Gahaya Links pictures

Chanil weaving her basket with sisal


Ms. Joy explaining the shipping process



Gahaya Links warehouse

Dyeing the sisal (notice what a beautiful color they are dyeing it! :-)

KICS kids with their handmade ornament baskets

Field Trips!

We took our first field trip today to a Rwandan dairy farm! A lot of our kids are "city" kids, so this was a real treat for them to be out in the country, with the red dirt, fresh manure, and odd smells. They had a blast. God gave us beautiful weather, and good memories. We got to see the baby cows, the rebellious teenage cows who run away, and the kids even got to milk a momma cow! We saw the tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouses, and saw the pineapples, oranges and macadamia nuts growing. Did you know that when you plant the macadamia, you have a crop for life?! We saw where the cows "shower", and even got to cut the elephant grass that they eat every day. It looks easier than it was! The only unfortunate thing of the day was when Joshua accidentally fell knee deep in a pile of manure when he turned his head to look at the dogs. :-(But we got him washed off!

Joshua "scaring" away the chickens.

Megan in the greenhouse

Alex, trying his hand at grass cutting.

Lilly milking her first cow.

Orla playing with the teenage cow.

On our way back to KICS, we passed by Gahaya Gifted Hands, also referred to as Gahaya Links. This project started as a humble effort to teach 20 young genocide widows how to weave underneath a tree in the tiny village of Gitarama. With God's blessing, this project has now grown into a large enterprise, that employs over 4,000 weavers across Rwanda, most of them rural women who were widowed by the genocide, teenage orphaned girls, or women whose husbands are in prison charged with genocide-related cases. This project also helps women who are HIV/AIDS positive, by providing them an income, and also a sense of purpose in life. The founders are Joy and Janet, sisters who grew up in a Ugandan refugee camp because their parents had to flee Rwanda in the previous salughter of Tutsis in the 1950's. The sisters managed to beat the odds, and gain a scholarship to attend school, and that was their ticket out of the camp. After coming back to a deserted Rwanda post-genocide (1994), both sisters knew they wanted to remain in their homeland of Rwanda and be a part of helping to rebuild it. And they have. There are many testimonies of weavers who credit this weaving project for saving them. There's Ephigenia, who lost 65 members of her entire family during the genocide, and with them, her hope of life. Gahaya Links came to her village and encouraged her to join their co-op, but it was very difficult for her to interact with the killers of her family, as the remaining Tutsis still had to live in the same villages with the Hutus. After a while, Ephigenia became a master weaver, and her village elected her to be the president of their weaving cooperative. At first, people didn't believe that someone who lost 65 members of her family could successfully lead other Hutus in this co-op. But after spending time weaving with the killers of her family, Ephigenia became the first Rwandan to publicly open her heart to the killer of her family, and forgive him in open Gacaca court. Now, many other women have the courage to step out and forgive, after Ephigenia's example. Through their determination and efforts, Joy and Janet, have secured international partnerships with FairWinds Trading, Starbucks, and even Macy's. Their most famous basket, the agaseke "peace" basket weaves three lines of ethnicity together, one for the Tutsi, Hutu and Twa people of Rwanda. This peace basket is a bestseller of Macy's. Joy and Janet have also been awarded for their dedication to empowering the women of Rwanda by Oprah and the Clintons. We are blessed to be able to visit their center today, as Vanessa, Janet's daughter, is in our class. We were able to see some of the women at work and we even learned how to weave a basket using the grass and the sisal. We saw how they dye the sisal into beautiful, bright colors, and also the warehouse where they keep all the baskets and package them for shipping to the states. It was a fascinating experience today, learning about Gahaya Links' humble beginning, and their bright future ahead. To read more about Joy and Janet's enterprise, go to http://www.gahayalinks.com/ I'll post some pictures tomorrow. The formatting is messing up tonight and my battery is almost dead. Goodnight!

I'm learning

I never knew a lot about the Holy Spirit growing up, except hearing my Grandma talk about him, but it was always hard to follow her stories. :-) I love you Grandma! Right now, this year, this time in Rwanda, God has chosen to teach me so much about His Spirit, and how he moves in us. It's something I had always heard about growing up, but never really grasped how powerful the Holy Spirit really is. He has the power to heal, to totally transform, to renew, to build up beautiful things, and tear down ugly things! He's working in me this year, right now, in ways that I never felt comfortable with letting Him work before. Or maybe I just didn't think I could be used in certain ways. He can do all things! He really can. I keep thinking about that song Momma used to sing to us when we were little. I haven't thought about it in so many years....."He's still working on me. To make me what I ought to be.....How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me." I am sooo thankful tonight that He's still working and teaching me new things every day. I have been so stubborn sometimes (all the time) in certain aspects of my life. Giving Him control of lots of things, but keeping some things strictly in my own possession and control. I won't do it anymore. I told Him today, everything, everything, everything is His. I'm sorry for those of ya'll reading this and you don't have a clue what I am saying. I think this entry is more for me than anyone else. But thanks for reading and for praying with me too. I looked up that song Momma sang us, and found the next verse. It begins..."There really ought to be a sign upon the heart, Don't judge her yet, there's an unfinished part. But I'll be perfect just according to His plan. Fashioned by the Master's loving hands." One of the ways I think God is teaching me about His Spirit right now is through certain books I've been reading. Books that I would never have picked up, but for some reason, I have, and the words have spoken to me. Before our rafting trip, I scanned our library for some random "thinkless" book to take on our 13 hour bus ride to Uganda. I found the perfect travel book to read...and tucked inside one of the yellowish pages was a copy of Psalm 91, neatly typed out. It was comforting. And the Holy Spirit had also put that Psalm on another teacher's heart too last week. Saturday, I went to this random yardsale at the Embassy and picked up another random book for $1. I had heard of this book, a love story that only God could write for two people, and I never bought it in the States...I thought it sounded too cheesy. But God wanted me to find it now and read it right now. I'm so sure about that. On every page there's assurance. I am just amazed at how God loves us and sticks with us even when we're so stubborn for 28 years. I am so stubborn. I feel like I am like a baby Christian again, learning about the Spirit, and giving Him this part of my life I hadn't before. His grace and His love are amazing. He's still working on me! Thank God!

Jinja "Nile" pics

A beautiful tree

We saw the source!

Gorgeous view of Lake Victoria as it goes into the Nile

Whitewater on the Nile

9 daring teachers :-)

Jinja

This picture says it all. Jinja, Uganda is a sleepy little town, where no one is in a hurry. Instead of hassling you like they do in Kigali, the moto drivers just sleep on their bikes and wait for YOU to wake them up. :-) There's a fun laziness about this place, and it reminded me of a small southern town back home. On a Saturday morning families are strolling along Main Street, running errands at the small shops, eating lunch at a cafe, or just sitting outside on wooden benches watching the world pass by. Jinja has that peaceful, "chill" atmosphere to it. But because of its location....nestled on the banks of Lake Victoria, right at the source of the Nile River...Jinja has also earned a reputation for being East Africa's adventure capital. Since KICS is an American International School, we had a couple days off for Thanksgiving, and decided to travel to Jinja to whitewater raft the White Nile. It was an amazing opportunity, an amazing thrill...to be paddling on a river I've only just taught students about back home in America. Or you only see on National Geographic. We read Psalm 91 over and over before we set out. Comforting words. It was an adventure like no other! We paddled 30km, (roughly 19 miles), hit 5 Class V rapids, many IIIs and IVs and somehow maneuvered our raft over a 14 foot waterfall without flipping! That was much to the credit of our awesome guide, Reuben, from New Zealand. But we definitely had our share of wipeouts, but thankfully not too much carnage. :-) We ate fresh pineapple for lunch on the river, saw some stunning birds soaring over, a huge iguana, a monkey, and the other raft even spotted a baby croc! This experience was definitely worth the 26 hours we spent on buses getting us there and back, and the crazy Ugandan border. It was a hoot coming back into Rwanda this morning, having to unload everything from the bus, and seeing policemen apprehending folks for trying to "smuggle" in plastic bags. Haha. Remember, President Kagame outlawed plastic in Rwanda back in '02. He's serious about it too. But I'm thankful he did. When we drove back to Rwanda, the air was fresher, cooler, and you can really breathe! I'm thankful I was able to have this incredible and affordable opportunity, relishing in His beauty and creation He has made for us! Psalm 104: 24-30. More pics are coming...

3 months of thanksgiving

I just realized yesterday that I've been here in Rwanda for 3 months. That's about 90 days. About 2,160 hours. Some of the days have felt much longer than that, and many have flown by so quickly. Most of the time it doesn't seem like it's been 3 months. I'm kept busy with my lovely 4th graders, been able to nuture and love on the kids at Mother Teresa's place, and just soak up and relish in the blessings He gives me each new day! Just being able to spend time thanking Him for bringing me back here to East Africa, for the people He has placed in my midst, for those I love back home who I wish could be here. I have so much to be thankful for, just looking back on these past 90 days.

A couple nights ago, I was privileged to sit under the stars and listen to my guard, Sam, tell of another 3 months. He told me his story...the story of so many here in Rwanda. I'm always curious of the stories, but like war stories, you never want to ask and make someone feel uncomfortable. So I was glad that in 3 months time, Sam felt open enough to share his story. It's all about relationships. And for 3 months in Rwanda back in 1994, relationships were severed across ethnic lines, and even family lines. Sam was 7 when the genocide began. He had a 4 year old brother and a baby sister. His dad was a prominent preacher in the Tutsi community outside of Kigali. Sam clearly remembers the night of April 9, when the "interahamwe" Hutu rebel fighters stormed in his compound, high on dope, wearing their garish costumes and face paint, and were shouting "Kill those Cockroaches!" He vividly remembers the rebels breaking down the door, grabbing his baby sister and throwing her against the wall, and watching her body fall limply to the floor. He remembers standing there frozen for a moment as his mom begged them not to kill her other two children, and she gave the rebels all the money she had. Then he just remembers running out the back, grabbing his 4 yr old brother's hand and just running. After they looted everywhere, they torched the house with his parents inside. Sam just ran, and ran all the way to the top of Mt. Kigali, which was very wild and sparse 15 years ago. There were hyenas and lions, and other wild animals. For 3 months, he and his little brother stayed on that mountain.

It began to rain as we were sitting there talking, and I started to move, but I couldn't. I just kept listening. But my mind was wondering...what did they do on top of Mt. Kigali for 3 months in the rain? 3 months is a long time. 90 days. 2,160 hours. He said he prayed and slept on the grass, and ate the grass too, along with avocados the good Lord provided them. He escaped a few dangerous lions, and many dangerous nights of hunger. Sam said that there was never a time that he thought he would die, because he knew he had to live for his little brother. "I was my brother's keeper," he said. "Against all hope, in hope Abraham believed." And Sam did too. After 3 months, and when the shooting and shouting subsided, they made their way down the mountain and found their home as ashes. His entire family was killed in the genocide, except for one uncle. But Sam declares himself a lucky one. He praises God everyday for His protection, and he knows there was a divine reason why he is still alive today. Some good samaritians paid for a one room hut for the brothers to live in, and Sam cooked meals for them both. A sponsor paid their way through school, until the end of highschool. Sam is 22 now. He has a music "store" in town, he sings in the church choir, and he's saving up to go to university and earn a business degree. We prayed together, and cried together, and sang his favorite hymn, Blessed Assurance. This is Sam's story, his song. And he continues to praise Jesus everyday for his life. When I asked about his feelings now about the genocide and his situation, he turned to one of my favorite verses, Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." We worship a God who delights in miracles! Who has a perfect plan for our lives! I know He has a perfect plan for Sam's life; just as he watched over him as he endured those 3 months on the mountain, he continues to hold Sam and all of us in the palm of His hand. I'm thankful for our guard, Sam, for his faith, and dedication to serving our Lord. This thanksgiving, I'm also thankful for all of you who I love and who bring me encouragement each day, and especially these past 3 months! I thank God for you and it's my prayer you can rest in His presence this week of thanksgiving and know He is Lord!

Sundrop!

They have Sundrop in Rwanda! Just kidding! I sure wish they did though. But I did get a package from home complete with Sundrop, Chex Mix, and Cheez-Its! I waited for quite a while for this special package, and I have to tell you the story! So, I've figured out that the postal system here, although not as blatantly corrupt as the postal service in Kenya, they still have their discreet ways of getting what they want! It's supposed to take a little under one month for a package to arrive from the States. Well, I had been waiting for this special one since the first week of September when it was mailed. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Each week, when our headmaster's wife would come from the post office with a box, I kept thinking it would be my lucky day because I've waited long enough. Nope, not my box. And then I heard stories of missionaries saying they are still waiting on boxes to arrive that were sent last January and last April! Suddenly I didn't feel like complaining anymore. But I did know that there would be contact solution coming in this box, and I desperately needed some, so I wasn't going to lose hope.

We figured out that theres this great big ledger notebook at the post office where they manually write down every single package that arrives in the country. People said that theres a chance if you go down there, they will let you scan through the book, and try to find your name and package. So I went. It started off too well...the man spoke nice English...he was kind and apologized and gladly gave me the book to start thumbing through. Thankfully it only took me about 10-15 minutes to find my name! I jumped for joy! It's me, It's me! Do you have my package? He then sends another man back to this big "package" room. I wait. He brings out a package for a Dutch man. Then a package for a Japanese lady. Then two other boxes for other random people, before I got impatient and asked if I could go back there with him to find my package. He said sure. So I go in this giant room, with absolutely no organization, boxes stacked everywhere and all over the floor, and I start hunting. I notice that it's odd that ALL these boxes are large priority boxes, and most are from the U.S. Hmmm...interesting. There was not even one small box. So finally after only 20 minutes of seraching, I find it! It had a thick layer of dust on it, but thankfully it was intact and hadn't been opened. In the process, I found boxes for 2 missionaries I know that had been waiting since April and July! Crazy! So I take my box out there and sign the paper, and start to walk out.

Thats when things get ugly. The man stops me, and sends another person to guard/block the door. Then, with a sly look on his face, demands that I pay him a "storage" fee of 10,000...which is about $20. I laughed in his face, and told him in Swahili and English that I wasn't paying a bribe, I knew my rights, and I was leaving with my box. They blocked the door. I got firmer and firmer. My face and neck started turning red like it does and I told him how bad he was and that he better let me go now with my box. He started grabbing the box from me. I grabbed it back. We played "tug of war" for a few seconds, then he won and he laughed and said he was hiding my box until I paid the money. He laughed and said, ok, just pay 5,000. I said I refuse to pay any bribe. Let me go. Then I was starting to get so mad a couple tears were coming down. Then I called my headmaster who lives around the corner, and his wife said she would come up there to help. It was almost closing time. They said I had to leave. I said I won't leave until you give me my package. They started to push me out and close the door. I pushed my way back in. They called for their guard with his AK-47 to come and intervene. I said give me my box and I'll leave. Then thankfully, Roberta showed up. They know her and see her face every week. As soon as they saw her, and knew she was the headmaster's wife, they said, ok, just pay us 570, which is $1. We paid it and they brought my box back out from hiding. I was still so angry and red, and just glad to have Roberta there to help at just the right time. It was another fun day at a foreign post office. But it did bring me much joy being able to tell Nicole and others that I actually saw their boxes! Yes! They are there! And I drew them a map of the box room to navigate through and successfully advocate for their packages. Ah, Africa. I love it! All of it! :-) And the Sundrop tasted just as sweet as it would have in September.