Day #4 Training and travel to Byumba, Rwanda

The heavens shined down on earth tonight!

We packed up after breakfast this morning and had a day of training and travel to Byumba.

At breakfast, we had a group discussion about what God can do in 2 weeks. It was a question asked by many people before I left. People wanted to know what I was going to do, and how I could make a difference in just two weeks. Was it worth all of the sacrifices (financial, time, safety, health) to go? Many wanted to know why I chose to go to Rwanda when so many other people (even in our backyards and throughout America) need help. I didn't have all of the answers. I knew that I was going to Rwanda because it was something placed on my heart, and became something I knew that I just had to do.

I thought about it and prayed about it and then thought about it and prayed about it some more. My decision to go was met with opposition by some and others supported me whole heatedly. This was to be expected. I had a peace inside about the trip and decided to sign up and show up. That's what God was asking me to do.

Even upon my arrival to Rwanda I didn't know what I was going to do, see or how I would be used. There was a calm inside of me knowing that God knew, even before I was born, before I ever set foot on African soil, God had the plans for the trip worked out.

I vowed to stop asking myself, "what am I going to do?" I turned over my uneasiness and need to know everything to God and committed to start asking, "what will I become?" How will Rwanda change me by helping the Rwandan people?

Think about creation. What did God do in 7 days? He created all of the heavens and the earth. He can do miracles. And I know I will see miracles as a result of this trip.

" Huye water", pronounced HUGHIE! We bought cases and cases of this and crammed it into the van. The water supply is not clean or safe. We had to brush our teeth with the water too!

Meet Francis. This man is amazing. He served as our interpreter, security guard and driver. He was so much more than his job description. He genuinely cared about us and our safety, and was constantly on alert to make sure that we had everything that we needed and were safe. He taught us so much about Rwandan culture and was a lot of fun to be around.

Our first stop was at the P.E.A.C.E office in Kigali for our group training and question and answer session.
P: Promote reconciliation / plant churches

E: Equip servant leaders

A: Assist the poor

C: Care for the sick

E: Equip the next generation

We met with the steering committee who shared much about the Rwanda culture. Highlights included:

• Time starts when people get there ~ Americans may have the watches, but Rwandans have the time
• Rwandans are very rich in relationships, but very poor in achievements. The goal is to find a compromise
• 57% of Rwandans live under $1.00 a day
• The average family has 5 children and birth rates are not declining
• It is not uncommon to see same sex people holding hands. There is no connotation, it is simply a reflection of friendship
• The average age for marriage is 20 for men and 21 for women. Dating can last as little as one week and then the couple marries. The wife's family must give the husband's family a dowry which I find fascinating! Many women see it as an indication of their value to society and have no interest in changing this element of their culture. Traditionally the dowry is paid in cows, though nowadays for people living in the city cash is more useful. When a cow is given, the first calf born would traditionally be given back to the young married couple. I attended a dowry ceremony a while back where a young cow was indeed presented at the ceremony. The ceremony usually lasts several hours and takes place at the home of the woman's family. Each side is represented by older male relatives. The young man arrives, accompanied by a supportive group of friends and relatives. The older men do the negotiating. It's somewhat like a set theatre piece, where everyone knows the outcome, but they still go through their roles.

Pastor Samuel, Antoinne, Me and Pastor Robert ~ our Byumba hosts

The entire group

The Gisenyi team

The Fab Four (aka The Byumba Team)

With Pastor Theophield

Headed to lunch

I saw very little machinery, nearly all work is done by had with basic tools.

We ate a buffet lunch at Karibu

A very typical meal ~ spaghetti, french fries, boiled bananas, fried bananas, rice and beans. And a Fanta.

The majority of taxis are motorcycles. I like that the fare includes a helmet! Buses are also quite popular. It's not atypical to see over 20 people in a 12 passenger bus.

There was a national gas shortage and customers were only able to buy 15 thousand franks worth of gas. There are 3.9 liters to a gallon, so they were enforcing less than one gallon per customer. Francis was able to plead our case and the owners allowed up to fill our tank. We were grateful as our plans would drastically change without gas!

A Kigali hillside

Kristen and I just outside of Byumba. The ride was a bit nerve wracking! Thankfully it was under 2 hours. The roads are not in good conditions and there are many pot holes, unpaved portions and it is very narrow and windy. Because of the terrain and limited resources, it costs 3x the price to maintain roads than the USA. This means that most roads are very neglected.

These kids ran to our van as we were taking photos. They were eager to smile for the camera!

Beautiful

They were all smiles when we gave them our empty water bottles. Kids shout, "agachupa," when they see mazungus. Rwandans (kids included) walk 2 hours a day to get 15 liters of water for the day.

I subtly took a picture of their feet. No shoes and worn out shoes are the norm. So much that we take for granted.

A "child friendly" school

We stayed at the St. Paul Cathedral Guest House while in Byumba. We were thrilled to once again have showers. But just because there are showers, doesn't mean that there is water! Every morning the workers would bring a bucket of boiling water and that was used for sponge baths! When in Rome...

Kristen and my mosquito nets

St. Paul's Cathedral ~ The Parish church

Do you see the smiley : ) face made by the moon and stars? We felt as though God was smiling down us. We later learned it was the moon, Venus and Jupiter and pretty rare! "The heavens smiled down on Earth Monday in a rare celestial trifecta of Venus, Jupiter and the moon. The planets aligned - an event known as a conjuction - Sunday night and were joined by a thin sliver of moon on Monday."

I developed a nice hacking cough at this point of the trip. I supsect that it was bronchitis. Thankfully, my doctor sent me with antibiotics and cough suppresant... and all is well.