It's Wednesday and we hit the day head on. Tired, but with God's strength we pushed mightily. We began the morning with a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, fried potatoes, eggs, along with mango, orange, and apple juice. We then did devotions and today's devotions were a little different as we had the opportunity to share with each other our favorite verse/set of verses and the background for them being our favorite verses if we wished.
We then set out for the Pfunda Tea Company which is actually kiddie-corner to Tina's house. Pfunda is a large tea company owned by a company out of the UK. The plant and its grounds are rather large and very well manicured. We actually saw our first electric mower while inside the Pfunda grounds. One guy was mowing while the other walked behind holding the cord. Tina set up the tour with us as she has a friend named Robin who works at the Pfunda plantation. A very nice man, who explained the facilities extremely well, led us around the property. He explained that Pfunda has 230 employees. This consists of both full time and casual employees (obviously more help is needed during the rain season as there are more tea plants to be harvested during this time). Only 10% of the tea plants are on site and the other 90% are brought in from other tea plantations. He explained that Pfunda is a cooperative and that Pfunda was previously run by the Rwandan government, but was privatized in 2004. He explained that the tea plants have to grow for 18 months before they can be harvested. Once they are able to be harvested only the top two leaves off of each plant branch can be harvested (the freshest). Once these two leaves are plucked, they wait seven days to return to that plant to pluck the next two newly grown leaves. All of the workers actually live on site. They have beautiful on site living for the staff which includes pavillions stacked with cut fire wood and a playground for the worker's children. Pfunda was heavily guarded by security and the homes for the workers was in a gated community within the secure Pfunda facility. Pfunda is Rainforest certified and Tina says that they are very good to the local community. They actually donate garbage cans, tea, etc to the orphanage. Well this is some of the background of the plant, but following learning about the background, we white robed up, put on our white hats, and proceeded to enter the facility. We went to many stations within the factory. We started at the green leaf reception area, followed by the withering station (drying location which ranges from 10 hours during dry season to 16 hours during rain season), then to the sifting location where they got all of the items that weren't tea out (twigs, stones, etc), then to the cutting location where the leaves were cut up, we then went to the steamy CFU (continuous fermentation unit where it only takes 90 minutes for the fermentation process), the drying station was next which is where the tea particles go through a heat/pressurization process, they then sort/grate the tea particles into various sizes and the machine places them into their respective buckets, the particles are then weighed, sorted, and packed into large bags of about 150 pounds. We then entered the quality control area where tea is brought each hour for testing. It is brought each hour to ensure the proper working of all stations within the facility. At this point we all got to taste the tea, which was pretty tasty. Except poor Heather because she can't have caffeine...and we do want to tell you that Fred did doubel dip. It was an excellent experience for us and were able to physically visit each station within the facility. Very interesting and we thank Tina for setting up the tour...it was very intriguing.
Following Pfunda we went to the orphanage for about an hour before returning to Tina's for lunch. Cindy had handcrafted three bean bags which we brought to the orphanage with us. She had contemplated on whether to use rocks instead of beans inside the beanbags and boy are we glad that she didn't! The kids loved them and they were throwing them everywhere. She used some left over African fabric that Tina had laying around from making matress covers. Thank you for the work Cindy! Also, in the morning Dr. VanGorder saw a few kids in the infirmiry and some of the kids played with sidewalk chalk. When Pastor Wade walked by the 1-2 year old room they were sleeping however a few of them were still awake. When they saw Pastor Wade they began yelling "Papa!, Papa!" Within seconds the noise of "Papa!, Papa!" was echoing. As we are sure you can tell from the blog, the orphanage is not only emotionally demanding, but running around with kids all day is physically demanding as well. Prior to departing from Tina's house today, she entered her front porch where she encountered a large portion of the team with legs held high on the railings doing much needed morning calesthenics. We wanted to make sure we were ready.
After lunch a few of us went down to the Pfunda Tea booth which is on the side of the road just down the hill from Tina's. We arrived at about 1:00 pm to buy some of the lose tea they have for sale, however we were greeted by only a security guard and no employee. The sign stated that the booth was supposed to open at 1:00 pm, however nobody was there. At about 1:25 pm, with no employee present, we decided to return to Tina's. We have learned that time is not really of the essence here in Rwanda as it is in America. The pace is self initiated not seemingly society driven as it is in America.
We then returned to the orphanage for the afternoon. Cindy and Elaine immediately got into mischief upon our arrival. They brought chalk into the 1-2 year old cement playpen. The kids began coloring the ground, each other, and also Cindy and Elaine. It was messy! Cindy also had the opportunity to carry Mufasa (one of the little babies) outside today. One of the Mama's in the nursery said to Cindy while handing the baby to her, "You Mama!" As mentioned before, it is very difficult for some reason to get the babies out of the baby room and outside. There is an aroma of the mamas wanting the babies kept in the room and not brought outside into the courtyard area without them being covered in many many blankets. Cindy took Mufasas outside with just one blanket and Elaine took Elaina outside as well. Cali, Heather, and Chance brought some of the younger kids to the older guys area which is where the basketball court is. Chance introduced some Silly String to the young kids for which they were very confused with at first, but once they realized it would not hurt them they ran from him while laughing and wanting to be sprayed some more. Scott deployed a can as well this afternoon with similiar results. Cali, Heather, Chance, and Scott played on the basketball court playing some basketball and with our homemade bean bags. Scott had little Angelique by his side, on his shoulder, and on his back for half the day. She is a cute little eight year old girl who wears a shirt too small for her everyday, but is a very happy smilely little girl who obviously enjoys Scott. She stayed by Scott's side as he held a little singing baby for about an hour this afternoon. Cali handed out gum to the kids, Chance handed out glow in the dark paper provided by Mr. Altman, and the kids enjoyed taking Cali and Heather's water bottles and finishing them off for them. Cali also was able to get one boy who doesn't typically interact with others to interact with people today by giving him her camera and allowing him to take photographs. One thing we did notice today is that many of the younger kids don't wear any underwear. It was a unique discovery, and as Fred held a young child in his arms, Elaine explained it uniquely by telling Fred he couldn't see what she could see. Elaine expressed that what was visible from her view of the child were "little brown chocolate biscuits." As a good friend, she did warn Fred.
Chance and Heather had the opportunity to speak with a local family who lives on property next to the orphanage. Through the translation of some of the older orphans the family allowed Heather to take a picture of them. They stated that they had never had a photograph taken of their family before and Heather got to show them the photo she took. They were amazed by it (they aren't many cameras here). They then told Heather that if she didn't buy their baby any porridge it was going starve. The pregnant woman, who along with her family, was extremely happy and grateful for us being there, expressed that she had a headache which felt like a hammer hitting her in the head. She asked for some medicine, or 500 Franks (less than $1) to go get medicine. One of the orphans expressed that it would be better to give her medicine. We did not have any on us, but we plan to bring it tomorrow. Another one of the girls in the family stood and sat as we talked and as her child pulled down her shirt she openly breast fed the baby while we talked. The cultures are different. Please be in prayer for this family as they seem to be, as many families here are, very poor. The family had a number a number of children with one on the way.
Tonight we had a wonderful dinner with samboza (fried meat pie triangles) and Capati (a thick circular tortilla like item) as appetizers. Dinner was great but as we finished the power went out once again. Elaine retrieved her head lamps, Dr. VanGorder pulled out his I Phone, while others brought lights from their bedrooms. While we were without power we chatted for a while and Cali and some of the others who live at the house danced and sang to many disney songs on the dance floor (also known as the front porch). The power is now back on, it is close to 10:00 pm and we will be headed to sleep.
Thank you all for your prayers once again, please pray for stamina and strength to continue to faithfully serve and to keep our mission for these orphans at the forefront of our minds.
We then set out for the Pfunda Tea Company which is actually kiddie-corner to Tina's house. Pfunda is a large tea company owned by a company out of the UK. The plant and its grounds are rather large and very well manicured. We actually saw our first electric mower while inside the Pfunda grounds. One guy was mowing while the other walked behind holding the cord. Tina set up the tour with us as she has a friend named Robin who works at the Pfunda plantation. A very nice man, who explained the facilities extremely well, led us around the property. He explained that Pfunda has 230 employees. This consists of both full time and casual employees (obviously more help is needed during the rain season as there are more tea plants to be harvested during this time). Only 10% of the tea plants are on site and the other 90% are brought in from other tea plantations. He explained that Pfunda is a cooperative and that Pfunda was previously run by the Rwandan government, but was privatized in 2004. He explained that the tea plants have to grow for 18 months before they can be harvested. Once they are able to be harvested only the top two leaves off of each plant branch can be harvested (the freshest). Once these two leaves are plucked, they wait seven days to return to that plant to pluck the next two newly grown leaves. All of the workers actually live on site. They have beautiful on site living for the staff which includes pavillions stacked with cut fire wood and a playground for the worker's children. Pfunda was heavily guarded by security and the homes for the workers was in a gated community within the secure Pfunda facility. Pfunda is Rainforest certified and Tina says that they are very good to the local community. They actually donate garbage cans, tea, etc to the orphanage. Well this is some of the background of the plant, but following learning about the background, we white robed up, put on our white hats, and proceeded to enter the facility. We went to many stations within the factory. We started at the green leaf reception area, followed by the withering station (drying location which ranges from 10 hours during dry season to 16 hours during rain season), then to the sifting location where they got all of the items that weren't tea out (twigs, stones, etc), then to the cutting location where the leaves were cut up, we then went to the steamy CFU (continuous fermentation unit where it only takes 90 minutes for the fermentation process), the drying station was next which is where the tea particles go through a heat/pressurization process, they then sort/grate the tea particles into various sizes and the machine places them into their respective buckets, the particles are then weighed, sorted, and packed into large bags of about 150 pounds. We then entered the quality control area where tea is brought each hour for testing. It is brought each hour to ensure the proper working of all stations within the facility. At this point we all got to taste the tea, which was pretty tasty. Except poor Heather because she can't have caffeine...and we do want to tell you that Fred did doubel dip. It was an excellent experience for us and were able to physically visit each station within the facility. Very interesting and we thank Tina for setting up the tour...it was very intriguing.
Following Pfunda we went to the orphanage for about an hour before returning to Tina's for lunch. Cindy had handcrafted three bean bags which we brought to the orphanage with us. She had contemplated on whether to use rocks instead of beans inside the beanbags and boy are we glad that she didn't! The kids loved them and they were throwing them everywhere. She used some left over African fabric that Tina had laying around from making matress covers. Thank you for the work Cindy! Also, in the morning Dr. VanGorder saw a few kids in the infirmiry and some of the kids played with sidewalk chalk. When Pastor Wade walked by the 1-2 year old room they were sleeping however a few of them were still awake. When they saw Pastor Wade they began yelling "Papa!, Papa!" Within seconds the noise of "Papa!, Papa!" was echoing. As we are sure you can tell from the blog, the orphanage is not only emotionally demanding, but running around with kids all day is physically demanding as well. Prior to departing from Tina's house today, she entered her front porch where she encountered a large portion of the team with legs held high on the railings doing much needed morning calesthenics. We wanted to make sure we were ready.
After lunch a few of us went down to the Pfunda Tea booth which is on the side of the road just down the hill from Tina's. We arrived at about 1:00 pm to buy some of the lose tea they have for sale, however we were greeted by only a security guard and no employee. The sign stated that the booth was supposed to open at 1:00 pm, however nobody was there. At about 1:25 pm, with no employee present, we decided to return to Tina's. We have learned that time is not really of the essence here in Rwanda as it is in America. The pace is self initiated not seemingly society driven as it is in America.
We then returned to the orphanage for the afternoon. Cindy and Elaine immediately got into mischief upon our arrival. They brought chalk into the 1-2 year old cement playpen. The kids began coloring the ground, each other, and also Cindy and Elaine. It was messy! Cindy also had the opportunity to carry Mufasa (one of the little babies) outside today. One of the Mama's in the nursery said to Cindy while handing the baby to her, "You Mama!" As mentioned before, it is very difficult for some reason to get the babies out of the baby room and outside. There is an aroma of the mamas wanting the babies kept in the room and not brought outside into the courtyard area without them being covered in many many blankets. Cindy took Mufasas outside with just one blanket and Elaine took Elaina outside as well. Cali, Heather, and Chance brought some of the younger kids to the older guys area which is where the basketball court is. Chance introduced some Silly String to the young kids for which they were very confused with at first, but once they realized it would not hurt them they ran from him while laughing and wanting to be sprayed some more. Scott deployed a can as well this afternoon with similiar results. Cali, Heather, Chance, and Scott played on the basketball court playing some basketball and with our homemade bean bags. Scott had little Angelique by his side, on his shoulder, and on his back for half the day. She is a cute little eight year old girl who wears a shirt too small for her everyday, but is a very happy smilely little girl who obviously enjoys Scott. She stayed by Scott's side as he held a little singing baby for about an hour this afternoon. Cali handed out gum to the kids, Chance handed out glow in the dark paper provided by Mr. Altman, and the kids enjoyed taking Cali and Heather's water bottles and finishing them off for them. Cali also was able to get one boy who doesn't typically interact with others to interact with people today by giving him her camera and allowing him to take photographs. One thing we did notice today is that many of the younger kids don't wear any underwear. It was a unique discovery, and as Fred held a young child in his arms, Elaine explained it uniquely by telling Fred he couldn't see what she could see. Elaine expressed that what was visible from her view of the child were "little brown chocolate biscuits." As a good friend, she did warn Fred.
Chance and Heather had the opportunity to speak with a local family who lives on property next to the orphanage. Through the translation of some of the older orphans the family allowed Heather to take a picture of them. They stated that they had never had a photograph taken of their family before and Heather got to show them the photo she took. They were amazed by it (they aren't many cameras here). They then told Heather that if she didn't buy their baby any porridge it was going starve. The pregnant woman, who along with her family, was extremely happy and grateful for us being there, expressed that she had a headache which felt like a hammer hitting her in the head. She asked for some medicine, or 500 Franks (less than $1) to go get medicine. One of the orphans expressed that it would be better to give her medicine. We did not have any on us, but we plan to bring it tomorrow. Another one of the girls in the family stood and sat as we talked and as her child pulled down her shirt she openly breast fed the baby while we talked. The cultures are different. Please be in prayer for this family as they seem to be, as many families here are, very poor. The family had a number a number of children with one on the way.
Tonight we had a wonderful dinner with samboza (fried meat pie triangles) and Capati (a thick circular tortilla like item) as appetizers. Dinner was great but as we finished the power went out once again. Elaine retrieved her head lamps, Dr. VanGorder pulled out his I Phone, while others brought lights from their bedrooms. While we were without power we chatted for a while and Cali and some of the others who live at the house danced and sang to many disney songs on the dance floor (also known as the front porch). The power is now back on, it is close to 10:00 pm and we will be headed to sleep.
Thank you all for your prayers once again, please pray for stamina and strength to continue to faithfully serve and to keep our mission for these orphans at the forefront of our minds.
Isaiah 40:28-31
ReplyDeleteHave you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint