Hey everyone!
Today was a tough one for me (Joy) but all is well. We're getting up early tomorrow morning so it'll a very short post here.
Pray for the Congo, about 1,000,000 refugees are flocking to the city of Goma which is quite near the Rwandan border. If the refugees are coming for relief, it may have devistating affects on the already hungry povertous people of Rwanda. Pray for hunger to be quenched (it's been 4 days now with very little food for families including children and the elderly), for bravery to be caught and for organization. Lots of relief is coming in but pray that it gets to those who need it.
We are all quiet safe in Kigali, and doing well as we continue to minister to the people. We're in excellent health and continue to praise the Lord for all that He's provided for us!

More later,
joyous

Kibuye (KeeBooYay)

Hello Friends!

Nancy here. Been silent for a while on the blogspot, and I'm back!

Today, Joy and I saw some of the most beautiful landscapes of our lives. We traveled all the way to the western border of Rwanda to Lake Kivu. Chrissy and two of her coworkers were paying a surprise visit to one of their churches. Chrissy invited us along to explore the lake since that area was home to Immaculee Ilibagiza, author of Left to Tell, one of our first glimpses into Rwanda and the genocide.

We decided to use our hour of free time to take a boat ride and we don't regret it!! Here are some of the stunning views we saw. It's not hard to understand why Immaculee said she grew up in paradise.

Even though the lake was astounding, the views on the drive may have topped it. Simply amazing.

The road from Gitarama to Kibuye was insane! You simply would've had to see it to believe it. I would've taken video footage of the drive... but I was holding on for dear life to keep from being tossed into Chrissie to my right and the door to my left! Truly, there were NO stretches of straight road. It was two hours of screeching left and right turns. And, in Rwanda, the only rule seems to be: try not to hit anyone. Speed limits? Everyone knows where the police stand, so there are backlogs there. Side of the road? The rule seems to be, stick to the inside of the curve and hope there isn't any oncoming traffic around the bend... and to top it all off, Chrissie said that he was driving extremely cautiously today! Gracious! We traveled from Kigali on the left to Kibuye on the right. From Gitarama west is the crazy part, though the map will hardly do it justice.

Tomorrow we are sitting in on a training seminar associated with Hope International. We'll learn more about microfinance through Savings Groups.

I'll leave you with a picture of me and my little precious namesake! Claude and his wife pay me such an honor to give their daughter my name! We'll see them again on Friday night at their church service - the pastor invited us to come and preach at the service! Gracious! Wouldn't have been my idea, but it'll be a great opportunity to share what the Lord has done in our lives and through our time here in Rwanda.

~nancy

Another Nancy!

This is Keza NANCY Shekinah, and on the right, Nancy with Mum and Dad. Our driver for our Compassion International visits invited us home to meat his daughter, the one he named after Nancy. WHAT!? Honestly, what an honor, surprise and it's something that leaves you speechless. We were instantly in love from the moment we held her.






Just after that visit, we joined Claude at his church to listen to/record another choir rehearsal. Just as we were about to leave, the rain came down like a flood from the sky, hailing as well. This poor lad was a bit wet when he arrived through the doors. Please pray. When it hails there is potential for crops to be ruined and hunger to ensue. So while you take up concern with the Lord, lift of His people in Rwanda, that the crops would heal from the hail and yield a terrific harvest!
This same church we attended today invited us back on friday night where the want us to be a part of the service. Again, we're honored beyond what we're worthy of, and we just ask God to be all that breathes within us. Please pray for us and for this coming friday evening!
I got the best, clearest and most desired recordings today. The choir was lively, dancing with feet keeping beat, arms held high and voices lifted up! The first time I heard a choir alone let loose without a synthesizer or electronic lead. Just people.



Just recently I mentioned my friend, Claudine. Tonight we came to her home where she is a parent to her siblings (3 of them) even though she is only 20 years old. We sat around a table there at the compound with a living room FULL of people behind us. We were a little uncomfortable at first, but soon, the night gave to singing and even a little bit of dancing! Imagine that! HAHA!



In Rwanda, they are a very loyal, hospitable people. Often, even though there is begging on the streets, they are a people who look out for each others needs a lot more than we commonly see in the states. I have seen more than once, hungry people giving food to other hungry people. My children with compassion sharing chocolate with friends without having any themselves. We have been corrected very well! Life is not solely about one person, it's about all of us, and the Maker who fashions us together with the fibers of love. We were so glad to be in their company tonight! Thank you God, for a chance to know these people and to talk freely about the saving grace of Jesus with them!

More to come tomorrow night! Love and joy to you all who are praying! And thank you immensely!

Joyous

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".

Les Milles Colline - A thousand hills

They call Rwanda the country of "a thousand hills" and today as we visited Butare, in the south of Rwanda, we found out why. God seemed to have rolled out the red carpet when he created this place. The hills presented themselves filled with work (of man and God) and absolute beauty. Flowers here and there were brilliant red, yellow, white and pink! Bird songs just stopped us in our tracks and we walked a path (sometimes narrow, sometimes wider like the one in this picture) singing Rwandan songs together about Jesus. Today was very special for me (Joy). It was the day that I met Mukanyandwi Jacqueline for the first time! This is the child that we have sponsored for the longest and the one who we knew most about, and who knew most about us.

We felt so special today! When we first arrived at the Compassion International school, they sat us in the front of the church, with pews filled with children (253 to be exact, 3 of which don't have sponsors yet) and invited us to sit facing the crowd. We met Jacqueline (!!! who glowed from the time she came in!!!), listened to the choir sing and then dancers came in with the leader singing in a beautiful loud voice and playing 3 drums that looked a lot like the djembe. We were led through the sea of smiling, very happy children into the main office there at the school. We heard about the inner workings of Compassion (go to www.compassion.com) then we were off on a long walk through the most beautiful setting I have ever seen to visit Jacqueline's home.



We heard that her brother and his wife who was living right next to her, had just given birth for the first time to twins and today they are 4 months old! A boy and a girl! When we arrived, we had the joy of holding each of them. Here's Nancy will little baby Marissa. And Jacquline's precious Nephew who's name I can't remember, but it means "sent from God".

When visiting their home, we were amazed that it was through the sponsorship of compassion (and a gift of $50) that constructed the very house we were sitting in, from the ground up! There was no running water or electricity, but there was a sitting room, a kitchen, a store room and a bedroom which is more than most have in those parts. Look at what God has done for them through this ministry. If you haven't thought about it, look into Compassion International. Make a difference in the life of a child! I have now seen with my eyes what I knew was happening in her their lives through this ministry. They are given a chance to have a bright future for Mukanyadwi because of it. I've seen the school, met the directors, met her peers and her family. Her manerism, her joy, her thoughtfullness for others and her full, sincere smile has said it all. She has hope, because of Jesus and she is blessed through Compassion.



The visit was cut short by the oncoming of rain, yet we managed to get this picture. Above the doorway reads "Numa RiUmana" which means "After is God". After everything, there is God... Thank you God for hope when everything else fails us.
Since the roads that would bring us back to the city were dirt roads, rain posed a serious threat for safe travel! We ended up making it back to the main roads just before the rain fell, we had dinner with our translators and driver, and boy we had a terrific laugh then! We have loved making new friends in this very beautiful, friendly world over here.

Tomorrow we are taking in a much needed morning of rest. We'll be journaling and writing until about 1. Then we're off with Marcel, again. We have no plans, but please pray that we will be filled with God's unabashed love for the people, confidence in His word, a desire to be patient and a quickness to listen.