12:15 PM Central Africa Time - Best Family Rwanda; Kigali, Rwanda
"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 2 Corinthians 9:11
This morning was incredible. We visited an orphanage called Best Family Rwanda. This orphanage was started by three young men who are now in their mid-20's and were orphaned in the 1994 genocide. These three men banded together and helped care for each other. They have become successful through studies at universities (Jean-Claude, the director, is now a lawyer), and they are now passing on this richness to enrich the lives of other orphans. Here is a picture of me with Jean-Claude:
The children they care for are at the top of their classes in school. The older ones are receiving government scholarships to attend universities. All the while, they are being raised under Christian principles, loving the Lord and giving Him the praise and honor He deserves. The Best Family Rwanda defines success in every way. Their motto is "confident hope," and they certainly live lives of confident hope in Christ while they help provide the orphans with such confident hope in return! Their influence is inspiring, especially considering the three men who lead the ministry are not much older than I am!
One thing we quickly learned at Best Family is they love to sing and dance! We were immediately greeted off the bus by sweet hugs and "Best Family" bracelets that have the Rwandan flag on them. One sweet little girl in particular latched onto me all morning. Then we were led to a classroom, where there was singing, dancing, rapping, and laughter for several hours.
It was a huge party, and we were the guests of honor. The kids introduced themselves by sharing their musical gifts, and then it was our turn to sing and dance for them. It was a ton of fun!
At the end of the celebration, they presented us with gifts, including a small framed basket that says, "God Bless You." I got the privilege of keeping this frame, and will be hanging it in my guest bedroom because of its significance; Gifting a basket in the Rwandan culture is a sign of blessing, honor, and welcome. To give another a basket says, "you are welcome in my home." After they presented their gift to us, we presented our gift to them. We provided them with around $350 to help with school fees and supplies for their children. It is so easy to give cheerfully when you can see the impact the Best Family Rwanda is making in the lives of these children. The Best Family Rwanda lives up to its name; it honestly is the best family I've ever seen!
5:45 PM Central Africa Time - Hotel Dian Fossey; Gisenyi, Rwanda
I found out today why Rwanda is so clean. The last Saturday of every month, all of the businesses shut down, and everyone cleans and landscapes all morning until 11 AM. Public cleaning is legally mandated, so police were stopping cars to ask people why they were not cleaning. If they refuse to clean, they will get fined (with some exceptions). For example, our bus driver and guide were exempt today because they were headed to an orphanage with us "mzungus".
We had pizza for lunch, but it was not quite like American pizza. It had the same ingredients, but cheese is not a staple in Rwandan diets (in fact, it is quite scarce), so there was not much cheese on the pizza. The "pepperoni" was more like a spicy sausage. It was good, but my stomach has been in knots all day, so I had to force myself to eat a couple of pieces.
After lunch, we had what seemed like the longest three hour bus ride ever to Gisenyi, the town where we will be spending the remainder of our time in Rwanda. All I have to say is, thank goodness the roads are paved. I am not a huge fan of buses because, although I have never gotten sick on one, they tend to make me queasy. Add in altitude and anemia (anemia tends to worsen the effects of altitude), and it was pretty much a recipe for disaster. Thank goodness we stopped at a market halfway there because 1 1/2 hours at a time on curvy roads through the mountains was about all I could take. When I stepped off the bus at the market, my head was spinning worse that I have ever experienced. Thankfully, one of the guys on the team, Cameron, is a physician's assistant, so he gave me a pill to curb the nausea. The second half of the ride was so much easier! Unfortunately, because I was concentrating on sipping water and not getting sick, I did not get to take many pictures of the beautiful green mountain scenery. However, I was able to take a few good ones.
I am about to go to dinner, but I still feel funny. I just pray it wears off before we head to the Imbabazi Orphanage tomorrow so I can be my best for making music with the kids. Apparently the orphanage is at the end of a long bumpy dirt road and it takes somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour to get there from our hotel. I think more than anything else, my stomach is in shock. I eat fairly healthily at home, but here I have to avoid most raw fruits and vegetables (in case they have been washed in contaminated tap water), so I do not have much of a choice of what to eat. The hot foods are the safest foods, which is the last thing I want after being in the heat all day. Because the hot foods have more ingredients, my stomach is taking a beating! I am praying with all my might that it does not interfere with ministry.
The good news is the Hotel Dian Fossey in Gisenyi has much nicer beds (no springs sticking out, and I can actually fit!), better/faster wireless, but worse bathrooms (the shower is just a small indent in the floor with a handheld hose- this should be an interesting experience trying not to flood the bathroom!). All things considered, sleep is the important thing for me now since I am not feeling well, so I am more than pleased that the beds are nicer! I would take a decent bed over a decent bathroom any day!
All in all, today was a much better day than yesterday as far as homesickness goes. The Best Family is incredible, and I am so sad we did not get to spend more time with them! I just want to take every single one of them home with me. They are truly a family and welcomed us into theirs with open arms. They call themselves "Best Family Rwanda," and they called us "Best Family USA." I am honored to be a member of the best family in the world!
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