After he cooled off, we went to a friend's house with several other families to celebrate Christmas. Here's a picture of the kids enjoying a little Christmas cheer with friends on the trampoline.

We celebrated New Years Eve with several families at a nearby home. During a time of worship that night, they led off with a song that my friend Carrie Carter always sings at the Edge, our worship venue at church. The tears started flowing and I couldn’t get them to stop! The homesickness is pretty intense at times…

I am now the temporary preschool teacher at Kigali International Community School. Ben’s teacher had to go back to the states for surgery, and they were going to have to close the class, so here I am. Every night when Todd asks Ben what he learned in preschool, he says, “Nuffing.” I have my work cut out for me. Here’s a picture of my class.

In January, some money was stolen from our home. The way it was taken led us to believe it was someone on the “inside.” We began investigating and asking a lot of questions. Unfortunately, we uncovered several lies that Alfred has told us along the way. They were repetitive enough and severe enough that we knew we had to let him go, regardless of whether he took the money. This was an agonizing decision for us. We have been very generous to Alfred, believing that he was an honest man and a hard worker and he deserved a break. We have been to his home, met his wife and children, and developed a relationship with his father and the orphans that his church cares for. He was also Ben’s daily “Luke Skywalker” playmate. The betrayal, and the resulting consequences, were the most painful thing we’ve experienced since moving here. We had given him a loan earlier, so we decided to forgive the loan, send him on his way and call it a lesson learned. He just called a couple of days ago to tell me that his wife had their fourth baby, their first son, and they named him “Ben.”

On a happier note, three KICS teachers – Amanda, Kyla and Lauren – just moved in next door to us. They are young, single, American, and such a breath of fresh air! We adore them and feel blessed to be their duplex “suitemates.” Here’s a picture of us, Kyla, Lauren, Mary, Will and Kate Cavin in our front yard just after a hailstorm. The kids loved having a “snowball” fight in their flip flops.

Todd is really busy at work. Trying to function in this “business” environment is difficult at best. Picture going to the revenue office every day, with new employees and new rules each time. He did get a nice break a couple of weeks ago when he attended an Opportunity International conference in Cape Town, South Africa. He came back with some beautiful photos, a nice sunburn and best of all, some Cheddar cheese!

This week our beloved cook, Chantal, had to have emergency surgery for what they thought was a tubal pregnancy. When they got inside, they instead found a blood clot and the baby is supposedly fine. I was appalled by the medical “care” she received here, and I’m still concerned for her baby. Please pray for her. She is trusting God to walk with her through this, just as she has trusted Him through so many difficult times in the past. Here is a picture of her with Rebecca and Ben, wearing the matching African outfits she gave them for Christmas.

We’re counting down the days til our trip home in April. Can’t wait to see many of you then!

Building Crew

We spent the weekend at the Kivu Sun resort in Gisenyi, Rwanda. We were about one mile from the Congo border. The above photo is sunset across Lake Kivu looking at the mountains that are on the western border of Congo. My mom is in Rwanda visiting us for a couple of weeks. We've tried to give her an African experience, so a trip within a mile of the Congo would be something she wouldn't forget. The Kivu Sun resort is nice. We will be going back for sure. Ben fell asleep on the way to the hotel; he awoke as we entered the hotel and asked "Why do we not live in Africa anymore?" The food was the best we've had in Rwanda. Here is the view from our room.

A couple of other interesting things we saw today. Below is a photo of a memorial for workers at the local beer and cola manufacturing plant. During the 1994 genocide, a bus leaving the bottling plant was stopped and the workers were ordered to get off the bus and separate by tribe. The workers refused and the bus was set on fire with everyone still on board. The memorial is to memory of those that refused to particpate in genocide and died not as members of a specific tribe but as Rwandans.

On a lighter note, we passed this structure on the way home. Rwandans must love the USA because we provide them with gallons of vegetable oil. Someone was excited to show their feelings toward the US by decorating their place of business with our gift of vegtable oil cans.

This past Saturday I traveled about 40 miles east of Kigali to visit the home of Reverend Jean Paul's father. Reverend Jean Paul is a pastor at the Anglican Church in the Remera district of Kigali. He was responsible for bringing the Good Samaritan choir to visit our home last month. He asked me to help his father build a shelter for a cow. Heifer International, in conjunction with the Rwandan government, will provide Jean Paul's father with a cow if he will build a shelter for the cow and the grass for the cow to eat. Grazing cattle is a problem in Rwanda where real estate is limited. The government is trying to encourage zero-grazing to keep cattle away from neighbor's crops. Jean Paul's father is 77 and responsible for 4 young children. You can see three of the four in the above photo. Jean Paul is the primary provider for his father and his family, but as a pastor his income is limited and he has five children of his own.

A good friend of mine has offered to fund the construction of the shelter for the cow. The cow will be capable of producing excess milk that can be sold to neighbors in return for money to purchase food at the local market. One of Jean Paul's father's children is suffering from kwashiorkor, which is a disease caused by the lack of protein. You can see in the photo below that his young son is losing his hair - a symptom of the disease.

"Poppa" invited me into his home to sit in his "chair of honor." The home is about 20ft by 20ft and constructed with mud and sticks. Six people live there. It's easy to get fairly comfortable staying at our duplex in Kigali. Getting out of town was a reminder of why we're here and how blessed we truly are. There are millions that live in similar conditions as I witnessed Saturday morning. When I take the time to consider this fact, I realize that with blessings comes responsibility.

"Poppa" and his oldest daughter at home


The mud stove used to feed the family of six


"Poppa" resting in his field

From Todd -- After three months sailing across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, our container arrived in Rwanda on Thursday. It was cleared through customs in less than a week thanks to several people that helped us through the process. The above photo was taken just down the street from our duplex. Our street was too narrow for the "Hammer" that brought the container to our home, so we negotiated a spot down the street to unload the goods. The men in orange were our "man power" as they call it here. We attracted quite a bit of attention. There were about 20 kids hanging around watching everything being moved off the container.

We have boxes all over our house and can barely get around, but we've got enough Tuna Fish and Rice Crispies to feed the city. For the last couple of days we've had several kids hanging around outside our gates. Yesterday a woman with twin babies came to our gate to ask for some food. I guess she heard about our tuna. I was upstairs with the kids and captured this photo from the window. It is sobering to trip over cereal boxes from Sam's while people just outside our gate can't feed their children. This photo sums up this tension. As the rain began to pour, she left as quickly as she came. It was just a couple minutes, but it made a lasting impact on me.

The mud hut pictured above houses a family of seven. This is a typical home in the Eastern Province of Rwanda, where our guard Alfred is from. He made a trip there last week to take photos for us. Last week Alfred's father, Reverend Alfred, visited us in Kigali.

He was in town in an attempt to meet with orphan care groups to find support for the 150+ orphans that he and his congregation care for. He explained that orphans and many other children in his parish don't attend government schools because they can't afford the small fees for books and uniforms. The church is the last safety net for these children, and Reverend Alfred runs several schools in his parish.

It never ceases to amaze me when I have the privilege to see God work. The day before we met Reverend Alfred, I was given money by a good friend to put to work in Rwanda. It did not take long for God to provide us with an opportunity. Reverend Alfred was unsuccessful in his attempts to find support from the orphan care organizations in Kigali, but he was able to go back to his parish with enough money to pay his teachers who had not been paid in months.

Afterward, we sent our guard, Alfred, back to his village with a camera to capture images of how the money was being used. It was sobering to see the images of so many orphans with little if any access to the basic needs we take for granted. You can see some of these photos here. We are planning a trip of our own in the coming weeks.

Reverend Alfred is in the process of building a new school and church. Jessica and I are researching to see how we might help Reverend Alfred and the children of his parish. I believe Alfred did not become our guard by accident, but God placed him in our path to expose the needs of his village and his father's church. It will exciting and challenging to see how God might use us to bring blessings to the Eastern Province of Rwanda.

From Todd -- We had our first stressful evening in Rwanda last night. Ben developed a deep cough (croup) Sunday night and by Monday evening he needed respiratory treatment to assist him with his breathing. Ben experienced the same problem about one year ago in Little Rock, so we knew what was needed, but the drive to the hospital was emotional because we didn’t know if they were equipped to handle respiratory distress in a child. We are so thankful that Ben received the necessary treatment and is doing well today. You can see him in the above picture with our guards, our next door neighbor’s guards, our cook and our “German Shepherd” Beauty. By the way, we have a new dog in the family. “Socks,” a puppy that looks a lot like Beauty, showed up in our yard several days ago. Alfred asked all the neighbors if they had lost a puppy and nobody claimed him. So our little family is growing by the day!

Ben has been on a Darth Vader kick lately. I don’t think he’s ever watched more than 30 minutes of any Star Wars movie, but he is fascinated with the depth of Darth Vader’s breathing. Ben imitates his breathing daily with a slight whistle. It is quite entertaining. When we were in the emergency room awaiting Ben’s respiratory treatments, I tried to make him comfortable by telling him that he was going to put on a mask like Darth Vader and breathe like he does in the movie. He even wanted us to take a picture of him with the mask on. To our dismay, when the respiratory machine was turned on, the excitement of being Darth Vader disappeared. The treatment was difficult but effective since Ben’s crying assisted the vapors to reach his windpipe and lungs. After the trauma was over and Ben settled down, with a serious tone, Ben informed us that he did not want to be Darth Vader anymore.

From Jessica -- Our new cook, Chantal, has changed my world. She makes enchiladas, salsa, guacamole, tacos, roast, salad dressings, soups, breads, cookies and more. Todd might just gain back some of the weight he lost these past few weeks!

We have also sealed many of the holes and leaks in our home, and we have replaced our screens, so we aren’t fighting the bugs and geckos so much. We are eating yummy meals free from ants. Life is good!

In addition to enjoying her delicious meals, I have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with this sweet, soft-spoken woman, and I’m constantly bombarding her with questions about her life. Here are some things I have learned...

* Chantal is married to Claude, a carpenter. We have hired him to repair the countless things that are broken in our house. That’s another story...
* They have three children, ages 10, 3 and 1. Her fourth child, a six-year old daughter, died six months ago. She had down syndrome or something along those lines.
* Their family took in four orphans a while back, but they could not afford to feed all of them, so the orphans are now staying with Claude’s sister. Claude and Chantal still help take care of the orphans as much as they can.
* She takes a taxi to and from our house each day. It takes her two hours to get here and two hours to get home.
* Chantal has a 16-year old girl who works as her babysitter and lives in their home. Chantal pays her 5,000 francs ($10) a month plus meals.
* When she gets home at around 7 p.m., she cooks and cleans for her family. I asked her if she ever rests, and she said, “Yes! Every night in bed!”
* I asked her what she enjoys to do for a hobby. She said “reading.” I asked her what books she likes to read. She said, “The Bible.”
* Her daughter (also Rebecca!) turns one on Saturday. I asked her what they do to celebrate birthdays in Rwanda. She said she cooks a big meal, she might even prepare some meat, and they might even drink some cokes. But they don’t celebrate birthdays every year because this is too expensive.
* Chantal formerly worked as a cook for the World Relief guest house. They closed the guest house, so I snatched her immediately. She told me she is thankful to God for providing her with this new job, because it is very difficult to feed her family if she does not have a job.
* We pay Chantal a good salary compared to many cooks. She makes less than $1 an hour.

I’m quickly learning that while we came here to help the Rwandans, in many cases, they are the ones helping us. Which is more important? Freeing them from poverty or freeing us from materialism? God is working on both ends of the spectrum.

This is a photo of a local soccer match between “Muzungu Nation” and US Embassy. One of our new friends plays on the Muzungu Nation team. Muzungu is a Swahili word used to describe a person of European origin. We are referred to as Muzungus daily. It is not a derogatory term, but one of respect.

As our family was walking to the field, several little Rwandan boys crowded around us Muzungus. They were there by themselves to watch a little Saturday “football.” Rebecca and I were walking in front, and Jessica and Ben were behind us. The little boys kept “petting” Ben’s hair like he was a puppy dog, but every time I turned around, their hands shot down to their sides. They didn’t care if Jessica saw them, but they were afraid of “Daddy Muzungu.” Ben didn’t even notice. He was too busy watching “soccer/football” as he calls it.

As we continue to adjust to the differences in how things work here, I’ll share a couple of observations. In the last month, I have been asked to “loan” money to more people that I can count. Initially, I was offended by the request for financial assistance from people whom I was just getting to know; however, I failed to recognize some substantial differences in our cultures. In many African cultures, requesting financial assistance from someone is a sign of showing respect and closeness to that individual. This culture is much more relationally-driven than our individualistic American culture. With our financial wealth in the US, most of us have the ability to rely only on ourselves financially. With a drastically lower level of wealth distribution here, family members, distant relatives and friends support each other financially. When people have few resources and no government assistance, they figure out how to take care of each other. As long as the US Dollar doesn’t continue to weaken against the Rwandan Franc, I might be able to become my own microfinance institution. I’m mentally planning a 100% loan loss reserve rate.

In the US, we talk a lot about finding “community” and meaningful relationships that last. That’s not a problem for the Rwandans. The continual struggle for financial security here and the suffering that goes along with that help create strong communal bonds that, sadly, we can’t relate to. The strong individualism that defines the American way doesn’t work here, and for the first time, I’m seeing how much I pursue security, comfort and financial independence without even knowing it. Can we really have a community without dependence on one another? How is dependence fleshed out in our American culture where our individual pursuits seem to always take priority? I don’t have the answers, but it’s got me thinking.

From Todd -- These are the items that tempt me and expand my diet beyond the typical rice, beans and vegetables of sub-saharan Africa. The Coke Light from Dubai is better than Diet Coke at home, but it costs about $1.25 for a 12-ounce can. Ben and I go through a Hot & Spicy Pringles can every few days. It’s helpful to have these “vices” here to give us a taste of home. Pringles have always reminded me of my Paw Paw Rand, as he always had these around his home when I was younger. The nostalgia of those memories has never been stronger than it is now. I’ve noticed the same emotions with music. I’ve always been a big music lover, and I’ve recognized that the emotions tied to music have only strengthened since we’ve arrived in Rwanda.

We promised our kids a dog in Africa, and today we brought home “Beauty,” a one-year-old German Shepherd mix. They’re so excited...in their eyes, she is truly beautiful.

We have had so many new experiences in such a short time - in some ways it’s like going to college all over again - being bombarded with new sights and sounds in a quick succession. I’ve discovered that here I cling to the most valuable memories of my life at a deeper level than ever before. We’ve been here three weeks, but it seems like three months. It will be interesting to see what reminds me of Rwanda ten years from now.

Each day carries some story I would love to share with everyone at home...some of joy, some of sadness, but mostly stories of hope. Given the country’s traumatic past, I’m amazed at the hope the Rwandans have in God, themselves and their country. They are inspiring to live among, and I’m blessed to count many as my friends in just three short weeks.

From Todd -- This is a photo of Ben having his lunch outside our kitchen with Alfred, our guard that lives with us during the week. Alfred is really good with our kids, and he is so helpful and a joy to have around. Ben loves going outside to eat lunch with Alfred. It remains awkward to have help like Alfred, but he could not be happier with his new adopted family. Alfred’s friend, Steven, is at our home on the weekends when Alfred gets time off. Steven is an orphan that has finished secondary school and is trying to make enough money to go to University. At first we didn’t think he spoke much English until I read some of his study materials -- complex economic principals hand-written in English.

House help, along with many other peculiarities, make living in Rwanda such a dramatic shift from living in America. Jessica and I, along with the kids, have all struggled with adjusting to the pace of life here. It is so much slower and there is no such thing as instant gratification. What takes 20 minutes at home takes at least 2 hours here--if you’re lucky or know someone. Another major adjustment is the language barrier. I did not understand the magnitude of this challenge until I experienced it first hand. I’m never quite sure if I understand what someone is telling me, and I’m sure that don’t really understand what I’m trying to say.

Last Friday I traveled to Kibuye, Rwanda (find that on a map) which is on Lake Kivu on the western border of Rwanda with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lake Kivu is a large, volcanic lake that is breathtakingly beautiful. I visited Bethanie Guest House which is owned by the Presbyterian Church and it was such a tranquil and relaxing place. The setting was similar to an expensive resort on the Mediterranean, but this place is so remote that it gets very little tourist traffic. It is roughly 50 miles from Kigali, but it takes almost 3 hours to get there due to winding roads that luckily are in excellent shape. (The Chinese built the road.)

We’re having our emotional ups and downs, but overall we’re settling in well. God is teaching us patience with the culture; gentleness with each other and our children; and forbearance towards others unlike ourselves.

From Todd -- I miss the beginning of fall in Arkansas. Going to McCrory for opening day of dove season, being near the corn harvest, and the opening weekend of college football remind me of the coolers days to come. I found somewhat cooler days in Rwanda, but without an air conditioner it’s probably a wash.

We’ve had many memorable experiences in our first week. Our new next-door neighbors, John and Courtney Peays, just lost their son, Ben. He was born 10 weeks premature and was evacuated to South Africa, but he suffered an infection in his brain and could not fight it. John and their 15-month-old son, Luke, were in route to South Africa when Ben passed on to heaven, so Courtney was alone in the hospital as she held her dying son.

There are already too many experiences that I would like to share but don’t have the space for - from walking through a clothing market that looked like the lost-and-found after an American youth group retreat, to going without water in our home for 36 hours.

One of the most interesting things I’ve noticed is the challenge that it is for us to deal with inactivity. For example, I took Ben to church with me this morning. Jessica and Rebecca stayed home as lack of water made it difficult for all of us to get ready for church. As we visited a small Anglican church in the Remera neighborhood of Kigali, we were two of four white people in the building. We were welcomed and felt comfortable. As we sat through scripture readings, songs, etc. I struggled to keep Ben “entertained” with raisins, books, etc. The Rwandan children sat silent with no sign of being unhappy. I recognized a difference in our cultures. Our kids, and all of us, need more stimulation and structure than Rwandans. As I get frustrated with the seemingly unorganized method of doing business and getting things done here, I realize how high-maintenance I am. From entertaining our children to entertaining ourselves, a step into a culture that doesn’t rely on so much stimulation is a step out of the ordinary for me. I pray this will be an experience that will teach me the value of simplicity and contentment in my life.

PS - Check out some of our photos in the “Library.” And if you’d like to see the blog from our visit to Rwanda in May, visit http://toddbrogdon.blogspot.com/ .

From Jessica -- On the left is our home in Kigali...225 Rue Terminalia Street. It’s in a set of duplexes with a diverse mix of Rwandans and expats. On the right is the view from our home.

Our first week has been full! We stayed with Dabbs, Mary, Will and Kate Cavin for the first several days. Their family has been here since April, and Dabbs and Todd will be working together at the bank. The Cavins were wonderful hosts. Rebecca and Ben adore Will and Kate, and the familiar faces helped ease the transition. In fact, we’ve been amazed at how well the children are doing.

The second day we were here, we took them swimming at the Novatel hotel, an expat hangout. Rebecca became immediate friends with 7-year-old Ruth Jenkins, who was adopted by a missionary family here. They ran around chasing two crested cranes. It made my eyes fill with tears, because Rebecca had been concerned about all the “people with dark skin,” and here she was holding hands and laughing her head off with one of them.

Our first “Get me back to America” moment came the night we moved into our home. We got in late, and the kids were tired and cranky. Everything was in suitcases, and I couldn’t find anything. I tried to start the bath water and realized we had forgotten to plug in the hot water heater, so there was no hot water. Todd was sweating profusely, trying to hammer a hook in the metal ceiling to hang the mosquito net over the children’s bed. Then the electricity went out. Our new next-door neighbor John Peays came over and brought us candles and flashlights. We continued what we were doing in the dark, then Ben stepped on a candle. It was 30 minutes of utter chaos. At one point I looked at Todd and said, “Someday we will look back on this night and laugh.”

Everywhere we go, people are walking on the side of the road, carrying goods on their heads. The small children carry heavy tubs of water to and from their homes, which are primarily mud huts. The way of life for expats and upper/middle class Rwandans is to have workers inside and outside the home. Our guard Alfred lives in a tiny room attached to the back of our house. It has a small mattress, a shower and a toilet. It’s probably about 6 ft x 6 ft. His wife and three daughters live two hours away, and he works in the city and sees them about twice a month. He is a part-time pastor and sings in the choir. And he is thrilled to have this job.

Yesterday Todd stopped by to get an ice cream cone on his way home from running errands. He was feeling a little down because it was the opening morning of dove season and the first Razorback football game at home. As he was buying his ice cream, he saw six little children looking in the window at him with hungry eyes. He bought six more ice cream cones and didn’t feel so low any more.