"To live is to be marked. To live is to change." The Poisonwood Bible

People always ask me to tell them about my life in Africa. And I usually have the same response….I just can’t explain it in words. I fumble over my words realizing I cannot give the experience justice. I have read countless books on the subject of Africa, and there is one thought that is often mentioned. Africa changes you. It is an undeniable fact if you spend any considerable amount of time here. Whether you love it or hate it, it gets in your blood and changes the way you perceive the world. It changes the way you view people and the way you view God.
Today is the anniversary of me being in Africa for one year. One year has flown by. It has changed me beyond what I can even describe, but I will try. At first, of course, everything seems so foreign. But just like everything in life, you learn to adjust. And then one day you wake up and realize that it is just normal. So now this foreign land of Rwanda is my reality.

I have also read that there is something about Africa that brings you to life. The natural breathtaking beauty of the land; the brilliant white smiles of the people that greet you every morning; the vivacious colors of the fabrics, art, and culture; the energy of the traditional dance and the power in the beat of the drums; the hustle and bustle of the thousands of people walking the streets of town and working the local shops; the welcome open arms of friends who take you into their home as their own family; the various smells and sounds of the chaotic but lively market; the grand volcanoes that tower over the untouched terrain; the contentment in a leisure afternoon tea and rich conversation with a friend, not constrained by time limits; the joy and sparkle in the eyes of a beautiful child untainted by the desire for earthly possessions; the thrill of riding on the back of a motorcycle through a lush mountainous land; the hope of a young boy who has a fearless determination to change the world; the strength of a country to move past their dark history and into a bright future… these are the things that bring me to life in Africa. The people enjoy life not for the possessions they may obtain or the ladders they may climb, but just for the simple fact that there is a life to be lived. There is such a raw beauty about this continent. It is simple yet profound. Life presents a new adventure every day.

But Africa, as we all well know, is not all joy and color and beauty and contentment. It is a continent that has suffered greatly for many years. Suffering beyond what most of us can imagine. Rwanda, in particular, is a place where pain and horror are familiar acquaintances of the people. It is a place where millions of children still bear hunger pains everyday and where easily treatable diseases claim the lives of innocent people everyday.

One of the hardest things for me to find is my response to this all. I wish I could say that I am always perfectly compassionate and respond in the most sensitive and appropriate ways. However, there are days when I am completely annoyed by the beggar who follows me around town wanting my change, days when I feel overwhelmingly guilty that I have white skin and was born into a family of privilege in the United States of America, days where I am extremely infuriated by the social injustices of this world, and days where I am just hopelessly heartbroken by the devastating need around me. But each day, just like in the US, I have to choose to face the day. No matter what I may be feeling that day, I have to get out of bed and face the challenges. Whether that is facing the boy on the streets who shows up at my house every morning because he has no one else to turn to, a student who is suffering from severe post-traumatic stress from the horrendous memories of watching her parents die 16 years ago in a genocide, or a 5 year old orphaned girl who was born with AIDS and will never know the love of her mother… I can’t any longer just pretend these things don’t exist or that they only exist in a far away land. They are reality. They are here at my doorstep, and I must face them head-on.

But each day as I face these challenges, I also feel blessed beyond belief. There are countless stories of hope and success. There are people who have rocked my world teaching me about the capabilities of the human heart and the limitless boundaries of the human strength. There are instances everyday where my faith is strengthened through a simple conversation and where I am awestruck by the beauty of the scenery that surrounds me. The bubble of my narrow world has been burst, and I now relish in the freedom that comes from escaping a life of comfort, security, and familiarity. I came to Africa with an overwhelming sense of needing to save the world and these poor children of Africa. Oh, how wrong I was in my thinking. Now I know that God does not need me to be in Africa, but rather I need to be here.

And so I can no longer go through life overlooking the simple joys and abundant blessings OR ignoring the disturbing injustices and cruelties of this world. I must face both realities and gracefully learn to balance the two. And so here I am, this white skinned, blonde haired Southern belle in a foreign land learning to do just that.

So that is how I can sum up my year in Africa. It has changed me.

"Gorillas in the Mist"

A few weeks ago I was able to finally see the famous Rwandan mountain gorillas. I have been in Rwanda almost a year now and have had to hear so many short-term visitors rave about what an amazing experience it is….yet I never took the initiative to experience it for myself (plus it is $500). We have had several free permits offered to our group, but I have never been able to go due to other commitments. Finally I was able to take someone up on the offer and see the most famous tourist attraction in Rwanda. The ONE Campaign, Bono’s anti-poverty initiative, came to Rwanda a few weeks ago with a group of college students from around the US. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s daughter was supposed to come with the group but ended up cancelling last minute, so I was able to use her gorilla permit:) My permit officially says “Katherine Schwarzenegger”.
The Virunga Mountains in Rwanda, Congo, and Uganda are the only area in the world where the mountain gorillas live. There are about 700 mountain gorillas remaining, and 350 of those live in Rwanda. They are probably most well known due to the research and publicity by Dian Fossey, whom the book and movie "Gorillas in the Mist" is based on. The gorillas live an interesting life, as they just move up and down the mountains eating, sleeping, and being visited by tourists.
The "man" of the group...Mr. Silverback himself.

The experience was definitely worthy of all that I have heard about it for the past year. After hiking up in the Virunga Volcanoes for a couple hours, we finally arrived at our family of gorillas, the Amahoro Family. We spent an hour following and observing the gorillas in their natural habitat. These massive animals walked among us, touched us, smiled at us, performed for us, and just hung out with us. We even had a little excitement in our group. As one silverback gorilla (the largest and the dominant male of the pack) was making his way past us, he just reached out and grabbed the girl next to me, taking her with him. He wasn’t trying to hurt her; it seemed he just wanted to play with her. After the initial shock, I quickly reacted and grabbed her arm to pull her back and away from her suitor. Real live King Kong!

Family time.
Just hanging out with the gorillas.
In the jungle!

Watch this video and walk through the gorilla trek with Jack Hanna!

"I will prepare and someday my chance will come." Abraham Lincoln

I have posted several times about one of my students at Sonrise, Emmanuel. I have known from the beginning that he is special….I was just waiting for the rest of the world to discover him. And they finally have. If you read the previous post on him, you remember me talking about all of the hardships that Emmanuel has endured in his 18 years. Just a brief history…Emmanuel is a double orphan from the genocide. His mother died in a refugee camp in the Congo right after the genocide, and then he was separated from his sisters in the camp. He literally wandered alone through the bushes of the Congo…when he was about 5 years old….dodging bullets, running from rebels and wild animals, and surviving off the little food he could find. After several years he made his way back to Rwanda and was miraculously reunited with his sisters, destined to live a life of poverty and despair with no parents. But God had bigger plans for Emmanuel. Emmanuel was chosen as one of the neediest children in the country to attend Sonrise School the year that it started.
So fast-forward a few years. Emmanuel is in S5 (11th grade) and is the top student in his class. He is well known around Sonrise for his incredible leadership, his talent in preaching and public speaking, and most of all his love and compassion for his fellow students. There is not a student or staff member at Sonrise that does not love him dearly. Most students know that he is an orphan, but they have no idea the hardships that he has had to endure. He takes every opportunity that comes his way and seizes it, having no excuses or self-pity for the troubles he has faced.

And the opportunity arose for Emmanuel to apply to the best academy in Africa. African Leadership Academy located in Johannesburg, South Africa focuses on teaching leadership and entrepreneurship skills to the top African students for their last two years of high school. Every year they choose the top students from every country in the continent to train as future leaders of Africa. This year they chose 3 students from Rwanda….and one of those students was Emmanuel. Amazingly enough, another of those students was one of Emmanuel’s best friends from Sonrise and one of my other students, Dieudonne. Two students from Sonrise were chosen out of the thousands of applicants all over the continent!

Just imagine….a little orphaned boy trying to survive on his own in the harsh jungles of the Congo to a student in the best academy on the continent and destined to become a leader. Emmanuel also received a $50,000 scholarship to attend the academy, which is a lot of money to anyone but to him is absolutely unfathomable.
It has been a process to get him ready to go to school, as he has had to do things such as choosing a date for his official birthday (he has no idea when his real birthday is), applying for a visa, passport, and identification card, getting numerous immunizations, and coming to the realization that he will be stepping on an airplane for the first time in a few weeks to begin a new life.

I have tears in my eyes as I am writing this, as I have grown to love Emmanuel as my own family. He has the purest heart of any person I have ever known. He is pure goodness, wisdom, and compassion. He can win the love of any small child or entertain the intellectual thoughts of any grown man. I have to admit that I selfishly am a little bittersweet about his leaving. I feel like a mother sending her child off to college. Emmanuel told me some of the sweetest words I have ever heard the other day... “Thank you for being the mother I never had and for doing all the things for me that my mother would have done.” But the funny thing is that he is the one who encourages me and gives me a renewed passion everyday for what I am doing here in Rwanda. Words cannot describe him; you just have to meet him. Someday you will….because mark my word, someday he will change the world!

His name is Manirakiza Emmanuel, “God heals, God with us”…his life is a true testament to these two faithful promises from God.

Thank you to the entire B2R team and to everyone who has helped to prepare Emmanuel for ALA!

Folks are just folks

This year I have encouraged the introduction of a book club at Sonrise High School to promote development of English skills and overall pleasure reading for the students. The European influenced educational system in Rwanda forces the students to choose whether they will study Arts or Sciences after their 9th grade year. If they pursue Math and Sciences, which the majority do, they are never able to take a literature class. Because so many of my students love to read, I thought a book club would be a great way to further their love for reading and encourage critical thought during discussion.
For our second book club this year, I chose the classic “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Yes, I was fully aware that the central theme is racism and that I would be the lone white teacher leading the discussion amongst 10 or so African students…but that was my intention. I wanted to hear what they had to say about the matter….about discrimination between black and white, rich and poor, educated and ignorant, families and orphans, ethnic group and ethnic group. I wanted to hear their debates about prejudices in their own culture, in a country that lost a tenth of its population only 16 years ago due to this very matter. And I have to say it was one of the richer conversations I have listened to in a while. I was amazed at my students, by their maturity, depth, and sensitivity on this matter.
While we sat and discussed the matter in a very scholarly and intellectual fashion, we kept coming back to the same simple principle. Like the ten year old Scout says in the book, “I think there is just one kind of folks. Folks.” This is a point that I realize over and over again while living in Africa. That no matter how different our material possessions, education, skin color, and culture may be…..we are all just people trying to navigate through this life. We feel love and pain in the same way; we laugh and cry over the same things.
The great thing about book club, though, is that I don’t have to teach. I just participate in the discussion with all the other members. And on this day, I just sat and learned from all of my students.

World Phenomenon

I greatly apologize for my negligence in updating my blog in the last month. You see, in the last month, we all discovered a world phenomenon for the first time…something known as the World Cup. I have never been much of a soccer fan, but there is something about the camaraderie and unity of this sport that brings people together. Especially when you are on the continent that is hosting the biggest competition literally in the world (soccer is known as the “world’s sport”…everywhere but America!). I never realized how much the world actually stops every four years for this one month. So in true African fashion where the beloved sport is soccer, we became part of the craze. Almost every night we walked around the corner to the new and hip neighborhood sports bar and watched the match with everyone else in town (literally everyone else…we made some really good friends in this month). And my love for soccer grew….as well as my neglect for things such as blogging and emailing.

Above is a pic of some of us at the World Cup finals with our fellow soccer fanatics.

Now back to productivity...

It's a small world after all...

I was recently home in the US and was able to spend some time with some of my Rwandan friends who are currently living in Little Rock. Above is a picture of me with some Rwandan friends…right in my sister’s living room. It is so crazy to think of my connections with these individuals that originate from half-way around the world! The boy standing to the left of me is my dear friend Egide, whom my family has become very close to in the past year. We have “adopted” Egide into our family, having him for holidays and other family events. He is an incredible young man who was bright enough to be chosen as a Rwandan Presidential Scholar, getting a full-paid college scholarship to the US. At Christmas, Egide shared his story with me and asked me to connect with his family when I got back in Rwanda. Since then, his family in Rwanda has become my Rwandan family. His brother, Ronald, lives just down the road from me and calls me every day to check on his “sister.” Ronald recently got a job working for Russell Rainey, who just moved to Rwanda to start a ministry through my home church, Fellowship Bible Church. They are working to train entrepreneurs and develop businesses in the area. Egide’s two younger sisters are now attending Sonrise School, so I see them almost every day as well. I tell Egide that we are just trading families for a while, and I will give hugs to his family in Rwanda if he will give hugs to mine in America:)

My Rwandan family...

My friend standing to the right of me is one of the best friends I have made in Rwanda. I met William on my first day in Rwanda, as he was a tour guide well known around the country. William is one of the most genuine, caring, and humble people I have ever met but is probably the toughest person I have ever met as well. William is a former RPF soldier, which is the force that stopped the Rwandan genocide in 1994 led by President Kagame. While in the RPF, he literally lived in the bushes of the Congo and Rwanda for several years, sharing the mountain forests with the mountain gorillas (among other wildlife). He is just plain tough. He was in Rwanda the first few months that I lived here and took me in as a little sister, giving me advice on every aspect of living in Rwanda. He was fortunate enough to guide the President of Arkansas Baptist College around Rwanda, who saw the uniqueness in William and offered him a full scholarship to ABC in Little Rock. At 37 years of age and with no formal education in over 20 years, William enrolled in a US college in January of this year. I tell William all the time that he has way more to teach Americans than he will ever learn from them. I think everyone who has met him feels the same way. His girlfriend Tanja was visiting from Switzerland and is with us in this picture.

The student on the far left is a new Rwandan Presidential Scholar student that just moved to the US to attend college. He is living with a family for the summer who happens to be some of my sister’s best friends.
I have told my students at Sonrise that I have a vision of someday many of them sitting in my living room while I am hosting them in my home country. I think it is possible. After all….it is a small world.

Orphan Gorillas

Although Musanze is a small town in Rwanda, it is home to several NGOs and US based projects, totaling about 20 expatriates in the area (our B2R team has 7 of those 20). We are all neighbors and good friends. Our nearest neighbors are the MGVP group, or the Mountain Gorilla Veterinarian Project. They are the veterinarians for the famous yet endangered 700 mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo. This is the most well-known tourist attraction in Rwanda, costing around $500 to trek up a mountain and observe the gorillas in their natural habitat for one hour. Our friend Jan, the regional director of the project, has been offering to take us to see a group of orphan gorillas at the base of the mountain, a sight which few people actually get to visit. Last week we finally took her up on that offer.
For about an hour, six of our B2R team members stood on top of Jan’s safari vehicle overlooking the walled-off residence and staring in amazement as the nine orphan gorillas put on a show for the humans. These gorillas were orphaned mostly as the result of poachers in the Congo who killed their parents and stole the babies to sell at a hefty price in the “gorilla black markets”. Apparently having a gorilla as either a pet or dinner, although extremely illegal, is appealing to the flamboyantly affluent in Africa. The MGVP vets works tirelessly to perform “sting operations” to locate these stolen gorillas, give them a home in this gorilla “orphanage," and arrest the poachers.
And so these nine gorillas, ranging in ages from 3-9 years old, have lived at the bottom of the mountain away from their natural habitat almost their whole lives. Since they were taken from the wild at a young age, they were forced to become dependent upon the given care and have not been able to be reintroduced to the wild. Their caretaker leisurely lounged in the play area with them, letting the gorillas ride on his back and cradling the babies when they reached up their arms. It is uncanny how human-like they seemed, as they relaxed and cuddled with their human caretaker. As Jan called them by name, they would beat their chests and bulk up to prove to us humans how tough they were. The passion and sorrow could be heard in Jan’s voice as she shared with us about the orphans. She viewed these gorillas as true orphans, wandering through life without a family or home to call their own. And after leaving that day, we all did too. In three weeks, these gorillas will be taken from this “orphanage” they have known as their home. Some may be able to go back into the wild, but most would never survive. Most of these will go to the Congo to make their permanent home at a new Gorilla Educational Center, which will teach the locals about the importance of preserving the lives of this endangered species. Hopefully, these gorillas will not be replaced by other orphans.

A Friend

I am pouting today. I am pouting because I was supposed to be in the US with my family 3 days ago, and I am still here in Rwanda. Now part of this is my own dumb fault. I committed the cardinal sin of international traveling. I got to the airport, bags packed and ready....and realized I FORGOT MY PASSPORT!!! Not just at the house in Kigali....2 hours away in Musanze. Yes, I realize I am admitting my idiocy to the world. I thought of literally everything else that I needed to go home except for the one thing that I needed to get on the plane. I am usually so organized and responsible...I don't know what got into me. So I had to reschedule my flight for the next flight out of Kigali....two days later. Then, yesterday we hear a radio commercial that my flight had been delayed 24 hours due to "technical difficulties". So here I am, still in Rwanda, praying to get out tonight. So while I am sitting here pouting because I am missing out on being with my family and friends back home, I just got the sweetest email from one of my students. He sent me the following poem that he wrote...which totally brightened my day and turned my pout into a smile.

To you.........................

Someone once told me that all you need to succeed
was God, yourself and a friend,

I pushed it away then, but now I realise
just how right he was

A friend is there for you when you need help
physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Phusically a friend is there when you are in trouble
He keeps a watch on you as you climb a ladder and is always beneath to catch when you fall.

He labours with you to enjoy your emotions. When you run crazy,
he makes things still.

He mentors and fetches hope on the springs of the crest for you when you are down
he is ever ready to put helping hand in your homework.

During you screams, is there to wipe tears from you face
and with a gentle slap, triggers you to smile.

In a desert you lean on him as palm tree.
He stretches the arms to fold them over your waist as a belt of mule.

You never get alone when that person is there.
He once again wispered to my ear

If you need a friend like that,
look no further your friend is near you.

He holds ripe fruits for you, and wine to quench your thirst.
He is staring with a gentle and genuine look,

His face is filled with smiles of joy and grace,
He goes no distance but just near you,

He holds a jar and pail
he holds a plate and a spoon

He cares not whether old or young,
but feeds who chose to stay right beside him.

Sister I send this to you to enjoy reading it as you fly, I just want to draw your attention on the true and the right friendship we share. The one you have taught me through you acts. I pray that one day you will lean on him as he wipes all stress from your stress.

"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.

Pearl of Africa

After the close of first term at Sonrise, our team decided to do a little traveling in the neighboring country of Uganda for some much needed rest and relaxation. This was my second time to Uganda, a country by which Winston Churchill referred to as the "Pearl of Africa" (although I am strongly partial to Rwanda and consider it the true gem). Although it is somewhat close, it is not necessarily an easy, breezy trip to get there. We boarded a rather large bus at 5 a.m. one morning and started out on the hot, bumpy, crowded 10 hour journey to our first destination….Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. On the bus we met a new friend and travel partner, Simon from Switzerland, who was living in southern Uganda and also yearning for a little adventure. Simon ended up being our 7th roommate for the rest of the trip, accompanying us wherever we went. That is the great thing about traveling in Africa, you are automatically best friends with your fellow muzungus due to the simple fact that you clearly stand out in a crowd and tend to gravitate towards each other. We also met up with some Ugandan friends that we know from Rwanda who guided us around the crazy city of Kampala.

Here is a picture of downtown Kampala in the middle of the day. I cannot even begin to describe to you the chaos in this city! There are literally cars, buses, mototaxis, and people lined up as far as your eyes can see and going in every direction possible with no regulations. When you get on a motorcycle taxi in the middle of Kampala city, you just close your eyes and say a little prayer!

Our next destination: somewhere with water and any resemblance of a beach. We headed to Lake Victoria, also known as the largest freshwater lake in Africa and the second largest in the world. On our ferry ride over to Ssese Islands in the middle of Lake Victoria, we met two very interesting people. One was the charismatic, well-traveled, and fascinating Captain Lawrence who was officially in charge of our ferry. Captain Lawrence took us up to the Captain’s quarters and even let me drive the ferry (which was a very serious job with lots of intricate details to pay attention to….needless to say, my reign as captain didn’t last very long). The second was the marketing manager of a resort on the island, who took a liking to us and gave us a killer deal on what ended up being the nicest resort on the island.

Captain Lawrence

My short stint as ferry captain....

The next couple days were spent at a beautiful resort…. in the middle of an island…. in the middle of Lake Victoria… in the middle of Africa. Kind of surreal. Captain Lawrence and his assistant joined us for dinner one night, entertaining us for hours with outlandish, unbelievable stories from his years of being a fisherman and Captain of various aquatic vessels all over Africa. Our beach experience was quite interesting, as we had to share our space with several others…including 6 monkeys, a parrot, a few pigs and goats, and an ostrich. The monkeys were quite feisty, trying to steal our food whenever we weren't looking and sneaking into my bag to play with my iPod. Life is definitely never boring in Africa.

Just hanging with the monkeys.

And the ostrich....

The best part of our stay on the island was after the sun went down and all was pitch black dark, when the lake literally turned into a city of fishing boats blending into the African sky hosting thousands of brilliant stars. Hundreds of fishing boats with single bright lights lined up on Lake Victoria for their nightly duties, literally forming the illusional outline of a "city" of lights. There were more visible stars than I had ever seen, even more than on a mid-summer night looking up from a cotton field in the Arkansas Delta:)
And sitting there under that sky I was struck with an overwhelming sense of wonder in the simplicity of the moment. The words I had read in my book that day kept running through my mind…"I asked for wonder...and He gave it to me." Brennan Manning quotes this prayer in his book Ragamuffin Gospel:

"Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of Your universe....each day enrapture me with Your marvelous things without number. I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all."

Grant me wonder, Lord...

Shoes...and a little fun too

A few more pictures
Although we were hard at work giving out shoes to the children of Rwanda, we found time to have a little fun too. We hit up every restaurant/hotel in Musanze (which is not saying much). We were entertained by several Intore dance troupes, which is the traditional dance of Rwanda that once performed for the Royal Courts and complete with tribal costumes, a drum orchestra, and warrior-like chants. Kris Allen performed at Sonrise chapel service and even helped me teach a class to my Seniors, including an impromptu song with several musical students in the class. One of the most memorable experiences was in our village, looking out on the most beautiful scenery in the world, with Kris surrounded by all of our precious village children singing “God of this City” and “Amazing Grace”.

Intore Dancers

Being entertained by our village children.


Kris Allen singing with the village kids.

Intore Dance Troupe on top of Virunga Mountain.

Lots of company:)

Two of my roommates.

Just chilling at Virunga Lodge....with the most incredible views!

Kat and I with Candice, the President of TOMS shoes.

And this ends the "series" of posts on the TOMS shoes distribution week!

"Shoe distribution changes lives in Rwanda"

Here is an article I wrote for The New Times Rwanda features page about the TOMS' shoes distribution. My friend and B2R colleague Mark, who is a very talented aspiring photographer, did the photos for the article.



L-R : Shoe Fitting-- Many Rwandan children now have their feet protected thanks to the new shoes they recieved ; Kris Allen, the American Idol musical star enjoys a light moment with one of the children who recieved shoes. (Photos by Mark Darrough)

A few weeks ago several US based organizations joined forces to provide and distribute 1000 pairs of shoes to children in Rwanda. TOMS Shoes, Bridge2Rwanda, Heifer International, and American Idol musical star Kris Allen teamed up to facilitate and promote this project. The week was merely the preliminary stage of a much larger plan, consisting of delivering 1,000 of the 33,000 pairs of shoes intended to be distributed to Rwandan children. The team will return this summer to complete this substantial mission and allocate the remaining 32,000 pairs of shoes to children across the country of Rwanda.
The project was made possible through TOMS Shoes, a for-profit business in America started less than four years ago and currently sweeping the nation with its trendy footwear styles yet philanthropic approach to business. The philosophy behind the TOMS movement is “One for One”, meaning the company matches every pair of shoes that is purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. The TOMS One for One business model transforms the customers into benefactors and allows the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good. One of TOMS’ priorities is providing shoes for children in areas where volcanic soil is prevalent in order to prevent soil-transmitted diseases that can penetrate through the skin through bare feet, with potential for infection and long-term physical harm. TOMS has supplied over 400,000 pairs of shoes to children in need all over the world, including Argentina, Ethiopia, South Africa, Haiti, Guatemala, and most recently Rwanda. This was the first shoe distribution in Rwanda and the largest distribution in any country to date.
During this initial phase of the project in Rwanda, shoes were purchased locally from a Bata distributor in Kigali and dispersed in the Musanze area with direction from Bishop John Rucyahana of the Shyira Diocese. Along with representatives from each of the organizations involved, volunteers from the US came to Rwanda to carry out the task of literally sizing and placing new shoes on children’s feet. Many of the recipients arrived barefoot or with broken and ill-fitting shoes. The distribution was not only focused on providing shoes to children in need, but also connecting and spending time with the individual children. One volunteer stated, “The best part of the process was to see the smile on the child’s face as they walked away from getting their new shoes”. The children were able to participate in various play activities with the volunteers before and after they received their shoes.
Over 300 children in Shyira, a remote area of Northwestern Rwanda, received the new shoes last Tuesday. The distribution in this area focused on providing shoes to the Pediatric Ward and Ambulatory Care Facility of Shyira Hospital, children from the House of Hope Orphanage, and students from local Primary School. Another load of approximately 700 shoes was delivered to Sonrise Primary School last Wednesday and placed on the feet of every Primary student. Sonrise School, where the majority of the students are orphaned children, was founded by Bishop John Rucyahana in 2002. The mission is to create a school that sets the standard for academic excellence and servant leadership development, even for the neediest children in the country. One of the students at Sonrise Primary School, who could barely walk in his tattered and worn shoes, shared that he had been praying to get a new pair of shoes before he went home for the two-week holiday from school.
A special guest participated in the distribution of the shoes with the intention of promoting awareness and increasing knowledge about Rwanda upon his return to the US. Kris Allen, the currently reigning winner of the hit television show American Idol, and his wife Katy visited Rwanda for the first time to take part in the movement to give shoes to the disadvantaged children of Rwanda. The musician took time off from his work promoting his recently released eponymous debut album, “Kris Allen”. In an interview, Kris stated that he is overwhelmed by the beauty of Rwanda and its people, their joy, their hope, their vision, and their determination to achieve their vision. Kris, who travels extensively, stated "I have seen no other place in the world like Rwanda. The experience of putting new shoes on the feet of these children has truly changed me."
Both TOMS Shoes and Kris Allen were approached take part in this project by Bridge2Rwanda, an organization that works for the overall economic and educational development in the country of Rwanda. Bridge2Rwanda’s mission statement is “to build a bridge from the US to Rwanda and transform lives at both ends”. The non-profit organization based out of Little Rock, Arkansas has helped to facilitate various projects in Rwanda, including the building of Urwego Opportunity Bank and Sonrise School, the Rwandan Presidential Scholarship Program, and a “Borrowed Talent” program to recruit experienced and talented professionals to serve Rwanda in some capacity. Bridge2Rwanda also recruited Heifer International, who is already strongly involved in Rwanda through providing livestock to families in need, to help sponsor the shoe distribution.
Several events are scheduled in the US after the shoe distribution to share the heart-warming experiences of the week and promote awareness about Rwanda. In conjunction with Bridge2Rwanda, Heifer International, and TOMS Shoes, Kris Allen will host and perform at the “One Day Without Shoes for Rwanda: Barefoot Bash” in Little Rock, Arkansas to highlight his week in Rwanda. Kris will also lead a group of US college students on a barefoot walk to help spread awareness of the impact that a simple pair of shoes can bring to a child’s life.

Videos of Rwanda Shoe Drop

Here are two incredible highlight videos of the shoe distribution put together by the talented Stoneward 360 film crew. You get to see firsthand the smiles on the faces of the beautiful children. And you also get to see why I am so lucky to live in this beautiful country!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BBLxEcHMw4&feature=bulletin


This video features Kris Allen's new song, "Send Me All Your Angels"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5TXXDPCsNQ&feature=related



Enjoy!

More Shoes for Rwanda

And "Project TOMS Shoes" continues..... Our second shoe distribution was carried out on my territory at Sonrise Primary School. As you may have read in previous posts, Sonrise is a school that was started for the orphans of the genocide and currently has over 60% orphaned children. After over six months of working at this school, it has become my home....and I have come to claim the children as my own. Whether they are the neediest orphans in the country or belong to very affluent families, I love each one of the 1200 students at Sonrise and love the warm and welcoming hugs I get everytime I walk in the door. And I was very excited about putting new shoes on the feet of my children. We gave new shoes to all 600 children at the Primary School, and this time, I loved being able to know the kids by name (maybe not all 600 of them, I'm still learning!).

Waiting in line for shoes!

Shoe fitting.

Putting shoes on a cute little one.

My friend Magnifique.

Who needs those old shoes?

One of my favorite students at Sonrise Primary is little Freddy. Freddy is quite the mess and a famous attention-getter, as he rushes to greet any new visitors to show them how he can make his ears dance, performs musical and dance numbers for the teachers, and entertains his fellow students by his dead-on animal impersonations. Although Freddy appears to one of the happiest children at Sonrise, in reality, he is a very sick little boy who is a single sided orphan from a very poor family. Freddy met our visitors a few days before the actual shoe distribution. After putting on a show for everyone, he pulled Tom over to the side and pointed down at his shoes.....his dirty, torn-up, soles falling off, toes coming through holes tennis shoes that were pink and meant for a girl. His sad little expression said it all....although he had no idea what our visitors were actually doing there. As he told Tom about how all he wanted was a new pair of shoes before he went home for the break from school, he had no idea that hundreds of new pairs of shoes were literally sitting in the next building, waiting to be placed on the feet of every child at Sonrise. Two days later as he was lining up to get his new shoes, he had a bright smile across his face. I took him to have his shoes put on by Kris Allen as the rest of stood by and watched...and fought off the tears. What an incredible moment, one of those moments where you feel so alive and blessed to be witnessing something so special. Something as simple as a little boy getting the new pair of shoes that he prayed for.

Kris giving shoes to Freddy....and the smile that came after it.

Me and my sweet Freddy:)

And after giving out shoes all day, time for some fun. My roommate Mark has this deep voice perfect for impersonating Johnny Cash....so Kris and Mark did a little impromptu duet to "Ring of Fire".

Here is a video clip of the performance....hilarious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAEayBpsvUg