"Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire"

I have written often about our favorite village and the smart, beautiful children that reside there. From my first visit to the village, one particular little boy stole my heart. John Lambert is one of the leaders in the village at the young age of 10 (we think, he doesn’t even really know how old he is). His father Cristoph is the community leader and has a large family of 8 children (7 boys and 1 girl), an average family size in the villages. Although he is one of many precious children in the village, John Lambert has this sweet charming spirit about him, the kind that tugs on the heart strings and immediately draws people. You can see the eagerness, the hunger for knowledge, and the thirst for opportunity in his eyes. You can see that he will become something extraordinary in life….if only given the chance.

And just a few weeks ago he got that chance. His life changed right before my very eyes. This brilliant child received an opportunity that will change the course of his life.

The only world that John Lambert has ever known has been the simple village life, with no electricity, running water, or access to any sort of technology as we know it. He has lived his entire life walking several miles to get water, going to bed as soon as the sun goes down, and running barefoot up and down the Rwandan hills. There are probably many nights that he has gone to bed hungry, despite his father’s relentless efforts to feed his family, as evidenced by the bones that that protrude from his small frame. He has spent every night of his life sharing a twin sized bed with three or four other siblings....and his family is considered lucky they even have a bed at all. Although he has studied very hard and is obviously bright, inadequate resources and limited teachers in a very remote area have held him back from receiving a sufficient education.

But God has different plans for John Lambert.... My student Emmanuel (whom I have blogged about in the last couple of months) has been to the village with us on several occasions to interpret, teach the children English lessons, and preach passionate sermons on the love of God. Emmanuel happened to notice the potential in John Lambert as well, which led him on a fervent prayer quest and even to write a letter to the Bishop for sponsorship to Sonrise Boarding School for John Lambert. Only a few short weeks later, Emmanuel’s prayer was answered. Tom and Linda Wilson, who serve as B2R mentors and are two of the most wonderful people I have ever met, came from Fort Worth, Texas to visit our team in Rwanda. Not only did they bring us duffel bags full of Velveeta and Oreos, but they also took a great interest in two of my favorite boys. They fell in love with both Emmanuel and John Lambert, not even realizing their connection to each other. After recognizing the potential in John Lambert, they decided to sponsor his education to Sonrise Primary School. A school where opportunity is open to those who choose to seize it. A school that provides one of the best educations in Rwanda, as well as a comfortable bed and three healthy meals a day. A school that gives a future to those who may not have one otherwise. Emmanuel’s prayer was answered.

So the day before the start of second term, Tom, Mark, and I went to pick John Lambert up in his village and bring him back to Sonrise. Although I knew he didn’t have many material belongings, I was expecting that he might have some kind of bag with essential supplies to bring to his new school. When I asked him where his things were, he simply stated “I have nothing to bring.” He was wearing his only pair of pants, his only shirt, his only pair of shoes. He literally had NOTHING to bring with him. No toothbrush, no soap, no pajamas, no underwear….nothing. I brought him back to our house, found a bag, and rummaged around our stuff for some necessities (or what I thought of as necessities, obviously not to him). Emmanuel accompanied us throughout this whole experience, explaining everything step by step to the overwhelmed John Lambert and assuring him he was once in his shoes.

Before we sent him off to school, we took him to eat at one of the local hotels for his first ever restaurant experience. He proudly sat at the head of the table, placing his order and enjoying delicacies such as napkins and butter for the first time in his life (I had to explain to him the purpose of a napkin and how to butter bread:). He devoured the full plate of food before him, as you can see in the picture below.

And finally, we take him to his new school. His eyes were filled with novelty as we gave him a tour around the school, examining things such as clocks, bunk beds, toilets, and running water for the first time. It was very touching to watch Emmanuel leading John Lambert around, educating him on the ins and outs of the school. I could see that Emmanuel saw himself in John Lambert. He empathized with this kid who, by the grace of God, was chosen out of the countless needy children in Rwanda to attend one of the best schools in the country. As we left, I felt this motherly tear in my heart leaving him in an unfamiliar place all by himself, wide-eyed and bewildered… with only the slightest hint of apprehension….but mostly just in awe of his new world and the opportunities that lie ahead of him.