I'm headed to Rwanda once again. Wednesday morning, Sept. 26,  I will be off on my 12th trip to Rwanda. I am excited that I will be joined by my good friend Bonnie Eckerman, a talented pediatric physical therapist from New Hampshire who was also on our team in 2010. She will have so much to offer to the children with disabilities in both of the communities where we will spend our time. 

    We will be spending one week in Kigalinwith Love With Actions, my friend Gilbert Kubwimana's new ministry to very poor families with disabled children. God has done phenomenal things for these families in just one year: Children and families are receiving medical care, including life-changing reconstructive surgeries; mothers have been brought together to learn how to better care for their children; they have been trained in basket weaving and sewing so that they can begin to support their families; a physical therapist is providing care for the children 3 times a week; families who were homeless now have a roof over their heads and goats and kitchen gardens have resulted in greatly improved nutrition for everyone. Most of all the women have found love and acceptance and have built a strong, supportive bond with one another. Praise God! 

   Here is Gilbert with 12 year old Aime and 16 year old Ildephonse. Both boys are walking for the first time in their lives thanks to Love With Actions. I can't wait to meet each of these families who I have fallen in love with through their pictures and stories. Talk about courage - these boys have it.

The second week we will be working with Shalom Community Organization in Rubavu, an area in the NW corner of the country. It will be a time of strategizing and encouraging the staff and continuing to build relationships with many groups of women, students and newly formed peacemaker groups. One project I will follow up on is the hundreds of kitchen gardens women have built thanks to the VBS offering from St. James Presbyterian here in Littleton, CO. Pictured below is one of their trainings. This is a follow up to hygiene & nutrition training that we shared with Shalom in 2013 and 2015. True change and community acceptance takes time, but it is so good to see the change in their understanding of nutrition and a chance to grow better food for their families.

   

Bonnie and I will try to update the blog most days, internet permitting. Thanks for sharing in the journey with us.