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.