Gran's Visit
11/21/06 12:36 PM
I just realized I haven't written a blog in a month
and a half. Thank goodness for my faithful husband,
who is much better at keeping in touch than I am. Mom
was here for two weeks in late October/early
November. Besides her 24-hour bout of "African
Revenge" (or whatever the stomach bug is officially
called here) it was perfect. The kids relished having
"Gran" here. She packed light and dedicated most of
her suitcase space to us. That's Gran. The sight of
Cheetos, Nutrigrain Bars, Reeses Cups and Gummy Worms
brought squeals of delight that you could probably
hear from back home. Best of all, she brought
Halloween costumes. I think Ben has been dressed as
Darth Vader more often than not over the last month.
Our school - KICS - partnered with the American Club
for a Fallfest event, complete with carnival games
and trick-or-treating at designated homes. I must
admit it felt odd to trick-or-treat in the broad
daylight, while crowds of Rwandans stared at the
costumes and wondered why all the Muzungus had gone
mad.
Mom and I were able to drive up to Ruhengeri in the northern part of the country. It's a breathtaking drive, and along the way, Mom got to witness the children carrying goods along the road. We visited the Sonrise School, which was started by John Rucyahana, an Anglican Bishop who has been one of the most influential leaders of the country -- teaching reconciliation, not revenge, in the aftermath of the genocide. For more info about his ministry, visit www.mustardseedproject.org. Mom and I had the privilege of spending some time with him that afternoon. His vision was to create a school for the most needy orphans in the country. Now, just five years after the school opened, it is the highest-performing school in the country. Another example of what these precious Rwandans can do when given a chance.
The highlight of her stay here was a road trip to the Eastern Province. The Cavins took their driver, Apollo, and their guard, Benoni. And we brought our guard, Alfred, who is Benoni's older brother. Their families are all from the same village. Prior to the '94 genocide, their village was part of the Akagera National Park. After the genocide, when thousands of refugees began pouring back into the country, the government pulled 150 square miles from the park and allowed refugees to settle there. So they began there roughly nine years ago with no infrastructure at all. Our first stop was Alfred and Benoni's parents' house - we have mentioned Reverend Alfred before. All of the immediate and extended family was there to greet us. Their home is made of mud, and about 20 of us crowded into the small front room. They went to a lot of effort to make us feel comfortable. They had a tray of cokes and boiled eggs for us, and they let us sit on the furniture while they all stood or sat on the concrete floor. After the two-hour drive there, many of us needed to use the restroom. It was a small shed in the backyard with a hole in the ground, covered by a piece of wood. When you removed the wood, flies swarmed everywhere. We would've much preferred to go behind a tree, but we were determined not to make them feel ashamed, so we chalked it up as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Afterward, they brought us a pale of fresh water and fresh soap to wash our hands. Back inside, they brought us gifts. Mary and I received beautiful hand-woven baskets full of eggs, peanuts and soybeans. And Dabbs and Todd received -- are you ready for this? -- LIVE CHICKENS! Yes, they brought them in and plopped them on their laps. I've never laughed so hard in my life. Dabbs kept trying to put his squawking, pecking, scratching chicken in Todd's lap. He said it was because he was wearing shorts, but deep down I know that City Boy Dabbs thought that Country Boy Todd could handle two chickens better than he could handle one. Ha!
Next we went to Alfred's house. Alfred has three daughters, another baby on the way, and they care for two orphans. Alfred showed us around his home. Their stove is in the backyard. It's made of mud, with a hole inside to place firewood. Also outside, they have built a "shower" out of hedges with a pale of water inside. All of the neighborhood children gathered around us. They brought a stick and a bicycle tire, which they use as a game -- trying to keep the tire rolling upright with the stick. Ben joined in the game too, but apparently he needs more practice.
The final stop in the village was Reverend Alfred's church. Nothing could've prepared me for it. The church members care for hundreds of orphans, and all of the orphans were there to greet us. They swarmed around us like paparazzi, but we were the ones with the cameras. Thankfully, my children were not at all bothered by the attention. Typically they would be, but I think the stops at the two homes beforehand prepared them a bit. We brought the orphans hard candies, and when Alfred passed them out, it was a mad rush. Later I asked Alfred, "Do these children get something to eat every day?" And he said, "Oh no, not every day." It made me wish we had brought beans and rice instead of candy. The church itself was literally falling apart. It was the saddest-looking building I've ever seen. The mud floors are uneven, so the wooden benches aren't even level. The mud walls make it very dark inside. We just learned that this past Sunday, the rains literally caused one of the walls to fall in during the church service. Fortunately no one was hurt.
After leaving the village, we drove to Akagera National Park and spent the night at the lodge. The next morning we set out for a "drive-thru" safari. We saw giraffes, hippos, baboons, buffalos, zebras and more. It was our first "exotic" African experience, and it was wonderful. We stopped at a mountain top for a couple of hours and enjoyed hiking for a while. It felt like we were exploring uncharted territory. The children even found the bones of a very large dead animal, so in their eyes, it was an adventure of dinosaur proportions.
A lot of people have asked me, "How do you see the poverty every day and not get depressed?" It's hard to describe. It's not depressing. These people are happy, truly happy. They are not happy because they just went to the mall or watched a new movie or dined at a fancy restaurant. They're not sad because their house is not as nice as their neighbor's, or their clothes aren't made by the top designers, or their vacation wasn't as luxurious as their coworker's. They are content with family, friends and mud huts. The things that do make them sad are not being able to afford the treatment for a child with malaria, or pulling a child out of school becaue they can't buy the books, or not being able to provide three meals a day to their families. Yes, the needs are great. But God is teaching us to start with the people He has placed in our lives...Alfred, Chantal, Todd's employees, etc. We can help make a difference in their lives, and pray that the bank (opening in 1Q 2007) will have a more lasting impact long after we're gone. Depressing? No. Motivating? YES!
Oh...many of you have asked about the young boy who was accidently hit by a car. He came out of his coma and had surgery yesterday. The surgery was successful, so things look promising. Thank you for your prayers.
Mom and I were able to drive up to Ruhengeri in the northern part of the country. It's a breathtaking drive, and along the way, Mom got to witness the children carrying goods along the road. We visited the Sonrise School, which was started by John Rucyahana, an Anglican Bishop who has been one of the most influential leaders of the country -- teaching reconciliation, not revenge, in the aftermath of the genocide. For more info about his ministry, visit www.mustardseedproject.org. Mom and I had the privilege of spending some time with him that afternoon. His vision was to create a school for the most needy orphans in the country. Now, just five years after the school opened, it is the highest-performing school in the country. Another example of what these precious Rwandans can do when given a chance.
The highlight of her stay here was a road trip to the Eastern Province. The Cavins took their driver, Apollo, and their guard, Benoni. And we brought our guard, Alfred, who is Benoni's older brother. Their families are all from the same village. Prior to the '94 genocide, their village was part of the Akagera National Park. After the genocide, when thousands of refugees began pouring back into the country, the government pulled 150 square miles from the park and allowed refugees to settle there. So they began there roughly nine years ago with no infrastructure at all. Our first stop was Alfred and Benoni's parents' house - we have mentioned Reverend Alfred before. All of the immediate and extended family was there to greet us. Their home is made of mud, and about 20 of us crowded into the small front room. They went to a lot of effort to make us feel comfortable. They had a tray of cokes and boiled eggs for us, and they let us sit on the furniture while they all stood or sat on the concrete floor. After the two-hour drive there, many of us needed to use the restroom. It was a small shed in the backyard with a hole in the ground, covered by a piece of wood. When you removed the wood, flies swarmed everywhere. We would've much preferred to go behind a tree, but we were determined not to make them feel ashamed, so we chalked it up as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Afterward, they brought us a pale of fresh water and fresh soap to wash our hands. Back inside, they brought us gifts. Mary and I received beautiful hand-woven baskets full of eggs, peanuts and soybeans. And Dabbs and Todd received -- are you ready for this? -- LIVE CHICKENS! Yes, they brought them in and plopped them on their laps. I've never laughed so hard in my life. Dabbs kept trying to put his squawking, pecking, scratching chicken in Todd's lap. He said it was because he was wearing shorts, but deep down I know that City Boy Dabbs thought that Country Boy Todd could handle two chickens better than he could handle one. Ha!
Next we went to Alfred's house. Alfred has three daughters, another baby on the way, and they care for two orphans. Alfred showed us around his home. Their stove is in the backyard. It's made of mud, with a hole inside to place firewood. Also outside, they have built a "shower" out of hedges with a pale of water inside. All of the neighborhood children gathered around us. They brought a stick and a bicycle tire, which they use as a game -- trying to keep the tire rolling upright with the stick. Ben joined in the game too, but apparently he needs more practice.
The final stop in the village was Reverend Alfred's church. Nothing could've prepared me for it. The church members care for hundreds of orphans, and all of the orphans were there to greet us. They swarmed around us like paparazzi, but we were the ones with the cameras. Thankfully, my children were not at all bothered by the attention. Typically they would be, but I think the stops at the two homes beforehand prepared them a bit. We brought the orphans hard candies, and when Alfred passed them out, it was a mad rush. Later I asked Alfred, "Do these children get something to eat every day?" And he said, "Oh no, not every day." It made me wish we had brought beans and rice instead of candy. The church itself was literally falling apart. It was the saddest-looking building I've ever seen. The mud floors are uneven, so the wooden benches aren't even level. The mud walls make it very dark inside. We just learned that this past Sunday, the rains literally caused one of the walls to fall in during the church service. Fortunately no one was hurt.
After leaving the village, we drove to Akagera National Park and spent the night at the lodge. The next morning we set out for a "drive-thru" safari. We saw giraffes, hippos, baboons, buffalos, zebras and more. It was our first "exotic" African experience, and it was wonderful. We stopped at a mountain top for a couple of hours and enjoyed hiking for a while. It felt like we were exploring uncharted territory. The children even found the bones of a very large dead animal, so in their eyes, it was an adventure of dinosaur proportions.
A lot of people have asked me, "How do you see the poverty every day and not get depressed?" It's hard to describe. It's not depressing. These people are happy, truly happy. They are not happy because they just went to the mall or watched a new movie or dined at a fancy restaurant. They're not sad because their house is not as nice as their neighbor's, or their clothes aren't made by the top designers, or their vacation wasn't as luxurious as their coworker's. They are content with family, friends and mud huts. The things that do make them sad are not being able to afford the treatment for a child with malaria, or pulling a child out of school becaue they can't buy the books, or not being able to provide three meals a day to their families. Yes, the needs are great. But God is teaching us to start with the people He has placed in our lives...Alfred, Chantal, Todd's employees, etc. We can help make a difference in their lives, and pray that the bank (opening in 1Q 2007) will have a more lasting impact long after we're gone. Depressing? No. Motivating? YES!
Oh...many of you have asked about the young boy who was accidently hit by a car. He came out of his coma and had surgery yesterday. The surgery was successful, so things look promising. Thank you for your prayers.
New Photos and Movies
11/07/06 12:40 PM
We haven't had a lot of time to post lately. I've
been working on photos and video. Check out the
"Movies" and "Photos" section of our site for new
content. Jessica's mom, Pam, has been with us for the
last couple of weeks and we've been having a good
time with her. We've been on a few adventures with
her, so you should check those out in the new photos
and movies. In the "Akagera" video you can witness a
male hippo kill his newborn male offspring. Our guide
at Akagera National Park did not see the newborn
hippo with his mother, but when his mother turned
away, the father stepped in and killed his son.
According to our guide, this occurs when the male
hippo feels threatened by his male offsping. Not
something we expected to see, but it is rare to catch
on video.
Overall, we're doing well. However, one of my partner's from work, Ross Nathan, experienced tragedy this past weekend when a four year old kid ran in front of his car as he was traveling home from church with his family. The boy is in a coma at the local hospital, and Ross is naturally distraught and full of guilt. Ross did nothing wrong, the boy just didn't look before he began to run across the road to see his sister. They were walking home from church. Please pray for all involved as it was a tragic accident.
Overall, we're doing well. However, one of my partner's from work, Ross Nathan, experienced tragedy this past weekend when a four year old kid ran in front of his car as he was traveling home from church with his family. The boy is in a coma at the local hospital, and Ross is naturally distraught and full of guilt. Ross did nothing wrong, the boy just didn't look before he began to run across the road to see his sister. They were walking home from church. Please pray for all involved as it was a tragic accident.