Final Day in Rwanda

Well folks, this will be our last post from within the borders of Rwanda. We have a lot of mixed feelings. We have made some life long friends here in Rwanda and have fallen in love with all the beautiful people we have met but we are all ready to come home and be with our families.

Today we were up early. When I say early I mean 5:00 am early! And off to the Safari. It was in the National Park right on the border of Tanzania. That means we drove from as from east as we could east in this country. We seen lots of really amazing animals and then wrapped up tonight at April & Spencer Baggets (Nazarene Missionaries) in Kigali with a Spaghetti dinner. It was great. We hit the road tomorrow around noon for the airport and should be in Halifax Saturday at 2:00pm. Any way folks, it's been a trip! Keep checking in for photo's and some follow up from what we are doing.

Love, Project Lov Rwanda Team

Safely in Kigali

Hey folks just a quick post,
We arrived in Kigali safely this afternoon. It was a great drive and we got to see the Genocide Museum. It was quite an eye opener. Any way, like I said, short but sweet. May be able to update tomorrow night so keep checking back. Love You All!!

Project Lov Rwanda Team

Last Day in Gisenyi

I wish I could have posted photos for all of you to see. One week ago we arrived to an open field with nothing more than a foundation. Now we are leaving and heading back to Kigali for a couple of days and there in that same field stands a school.

Today the men headed off to the worksite and the women went to do their final VBS session at the Orphan’s programs. Since we are now working on the roof and the floor, things have slowed down a little bit. In the first classroom we were able to get the lines laid in the floor and when we left they were putting up the fifth piece of sheet metal on the roof.

After dinner we went back to the work site and continued to push forward. One of the things that made this trip so successful was that the team did not come into Gisenyi to tell the locals how to do something they have been doing for many years. Instead we were able to watch and be taught how they did things and we integrated into that system. We were there to HELP them build a school, not TELL them how to do it and you could tell it was appreciated. As the day wore on some of the workers pulled us aside and gave us letters and photos of themselves. At the end of the day we were able to return the gesture by giving the workers our team t-shirts and photos of ourselves. It was awesome. Also that afternoon some of the women were guided around to visit members of Simone Pierre’s congregation who had received goats. To see how much people appreciated the goats was an eye opener as to how something we may not see as important can mean the world to someone else.

Off to supper at Simone Pierre’s. This was a time of good byes and exchanges and thanks to Simone Pierre and his family for all they had done for us. OH, and something I forgot to mention on Sunday but can be mentioned today is that we ate goat for both of those meals and I think for all of us it was a first. It is actually really good. Scott is going to be looking for a supplier when he gets home. Pam probably won’t be. We ended the evening with a big beautiful cake that had Canada wrote on top. It was great. We all settled in for the night and packed. We will be heading for the orphanage in the morning and then off to Kigali.

I will keep at the blog for as long as I can. I’m not sure how much internet access I will have in Kigali but keep checking back so you are in the know! Be praying for our travel as we have lot’s of driving and flying ahead of us over the next few days.
Things are winding down but we still expect God to do some great things with our time over here in Rwanda.

Love, Project Lov Rwanda Team

P.S.- There have to be some perks for being the guy that does all the blogs! So here’s a shout out to all the boys at TC Atlantic. Ric Shut up. See ya’s soon boys.

Stuck in the mud!

Today was a HOT day! I’m not sure exactly what the temperature would have been, but it was HOT! We all gathered together for breakfast again this morning and set off for the worksite. Today was a special day because today we were going to be able to purchase some of the items made by the folks who went through Simone Pierre’s programs. There were some awesome things there, and we nearly cleaned them out. I’m not going to list any of the items just in case you may be getting some of it for Christmas! After that we headed back to the work site. Today was a slower day due to a lack of cement mix and we were putting the braces on the rafters. We helped out where we could. One thing we did notice was that today there was a higher volume of local women there helping. It was explained to us later that after receiving their new goats on Saturday, many of those people wanted to get involved in what we were doing at the school and help any way they could. These people only seem to know how to give! Then in the afternoon we worked a little longer and then headed off to visit some of the people who had received livestock so we could pray for them and their home. It was great to see some of these people again and the excitement. They would greet us at their gates, goats in step, wanting us to show us their homes. One lady brought a few of us into her home, grabbed some hands and began to pray. We couldn’t understand what she was saying but you knew that it was a prayer of thanksgiving for what God had done for her. How often do we stop and give thanks to God for the things that we have? And just for a little excitement, on our way back, the rain started, and it rained hard. As I mentioned before, after traveling on these roads I will never complain again, well we got stuck in the mud, and stuck good. The men all got out and pushed and got dirty but that’s just one more experience we now have in Africa.
Before supper a few of us headed over to the market. What a zoo! There are people everywhere trying to get you to buy what they have, which is everything under the sun! I am beginning to learn that in Gisenyi, and maybe all of Rwanda, though it may look like complete chaos, everything seems to have a purpose and a certain order to it. At the market we were able to find some traditional items but was surprised by the amount of ‘Made In America’ items that were for sale.
Next stop was Simone Pierre’s home for supper and fellowship and then off to bed. Again folks thanks for praying for us and keeping up to date with us. We also want to thank you for all the support we received at home building up to this trip. In all the ways that you contributed we are thankful because we are really seeing lives changed over here in Rwanda. We’ll be home in less then a week!

Love, Project Lov Rwanda Team

Weekend Update

Sorry, late again. The internet was down all morning here in Gisenyi.

What a crazy weekend!! The last two days have been absolutely phenomenal!! Here is just a quick overview.

Saturday started like most other days. We got up and everyone headed off to the school worksite. We worked at stuccoing the interior walls and lugging cement all morning. We made some great progress. Oh, and we hung the Canadian flag at the end of the building. It fits right in. From there we went to Simone Pierre’s church where we walked into a building and were greeted by hundreds of people who were cheering and clapping all for us. It was humbling, but all the praise belongs to God and the way that His great plan has been unfolding. We are simply his tools, and we are very grateful for that. While we were with those people folks we handed out the school supplies, the new school uniforms and then moved outside to distribute the goats and chickens. We were able to raise enough money to give away 84 goats. At first we thought, great, some people now have some more milk or meat. But these goats mean much more. In Rwanda there are different classes of people and it is based on certain possessions that you have. Because these people received goats, it moved them up in that class and for some gave them an occupation now.

Sunday was an unbelievable day. These people know how to praise God. We went to church in the morning which was filled with loud, upbeat music with everyone dancing and praising God without any hesitation. It can’t be explained in words the way that these people glorifying God in word and action. I (matt) gave the message in church . It was translated into two other languages, so that was a new experience and Wayne and Sylvia had the awesome privilege of serving communion to the congregation. After that Colleen gave her info session on proper care during pregnancy to about 80 mothers while the rest of the team went to play with the Sunday school kids.
After church we headed out to do a little bit of site seeing. We went to the RC (Congo) border, we seen some of the devastation from 1994, then we went back to the restaurant we ate at a couple of days ago. This time though we got in a boat and traveled over to see some hot springs, over to another beautiful island and then back to the shore where we had a couple hours of traditional music, dance and a performance by local acrobats who Simone Pierre once had in his care. We closed the day off with a meal and then hit the hay. We needed this day of relaxation. We will be putting a big push on Monday morning so we can have this building done by the time we leave.
God is good! We are changing everyday and understanding more and more about what it means to have a true and solid faith in God. Keep praying for us. And again, leave some comments below as it is a great encouragement for all of the team members. We miss you and love you all.

A Taste Of Africa

I know, I know... The blog update is late. But let me explain.
I (matt) got up at the crack of dawn to saunter over to the local internet joint this morning only to find that the doors were locked. I was baffled. So I started asking some questions. The answer was pretty impressive. In the whole country of Rwanda everyone is required to spend Saturday morning cleaning the streets and the fronts of there homes. That's why we have not seen any garbage while here! And that's the truth! OK, here's the update.

Everyone was up and wide awake for devotions this morning at 7:30. We talked about having faith like a child, and after seeing the way these children survive and still sing ‘God is so Good’ it has put a new perspective on how much a person really does trust in God. From there we loaded up for our morning worksites. The women traveled to yet another orphans program just down from the building of the school. We’re not exactly sure how many children were there but the census is that there were at least a couple hundred. It is funny to arrive at the VBS stations at lunch to pick up the women and be greeted by hundreds of children covered in face paint and stickers. It can feel a little overwhelming sometimes when all of these children approach you and want your approval on the coloring sheet they had just finished. But again, there is lesson in that.
On this morning Wayne and Sylvia went to another site and spoke to a number of families about how to make a family with adopted children work. They felt that things went well, that the most common hurtle with these mixed families is finances and that a lot of what these families are doing is right, they could just use some affirmation.
The men continued their work at the school construction. All of the walls to the five classrooms were completed, the walk ways were carved out and laid and windows finished. After Dinner the men returned to the worksite where they continued to push forward. So you’re asking, How far along are they? Well, the last of the center wall bricks were laid, the yard was completely cleaned up and the first rafter is standing. Things are moving and that puts us at a great pace to have the project completed by Tuesday. While at the work site there was a special visitor. The secretary to the President of Rwanda had heard what was going on and drove all the way from Kigali in order to see the work that was being done. She took time for photos with the team at the worksite and then she (Regina) joined us for supper at a restaurant called ‘Paradise’. The whole team had an opportunity to meet with her there. She addressed each of us and she wanted to know how amazed she was. Most times money is sent over in order to support these types of projects , but never has she seen a team raise the money for such a project and then travel all the way over to assist in the construction.
Just as supper was about to begin at ‘Paradise’ we heard drums and a loud yell. Four people entered in traditional Rwandan attire and they performed a few traditional songs and dances. It was very entertaining as they danced around the bonfire that was burning about two feet high in the middle of our restaurant. We then went and dug into some traditional African cuisine. It was very tasty.
Just as we were preparing to leave a couple came into the restaurant who are the organization ‘Justice and Equity’ which is based out of Saint John, New Brunswick. They have been leaving in this African region for about eight years now doing missions work.
So there is our day. Exciting! We know you are all praying for us and you will never know just how much we appreciate it! We are having an unbelievable time over here but miss you all and love you.
Be sure to leave a comment below. I will make sure they are all shared with the team.

Where's the roof?

Today was another full but very productive day for all of us here in Rwanda. Our days begin quite early and seem to end very late, but everyone is in good spirits and still working as hard as ever. Also I made an error in the last post, we didn't start a sixth room, Floyd just can't count!
The women went to a different orphange program yesterday morning where they were greeted by all of the students singing, 'We are glad to receive you, Welcome'. As the one before, there were songs and stories and games and coloring... all things that children love to do. There was one particular boy who's clothes were in rough shape, and we were able to bless him with a new pair of shorts.
The women then joined the men in the afternoon at the worksite. I wish I could post a picture to show you the progress we have made. When we were leaving last night, the men were putting the final row of bricks on. The rafters will go up as soon as everything is dry enough. Through out the day team members took time out from lifting bricks to interact with the kids. There were soccer games, stories told, music danced to and just simply attention given to those who needed it. The new thing over here now is to give "knuckles". That's when you bump your fist together. It's quite amusing to jump out of a jeep and have a ton of kids holding up their fists... and you gotta bump everyone of them!!
So all is well. Please keep praying and checking back with what is going on with us over here in Rwanda.

Project Lov Rwanda Team

The Work Begins

We have another day completed here in Rwanda with many great things happening to praise God for. We started our day as usual with breakfast and team devotion time and then loaded up for the work site. This morning, as it will be for the next few, the women went to a local orphan’s program run by Simone Pierre. While there they invite all of the children to participate in a VBS program they prepared. Each night before we settle in for the night , we take time to share our experiences from the day. The one thing that coming up over and over was how excited the children became over a couple of crayons. To think something so small could do so much for a child is both humbling and exciting at the same time.

The men continued on the work of building the school house in the morning. It was amazing how much the local volunteers had accomplished in the evening before and how eager they were to return the next day. They were volunteering their time but were working as though they were getting paid top dollar! We accomplished a lot. The women joined us yesterday in the afternoon and were able to help with the construction but also were able to play games and sing songs with the tons of kids that gather around the worksite. I know you have heard it said and I guarentee I will say it again, but it is amazing how something so small as a high five or a hug can brighten up these kids even though we view them as having so little. They praise God in all things and it has really caused a lot of us to do some self inspection.

We are experiencing a lot of amazing and eye opening things while here in Rwanda. Everyone is well and we're already anxious to tell everyone about all of our adventures. Keep Praying!

Love,
Project Lov Rwanda Team

P.S.- Our internet connection is a tad bit slow so we won;t be able to upload any of our already thousands of photos. We will update this site once back in Canada.

Welcome to Gisenyi

After our meal in Kigali we ventured off for Gisenyi. It was a 4 hour drive in heavy rain that consisted completely of steep inclines and sharp S turns. But like I said, we made it. Everyone was quite tired but so excited to arrive. It wasn’t long before the young children were crowding around the bus trying to catch a glimpse of the new the Muzungu’s (white people). We went to Simone Pierre’s home (he is the Pastor who is hosting us) where his wife and neighbors had prepared a lovely feed for us. There were many great dishes but what stood out, and we would all agree on this, it was the BEST pineapple we have ever tasted!! Next stop was our housing facilities at the Presbyterian Guest House. We got unpacked fairly quickly and grabbed a nice cool shower before we settled in for the night on our mosquito net covered beds.

For the most part we all slept very well and came to the realization that folks here in Gisenyi like to get up nice and early! We woke up to a loud drum beat followed by a church service in progress right next door. We gathered together as a team, ate breakfast and then hit the road for the work site. Each day, all but two of our team travel to the work site. The other two members join Pastor Simone Pierre’s wife at their home to prepare the meals for the rest of team. It is hard to put emotion into a blog like this and so to express the feelings of seeing some of the living conditions in this area, what it was like to have so many children crowd around you and watch you work all day and then get so excited if you simply asked there name, would be impossible. When we arrived there were a number of local men already hard at work and we were able to quickly jump in and for some of us, learn a new trade. Though the communication may have been challenging at first, we all very quickly caught on to how things worked and were able to learn quite a bit about one another in the process. The amount of progress we made in the first morning was unbelievable. So much so, we moved ahead and began to lay bricks on 4th and 5th school rooms while continuing to work on our original plan of constructing 3 rooms.

Our day was cut short due to the rain, which actually turned out to be a blessing. It gave us this afternoon to get all of our supplies organized, take care of a few necessary items and even get a little bit of down time as we continue to recuperate from the travel. Everyone on the team wishes that you could all experience what we have already have in such a short time. THANK YOU so much to all those who are praying for us and we ask that you continue to as it is opportunities like these that we can truly show the love of Christ to our “neighbors”. We love you all and miss you already. Check back each day and share the site with your friends and family, as we will keep you in the loop with the all that is happening in Rwanda.

With Love,
Project Love Rwanda Team

Arrival: Africa

After 2 full days of travel we have arrived in Kigali, Rwanda. This will just be a quick post, seeing as we still have a 4 hour drive through the country side before we arrive at our final destination of Gisenyi. We are all well, we are all safe, some of us are a little smelly, but none of us have anything to complain about. We have already had some exciting experiences (ask any team member about traffic in Kigali) but have just begun or amazing adventure here in Africa. Check back soon for our photos and updates.