The week in pictures....

As always, a big hello to our friends and family,

we think of you often and enjoy trying to keep up with everyone through email and social media.  We don't often have time to reply or to call, but we love knowing what happening back in the states.

I don't get pictures of half of what I'd like to in order to show off this beautiful country and let you in on what's going on with us, but here's what I've got this week...

Love the sunrises here!  Usually clear in the morning with clouds and some rain later in the day.

A quick visit from Emmanuel, a brother of one of the Rwandan presidential scholars who we hosted two summers ago.  It is always a pleasure to meet the families of our Rwandan "sons".

A Rwandan Baptist church just a short walk from us down the highway.  Generally the service might run from 9am-1pm!  We went from about 10-11:30 and were all introduced through a translator.  Lots of singing and dancing as numerous choirs preformed!  This is both a time of worship and one of the only social gatherings of the week.  I particularly liked the children's choir!  However, we left before they even got to the message, which we wouldn't have understood a word of anyway...

My sad attempt to carry my bag on my head as the Rwandan women do.  All I needed was another 40 lbs in the bag and a baby on my back...I am going to need more practice!

On Sunday evening we were able to watch our home church "live" in Little Rock thanks to Lawson getting us set up on the technology end.  It was great to see some familiar faces (Terry Jones and Bruce leading worship!) and have a little taste of home!

On Tuesday we were able to visit the St. Vincent home for disabled children (which is operated by a Catholic church in Musanze).  The nuns and staff do a great job, but they can always use a few more hands to help feed and care for the kids...and most especially just to interact with and love on them.  The kids are a wide variety of ages with a wide variety of physical and mental handicaps, and a couple who appear to fine but are orphans.  

We spent more than an hour just playing ball with those that could (you would be absolutely amazed at how some of these kids with severe leg deformities can still get around on crutches...it is amazing!).  We blew bubbles for them to chase and pop and Lawson and Brian gave "airplane rides" until they were worn out!  You have never seen such happy faces!  Hopefully we will get to go back numerous times during our time here in Rwanda.

Above, Brain is with a man named John Peter, who is a volunteer at the home every day.  He knows enough English that we could enjoy visiting with him and he was a big help to us in connecting with the kids and knowing what to do, since he knows the kids well.

We specifically went before lunch so we could help with feeding the 30 or so kids who live there.  All of the kids get a hot bowl of a grain (that looks similar to rice) and some chopped greens (like collard greens).  Probably 8 or 10 of the kids cannot feed themselves without assistance, so we could help with that. At breakfast they get a bowl of porridge and if they have enough food they will also get a dinner that is similar to lunch.

Several of the younger children loved playing with Bethany's hair!

Thursday....Gary and I traveled with the Raineys and the 5 other board members who were visiting into Kigali for meetings.  The main highway had a large mudslide in the rainy season (fall) that they are still trying to fix that can hold up traffic at times.

First, we went to the US embassy to meet with the US Ambassador to Rwanda and some of his attaches. It was a very interesting and informative meeting.  No pictures because they took all our electronics at security!  So far it has been the only air conditioned facility I have visited in Rwanda.

Next, a fabulous asian lunch at Zen restaurant i Kigali with the Rwanda Minister of Infrastructure, Minister "Albert".  Lunch was great and Minister Albert is an incredibly intelligent, speaks excellent English and is a great leader in his country.  He oversees infrastructure, housing, energy and the like...a huge responsibility.

After lunch, Gary and I spent a couple hours shopping at the Nakomatt (like a mini African Wal-Mart??) and the "mall".  Then onto our final meeting...with the Prime Minster of Rwanda in his office!  On our way to the Prime Minister, we also had to stop for President Kagame's motorcade to pass right by us on his way through town.

Left to right...Minister Albert, Mike Robinson, me, Steve Bardwell, the Prime Minster of Rwanda (with a name too complicated for me!), Gary, Mickey Lavender, Cheryl and Russell Rainey, Tad Krug, Shelby Woods and Jerome (works under Minister Albert).

Back at the Musanze Opportunity Center, when the kids have free time and the weather is nice, they enjoy soccer (futbol)on the lawn and often some of the Rwandan students or staff will join in.

Of course they also enjoy playing their favorite sports, so the boys are frequently throwing the football or Bethany is practicing volleyball.

Below, Lawson is helping the construction students, James and Olivier, work on repairs and painting in one of the cottages.  The walls must be scraped and holes filled first before painting can commence.  Over time, each of the cottages will get a facelift so they are ready to rent for visitors.  So please come and visit us at the MOC, your room is ready and waiting!

James (left) and Olivier (right), cleaning up after a day of painting.  They are great young men and our family enjoys their company.  Often they will join us on outings as our translators.

Yes, we are still chipping away at schoolwork in our "online" classroom.  Palmer is the only one who has science labs, since he is in Chemistry, and he has it all organized and ready to go.

Hopefully I can introduce most of the incredible MOC staff over time.  Here are Setee (our chef) and Protais (a cook and kitchen staff) working in the kitchen.  All the bread is homemade here and you can see the dough rising in the bowl.  Behind it there is an empty muffin tin from the incredible banana muffins that are made here daily.

One of my favorite things to do it just to go across the street from our gates and hang out with the kids who are walking down the road.  They are just adorable!  Generally they don't know much English, but we try to visit anyway.  They are carrying "maize" stalks that will be their lunch...both the raw corn and then they also peel the stalk and chew on the sweet center, similar to sugar cane.  Again, older siblings, as well as mothers, will carry the babies around.  These are all girls...since all the children must shave their heads to go to school, I often can only tell the boys from girls because the girls wear skirts.

Last, there are other American families in Rwanda, and Bethany is lucky to have made a friend in this precious Lydia.  Some of you who have been to Rwanda may recognize her as the daughter of Drs Caleb and Louise King.  Yesterday they invited Bethany to go swimming at the pool (rather cold pool!) of the local hotel in town, then for lunch, then Lydia spent the night with us.  Bethany sorely misses her friends at home, but God is so good to have given her such a delightful girlfriend who lives not too far from us.  Because Lydia has grown up primarily in Rwanda, she also speaks the language...how cool is that!?!

This morning (Sunday), we took a village walk through our "neighborhood" with some of the folks from our church who are in Kigali for two weeks teaching and encouraging some local pastors and their wives.  They came for a short visit to Musanze this weekend for some R and R...then back to work this week!  

Below, Gary is showing his disappearing coin trick to some kids on the highway.  As we take a walk he gathers a bigger and bigger crowd who are in awe of his magic!  He finally breaks down by the end of the trek and shows them how to do it!

Ladies working in the potato field adjacent to our campus.

We usually turn off the highway and go through the back roads that cut through the farms.  This is the first time I have seen a truck on the "road"...it had come from the quarry with a full load of sand and dirt...all excavated by hand.

One of the homes we passed on our walk...you can see the erosion taking toll on the mud brick.  Sunday must be  laundry day because we saw many things hanging out to dry.  On the right is the families' pile of gravel.  The women and children break larger stone into gravel with hammer and then can sell it to a truck that comes by periodically...this is another source of income for the family.

Just outside our campus we have this enormous tree that Gary calls the "tree of life".  Historically the village leaders would meet under a tree like this one to have their meetings.  The tree was also symbolic because you can break off its limbs and roots, but it continues to grow and repair itself.

And to say goodbye for now...Brain Langford practicing guitar.  He is headed to Kigali today to join a medical team from our church who is going out to some villages to do checkups on children.  I'm looking forward to hearing more when he returns in a few days with the medical team when they come to visit us!

P.S.  We are planning to wake up at 2am tonight to wacth the Superbowl with all of you!

Love to all! To God be the glory, great things He has done!