Glad it's Monday, and back to Noel Orphanage. It was nice to be able to get back to the orphanage to see the children again. Following breakfast, for which we put together a conglomerate of our protein and granola bars, we had devotions. This morning we watched a video detailing the beginnings of His Chase. An organization set up by Mark and Chelsea Jacobs following the death and birth of their deceased son named Chase. Mark had said that their baby Chase would change the world. And as they now say, he sure did. His Chase was created as an orphan support program in three different countries. They are in Rwanda, Ghana, Zambia. If you have few minutes, check out this youtube link of their touching story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOHmfcNLTcM They talk of how God brings beauty from ashes, brings night to a noon day, and mourning to laughter. Our God is truly a God of transformation and redemption. Thank you God for the work you have done in Mark and Chelsea's life and for His Chase, which is the organization through which people donate to Tina for her ministry here in Rwanda.
Once at the orphanage we delved into kid time. Scott, Elaine, Cali, Heather, and Cindy went to the baby room to hold on and love on the babies. Scott got peed on, Cindy got threw up on, Cali got threw up on, and poor Heather had to feed a baby by spoon holding the baby in one hand and a bowl with cereal in the other. Needless to say, Heather had some cereal spilled onto her. I guess Elaine was the only one to make it out of the baby room unscaved! After the baby room the ladies and Scott made bead bracelets for the kids. All in all, by the end of the day, they had made over 140 Jesus story bead bracelets. Red for the blood He shed, Green for the grass he made, Yellow is for the sun so bright, Orange is for the edge of night, Black is for the sin we made, White is for the grace He gave, Purple is for the hours of sorrow, Blue is for a new tomorrow, The Red Heart bead is for the love we share in Christ. Very neat and we pray that not only the kids enjoyed the bracelets, but that the message conveyed and contained within will be understood and proliferated in their hearts. Please pray for that with us.
Wade, Fred, and I spent a large portion of the morning hanging out with the toddlers in a small concrete area with a tin roof on it. Once again, at first they saw white people and backed away but much more quickly today than last week they were high fiving, wanting to be hugged, and sitting on our laps. We blew bubbles, sang songs, high fived, ad in their amazement of hair we allowed them to pet our heads and grab our hair. After the kids were called to eat Scott, Wade, and Fred went and helped feed the toddlers. They ate porridge, rice and beans, some pancake type liquid mix, along with passion fruit. We were amazed at how large the portions were and how rapidly these kids ate! Following eating they all, in almost ordered fashion, hit the potty chair, one by one, which was about two feet from somebody eating.
After the morning at the orphanage we returned to Tina's for a yet another delicious meal. We had some Rwandan oranges and papayas and they were both tasty. We then walked back to the orphanage for the afternoon. As the ladies and Scott continued make braclet after braclet after bracelet (and Scott had 11 year old Angelique say the colors in KinyaRwandan to the 2-3 year old little girls which was really Scott's attempt learn the colors himself) Wade and I went to the baby room to hold some babies. We should mention that Scott does remember two of the colors. Orange-which is called Orange in KinyaRwandan and Purple-which is Mauve in KinyaRwandan. He did well! As Wade and I held babies one of the older teenage males named Patrick, a tall skinny fella, came in with Cali's camera and began snapping photos of us. Quite different as we are typically the ones snapping photos of them. He was really enjoying himself. Wade and I then went to speak with some social workers/psychologists who work for the government and had engaged me in a biblical discussion in the morning. I had to take along our resident Pastor for the afternoon session with them. We had a hefty talk and it was nice as Pastor Wade had the opportunity to speak with them about the reunifications they are planning. Pastor Wade was able to share how important it is to not only get the kids into families, but to get them into good families. He provided them an example from his life and made his comment tangible to them. They agreed with him and it was nice that they seemed to have a sensible view of reunification. Throughout the afternoon the ladies got the opportunity to have a tour of the orphanage from Patrick and another guy, in his young 20s, named Bosco. They toured the orphanage, its different areas including the kitchens, the pig area, and the hadicapped dorm. The ladies also got to see their "greenhouses" with bamboo roofs in which they grow bananas trees in (cooking bananas not sweet fruit bananas..they have two different style bananas here). What they do is they plant leafs in the ground so they will propogate more trees. They plant small sprouted leaves from the exisiting trees and stick them into the ground to continue growth. With cows, pigs, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and banana trees they are very self sufficient in terms of selling some for money and using others for meals. In the afternoon Fred walked hand in hand around the orphanage with his beloved Weetu while Cali and Elaine painted nails, sang songs, and gave lots of hugs. Unfortunately, they also took nails and glass out of many mouths. We have been taking many pictures and are excited to share them with everyone. We are glad to have taken pictures at the Sonrise boarding school as the kids at Noel love to see their friends at Sonrise and converage around the cameras to see them.
At the end of the day, we left the orphanage and a short time later Pastor Wade, Scott, Fred, and I went to Angel's aunts house to check the house once again. On the way to Angels, as school got out, Pastor Wade and I had collected a following of kids in blue school uniforms. Pastor Wade would quickly stop and transform into the barking Pastor and the kids dispersed (with laughter) like we have never seen a dispersion before. The adults on the side of the road got a kick out of it as well... Angel, as mentioned, works at Forty One and her mother was killed in the genocide and her father died when she a young girl. Angel has been taken care of by her aunt whose house we went to today. Angel's aunt, who is an elderly lady, was visibly emotional to once again have white people come to her house and look at it. To them it is their home. Their home had very little in it, a bed and a couple plastic chairs and two small photo frames. You had to go outside into a dirt courtyard to get to the kitchen (which was a couple stones around a fire) and a bathroom. Unfortunately, the house is in a valley where during rain season the water flows down with flash floods as it can be raining at the top of the mountain, but not at Angel's aunt house. Some exterior walls have already begun to erode away and the government has advised them that they have to move as toddlers and adults have been lost in the floods during rain reason. As we mentioned they are flash floods and also many Rwandans do not know how to swim. We had to tell Angel that they do have to move and that there is no fix for their house due to the location. Angel began to cry as did her 16 year old nephew. This has been their "home" since 2003 and they do not have money to move. It will cost them $20 a month to rent a house, and they simply do not have it. The average wage for a Rwandan is $30 a month and Angel already is the sole provider for her aunt, her sister, and her niece and nephew. The aunt was visibly upset as we left. They do not seem ready to move, but as rain season comes please be in prayer that God would bring forth the money and that they would move before the rain season hits, for their safety. It may seem of little significance to some of us, but please be in prayer for them this day as they are hurting tonight and are unsure of what to do due to their financial situation along with not wanting to leave their home.
After our departure from Angel's house we walked up the road a little bit and went down a dirt path walkway through some houses to see if we could see the river coming down the mountain. We couldn't, but we could certainly here it. As we were walking back out toward the road Fred and I saw a large pig behind a house with a handful or two of little piglets. I pulled out my camera to take a shot as they were being ushered to a different area and I was able to snap a shot of the little piglet straying behind. Following the photo we were greeted, well not really greeted, by the seeming owner of the pigs. Although we had a significant language barrier, it became evident that she was requesting payment from me for the photo I took of the little piglet. Tina had advised that this would happen as we are white. With no money on me, and knowing that Anne would surely not think that the benefit of the picture was greater than the consequence of Fred and I being held hostage, I turned the pockets of my sweatpants inside out to show I did not have any money. I then made a last effort and offered the lady my waterbottle. She quickly declined and as Fred prepared to turn his pockets inside out....we came to an agreement with simple eye contact that we needed to get out of there. Out of there we went, to a road of safety. Thank you Lord for safety. Oh, and Anne...I know you may be worried but the birdie on my shoulder (Fred) was urging me as I had my camera out to take the picture and take it quickly......
All in all we had a great day. With sugar cane to chew on for dessert and genuine time of worship this evening everyone is waiting for the blog to be finished so they can put their stamp of approval or denial on it. Please continue your prayers for these loved orphans and Tina as she ministers to them and deals with a myraid of issues while being here.
With love,
Our Team.
Once at the orphanage we delved into kid time. Scott, Elaine, Cali, Heather, and Cindy went to the baby room to hold on and love on the babies. Scott got peed on, Cindy got threw up on, Cali got threw up on, and poor Heather had to feed a baby by spoon holding the baby in one hand and a bowl with cereal in the other. Needless to say, Heather had some cereal spilled onto her. I guess Elaine was the only one to make it out of the baby room unscaved! After the baby room the ladies and Scott made bead bracelets for the kids. All in all, by the end of the day, they had made over 140 Jesus story bead bracelets. Red for the blood He shed, Green for the grass he made, Yellow is for the sun so bright, Orange is for the edge of night, Black is for the sin we made, White is for the grace He gave, Purple is for the hours of sorrow, Blue is for a new tomorrow, The Red Heart bead is for the love we share in Christ. Very neat and we pray that not only the kids enjoyed the bracelets, but that the message conveyed and contained within will be understood and proliferated in their hearts. Please pray for that with us.
Wade, Fred, and I spent a large portion of the morning hanging out with the toddlers in a small concrete area with a tin roof on it. Once again, at first they saw white people and backed away but much more quickly today than last week they were high fiving, wanting to be hugged, and sitting on our laps. We blew bubbles, sang songs, high fived, ad in their amazement of hair we allowed them to pet our heads and grab our hair. After the kids were called to eat Scott, Wade, and Fred went and helped feed the toddlers. They ate porridge, rice and beans, some pancake type liquid mix, along with passion fruit. We were amazed at how large the portions were and how rapidly these kids ate! Following eating they all, in almost ordered fashion, hit the potty chair, one by one, which was about two feet from somebody eating.
After the morning at the orphanage we returned to Tina's for a yet another delicious meal. We had some Rwandan oranges and papayas and they were both tasty. We then walked back to the orphanage for the afternoon. As the ladies and Scott continued make braclet after braclet after bracelet (and Scott had 11 year old Angelique say the colors in KinyaRwandan to the 2-3 year old little girls which was really Scott's attempt learn the colors himself) Wade and I went to the baby room to hold some babies. We should mention that Scott does remember two of the colors. Orange-which is called Orange in KinyaRwandan and Purple-which is Mauve in KinyaRwandan. He did well! As Wade and I held babies one of the older teenage males named Patrick, a tall skinny fella, came in with Cali's camera and began snapping photos of us. Quite different as we are typically the ones snapping photos of them. He was really enjoying himself. Wade and I then went to speak with some social workers/psychologists who work for the government and had engaged me in a biblical discussion in the morning. I had to take along our resident Pastor for the afternoon session with them. We had a hefty talk and it was nice as Pastor Wade had the opportunity to speak with them about the reunifications they are planning. Pastor Wade was able to share how important it is to not only get the kids into families, but to get them into good families. He provided them an example from his life and made his comment tangible to them. They agreed with him and it was nice that they seemed to have a sensible view of reunification. Throughout the afternoon the ladies got the opportunity to have a tour of the orphanage from Patrick and another guy, in his young 20s, named Bosco. They toured the orphanage, its different areas including the kitchens, the pig area, and the hadicapped dorm. The ladies also got to see their "greenhouses" with bamboo roofs in which they grow bananas trees in (cooking bananas not sweet fruit bananas..they have two different style bananas here). What they do is they plant leafs in the ground so they will propogate more trees. They plant small sprouted leaves from the exisiting trees and stick them into the ground to continue growth. With cows, pigs, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and banana trees they are very self sufficient in terms of selling some for money and using others for meals. In the afternoon Fred walked hand in hand around the orphanage with his beloved Weetu while Cali and Elaine painted nails, sang songs, and gave lots of hugs. Unfortunately, they also took nails and glass out of many mouths. We have been taking many pictures and are excited to share them with everyone. We are glad to have taken pictures at the Sonrise boarding school as the kids at Noel love to see their friends at Sonrise and converage around the cameras to see them.
At the end of the day, we left the orphanage and a short time later Pastor Wade, Scott, Fred, and I went to Angel's aunts house to check the house once again. On the way to Angels, as school got out, Pastor Wade and I had collected a following of kids in blue school uniforms. Pastor Wade would quickly stop and transform into the barking Pastor and the kids dispersed (with laughter) like we have never seen a dispersion before. The adults on the side of the road got a kick out of it as well... Angel, as mentioned, works at Forty One and her mother was killed in the genocide and her father died when she a young girl. Angel has been taken care of by her aunt whose house we went to today. Angel's aunt, who is an elderly lady, was visibly emotional to once again have white people come to her house and look at it. To them it is their home. Their home had very little in it, a bed and a couple plastic chairs and two small photo frames. You had to go outside into a dirt courtyard to get to the kitchen (which was a couple stones around a fire) and a bathroom. Unfortunately, the house is in a valley where during rain season the water flows down with flash floods as it can be raining at the top of the mountain, but not at Angel's aunt house. Some exterior walls have already begun to erode away and the government has advised them that they have to move as toddlers and adults have been lost in the floods during rain reason. As we mentioned they are flash floods and also many Rwandans do not know how to swim. We had to tell Angel that they do have to move and that there is no fix for their house due to the location. Angel began to cry as did her 16 year old nephew. This has been their "home" since 2003 and they do not have money to move. It will cost them $20 a month to rent a house, and they simply do not have it. The average wage for a Rwandan is $30 a month and Angel already is the sole provider for her aunt, her sister, and her niece and nephew. The aunt was visibly upset as we left. They do not seem ready to move, but as rain season comes please be in prayer that God would bring forth the money and that they would move before the rain season hits, for their safety. It may seem of little significance to some of us, but please be in prayer for them this day as they are hurting tonight and are unsure of what to do due to their financial situation along with not wanting to leave their home.
After our departure from Angel's house we walked up the road a little bit and went down a dirt path walkway through some houses to see if we could see the river coming down the mountain. We couldn't, but we could certainly here it. As we were walking back out toward the road Fred and I saw a large pig behind a house with a handful or two of little piglets. I pulled out my camera to take a shot as they were being ushered to a different area and I was able to snap a shot of the little piglet straying behind. Following the photo we were greeted, well not really greeted, by the seeming owner of the pigs. Although we had a significant language barrier, it became evident that she was requesting payment from me for the photo I took of the little piglet. Tina had advised that this would happen as we are white. With no money on me, and knowing that Anne would surely not think that the benefit of the picture was greater than the consequence of Fred and I being held hostage, I turned the pockets of my sweatpants inside out to show I did not have any money. I then made a last effort and offered the lady my waterbottle. She quickly declined and as Fred prepared to turn his pockets inside out....we came to an agreement with simple eye contact that we needed to get out of there. Out of there we went, to a road of safety. Thank you Lord for safety. Oh, and Anne...I know you may be worried but the birdie on my shoulder (Fred) was urging me as I had my camera out to take the picture and take it quickly......
All in all we had a great day. With sugar cane to chew on for dessert and genuine time of worship this evening everyone is waiting for the blog to be finished so they can put their stamp of approval or denial on it. Please continue your prayers for these loved orphans and Tina as she ministers to them and deals with a myraid of issues while being here.
With love,
Our Team.
Christopher and I were so happy to hear that Scott was Scott today and not a busy Dr. Van Gorder. We will pray that the message of the bracelets is written on their hearts. <3
ReplyDeleteso I guess I have Chance to thank that Fred isn't being held hostage. What is the price of a good pig picture??? Thanks for doing such a good job of reporting the days events.
ReplyDelete$20/mo is such a small amount over here. is there any way to sponsor them or provide them with a goat or a means of income and sustenance? I just cannot rightly accept that my $20/mo that I spend on extras could pay for someone's basic everyday needs...
ReplyDelete