Ready to begin our journey home

We have been without internet for about a week, so we will be catching up by writing some blogs after we return home. Right now we are in the Kigali airport waiting for the first leg of our trip home.

I've invited each team member to share a few words about their time in Rwanda.

Sue: It was a privilege and honor to be able to return again to Rwandan and actually be able to see the progress and improvement of the various Shalom initiatives. To be able to see hearts mending, home gardens and nutrition improving, women and youth programs expanding throughout the community that are improving their quality of life. We were able to work with the community to meet basic needs of widows such as latrines, access to health care and a simple mattress to sleep on. Our donation of $180 for the materials and labor to construct one latrine for a widow ended up providing three latrines because the community jumped in with so much volunteer labor and materials. I hope to return again to see how much more people are coming to know Christ and helping each other to better their communities. I hope some of you will join us.

Deb: We are returning home full having eaten our fill of a colorful and spiritually satisfying meal. We spent time with faithful, deep souls whose obedience in the face of overwhelming obstacles has inspired us and humbled us. We are grateful for Jean Paul's humble shepherd, Christ-like heart and the godly staff he has gathered around him.

Susan: It's been an incredible two weeks of ups and downs, but God is alive and at work in Rwanda. We have seen that in the work of Shalom as they reach out to reconcile and develop their communities. We have seen it in the care for the severely disabled children living at Gahanga orphanage and the wonderful work with handicapped children at Jessie's Place in Rubavu. We were privileged to join our Rwandan friends as God's hands and feet in these wonderful ministries.

Sandy: We have been grateful to see how God is expanding the work of Shalom in their community in the Shalom youth clubs, the women's groups and the youth soccer clubs. We see the fruits of their work as more people are saving for their own government health insurance, the number of women in cooperatives has more than doubled, they have graduated 27 secondary students with computer skills and the groups they work with have discovered the joy of reaching out to serve others in their community as well.

Sally: This trip has been like watching a flower open and blossom, or a toddler take off and run. Eighteen months ago I visit Shalom and saw many small initiatives just getting off the ground - offering free computer classes to secondary students, bringing together parents of handicapped children, teaching hygiene and nutrition,  encouraging supportive savings groups for vulnerable women, starting Shalom peace clubs in the secondary schools and a Shalom soccer club using sprot to spread the message of reconciliation.and
Dee: We had many Rwandan friends meet us at the airport this evening to see us off. What an honor that these new friends would take time out of their busy schedules to come and say goodbye at the airport.

More updates from Rwanda

Saturday Sept. 23 there was a lightning strike at our guest house that knocked out the internet. Each day we were told it would be fixed that day...and so it went until we left Rubavu on Wednesday. That is why we have been out of touch. Then we went for our debriefing time at Akagera Game Park where there is also no internet. So now that we are home let me catch you up.

One of Shalom's initiatives that is really taking off is Peace (Shalom) Clubs in the secondary schools. These three groups of young people (one at each secondary school) have been through healing workshops and are committed to bringing reconciliation and hope to their peers. The Shalom staff serve as their mentors.They use music and drama to get the message across but also design their own service projects to improve life at at their schools. They have built kitchen gardens for the school lunch program, repaired broken wooden desks so more students can sit down (yes, classrooms are so crowded they sit 3 to a desk and some students still have to stand), painted classrooms and offices and installed tippy taps to encourage hand washing and hygiene.   Sandy, assisted by Sue and Dee connected beautifully with these students and encouraged them to persevere toward their goals. We left them with solar lights and notebooks and pens which they will distribute to those students most in need. They are empowered to make the decision of who will receive the gifts. We spoke at all three schools and also made contributions to each school's lunch feeding program to pay for students who can not afford it. A water filter was also left for each school.

Sandy and Sue sharing at Kanembwe I school

Some of the amazing young people who are working toward a new future for Rwanda

Sandy with the young men and women of Murambi secondary school - (a large school with no electricity)

A kitchen garden, made of discarded tires, being constructed at Murambi by the Shalom Club members

We also met with 5 different women's cooperatives in Rubavu which have been organized and are supported by Shalom. The Dukundane "we love one another" group in Bushengo is made up of Christian and Muslim women, working together for a better future. The Muslim women are very open to studying Scripture as a part of their weekly meetings. We brought laminated copies of Isaiah 61:1-4 which they will study together over the coming weeks and after listening to their stories we shared our testimonies and prayed with them. This group generates income by embroidering bed sheets that they take to Congo to sell. Peggy shared about her Stitch and Chatter group at St. James and what it means to her to have a supportive Christian community of women. She also presented them with sewing supplies including hoops, scissors, needles, thimbles and reading glasses along with a large print Kinyarwanda Bible for the group. 

Peggy sharing in the home where Dukundane Bushengo meet each Friday

sharing a meal with our Rwandan friends

Some of the donations you provided for our team went towards materials to construct a new latrine for one of the members of this group. We were able to lend a hand, along with the women, in collecting stones for the base of the floor which will have a top coat of concrete. We were delighted to learn that because neighbors and relatives were willing to contribute so much labor and materials our $180 was able to build not one but three new latrines. The people of this community are so motivated to improve life not just for themselves but for their neighbors as well.

The old latrine at Christine's home

Sue and Aisha collecting stone for the floor

Christine's husband hand crushing the stones to create the latrine floor

I will continue to catch you up on our activities. Thanks for your interest.

Sally