Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Praise God for hot water!
Hallelujah! We finally have water pressure and heat! It has only been nearly 2 1/2 months! :) AND, when the landlord and plumber (and various other assistants) came to fix this problem, they also checked out the stove/oven and figured out why nasty smelling smoke poured out every time we turned it on... they found a rat's nest situated therein. Rwanda rocks.
1 Peter 1
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
God's love for me is great... but how much love do I really give in return? If our faith is worth more than gold, why is it that we place more energy and time into gaining "gold" (via our jobs, our love for money, our quest for success and academia) than we do in strengthening our faith? The goal of my faith should be the salvation of souls, not personal fulfillment or individual growth, but a care for the eternal....
God continues to teach me more and more about his desires for my life!
God's love for me is great... but how much love do I really give in return? If our faith is worth more than gold, why is it that we place more energy and time into gaining "gold" (via our jobs, our love for money, our quest for success and academia) than we do in strengthening our faith? The goal of my faith should be the salvation of souls, not personal fulfillment or individual growth, but a care for the eternal....
God continues to teach me more and more about his desires for my life!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Joshua 1:8-9
"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
This was my students' memory verse this past week. A great one to learn! God is here with me in Kigali. And God is there with you wherever you are as well. What a comfort to know that his presence is constant, regardless of circumstances or location!
This was my students' memory verse this past week. A great one to learn! God is here with me in Kigali. And God is there with you wherever you are as well. What a comfort to know that his presence is constant, regardless of circumstances or location!
Inhale, nice and slow
Don't inhale while driving or walking around Kigali. The smell of exhaust is overwhelming at times with all of the motos and somewhat older cars lining the streets. Sometimes I wonder (and worry :) ) about how many brain cells are being destroyed each and every time I take a deep breath while walking or driving through the city streets... What a pleasant thought. :)
Housekeeper
We now have a new housekeeper. We had to let the other one go as she was not performing her duties well at all. Too bad. But our new girl seems to be hard-working so pray for that to continue. She doesn't speak any English at all though, so communication may be difficult.
It's so strange to even have a housekeeper at all. She works for us 3 days per week - cooking dinners, cleaning the house, going to the market, and doing our laundry. It is part of the culture here. Nearly everyone has a housekeeper - even, I am told, many poorer people, as it elevates their status a bit more. It also provides employment for local people. Plus, their presence at the home acts as a day guard so the house is protected. Nonetheless, I still struggle at times as I feel extremely privileged to have someone perform those duties for me on a daily basis... especially when I CAN do those things for myself.
It's so strange to even have a housekeeper at all. She works for us 3 days per week - cooking dinners, cleaning the house, going to the market, and doing our laundry. It is part of the culture here. Nearly everyone has a housekeeper - even, I am told, many poorer people, as it elevates their status a bit more. It also provides employment for local people. Plus, their presence at the home acts as a day guard so the house is protected. Nonetheless, I still struggle at times as I feel extremely privileged to have someone perform those duties for me on a daily basis... especially when I CAN do those things for myself.
Chapel Fun
The elementary division enjoys Chapel once per week. We had had only 1 so far, led by the Headmaster, but each grade is responsible for leading a chapel every 5 weeks. Of course, the other teachers "voted" Grade 5 to lead the first one and so I decided we'd take it for the team. This decision was made on Friday. Thus, we began to put together our Grade 5 chapel as of this past Monday. And did I forget to mention that the chapel takes place each Wednesday? Hah!
But, they truly are a remarkable class. They have such sincere hearts who can become so passionate - and especially when it comes to a focus on God! Together with my guidance, they managed to put together an excellent Chapel for Kindergarten to Grade 4 students - complete with singing, acting, praying, and Bible reading - in 2 days. Everyone participated and despite their extreme nervousness (near hyperventilating mere moments before starting... I found out none of them had ever performed "on a stage" before... yikes :) ), they performed beautifully.
But here's the funny part... All of the other students from K-4 loved it so very much that they erupted into loud cheering and clapping after every single Bible reading, prayer, or mini-skit. When returning to class, they were giving high-fives to the Grade 5 students and congratulating them on an awesome Chapel that they loved. And here's the cherry on top... after school, many of my Grade 5 students were bombarded by younger kids asking for AUTOGRAPHS! :) So cute! And they really did give out their autographs on little scraps of paper to anyone who asked...! Way to go, Grade 5! :)
But, they truly are a remarkable class. They have such sincere hearts who can become so passionate - and especially when it comes to a focus on God! Together with my guidance, they managed to put together an excellent Chapel for Kindergarten to Grade 4 students - complete with singing, acting, praying, and Bible reading - in 2 days. Everyone participated and despite their extreme nervousness (near hyperventilating mere moments before starting... I found out none of them had ever performed "on a stage" before... yikes :) ), they performed beautifully.
But here's the funny part... All of the other students from K-4 loved it so very much that they erupted into loud cheering and clapping after every single Bible reading, prayer, or mini-skit. When returning to class, they were giving high-fives to the Grade 5 students and congratulating them on an awesome Chapel that they loved. And here's the cherry on top... after school, many of my Grade 5 students were bombarded by younger kids asking for AUTOGRAPHS! :) So cute! And they really did give out their autographs on little scraps of paper to anyone who asked...! Way to go, Grade 5! :)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Package!
I received my first package in the mail today! So exciting! It included ant traps and tostitos with salsa! What a thrill! (Seriously... I will never take these items for granted again...) :)
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Philippians 4:4-9
"4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
God is good. Life seems so much more simple here. I love waking up each day and simply being excited about the day ahead and what God is going to do. So far this year, one high school student has come to know the Lord just this past week. Let's rejoice in that!
Kibuye
2 weeks ago, I went to Lake Kivu and Kibuye for the weekend. It was a beautiful place!
I went with a group of friends by motorcycle, for which I have my very own PINK helmet. Yes, you read correctly...it is pink. Some call it a Barbie helmet. Well, it sure did draw attention. The entire 2 1/2 hour drive there, I was stared at. As the local people walk alongside the road, they stop and stare when they see us both coming and going. With a big smile on my face (I love riding on a motorcycle! And I love living in Rwanda!), I would return the waves and thumbs up signs of all the little children as they laughed and jumped around when we drove by.
At one point, in part to rest our legs and in part to see a well that Living Water International drilled for a community, we stopped on the side of the road and watched/played soccer with a large group of local children. They loved it - gathered around us, smiling, playing homemade instruments, laughing...
Once arrived, we checked into a hotel where I shared a small room with a friend and then sat in the restaurant to order our food. Restaurant service is very slow (compared to Canadian standards) is Kigali, but extremely slow in smaller villages... it takes hours from the time you sit down: you order drinks and wait for a long while, then order food and wait for a long while, then eat, and finally wait for a long time for the bill. The whole eating out process takes hours from start to finish. But usually the food is worth it :)
In Kibuye, we hired a boat complete with 2 drivers for the day and went out to Bat Island on Lake Kivu. We climbed it in 16 minutes (I won a bet about this, thus the time is important... I said it couldn't be done in 15 minutes or less... and I won a free dinner out :) ). We stopped to take pictures of giant millipedes that littered the hillside (I picked them up, too!) while the guides threw rocks into the trees to startle the bats into putting on a display for us. There were hundreds of them flying overhead! It was pretty amazing, because I loved bats to begin with.
Upon reaching the top, we had a spectacular view and took some group shots (hope to be posted soon). After our descent, we enjoyed another hour or two just swimming in the Lake and praying against being infested with parasites from the water. (So far, so good) :)
Overall, a wonderful weekend with some great people!
I went with a group of friends by motorcycle, for which I have my very own PINK helmet. Yes, you read correctly...it is pink. Some call it a Barbie helmet. Well, it sure did draw attention. The entire 2 1/2 hour drive there, I was stared at. As the local people walk alongside the road, they stop and stare when they see us both coming and going. With a big smile on my face (I love riding on a motorcycle! And I love living in Rwanda!), I would return the waves and thumbs up signs of all the little children as they laughed and jumped around when we drove by.
At one point, in part to rest our legs and in part to see a well that Living Water International drilled for a community, we stopped on the side of the road and watched/played soccer with a large group of local children. They loved it - gathered around us, smiling, playing homemade instruments, laughing...
Once arrived, we checked into a hotel where I shared a small room with a friend and then sat in the restaurant to order our food. Restaurant service is very slow (compared to Canadian standards) is Kigali, but extremely slow in smaller villages... it takes hours from the time you sit down: you order drinks and wait for a long while, then order food and wait for a long while, then eat, and finally wait for a long time for the bill. The whole eating out process takes hours from start to finish. But usually the food is worth it :)
In Kibuye, we hired a boat complete with 2 drivers for the day and went out to Bat Island on Lake Kivu. We climbed it in 16 minutes (I won a bet about this, thus the time is important... I said it couldn't be done in 15 minutes or less... and I won a free dinner out :) ). We stopped to take pictures of giant millipedes that littered the hillside (I picked them up, too!) while the guides threw rocks into the trees to startle the bats into putting on a display for us. There were hundreds of them flying overhead! It was pretty amazing, because I loved bats to begin with.
Upon reaching the top, we had a spectacular view and took some group shots (hope to be posted soon). After our descent, we enjoyed another hour or two just swimming in the Lake and praying against being infested with parasites from the water. (So far, so good) :)
Overall, a wonderful weekend with some great people!
Friday, October 9, 2009
General Update
Well, it's been a while but I am still alive. :) I have been busy with my teaching - writing progress reports, preparing to teach a series of in-service workshops to my colleagues, etc. My classroom of students (now down to 13 adorable grade 5's) continues to be an excitement here as I so thoroughly enjoy teaching them. They are really hardworking kids with sincere hearts for God. It is refreshing each and every day to see their desire to love God.
Each recess, I enjoy playing 4-square with them, to which they absolutely love getting me out. On another note, some students "spotted me with a boy" (imagine that?! Ms. V has friends and can actually be seen outside of the school yard!) and have done detective work all week to determine the 5 W's surrounding this said boy. In fact, they have veritably planned our wedding for us already! I simply shake my head and cannot help but smile at their excitement and innocence in being involved in my life :) They crack me up!
Each recess, I enjoy playing 4-square with them, to which they absolutely love getting me out. On another note, some students "spotted me with a boy" (imagine that?! Ms. V has friends and can actually be seen outside of the school yard!) and have done detective work all week to determine the 5 W's surrounding this said boy. In fact, they have veritably planned our wedding for us already! I simply shake my head and cannot help but smile at their excitement and innocence in being involved in my life :) They crack me up!
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