!

Please visit the girls' website if you get a chance! It's awesome!

www.no41.org

or you can find them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Number4one

I'll blog about them in detail soon!!

This Christmas is truly one I will never forget. I feel so blessed to be a part of this large, loving, cultural community, alive with the Holy Spirit. I missed being in North Carolina with family this Christmas, but God is good and He knows what we need. I had no idea how joyful and special this Christmas here would be!

The day after Christmas, I was exhausted, and spent a wonderful lazy day eating pancakes, being lazy, and worshiping God over coffee and caramel icecream! :)

I am blessed! Enjoy the pictures!

The Lee family performing Away in a Manger

Kang-Hee playing his trumpet for us!

Moses baptizing Amanda in our church fountain out front

Onawa is a worship leader from Washington State. She's lived in Montana too, AND Alaska! She has three of the cutest kids in Kigali, and I love her! She's a great Graphic Designer, and started "Body and Soul" aerobic classes at our church! Her husband, Rusty, is also a worship leader.