Walking in the Light

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7

I want to walk in the light. Pray that I have courage to reach out to others in His name, regardless of not knowing the language (Kinyarwandan and sometimes French or Swahili) or being familiar with the customs/traditions.

A short short summary

The people here are beautiful. The school staff are wonderful. The culture is fascinating. God is so good!

Genocide Memorial

"He who saves a single life saves the world entire" - Talmud. Definitely an interesting thought that I have been contemplating all afternoon...

We visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial today. It was an intense time full of personal reflection, prayer, and contemplation for me. I know God is powerful and is working in my life...but I struggle with not living the life He has given me to the fullest. I feel as if there is always more I could do to make positive changes in the world. I want to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord; one that actively seeks Him at all times. I don't want to live a life of mediocrity, but one of passion, joy, perseverance, love, and kindness.

It was extremely difficult to see so many pictures of victims in both the Rwanda genocide of 1994 and the various other genocides that have occurred around the globe... to see their faces and know that God loves them so much...and to also know that God loves me so much and offers me so much grace. Yet I don't deserve it at all. Why have I had the privilege of living in such a beautiful, prosperous country for my entire life?... I don't deserve it. Why have I been blessed with a loving, healthy family?... I don't deserve it. Why have I been given so much?... I don't deserve it. Yet God has showered me with His grace, and love, and freedom in Christ...and I am so thankful. Glory be to God!

It compels me to act and desire to live justly. To promote peace and extend kindness. And while I strive for those things, I must pray and ask for strength. God is good and worthy to be praised.

Driving

The roads here in Kigali are excellent (especially for Africa). And apparently the driving here is a breeze too. But being the novice that I am, the driving here seems crazy! :) Honking is a regular occurrence, as is making sudden stops. The ladies and I don't have a car so the options are: walk, take a mototaxi (motorcycle taxis - very dangerous in town! :) ), or matatus (car/bus type taxi). So far, I've just made some new friends with cars in order to avoid the craziness! :) ha ha

Psalm 37

"Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him..."

Housing, part 2

We signed a contract for a house today! God is so good and worthy to be praised. It is a furnished house about 3 minutes away from the school and 2 minutes away from the church. It is similar to a 2-storey townhouse with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It comes with a fridge and gas stove, beds, wardrobes, a leather sectional sofa, hutch, and dining room table and chairs. We can move in as early as tomorrow as we get the keys then. The guys also found a house that is 4 houses down from us, which is great. They lucked out with free internet and a lot of other items in their furnished house, so we will definitely be making ourselves at home over there! I'm still trying to make a deal with them that entails me cleaning for them and they cook for me! :)

Every house hires a night guard here in Kigali along with a housekeeper. At the back of the house, there is a small room and a washroom for the guard to use. There must always be evidence of a physical presence on the premises at all times to discourage robbery, etc so nearly everyone has either a guard, housekeeper, or gardener at their house at all times. In fact, I'm told that even the poorer people have housekeepers. I find that interesting.

KICS will be helping us to find a guard and housekeepers that are connected through the church (Christ's Church Rwanda). We will then start the process of purchasing dishes, sheets, towels, etc. and groceries. It should be fun.

Muzungus

Everywhere we go, they stare. I'm sure it's an interesting sight for many of them to see a car jam-packed with young-looking white people. Sometimes they wave at us, though it is usually young boys who wave. When in the downtown area, some try to sell us touristy things such as maps and they are very persistent!

Yesterday, while all the other teachers were looking at motorcycles in a shop, I stepped outside just for a moment to take a breath of air on my own, and a Rwandan man began talking to me about renting houses. He had some that he thought we would be interested in and wanted convince me of such. I had a very difficult time understanding him as his accent was very heavy and ended up suggesting he talk to our orientation leader about the houses instead of me. He was friendly but still very persistent all the same.

My intro to Rwandan food

Yesterday, we went to a restaurant called "Africa Bite," which is a buffet-style restaurant known for its cleanliness and quality of African food. In the yard outside the restaurant building, there is a tradition to wash your hands in a tap prior to eating. Everyone then dries their hands on the same communal towel. :) I did it. And I didn't get sick :)

I took some of everything there was offered in the pots around the table. The waiters are very quiet and respectful and wait on you hand and foot. As I was enjoying the food, the other people we were with (new teachers like me, the headmaster and his family, and the KICS orientation leaders) began raving about the delicious sauce that I had poured over my rice and some of my potatoes (as I had seen the locals do...so of course I followed in suit)...and it was peanut sauce. I laughed and pushed that sauce to the side, as I am allergic to nuts. Then a few minutes later, they explained what all the food was that we were eating... grilled fish, tomato/onion/green pepper salad, beef stew, potatoes, and mashed bananas (the bananas I gave to someone else to finish for me as I am allergic to those as well...I thought they were potatoes when I scooped them on to my plate!). Thankfully, I had no allergic reactions at all! The food was delicious and I would definitely eat there again!

As for other food so far, we have eaten a lot of Mexican-style food, although the tortilla chips are very expensive and can only be found in a few stores. Maybe I should start a tortilla chip fund, since that has been a staple in my Canadian diet because I can actually eat them (!!!!), and they will definitely be a staple in my diet here! :)

You can buy powdered coconut milk here - which the people I am staying with right now have given me as a gift - since there are no other milk alternatives (yes, another allergy). I haven't tried it yet - and frankly, I'm a little nervous to actually try it! - but I think I will just have to get used to it if I ever need to use milk in a recipe. Yumm!

We cannot drink the water here, so all water must either be filtered or purchased in bottle form. I find I am very thirsty and want lots of water, but don't quite get enough yet. Hopefully, those kinds of things will work themselves out more once we get into a routine and have our own place.

Housing

I think we may have finally found housing. Yay! We have spent the last two days viewing houses for rent, negotiating the prices, and deciding on going with an unfurnished house or a furnished house. Furnished houses typically come with a couch, chairs, dining room table and chairs, and sometimes pots, pans, and dishes. Some of these houses are taken quickly by others, so if we are too slow in our decision-making, we may lose it. Also, some landlords change their prices once they see that it is a car-load of white people or "muzungus" coming to see the house... of course, they raise the price since all white people are wealthy in their minds! Nonetheless, I think we may have found both a house for the new female teachers currently here and one for the new male teachers. It is difficult to decide together, since we may prioritize different things. For example, I care most about living close to the school in order to avoid taking transportation each day to and from the school. I don't mind living further away from the shopping centres, as we would only need to go there 1 or 2 times a week. Other people care more about a variety of different things...It makes for a sometimes stressful decision-making process! Please pray for peace and unity among one another, as we will be living with each other for the next 10 or 11 months. God has brought us together for a reason and I want to seek His will in each and every decision.

Greetings from Kigali

I made it - all limbs and bags intact... :)

Things are great so far. I'm staying with the Chair of the Board's family for the time being, until we get another place. The other new teachers are great! I'm eating spaghetti noodles right now. :)

Very very tired. Slept a total of about 3 hours since Friday night. We are working on our VISA applications tomorrow and setting up bank accounts. It's all a bit overwhelming - though going very smoothly - and I just want to sleep!

Departure Time...

Yes, it's finally here. My plane leaves tomorrow from Pearson airport in Toronto, set to arrive in Chicago about 2 hours later. From there, I fly to Belgium, and then on to Kigali. I am very excited (and also going a bit crazy tonight with panic! :) )! I will update when I arrive and let you know how I'm settling in... Kigali, here I come!

The countdown

4 days until I'm on the plane. I am very excited and just want to be there already! Please pray for traveling mercies.

2 Weeks to Go...

God is definitely working miracles in this adventure already! Miracle 1: my belongings fit into the storage unit I have rented for the year (thank you to my generous parents, hard-working brothers and sister-in-law, and rockin friends!!!). Miracle 2: the rest of my stuff fit into the cars to take to Peterborough, where I'll be living for the next 2 weeks! Whew! :)