Wednesday began early on the road at 7 AM heading north to Nyaratovu, Rhuhengheri to see my sponsor children with WorldVision and visit the ADP. WorldVision was my first introduction to how one person can really touch the lives of a child, family and community - and for that I will be eternally grateful. My sponsor child Olive is in this ADP and my parents sponsor child Gilbert. Since, I this first experience 4 years ago - I am also blessed with other sponsor children in the Kigali area giving me a little family of 3. Each of which are unique and wonderful treasures.
So, as usual the first stop is to the ADP office and then off the market. Each year I go to the market to buy 1+ weeks worth of food for the sponsor families - as one of the best gifts I can provide in addition to any little gifts I have brought along. Additionally, at the end of last year my parents and I purchased cows for each of our sponsor child families - so there is lots happening.
We then headed over and up and up and up to the area where my child Olive lives. She lives at the top of one of Rwanda's thousand hills, that always feels more like a mountain to climb. The road ends at the base of the hill and we begin to climb up the muddy 45 degree angle hill. :) I remember saying last year that I was going to go to the gym and train for the climb .... hmmm I wish I had done that. LOL. As usual I struggled up the hill resting here and there to catch some breath and made it up to the top in about 45 minutes. As usual the entire town of children surrounded us and we climbed the hill and were full of smiles and giggles as we became great friends with each step.
Greeting me at the top with the biggest smiles I've ever seen was my sponsor family. They are so wonderfully full of joy despite their troubled circumstances. We exchanged excited hugs and greetings spinning around and around so happy to see each other! :) Invited into their tiny 2 room home I was honored, once again, to sit amongst Olive's family that has also become a part of my own. Olive, who is 12, is doing GREAT in school, her sister Valentine (8) is also and the two little ones Marie Chantal (5) and Jean de dieu (2.5) are doing well. Everyone is healthy and they began farming a small amount of land for beans for their own consumption and are thrilled with their cow - and have a great feeling of hope overall.
Later we visited my parents child, Gilbert who is 11. He's this amazingly affectionate kid - each time I have met him he is full of smiles and hugs. So this visit was no different except that he held on to me sooooooo tight the entire time not wanting to let me go - it brought me to tears. I spend time with the family learning more about each of the children, mom and dad, etc. They too were delighted to have recieved their cow and have name it Ineza in kinyarwanda, which means Goodness. :) Great, huh! So Gilbert has 3 siblings; Jeffrin (10), Theophile (7, named after his father), Jermaine (4, youngest and only girl). Spending time with them was truly cherished - they are thankful and joyful despite the hard times ahead for them as they have just found that mom, Pelagie (30) is HIV+. I was devasted to learn this news - so please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.
A long and emotional day came to a close as we sat watching the rain pour down from the sky in terential amounts, pounnding the round for about 2 hours. They we got on our way back to Kigali. My mind reeling with thoughts of the day - and the sadness knowing I will not see them again for sometime, but I am sure I will return again soon if I am forturnate.
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