African Perks

I have to admit that living in Africa is not always a breeze. I'm not a fan of losing water in the middle of a shower, eating at a restaurant with only 1 out of 25 items available on the menu or battling through several language barriers. This past week I have been setting up my classroom for the first of the year. I never realized that organization is a convenience. There is no place to find yellow files in Rwanda! Also, KICS has acquired many wonderful posters from generous people. Just one problem...Sticky tack is totally a Western phenomenon. I have been struck with a great amount of guilt for the many elementary years I spent playing with blue sticky tack in class. I treated that precious teacher's gold with such little respect.

While there are challenges to life in Rwanda, Christ's grace is sufficient and filling! There are also, many perks to living here! Last weekend our Christ's Church Rwanda team retreated at a beautiful town called Gisenyi on Lake Kivu. The team is currently made up of the Jenkin's, Beard's, Kyla and myself. We discussed our vision and plan. Kyla and I strongly feel that KICS is our first priority, but we want to be active in ministry and discipleship. Our plan is to hold a Bible study every Thursday afternoon at the local University. Kyle Beard will be joining us and our hope is that as the group grows we can split males and females in order to meet personal needs of the ladies we develop relationships with.

Lake Kivu separates the Congo from Rwanda. One can see the Congolese mountains across the lake. On the drive to the lake I was once again astonished at the landscape of Rwanda. This country truly is beautiful. One evening, at Lake Kivu, Dave, Kyla, the Jenkin's kids and I piled into the SUV to check out the live volcano that towers over the Congolese town of Goma and Rwanda's Gisenyi. This volcano erupted in 2001 and covered the town of Goma killing hundreds of Congolese. Now, the volcano's red glowing ring reminds everyone of the recent catastrophe. While we sat in our SUV gazing at the glow of the volcano, a gathering of Rwandans gazed at the "wazungu" (white people) piled in a car staring at a mountain. Yet, another quirky aspect of life in Rwanda.


Prayer Needs:

1. KICS is growing. We now have 8 teachers and approximately 35 students from pre-school to 11th grade. Tomorrow we will host a Barn Raising for all of the families. Pray that our last minute prep will be smooth and that the first few days will be exciting and formative.

2. Praise!! I am so thankful to be a part of such a wonderful community at KICS. From the five families that make up the board, to my fellow teachers, to the children and families enrolled, God is really blessing KICS!

3. Lauren is a new teacher that is on her way from the states. She was hired a week ago and is leaving the states on Monday! Pray that her quick transition will be smooth. We are very excited about having her!

4. John and Courtney are the couple from Compassion International that I mentioned a while ago. A week ago Courtney gave birth to their second son pre-maturely. Because Rwanda was not able to meet the essential medical needs of the baby, Courtney and son flew to South Africa. The baby died a few days later of a brain infection. The family is now in the states, reflecting on the past few days and making plans for their return to Rwanda. It is situations like these that remind me of the sacrifices people make for the Kingdom.