Down on the Farm!

It's hard to believe this is what you see only 15 minutes outside the "city!" Rwanda is a beautiful country, and I've thought about moving out this way so many times! Our class took a trip to Mr. David's farm, the father of another one of my former students, Orla. He showed us around, and taught the kids all about the food chain, and what he grows on his farm. We learned how to grow avocados, eggplant, maize, beans, and macadamia! We got to hold baby chicks, baby rabbits and milk a cow! The highlight of the trip was when the kids started chasing the goat around the farm, and then the goat started chasing them back! It was a riot watching them try to unsuccessfully jump on the tire that the goat pulled around! One of my students pounced on the tire just as the goat took off running, so he fell back on the ground! Quite a scene! This was one of the best field trips we've ever had the opportunity to take!

 

Catching up...

Since we're on Spring Break now, I'm going to try and catch up on this blog and post about some field trips, experiences, and my time in Egypt. Better late than never, right! :)

 

 

Last month we took a field trip to the wonderful women's co-op, Gahaya Gifted Hands. I've blogged about this place before. Gahaya was co-founded by Auntie Janet and her sister, Joy, the mother of one of my former students. Janet and Joy grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda, and were able to secure sponsers to go to school in the States. After university, they both decided to return to their home country of Rwanda that had been devastated by the 1994 genocide. They started this basket weaving co-op underneath a tree with only a few women. Today, Gahaya Links has over 4,000 weavers in 52 different co-ops in Rwanda! They became the first co-op to export items to the U.S., and you can now find Rwandan Peace baskets in Macy's department stores! They call them Peace Baskets because the women have put aside their ethnic differences in order to work and weave together to build their communities and a country that was once so devastated. They also have a fashionable jewlery and handbag line as well! We were so grateful that Auntie Joy took time out of her busy schedule to teach us how to weave sisal and allow us the opportunity to visit with the women who work so hard!

 

Beautiful, hand-woven beads make beautiful necklaces!

Inge and Laura trying their hand at jewlery-making

Auntie Joy, displaying their new fashionable handmade dresses!

 

Hard at work, stitching the cloth handbags

Do you live near the Gem Theatre?

How surprised was I to be asked this question last Saturday at a brunch my roommate and I were hosting at our house! The brunch was to welcome back to Rwanda one of Janelle's older African Children's Choir members from more than a decade ago. After touring with the Choir, Alex, a double orphan, secured a sponsor to study in Minnesota, and he has been in the States ever since. He's now studying to become a pastor, and his goal is to eventually settle back in Rwanda and train pastors here.

A film crew from Samaritan's Purse, in Boone, came along with Alex to tour Rwanda and film his story. Alex hasn't been back "home" since before the genocide in 1994. This film crew heard of Alex in the States, and wanted to help tell his story to the world and promote forgiveness and healing. The week they were here, they visited the prison upcountry, where the killers of Alex's family are being held. They filmed as Alex did the unthinkable, and openly wept, embraced, and forgave the killers of his entire family. Then, he took them to visit the graves of his beloved family, and they got to meet his cousin, the only surviving member.

I have many friends here who have similar stories such as this. Each time I am with them, and realize how deeply they have suffered, but I see the hope they have now, I think, how can anyone not forgive? If these Rwandans, who have been through tragedy after tragedy can forgive, how can I not openly forgive when I am wronged in such a way that doesn't even compare? Sometimes I think I have such a self righteous attitude, as I want others to forgive me and give me grace, but am I always willing to give it back? I'm constantly challenged here with Jesus's call to love as He has loved us. And to forgive seventy times seven. If any country in the world can justify having the death penalty, it's Rwanda. However, they abolished it a long time ago in favor of a grassroots justice system that promotes honesty, forgiveness and healing. President Kagame has openly stated, "If we have the death penalty, it will be like a double-genocide; the killing will never end. We must forgive, heal, and move forward."

This Samaritan's Purse film crew came to brunch at our house too, and they were all from Boone, Asheville, and one camera man from Mooresville! He was just as excited to learn I was from Kannapolis, just down the road. We shared stories of highschool sports, the blue and white and the green and white. He said, oh yeah, I know Kannapolis, I have an uncle that lives off of West "C" Street. And then he asked if I lived near the Gem Theatre! Yes! And I worked there too! It sounds so silly, but it's such a neat thing when you make a connection with someone this far away from home. It really brings the world so much closer together, and makes it that much smaller. Another girl graduated from the Journalism school at UNC only a year after me. We all had a lot to share about. And just last night, I had dinner with a girl, who graduated from Elon a few years back, and is from Greensboro! Such a small world!

As soon as Alex's story has been written and shared by the crew from Samaritan's Purse, I will certainly share it with all of you!

Thanks for reading!

He paid it all

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

I've been singing these lyrics in my head for a few weeks now. So beautiful and encouraging to me. I hear Him saying to me, Emily, your strength is small, you are weak by yourself, but please, wait and watch me and pray and see what I am capable of doing! You are weak but I am your strength! Find your strength in me!

 

I read a wonderful book yesterday....Six Hours One Friday, by Max Lucado. I highly recommend it. It's a short and easy read, and powerful, especially on this Good Friday. Lucado weaves personal stories into the most amazing love story of what Jesus did for us on the cross. It was good to read outside yesterday, sitting by the lake, my first day of Spring Break, and the first sunny day we've had in 3 weeks! I was blessed to be outside, reflecting on Christ's journey to the Cross. As the sun went down, I pictured my Christ climbing the red, dusty road to my right, past the pond, around the bend, and over the hills. weary, beaten, dejected, but trudging on. all because He loves me! Because He loves me! He trudged on and upward to the hill, and He took all my ugliness and died with it, to give us NEW LIFE. because He loves me. It's hard to imagine what He did for us. Jesus, I surrender this life to you. It's not my own, but yours. You died for me and paid it all!

 

And the book ends...

 

"Peace where there should be pain. Confidence in the midst of crisis. Hope defying despair. "Does death have the last word?" I can see Jesus wink as he gives the answer, "Not on your life.""

 

Thank you Jesus for giving your life so we can live and be and love.

 

God sent his son
They called him Jesus
He came to love
Heal and forgive
He lived and died
To buy my pardon
An empty grave
Is there to prove
My Savior lives

Because he lives
I can face tomorrow
Because he lives
All fear is gone
Because I know
He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because he lives

Around my neighborhood...

I'm so blessed to live in such a gorgeous country and community!

 

 

Spring is here! (really, it's just another short rainy season that brings these beautiful flowers into bloom!)

Sunset from my yard

 

Last week's bright and full moon!

I love it when the colors of the sky begin to change

 

Doesn't get any better than this! God is such an incredible artist!

 

 

Fresh flowers outside my window!

 

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? ~Psalm 8: 3-4

This week...

 This week was a FULL week of FUN and WORK and not much rest. But it was also FULL of being in His presence and being awake to God's community here! It was a week of Science, and serving and loving and praising God for good health and great doctors here too! I've seen some wonderful, kind, knowledgeable doctors here recently, and I really thank God for them, and thank all of you for prayers for continued health. Last week, over a fourth of the school was out with sickness! But this week, we're all rebounding it seems like. Speaking of health, many of you have asked about Jack. He is resting in Nashville, and doctors were able to treat him and heal him of malaria, typhoid, and bilharzia. whew! He's hoping to be back in Rwanda in 2 weeks, to continue his ministry with Living Water. Thank you for your prayers! I just wanted to share a few RANDOM pics from this week with you! They are VERY random, to say the least! But I better catch up on my blogging! I hope your week was full of blessings and thanksgiving as well! Peace to you!

 

This morning, I helped my Pastor's family host a 2 yr. old birthday party for sweet Gabe Jacobs. You might remember be mentioning a baby named Gabriel that we were all praying for 2 yrs. ago. He was abandoned at birth at a local clinic in the village. Our Umudugudu found him and our Pastor at the time, Dave and Jana Jenkins began fostering Gabe. He had many seizures as a baby, and was under weight. The Jacobs Family from Texas, who have many ties to Rwanda, were able to adopt Gabe last year, and Gabe also celebrated his first birthday last year in Rwanda with his new forever family! He has since has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, but Gabe hasn't had a single seizure since he's been in Texas with the Jacobs. He looks so great now! Of course I didn't even take a pictures of him today! oops! But here's one of Gabe when they were running tests on him in Texas. Such a handsome fella! His smile is infectious! The pic up top is the girls underneath the Shreck's banana tree at the party! Don't you wish you had a banana tree in your backyard?! :)

 

 

Moving on to Wednesday chapel service...the theme was Having Faith. My students did an awesome job performing the David and Goliath skit and also the Blind Bartimaeus skit. Check out all the medieval weapons below they scrounged up from home. One kid even brought his tackle box full of rusted-out bullet shells that he routinely finds on family picnic scavenger hunts to Juru Park. (leftover from 1994) :( I told him we didn't need those for David and Goliath skit. But when you have a class of 13 boys and only 4 girls, you get LOTS of weapons! Yes, I even wrote on the homework board, "Bring all your weapons to school tomorrow." Never in America. eek.

 

 

This is sweet Renata, from Bolivia. She came to our class in December, and has learned so much English is such a short time! I love her family! They hosted a pool party with the 7th graders (my students from 3 yrs. ago) on Friday! Lots of fun!

 

Check out the newest restaurant in Kigali. I love the random names of places here! Ladies, don't you want your guys to take you to this restaurant? :)

 

Fabulous and fun FITNESS club and devotions with my highschoolers on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We are finally starting to bond more and become more unified! It's harder with this age group.

 

Science Club every Tuesday is loads of fun! This Tuesday it was Egg Drop Day!

 

 

But NOTHING compared to LAST Tuesday! Dr. Pals, an awesome vet from Michigan, performed a neutering surgery on our School Board Chairman's dog...IN MY CLASSROOM! On the desks!!! Yes! It was amazing to watch. We were all a bit stunned at times and overwhelmed with everything we witnessed. But at the same time, it was so incredibly interesting to watch and learn from Dr. Pals as he taught us every step of the way. Snickers was such a good dog, bless his heart! Again, never in America! :) I just love the looks on the kids' faces in this pic above. It was a club for grades 4-6, but the smaller girl was Ella, Dr. Pals daughter. She was unfazed and even looked bored, cause at 6 years old, she's already seen plenty of these surgeries!

 

Again, I LOVE the looks on their faces! :)

 

After Dr. Pals tranquilized him, we tied Snickers down to the desk with yellow yarn from the Arts n' Crafts box. :) I'll spare you the rest of the pics...except for this last one of Dr. Pals shooting up the pain killer for Snickers. Such a cool experience for all of us!

 

Pray for Kenya

Tomorrow, March 4,  the country of Kenya will hold their Presidential elections. The last elections in 2008 were followed by the worst ethnic violence in the nation's history. I fell in love with Kenya, after living there for a year in 2007. The people are beautiful, and so is their country. But 5 years ago they were harshly divided into ethnic tribes, and the election results were catastrophic. Now, 5 years later, Kenya has emerged a new nation with a new constitution. This will be the first elections held under the new constitution. Will you please join me in praying for our Kenyan brothers and sisters toorrow as they go to the polls to vote? Please pray for peace, for unity, and wisdom for the new leaders.

Here's a CNN article that explains why the Kenyan elections matter to the rest of the world.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/02/world/africa/kenya-election-q-a/index.html?hpt=hp_c1


Also, here is a prayer by the Rev. Phyllis Byrd-Ochillo, a PCUSA missionary and my YAV leader when I lived there in Kenya. Phyllis is now the Director of the African Instituted Churches.

Prayer for Kenya: Organization of African Instituted Churches

Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be known as the Children of God. As Kenya prepares

to go to the polls we pray for Peace and Justice in the country. God, plant us like a trees in the

vineyard. Help us to bear fruit of Peace, Justice, and love. Creator God, let our roots grow deep

and stretch the boundaries of faith in the spiritual soil of Justice, Peace and righteousness.

During this period of campaigns, elections and thereafter we pray, that our nation will emerge

as one people united under God. We pray for the men and women that are contesting for

Presidency, Governor, Senate, Women Representative, MP and County representative that you

will give them a heart for the people they seek to serve. Mighty God, we pray for peace, for free,

fair and transparent election in Kenya. We pray this in the name of the Prince of Peace Jesus

Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.


Some of my favorite, precious people in Kenya...