Hands On Experience (Day 13)

Written by Stephanie Hammonds.

James 1:27 

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..."

It's definitely one thing to read a verse in the Bible, and a completely different thing to carry it out in life.   As a team today, we had the unique opportunity to be a part of that very idea presented in James 1:27 in a way none of us had experienced before.  We were able to lend just a small hand to what the Rwandans call "Umuganda".  Everyone in the country is required to come together one Saturday a month and work in their community.  This is a requirement for the people of this country, but that doesn't change the weight of it's beauty.  

On this particular Saturday, the church/Arch Bishop, chose a widowed Genocide survivor caring for 9 children.(Not all are her personal children, btw).  They needed an addition built onto the home to accommodate the large family. The community was there and working hard already when we arrived.  The plan is usually to work one half of the day on a particular task.  This time frame sounded so minimal for the task at hand, but we saw immediately that more could be done than we thought.  

Bricks, up on the hill, were being made with mud and dried in the sun and many completed were already being carried down the hill one at a time and used in construction of the house by using more pliable mud for mortar. 

 

When we arrived, an assembly line, or 'fire line', if you will, was suggested, and bricks were passed down the hill to the house site very quickly.  At first, it seemed as if the people there were almost doubtful of our ability or willingness to participate in the work needed. However, when we jumped in and passed bricks like nobody's business right alongside them, they lightened up and starting thanking us for being there.  I believe that they saw our desire to be with them there in those moments to help build their local community as well as the Kingdom community.  

Quickly, we saw the structure begin to rise. It was remarkable.  A community, has joined together to bring provision to the widow in need, and innumerable similar instances in the history of this practice.  Wow.

Being privy to that project was a first for most of us as Americans, but it is definitely not something to be forgotten.

Next, we headed back to the Gahinga guest house where we would stay for the evening. Some of the group went on to the market to finish up some shopping, while the rest of us stayed behind to bask in rest on the shaded patio.  This place was beautiful!  It looked almost like an African resort overlooking the city of Gahinga!  This evening, we went to 'Heaven', the American owned restaurant where most of the team had gone several nights before. However, for me, it was a first. It was awesome! The staff there was amazing and the atmosphere helped create a perfect last night dinner.  So now I can say, I've been there, done that, and got the t- shirt.  Literally, got the t-shirt. 

So, to summarize: We found a few little pieces of Heaven today on Earth...first, a mix of culture/ people's working together to follow Gods word in providing for the orphans and widows...and second, the literal 'Heaven'.  

I couldn't have asked for a better ending to this adventure! It was great, God is greater, but home sure is sweet. Until we step back onto American soil...

Sincerely thankful, 

Stephanie Hammonds

Sad History, Great Hope (Day 12)

Friday May 24, 2013

This blog post was written by Korey Banks

We’re on the home stretch!  I think I can speak for a lot of the group in saying we’ve enjoyed our time here.  However, we are excited about coming back home.  It will be nice to share the stories and experiences of Rwanda that we’ve not been able to blog.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  We’ve had a few members of our group get sick over the last couple of days and do not want to continue to have these issues. 

Today was our “touristy” day.  We spent the morning shopping in the markets and some of us can now add, “haggling in a Rwandan market” to the list of skills that we now possess.  We made a few friends in the shop throughout our experiences.  The new friendships resulted in good deals, or at least that’s what we’re telling ourselves.  We finished the day with a nice family dinner at the Hotel des Mille Collines from the movie, Hotel Rwanda. 

Open Grave at the Genocide Museum

We spent a large portion of the day at the Genocide Museum.  What an experience!  If you’ve not seen Hotel Rwanda, I recommend you do so.  The Rwandan genocide was a result of the civil war between the Hutu and Tutsi socioeconomic classes in Rwanda.  I, naturally, sit in my safe position in the US and relax, “knowing” that such an experience will not happen to me.  Sometimes, I don’t even pay attention to the fact that such things have happened in the world.  I’m definitely not paying attention to the fact that these events have happened so recently.  Just to put this in context, there were 800,000 confirmed deaths in a period of around 100 days.  Many counts have put that death toll at up to 1 million people - men, women, and children.  This does not take into account the scars of the survivors.  With about 12% of 1994’s Rwandan population decimated, almost every Rwandan above the age of 19 or 20 years old is very likely to have lost a loved one in the genocide.

Burial Plots at the Museum.
There are 250,000 people buried at the museum.

In the 90’s, the US had an opportunity to step in and intervene.  Due to the fact that we had “no interests” in Rwanda, we did not intervene.  I asked Tripp if there were any hard feelings towards Americans from Rwandans.  He responded with “I don’t know… But I just can’t believe the Rwandans forgave each other.”  Today, 19 years after a very tragic and tense situation occurred and touched the majority of the nation, these people are now living as one.  They truly forgave each other.

Joseph Umugisha
Last name means "Blessing"

During our time here we’ve had a guide named Joseph, who lost his brother and father along with 5 uncles to the genocide while his grandmother and he hid in the bush.  His mother was sexually assaulted during the attacks and passed away several years later due to a resulting HIV infection.  His life was filled with anger.  He wouldn’t smile or laugh because he was so angry.  Joseph met Jesus 5 years after the genocide in 1999.  In looking at this tragic situation and speaking with Joseph about his experiences, one can understand his anger and frustration.  It would be virtually impossible to smile through these circumstances.  However, when Joseph speaks of this time in his life he has an amazing peace about it.  His life is filled with smiles and laughter now.  Joseph, like many other Rwandans, gave the simple phrase,  “God is good” as the reason for his joy.  He spoke of deliverance and true healing through his new relationship with Jesus.

It’s so hard to understand at times how simple this is.  No matter what happens, God is good.  This experience with the Genocide museum today and the conversation with Joseph caused me to open up to Romans 8:38 – 39. “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

A Little Slice of Heaven (Day 11)

Thursday, May 23, 2013.

Written By Kevin Matznick

Today has been somewhat of a closing to our time in Rwanda. Even though we still have three more days in Kigali, the “meat” of our trip has concluded. This morning we were met at the house by Bishop Alexis to say our farewells. He came by to thank us for our time in Gahini and Karangazi and to pray with us before we set out for Kigali. Our time sitting around the living room with him was really enjoyable. He is such a wise man who loves the Lord so much. 

One of our team members, Kenny, posed the question of how to work so well with very many different church congregations to bring a sense of unity among them. His response was perfect; he said that they (as Anglicans in Rwanda) were not trying to build their own “empire”, but rather simply wanted to build the kingdom of God. That was their only desire and purpose. This answer made me think about the churches back home in Greensboro and even the high schools within Greensboro Young Life. How awesome would it be to get many churches and high school ministries to come together with the one common purpose of building up the kingdom of God, regardless of their social standing, denomination, or size?

From there, we loaded up our things once again in Stella (our bus name) and headed off for Kigali. The drive was a great time to contemplate on the past days spent in Karangazi, Gahini, and other small towns. The land of Rwanda is just so beautiful that you can easily get lost in the awe of it all. Rwanda is often called “The Land of a Thousand Hills” and driving through the country definitely proved that title. Another thing I noticed was how much Rwanda was in the process of modernization. It is encouraging to see how much growth and potential is going on throughout the country.

"Bourbon Cafe"

After spending a week in the country and rural Rwanda, driving back into Kigali really opened our eyes to just how big of a city this place is! It’s just like being in a decent sized American city. We settled back into the place we are staying and some of us headed to a coffee shop up the road to relieve our coffee addiction. It was so good to get a delicious macchiato. 

The group then headed to a restaurant called “Heaven”. This place was so nice and very “Americanized”. I got a burger with cheese, onion, and barbeque sauce with a side of fries. I can’t explain to you how good it tasted after a week of rice, chicken, beans, plantains, and some kind of spinach dish. We were able to sit back and enjoy a relaxing night at the restaurant.

"A Night at Heaven"

It is hard to believe that our time in Gahini and Karangazi has come to an end. I have so many faces and people that I have come to love in those cities just from a week’s worth of getting to know them. I have been so encouraged by their simple faith that God is good all the time, regardless of circumstances. They don’t need much except the knowledge that the God of the universe loves them deeply and will always be there for them. This genuine joy and trust in the Lord is what I hope to take home with me. I can’t express enough how thankful I am to have been able to experience the time with those people. It is crazy to think that we only have three more days in Rwanda. We feel like we’ve been here for a long time, but the trip has flown by as well. Thank you again to everyone who has been reading our blog posts and praying for us throughout our trip.

-Kevin

Bright Smiles and Compassion!!!! (Day 10)

This Blog Post was written by Samantha Robards

May 22, 2013

“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

This verse really came to life today and we got to experience the fullness of it.  

Today was a day spent with our Compassion children. There are several of us who sponsor children here in Rwanda and they traveled from near and far to come and visit us. They came to Seeds of Peace, where we have been staying, to spend time with us. Krista’s little girl, Angelique, traveled from 8 hours away, which exemplified just how precious and important the relationship between the children and their sponsors is.

The day was spent playing with all the kids. The girls played dancing games, spent time coloring and played with soccer balls. The boys played soccer, Frisbee and played on the seesaw. The kids all got to eat lunch with us as well. They went first, which is something they are not used to. At home, they go last if they even get to eat at all. They filled their plates with food they don’t normally get to eat and were able to eat until their bellies were full. They even got to enjoy a nice refreshing soda!

My little girl’s name is Jackline. She is seven years old and part of the Compassion project at Karangazi. She has the most beautiful smile and such a joy of life.  It was so fun to spend time with her and simply love on her. She does not speak much English so communication is hard,

but seeing her clap, dance, run, play, and smile all speaks louder than words.  I fell in love with little Jackline. I could not stop hugging her, rubbing her head, and holding her hand. Words cannot explain the love I felt for this precious little girl.

All of us who got to spend the day with our sponsor kids fell in love with them so deeply. It doesn’t make sense how much we could love someone we just met. All I knew of Jackline was her face on a Compassion sponsorship card.


After spending the day with her I saw how God worked to bring a face on a card to become someone I love deeply. It was unbelievable seeing just how similar our personalities are. Today these kids became more than a picture on a card, the money we give each month became real, and we got to see, experience, and understand exactly who it is going to. Today I am thankful that God first loved us, so that through Him we are able to love without expectation.


-Samantha

Sad Goodbyes (Day 9)

This post was  written by Krista Kalmerton and Jenny Davidson

May 21, 2013 

 Starting your day out the right way is invaluable. Today we started the day with exercising with exactly half of the team. We really felt sorry for Chris and Jessie because we were kinda exercising outside their window! We’re sure it made for a really energetic wake up! Watching the sunrise over the lake was extremely beautiful. Cyane Cyane!

Today we were fellowshipping with the churches in Mbare and Kizirakome. Both times were rather short but the time was sweet. Kildoo brought the word in Mbare and talked about how in the Old Testament our sins were covered by the slaughter and releasing of goats into the wilderness. He also talked about how Jesus was that sacrifice for us, being slaughtered on our behalf and him bearing our sins so that they will not be remembered. Korey brought the word in Kizirakome and talked about how we should not worry, but pursue God and follow his commands. We were very encouraged by spending time with these two congregations.

In both churches, the men and women were separated. Men had the stools and women were sitting on mats on the floor. One woman said however that they knew the love of God was in us because we were willing to sit in the dust with their women. This really brought home the mission of this trip and our call as believers...”love God and love others”.

Later that evening we got a chance to go back to Karangazi and say goodbye to the children that we’ve gotten a chance to spend time with all week. They danced a traditional dance for us and sang. They danced and sang beautifully! We got several letters from different kids that we’d bonded with which made the goodbyes even more emotional.





We will truly miss our brothers and sisters in Karangazi and already cannot wait to see them again. Even through goodbyes God renews the hope that we have. As we trust him to continue to provide for and love these kids, we also trust him to bring us back together to fellowship with them once again!

Love,

Jenny and Krista