Threads of Hope

Well, thanks to my incredible friend and amazingly talented designer Jorge F. the Threads of Hope program in Rwanda now has a great logo! Check it out (soon!). Props to Jorge who is a truely gifted designer and the guy you want brainstorming just about anything for you. For those of you in the design world ... if you don't already know of him, he's on his way to the BIG TIME!

Home again ...

So I arrived back in the US on Saturday morning after many delays in addition to the 25 hours of flying time. So as the wheels hit the pavement screeching along the runway for one last time into JFK ... I am home again.

After a bit of a baggage debaukle I am ready to roll and walk out greeted by my great friend Ray - who graciously offered to relinquish his sleep in order to pick me up early on Sat AM. So ... wow ... I'm spinning and exhausted. But ... I'm home. :)

So I got back to my apartment and promptly found my pillow and slept with my sweet Finnegan curled up beside me ... purring away. Ahhh home. So it's Sunday now and its full of unpacking, laundry that is needed to be done, etc - but instead I am just trying to adjust to being home. Its a great feeling, but its also been a long time and I am torn with the peace of being home and missing my precious Rwanda. So reentry begins, the day is a comfort and ... ohhhh andddddddd

Happy Birthday DAD! I'm thrilled to be back home for my Dad's birthday. Happy Birthday Daddy, I love you!

So ... until ... well a few days from now, I guess. Keep an eye on the blog. The adventure continues!

Drawing to a close

As Thursday arrives, my trip draws to a close. Final day to spend time with both Pastor Norman and Pastor Hope - as well as my dear friend Innocent and my family The Gasatura's (Nathan, Florence, David, Darius, Deborah, Daniel - is away at school). So its a close to a wonderful time together, often feeling too short and also knowing that its time to return home.

I've had a wonderful time, a great exploration of my heart and so much more that it would take too long to describe. With a special day with friends the last day to share thoughts, hearts, love and friendship - I cannot be more thankful.

So ... Friday is fly day ... or at least the beginning of the trek. LOL. First off to Joburg, then Dakar, then NY. Soooooooo the long hours bring me home.

Wednesday: Special Day in Nyaratovu

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.

Monday & Tuesday Recap

Monday and Tuesday were great work days! I was with Pastor Hope working on the Seed of Hope initiatives - namely the start to building their community center building to be used for all association activities including the children's primary school program. Last year we began setting the foundation and building a few block levels of the outer walls to get started.

When we arrived at the building site I saw that it had been left just as we left it one year ago. Knowing that this is an important and expensive endevour for the program we spend time with a builder getting the pertinent info on what is needed to get this finished. Soooooooooooooo in a matter of a day and half of building we completed making bricks and building all four outer walls, iron & wood supports and purchased iron sheeting for the roof! Such AWESOME progress and use of the gifts that we had been given. We were able to secure a machine to make blocks/bricks rather than buy them, got all the members of the association involved in building, making bricks, etc. and best of all ... seeing the excitement and joy on each of their faces, made it all worthwhile. Last year when we began they were encouraged and excited at the prospects of being able to have their own place ... but after a year they were discouraged and frustrated.

These two days were magical all around. For me to see the rapid progress in building come to fruition to work on creative ways to use the funds to speed the building and put them to best use. For each member of the association and especially Pastor Hope to see the amazing providence that had been given to them, the ecouragement they each felt and the renewed hope to know that all things shall come in God's time - and NOW is the time. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool! This is the great stuff that makes you know that you are being used right then and there. Whoo hoo! Praise!

2 Days on the move!

The past 2 days have been busy to say the least so I have been remiss in blogging in the evening. I've just been plain tired. But tired from many great visits spending time with people and really understanding them better, helping more effectively one on one - and all that good stuff.

Friday was a program day with Pastor Hope and her group Seed of Hope. We spent much time speaking about the progress of the past year, ongoing needs and many blessings. We had some great quiet time to pray together and just chat - since we have often spent much time together but not enough to really get to know about one another's lives well. I was happy to meet the newest class in the vocational training program to empower women - learning hairdressing and tailoring. Last year I had the priveledge of meeting the first class and presenting them with their graduation certificates. We also spent time updating about the children in the school program, the construction process on the community center and much more.

Saturday was another day with Pastor Norman and CFN (Christ for the Nations)as I spent the morning and greater part of the early afternoon speaking to them about funding and business management training for their micro-enterprise, teaching them new techniques and crochet stitches. Then we headed up to Kabuga to visit with the 25 children in their sponsorship progra, who are now being helped to go to school, have medical care,uniforms, books, and food. It was an amazing evening with them as one paret shared that because of the gifts and opportunities these children have been given, it has given their parets hope and drawn them together as a community which they were not before.

As I sart and listened to the words of these genuine, faithful, joyful and desperately poor children, adults and pastors I thought how encouraged many of you would be who have graciously donated financially, prayed for them and/or who have a compassionate heart for them. Its these things that see, so small that are really changing the lives of these people. For those of you who have met them, know that they remember you and pray for you, for those who have given to them I could only imagine your tears of joy and compassion that would fall if you were here with me seeing what beautiful things you have helped accomplish. For me - I am thankful for each of you who are friends, who encourage me because you give me strength and hope to make a difference in whatever way I can.

OK ... so its Sunday today and I have returned from church and am going to relax a bit, head into town before heading back again to Kabuga to spend some more time with the children. Have a great day.

Through the Wardrobe to Narnia

My good friend Ray always says that coming to Rwanda is like walking into the wardrobe - a la` Chronicles of Narnia/The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe. And upon my arrival last night I must admit,it is true. Coming to Rwanda is like walking into a peaceful, gentle wonderland where I am instantly surrounded by friends who are more like family, who know my heart and spirit more often than not better than I am - so accutely in tune. They are always genuinely overjoyed, in the truest sense of the word, by your arrival and from that moment you are sure to be transformed once again. Now I get that it is quite beyond comprehension in some ways but I am so lucky to be blessed by this special special Rwanda. Nathan said to me last night, "We have been excited for your arrival. Yes my princess we are overjoyed you have retunred home to us once again, your family and your Rwanda." It the perfect description of the indescribable.

Anyway...I am here. LOL. So last night I slept better than I can ever remember and met Nathan early for coffee (its the best in the world, try it). Then I had an opportunity to meet with Pastors Norman & Hope about their respective projects and headed out to Kyabura to visit with the Agape group. This is the group I worked with last year, with 4 great women from the US, to begin to teach them to crochet. Well they have taken off!!! They have found products that sell well for a good profit and are working, praying, and hoping to make a real self sustaining business from it. So we discussed micro-enterprise, accountability and more and will be creating a structured plan for them. It is truly something that has empowered these women and even a few men to hope for a future. So I will update you more on that as it becomes clear.

I was priveledged to spend time with both Hope & Norman to learn more about their ministires, plans, dreams and their lives throughout the day. And so my day ends quietly - as I had dinner alone and tried desperately to not be self conscious although no one was concerned with me being alone but me, of course. Off to spend some time to relax and rest as tomorrow will be a big day.