#rwanderful: Day 3

Woohoo! I'm blogging before 10 pm. This post has a prayer of making sense.

We visited the New Life Christian Academy and High School in Kayonza today.

We started with a tour of the school and saw so many teacher friends. This week, the students are taking their midterm exams, so each of us were able to help proctor exams. I got to call roll, pass out, and collect their exams. I learned that my default is to pronounce names with a Spanish pronunciation. Sorry kids. I can't figure out which country I am in.

We also got to see the new computer lab that has computers AND wifi along with the BRAND NEW science labs. I am so excited to see how they will continue to grow and learn throughout the next year as they begin to use these facilities.

The computers are here!

Our 11th grade chemists

This is weird but I wanted the whole room in the picture. 

Lots of storage

Janet the chemist

I spent some time with Lauren's sweet David and the Munford family's delightful Rehema, and I loved hugging them and hearing about their lives since I saw them last. They are precious and loving and thankful for their sponsors.

Rehema

David

Tomorrow, we will go to Kageyo so we will leave at 5:30 am and return around 6:30 pm. We have also been preparing for the conference in our free evening time this week. We will work a little tomorrow evening, but the conference starts on Friday, so pray that each group is able to accomplish the necessary tasks for each of our presentations. Pray for good rest to take care of the exhaustion levels. We will rest on Sunday, and we are all ready for that day to come.

There may not be a blog for the next couple days with it being the busiest days, so don't worry. :)


Love y'all!

#rwanderful: Day 2

Day 2 was definitely a full day with the highest highs and the lowest lows. I'm going to start with the lows. Be prepared.

We started the day at the Nyamata Genocide Memorial in Bugesera. It is the most heartbreaking and redemptive place in Rwanda. You see things you can't unsee like bullet holes, decaying bones and corpses, and clothes from children who were murdered in 1994. But, you also see the redemption Jesus has brought to a country ripped apart by evil when you look around at the growth that has taken place in the last 23 years.

At this memorial, you can go into the mass grave holding the bones belonging to the 10,000 victims of this site. As you navigate the steep stairs down into the white tiled crypt you see rows upon rows of skulls and bones. Today the room was filled with large sturdy mahogany caskets. The bones are no longer lining the shelves, they are being cleaned to increase preservation and then carefully placed in the coffins. This was particularly more difficult to process as I witnessed the volunteers huddled together in groups of 3 or 4 cleaning those bones to be stored in the caskets. Did you hear that? People are volunteering to clean bones. The thought is horrifying and makes me sick to my stomach.

One thing someone mentioned was this country is full of people who were affected by the genocide in many ways. The people who are cleaning bones could be people who saw things happen and did nothing. This could be a way for them to give back. Another thought was this is a way for them to love their fellow Rwandese who were murdered and honor them in some small way. Either way, the commitment to healing their country and moving on from such terrible happenings is real and important to the people of Rwanda.

I see so many things I wish the US could learn Rwanda and the unity that has grown out of such tragedy.

TRANSITION on to the highs!

I had Eric's home visit today! (See I told you...roller coaster of emotions) And I got to hug Valentine for Kayla. LOVE!

Love and miss you Kayla!

Highlight of the day: I got to pray with Eric's parents and they prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their savior!

Choosing Jesus!

Could the day have ended any better? The answer is NO WAY!

They have just made the most important decision of their lives: to love Jesus more than anything else and to let his life be a guide to how they (we) should live every day.

Missing big sister, but glad to have mom back

framing

framing this too

That is all the words and brain power I have at the moment. Up early tomorrow and headed to Kayonza.

Demonstrating the importance of Jesus and prayer to my young friends

#rwanderful: Day 1

I'm exhausted, so this will be short.

We all got in last night safe and sound with all of our luggage. #winning

Passionfruit juice after you get off the plane, wait forever in customs, get your baggage, and drive to the guest house is the best treat.

Today, we had a meeting and orientation with the Africa New Life teaching leadership. We also met with the Kigali schools' head teachers (principals). During our conversations, we learned more about what has happened in the Kigali schools since we were here last year with their transition from knowledge based learning to competency based learning. (Fancy word for student centered)

Zach and John Africa

There is a school that is 1-to-1 with laptops in Kigali. We will get to see what that looks like next week, and we can offer some classroom management feedback since many of us have been on the struggle bus with technology at some point.

Lunch was at Meze Fresh (Rwandan Chipotle). I was pretty excited to have a burrito.

Anna, Alice, and me

Amanda, Me, and Bunmi

Because why wouldn't you need a selfie with the fun wall at Meze Fresh?

We had some home visits which never get old. Janet got to visit Blaze and Sandrine, and Amy, who is in Rwanda for the first time, got to meet Emmanuel, his sisters, and his mom. All the kids are able to speak English really well, which is very encouraging this as we continue to work with teachers and their classrooms.

Sandrine and Janet

Amy and Emmanuel

We exchanged money, and I'm ready to shop. I don't think anyone is surprised.

We got a good start on planning the conference on Friday and Saturday, which is good. We will have a couple of long days ahead of us this week and not a ton of time to plan. It will come together because God is in control and knows what we need to discuss with the teachers to help improve their classrooms. I'm excited. The conference is going to be really impactful and helpful.

That ended up being longer than I thought since I got a second wind. But now...sleep.

Love y'all!

#rwanderful: Packing

This year has been crazy. Apparently I haven't blogged since August. Oh well. I'm just leaving room for grace.

The packing for three weeks is looming, and I am procrastinating by blogging. :) Even though I dislike packing, this year is fantastic because I can have 2 bags weighing up to 70 pounds. SEVENTY. That's 40 more pounds than I've ever been able to pack before. That's a lot of shoes.

I'm kidding. One suitcase is entirely things that I am leaving in Rwanda. I am able to take so much stuff to the schools and classrooms and the children sponsored by friends of mine. 70 pounds worth. YIPPEE!

Ok for real...I am going to pack now, but here are some things you can be praying for as we get on planes tomorrow.

• Safety as we all travel from different parts of the country and safety while we’re there

• Unity for our team since most of us do not know each other and will meet for the first time in Rwanda

• Rest on the airplane and that first night in Rwanda, so we aren’t completely exhausted

• Humility and willingness to let the Lord lead in whatever ways He deems important

• Continued clarity from the Lord on what my future looks like in Rwanda 

• This year, I have been more anxious going into the trip. I am missing friends who normally go with me. I am staying longer than I ever have before. Please pray for peace and no anxiety or worry.

Thank you friends! I'm looking forward to sharing my time in Rwanda with all of you.

The Music Is Back

Music has always been a huge part of my life.

When I was very young, I remember my daddy's guitar and the piano in our house. I didn't know how to play either, but they were there. I remember one Mother's Day when I was in early elementary school, when my mom and I sang a duet together in church. I also participated in the church musicals with my brother. Pretty sure a wore a poodle skirt one time. We were the cutest. 

[Note to self: go find these pictures.]

In the 5th grade, I learned to play the flute. I continued all the way through college in marching and concert band. My junior year of high school I started to learn the piccolo for concert season and played that in the marching band at Texas Tech in the Goin Band. I still play both instruments, but not as often as I'd like.

After 7th grade, I started singing at church in the youth group band. Props to Goob (aka my good friend Jeremy) for trying to teach me to sing, have confidence, not be afraid of failing or looking dumb, and for putting up with me for so many years. I still have to work on those things daily and surrender those things to Jesus. I sang at church as a backup singer through high school and when I returned from college on breaks. I learned so much about myself, God, and music through these years.

During college, I was diagnosed with Type 1-Diabetes. After that, worship at church, at home, or in the car was usually filled with tears and trying to lead others in song would have been a hot mess. I stopped singing in public for awhile. Goob told me when I moved home after college that he wanted me to sing again on Sunday mornings. In tears, I told him that he didn't want me blubbering in front of everyone, and I wanted no part of that. But he kept pushing me and told me it might help me by singing in front of people again. He challenged me in a way that no one else could, and I finally said yes. Music began to enter my life publicly again. It was hard, and I felt so vulnerable sharing such personal feelings and pain with others around me. 

Fast forward a couple months. I left the church I grew up in to help start a church as their girl's minister. Through that, I had many opportunities to lead worship again. It challenged me in ways I hadn't been previously because I was leading more and not just singing backup. Tim, the pastor of the church, gave me opportunities to lead and grow in my musical abilities even though I didn't feel qualified. I learned from so many wonderful women who sing far better than me during my time there.

When I changed churches about a year later, I started going to a much larger church. Since it's larger, they have many great singers and didn't need my mediocre talents. It's been four years of going to this church, and I have always wanted to get back on stage to lead others in worship. I never felt qualified. I never felt like I had enough talent. I never felt like I had enough time to give on a Sunday where lesson planning and grading take all my energy along with my very few days of rest.

The problem is [NEWSFLASH] It's not about me. 

What? Crazy.

It's about taking my talents and the gifts GOD has given me to serve Him more fully. 

After my trip to Rwanda this year with a sweet friend who sings on Sundays at my church and other friends who are all about challenging me and my lack of confidence, I said yes to leading on a regular basis.

This is a leap of faith because I don't have a perfect singing voice, and I don't have a ton of time to give places other than school. BUT I know that I need to use this gift in the ways God calls me, even when it's scary, uncertain, and I don't feel worthy. 

It's also a testament to how God wired us and designed how we more fully glorify Him. It takes others building relationships with us to help us grow, learn, and improve by challenging us. It's what is expected of me at work as a teacher, that I build relationships with kids and other teachers. Why wouldn't it be the same in my walk with Jesus? My parents, Chris, Claire, my band directors, Goob, Tim, Laney, Val, Reagan, Jami, Ranelle, Kayla, Lauren, Lizzie, Janet, Alison, Josh, Luke, Stephanie, Lincee, and so many others who either helped me grow as a musician or challenged me when I didn't necessarily want to be challenged. 

Tonight, I'm leading worship for the first time in 4 years. So here I go. Jumping in all the way and saying yes to God's plan for the gifts He's blessed me with. Pray for me. I'm going to need it.