Friday, and the close to our second week. Today was our second to last day at the orphanage and the team and the kids are beginning to feel it. Our day began once again to the delight of French Toast for breakfast which the team was very excited about. Pastor Wade then led devotions again where we looked at 1 Timothy 6:6-12 and talked on contentment. Are we content with Christ and Christ alone? Contentment-not getting what we want but being satisfied with what we have. If we (and you) were to have nothing, would Christ be enough...If everything were to be taken away except Christ is He enough?
After a thought provoking devotions, something we should all be striving for, we headed to the orphanage for the morning. When we first entered the gates many of the 8-9 year old girls in the first dorm came running out to us. Elaine put ribbons on all of the girls and we took a "girls dorm" picture for which we got all of them together with their smiling faces and ribbons. Pastor Wade brought a soccer ball to the orphanage with him and we spent a good amount of time in the front of the orphanage playing soccer with some of the orphans. This was all while some of the kids went through the thousand plus photographs on Scott's phone. Cali one again lent out her camera for the kids to take pictures and the kids did pass it safely, but only after Cali who has an extended vocabulary in KinyaRwandan (after hard studies) told the kids in their native tongue to be careful! We played some beanbag toss in the courtyard before we split up. Fred and Pastor Wade, once again, fed the toddlers at 10:00 am. Fred and Pastor Wade have vowed to pray for these little guys at 10:00 am everyday when we get home. They sure have grabbed their hearts. The mamas once again expressed their gratitude for us being there, they specifically told Pastor Wade that it is great to see men interacting with the young ones as that doesn't typically happen. These kids need males in their lives and we have definitely filled a gap while we have been here. Elaine, Heather, and I went to the baby room during the morning hours and held/spoon fed the babies. It was very neat. When asked how to know when the babies were done eating the mamas poked a babies stomach to see how firm it was and seemed to gauge their response from the poke. Elaine then provided ribbons for the babies. Some were put on the babies heads, others the babies played with, and Elaine hung some from the nets as well. The babies really enjoyed them and seemed to be having fun with them. Scott had the opportunity to talk to the nurse. All the babies that were having trouble gaining weight are now gaining weight following Scott's recommendations. Also, we should tell you for the second day in a row Little Flip let it loose again. He was on Pastor Wade's lap and began squirming, he wiggled his way off of Pastor Wade's lap, did a quick little run for about 15 feet before dropping his drawers and letting it go. Little Flip, aka Charles, is also a candidate for the healthy bladder/bladder control question. We now know Flip as Charles but we aren't totally positive that is his name either as that is the name that the mamas settled on when attempting to tell Pastor Wade and Fred his name in KinyaRwandan. After Pastor Wade and Fredhad a tough time pronouncing it, and as they attempted to get them to say it right syllable by syllable, they told Pastor Wade and Fred, his name is Charles.
This morning Cindy went to 41 to help and critique stockings. The ladies at 41 had twelve stocking done when she got there today. Cindy had to do a little tweaking and critiquing as some looked more like boots than socks. This was hard to do due to the the language barrier, but Cindy got it done. No 41 stated if they had known Cindy had been here for two weeks they would have really used her! But they are appreciative for the work and assistance she has provided.
Following the morning we went back to Tina' for lunch. We ate, and after being advised of a change of plans, we began packing our bags. By the end of lunch most of us had the majority of our bags packed as we have decided to leave for Kigali (the capital which is where the airport is) tomorrow at 3 pm. This is a change of plans as we initially planned on leaving for Kigali on Sunday morning. We packed, rested a short bit, and Fred and I went down to the Pfunda stand to buy some tea after everyone had placed their orders with us, but when we got there there was no attendant at the stand. After returning to Tina's we all headed back to the orphanage for the afternoon.
We were greeted by a rousing chorus of cheers anticipating our coming by the girls in the first dorm. They were holding the gate cheering for us as we arrived and as we came through the gates. It was very heart warming. This afternoon the reality of leaving began to set in and as best we could, and at least to the older kids who know some English, we began to prepare them for our departure as well. Other than that the afternoon went as other afternoons usually do. Cindy played monkey in the middle with the bean bags and Pastor Wade did some chalk drawing with some older guys. Pastor Wade was drawing a cross, as he was wearing an American Red Cross shirt, and one of the older boys named Justin drew in chalk a picture of a cross with Jesus on in it. It was a mirror of the crucifix around his neck. While Cindy and Pastor Wade engaged in these activities, Fred swung from pole to pole in the innner courtyard where the little kids are. I did not get the opportunity to witness it, but I heard that he did well! Also concerning Fred, he may have gotten a little bit too much sun today as Weetu had his hat this afternoon and was passing it all around placing it on people's heads. Anne...this one's on Weetu, but I do believe that Fred will stick up for her. Weetu has broken out of her shell once again and was finally one of the kids. Also this afternoon Elaine and I sprayed the kids with our final can of silly string. Want to talk about a way to disperse a large group of these beloved children...silly string would be the answer. It was a laugh to be had that we actually caught on video. Alot of us spent a large amount of time on the basketball court this afternoon playing basketball, playing with bean bags, chatting and tickling the kids, and talking with the local family next door. We got the opportunity to pray with the family next door which was really a blessing. A huge difference we have noticed here is that while in America you can ask somebody what they believe and it ranges from Jesus, to agnostic, to atheist, to a wide range of other things. When you ask somebody here what they believe they reply, "Of course Jesus." When the Lord says that the poor are rich in faith, he is not kidding. The blanket belief and trust in God in such an environment with nothing, makes me wonder where we have went wrong in America to stray so far even in the past few hundred years. The afternoon was great and some of the ladies recieved cards from the older guys at the orphanage who throughougly appreciated the time we spent with the orphans. An exerpt from one of the cards Elaine received from a 17 year old named Patrick stated, "I am very glad to write you this short note especially to recognize your amazing love about the motherlessless and fatherless children, you've inspired me a lot during in this two weeks you have spent with us."
After leaving the orphanage we returned back to Tina's. Some of us showered, some finished packing, while others wrote return cards or read. We had planned to have dinner with Baptiste, Tina's house help, and his family this evening so that Fred could present him and his family with the news that we will be buying him two cows. Baptiste's wish is that he can buy one cow so that he can supplement his income and get his little girl into preschool and keep her in school. The people at Dairy One, where Fred works, were extremely gracious in donating money to make this possible. Unfortunately, and for a reason we do not know, Baptiste and his family did not show up. Tina said he his very reliable and that the dinner date may have been lost in the translation. We hope to do this tomorrow when he comes for work.
This may possibly be our last blog as we head for Kigali tomorrow. Tomorrow morning we will have our final time at the orphanage and say our final goodbye's. We will then come back to Tina's before traveling three hours via bus to Kigali. On Sunday we plan to go to King David Academy which is a secondary school where about 200 orphans from Noel attend. We will be attending church there on Sunday as well. On Monday we may return to King David and we then have to be at the airport by 7:30 pm. For all of you wondering, our flight is scheduled to arrive in Syracuse at 11:17 pm on Tuesday night.
Please be in prayer for our heavy hearts as we leave the orphans tomorrow. Please pray God's will is done in our hearts as well as those of the orphans, as we depart. Also, please pray for safety in travels as we will be on busses a great deal before departing on our flights home. Please pray for God's protection in travel as we head back.
Thank you for all your prayers and partnering with us. We are greatly disappointed in leaving, but thoroughly excited to return home to our families and friends.
God Bless,
Love-The Team
After a thought provoking devotions, something we should all be striving for, we headed to the orphanage for the morning. When we first entered the gates many of the 8-9 year old girls in the first dorm came running out to us. Elaine put ribbons on all of the girls and we took a "girls dorm" picture for which we got all of them together with their smiling faces and ribbons. Pastor Wade brought a soccer ball to the orphanage with him and we spent a good amount of time in the front of the orphanage playing soccer with some of the orphans. This was all while some of the kids went through the thousand plus photographs on Scott's phone. Cali one again lent out her camera for the kids to take pictures and the kids did pass it safely, but only after Cali who has an extended vocabulary in KinyaRwandan (after hard studies) told the kids in their native tongue to be careful! We played some beanbag toss in the courtyard before we split up. Fred and Pastor Wade, once again, fed the toddlers at 10:00 am. Fred and Pastor Wade have vowed to pray for these little guys at 10:00 am everyday when we get home. They sure have grabbed their hearts. The mamas once again expressed their gratitude for us being there, they specifically told Pastor Wade that it is great to see men interacting with the young ones as that doesn't typically happen. These kids need males in their lives and we have definitely filled a gap while we have been here. Elaine, Heather, and I went to the baby room during the morning hours and held/spoon fed the babies. It was very neat. When asked how to know when the babies were done eating the mamas poked a babies stomach to see how firm it was and seemed to gauge their response from the poke. Elaine then provided ribbons for the babies. Some were put on the babies heads, others the babies played with, and Elaine hung some from the nets as well. The babies really enjoyed them and seemed to be having fun with them. Scott had the opportunity to talk to the nurse. All the babies that were having trouble gaining weight are now gaining weight following Scott's recommendations. Also, we should tell you for the second day in a row Little Flip let it loose again. He was on Pastor Wade's lap and began squirming, he wiggled his way off of Pastor Wade's lap, did a quick little run for about 15 feet before dropping his drawers and letting it go. Little Flip, aka Charles, is also a candidate for the healthy bladder/bladder control question. We now know Flip as Charles but we aren't totally positive that is his name either as that is the name that the mamas settled on when attempting to tell Pastor Wade and Fred his name in KinyaRwandan. After Pastor Wade and Fredhad a tough time pronouncing it, and as they attempted to get them to say it right syllable by syllable, they told Pastor Wade and Fred, his name is Charles.
This morning Cindy went to 41 to help and critique stockings. The ladies at 41 had twelve stocking done when she got there today. Cindy had to do a little tweaking and critiquing as some looked more like boots than socks. This was hard to do due to the the language barrier, but Cindy got it done. No 41 stated if they had known Cindy had been here for two weeks they would have really used her! But they are appreciative for the work and assistance she has provided.
Following the morning we went back to Tina' for lunch. We ate, and after being advised of a change of plans, we began packing our bags. By the end of lunch most of us had the majority of our bags packed as we have decided to leave for Kigali (the capital which is where the airport is) tomorrow at 3 pm. This is a change of plans as we initially planned on leaving for Kigali on Sunday morning. We packed, rested a short bit, and Fred and I went down to the Pfunda stand to buy some tea after everyone had placed their orders with us, but when we got there there was no attendant at the stand. After returning to Tina's we all headed back to the orphanage for the afternoon.
We were greeted by a rousing chorus of cheers anticipating our coming by the girls in the first dorm. They were holding the gate cheering for us as we arrived and as we came through the gates. It was very heart warming. This afternoon the reality of leaving began to set in and as best we could, and at least to the older kids who know some English, we began to prepare them for our departure as well. Other than that the afternoon went as other afternoons usually do. Cindy played monkey in the middle with the bean bags and Pastor Wade did some chalk drawing with some older guys. Pastor Wade was drawing a cross, as he was wearing an American Red Cross shirt, and one of the older boys named Justin drew in chalk a picture of a cross with Jesus on in it. It was a mirror of the crucifix around his neck. While Cindy and Pastor Wade engaged in these activities, Fred swung from pole to pole in the innner courtyard where the little kids are. I did not get the opportunity to witness it, but I heard that he did well! Also concerning Fred, he may have gotten a little bit too much sun today as Weetu had his hat this afternoon and was passing it all around placing it on people's heads. Anne...this one's on Weetu, but I do believe that Fred will stick up for her. Weetu has broken out of her shell once again and was finally one of the kids. Also this afternoon Elaine and I sprayed the kids with our final can of silly string. Want to talk about a way to disperse a large group of these beloved children...silly string would be the answer. It was a laugh to be had that we actually caught on video. Alot of us spent a large amount of time on the basketball court this afternoon playing basketball, playing with bean bags, chatting and tickling the kids, and talking with the local family next door. We got the opportunity to pray with the family next door which was really a blessing. A huge difference we have noticed here is that while in America you can ask somebody what they believe and it ranges from Jesus, to agnostic, to atheist, to a wide range of other things. When you ask somebody here what they believe they reply, "Of course Jesus." When the Lord says that the poor are rich in faith, he is not kidding. The blanket belief and trust in God in such an environment with nothing, makes me wonder where we have went wrong in America to stray so far even in the past few hundred years. The afternoon was great and some of the ladies recieved cards from the older guys at the orphanage who throughougly appreciated the time we spent with the orphans. An exerpt from one of the cards Elaine received from a 17 year old named Patrick stated, "I am very glad to write you this short note especially to recognize your amazing love about the motherlessless and fatherless children, you've inspired me a lot during in this two weeks you have spent with us."
After leaving the orphanage we returned back to Tina's. Some of us showered, some finished packing, while others wrote return cards or read. We had planned to have dinner with Baptiste, Tina's house help, and his family this evening so that Fred could present him and his family with the news that we will be buying him two cows. Baptiste's wish is that he can buy one cow so that he can supplement his income and get his little girl into preschool and keep her in school. The people at Dairy One, where Fred works, were extremely gracious in donating money to make this possible. Unfortunately, and for a reason we do not know, Baptiste and his family did not show up. Tina said he his very reliable and that the dinner date may have been lost in the translation. We hope to do this tomorrow when he comes for work.
This may possibly be our last blog as we head for Kigali tomorrow. Tomorrow morning we will have our final time at the orphanage and say our final goodbye's. We will then come back to Tina's before traveling three hours via bus to Kigali. On Sunday we plan to go to King David Academy which is a secondary school where about 200 orphans from Noel attend. We will be attending church there on Sunday as well. On Monday we may return to King David and we then have to be at the airport by 7:30 pm. For all of you wondering, our flight is scheduled to arrive in Syracuse at 11:17 pm on Tuesday night.
Please be in prayer for our heavy hearts as we leave the orphans tomorrow. Please pray God's will is done in our hearts as well as those of the orphans, as we depart. Also, please pray for safety in travels as we will be on busses a great deal before departing on our flights home. Please pray for God's protection in travel as we head back.
Thank you for all your prayers and partnering with us. We are greatly disappointed in leaving, but thoroughly excited to return home to our families and friends.
God Bless,
Love-The Team
Once again, thanks so much for keeping us up to date on what you've been doing. It has made it much easier to be home...I'll continue praying for you, it's hard to leave an experience like you've had and go back to "real life." See you Tuesday night!!!!
ReplyDeletePraying for you all as you begin to transition back home. Know that your sadness that you feel is shared with Christ as He continues to love and build His kingdom. You have witnessed heaven touching earth...sadness and glory together. God Speed!
ReplyDeleteLove you guys....grace and peace to you all.