Muraho!
We’re in Rwanda and have had some amazing experiences so far. Chronicled below is a brief encounter, there will be more to come each day, so please stay a faithful reader!
We met lots of friends on the plane. Some were moving here, some were going to adopt a child, and some were on mission trips. We also traveled with the victorious Rwandan football (US soccer) team who beat Ethiopia – go team!
We were met at the airport by our friend Pastor Deo and our faithful, excellent driver Emmanuel. They were able to load all of our 50+ pound suitcases in a small Toyota truck and took us to the Hotel Isimbi. After a brief respite at the hotel, we went to Pastor Deo’s community center. Pastor Deo is connected with Prison Fellowship International. He directs many ministries in and around Kigali. Our first day we visited his community center with the women’s AIDS ministry and the street children ministry. Several women and children greeted us with dance and song and then shared with us their testimonies.
One woman shared that she contracted AIDS as a result of a gang rape during the genocide. Many of the other women shared similar stories. Though they live in these dire circumstances, they are incredibly hopeful through their faith in Jesus Christ. This is just one example of the stark contrast between such poverty and loss and hope for the future. Without God, hope would not be possible for these people.
We have oodles of stories to share and we can’t wait to share them with you, but 8 people all trying to create this message at 10 pm after many hours in the car and lots and lots of activities over the past few days – it’s a bit hard to compose and capture all our favorite moments and lessons. Please stay tuned.
Cheers!
Team Rwanda 2008 (Stacey, Michelle, Amy, Caitlin, Diane, Kelly, Sally, and Ann)
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5 comments:
Great to hear news! We are all thinking about you here.
Stacey and the Rwanda team... I am so glad that you arrived safely. I will pray for you and those you encounter as you continue on your journey.....Love Mom
So fun to read your first post from Rwanda!! That's great that Emmanuel is your driver - he'll take good care of you. Tell him hello from all of us here :)...and the same to Deo, the Rucyahana's, and Beatrice. Praying for y'all!
Hello Rwanda ladies :-)
So glad to hear that you had a safe trip over. I'm looknig forward to reading more about your time there.
Many blessings!
Ann,
This is my first time blogging. I already lost the first note that I wrote - imagine. I hope that this one does not follow the same path. I am so very happy to hear that you have arrived safe and sound and am so proud of you for embarking on this journey. This will be an experience that will stay with you always. There must be something so comforting about meeting people who really appreciate life in its raw form. There is so much to be learned from that kind of existence. My thoughts and prayers are with you often -- well actually every time I turn my head around. Upload tons of pictures and I will check in daily.
Miss you and stay safe.
Jennifer
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