The Rwanda Project

Today is "Public work" day. Every family comes out of their homes and cleans around their house on the last Saturday of every month. So, it sort of forces a bit of stillness in the morning. Jano and Chrissie are both spending time in their books with a cup of tea. Nancy is resting and I am restless. Haha! You can hear the sound of brooms sweeping and singing. The sky today is the first one which isn't overcast. Bird songs sound so different and almost happier when the sun is out.

This is a woman we call Rachel. She helps Chrissie by going to market and by cooking when she has guests staying. Our meals have been so delicious here! Rachel loves Jesus and seems to leave pieces of His joy wherever she goes inside or outside.




Yesterday, we spent time city dwelling with Marcell! It was the first time I recognised a face other than Marcell's while we were out. Between those occasions and making new friends (Claudine, Alice, Yvette, Judith, Rose and Yvonne) it feels a little easier to talk freely with the beautiful people here. The two most popular topics in passing conversation are Jesus and English to Kinyarwanda translation- two things people can't seem to get enough of here. I would have pictures of my friends for you, but sadly, my camera is broken. :( The lense function no longer functions. Nancy is very generous to use her camera to capture sights we both see and communicate them to you (to save them also for us and ministry in the future).

Savings Groups

Would you look at these faces? These are our new friends that are working with a ministry that is initiating "Savings groups" among the people. The ministries are country wide, but this group works with savings groups through the local Anglican church body in Kigali. However, Malou is special. She the lovely lady in the purple shirt. She gets to go all around Rwanda, aiding church leaders as they need further guidance and application.

"Savings groups" unite groups of local people with a common goal: to learn to save money, restore trust with each other(post-genocide) and defeat poverty eventually all with the constant focus on Jesus Christ.

The day we came to visit, a major training had just finished. Church leaders from all over the country, in 10 different diocese came to know how Savings Groups work and how they will teach the leaders beneath them and then the local people how to apply the teaching and benefit from it.

Diana, the young lady in the brown shirt, invited us to the choir practice that evening at that Anglican Church. We felt like we belonged in the group we sat in, singing American songs along with them. For me, there was an overwhelming sense of unity that reminded me of Psalm 133. "Oh how sweet, and oh, how blessed it is for the Brethren to dwell together in Unity."

Songs to Jesus filled the church from the lowest corners to the tallest corner of the steeple. The song we learned that night was the song by Watermark "Make My heart Your Home".

We came back home at 7 to have dinner with new friends, Jean Marie and his wife Sandra. Jean Marie has a very gentle spirit and the biggest smile I think I've ever seen. Sandra, though she didn't speak much English, brought grace to the room and a steadiness as their children happily played around her. We learned a lot more about the inner workings of Microfinance and how it affects the lives of the people.
I'll leave you with this picture. These lizards are most welcome in dwellers in homes, out of them and in the forests. They eat mosquitoes and other insects - :) - they are most welcome in homes and cute to watch as they squiggly creep up walls.

Thanks for praying for us! We love you! Tomorrow we are visiting Kibuye and Lake Kivu with Chrissy. Home ground to Imaculee Ilibagiza, author of the book "Left to Tell".