H20 - no

By the way... I spoke too soon about the arrival of hot water and lovely showers... :(

Random musings...

I am now able to more fully imagine just how horrible the locust plague would have been during the time of Moses... Locusts are huge! Just thinking about them makes me want to run screaming!

Speaking of plagues... there seems to be one at David's house. Hundreds and thousands of insect wings litter the ground (sidewalk, driveway, porch, even inside the entrance hallway!)...! My students tell me they are termites but they look more like beetles with wings to me. Nearly every step - from the car to the front door - is filled with the sound of crunching bodies. The ants (yes, I still hate them) enjoy torturing the insects that unfortunately get flipped over on their backs (I'm sure they are screaming, "Help, I can't get up! I can't get up!" like the old lady in those ancient commercials) by eating them alive. Of course, they don't go for the bugs that are already dead (that would be too kind and compassionate for ants, I believe). Poor things.

On another note, I have seen some awesome sights. Such as heifer cows and goats walking along sidewalks in (near) downtown Kigali. Fun :)

Goats, you say? Well, goat meat abounds here. And it is really quite tasty... similar to beef, I think, but a bit more grisly.

Church antics

At church on Sunday, we sat beside a woman named Mary, whom as we found out, was a priest in the Anglican church in Kenya. She was dressed beautifully, elaborate wig and all, with a smile and energy to brighten anyone's day. Throughout the course of the service, she proceeded to take numerous pictures of us while singing, walked up to the front of the church and took many pictures of the choir singing, along with several pictures of the ministers (while preaching and administering communion, etc.)... and all of this on her cell phone! Of course, after each picture taken, she would smilingly return to her seat beside me and show me the picture, pointing out details that she enjoyed about the picture. She was hilarious. Mary definitely brought a smile to my face!

On the informative side, David and I attend an Anglican church that offers English services (the Kinyarwanda service takes place shortly after ours ends...and the English service is usually around 2 hours while the Kinyarwanda service is much longer, or so I have been told). A beautiful, fully-robed choir leads us in worship each week which is a highlight for me. We sing a combination of modern songs and older hymns - but all with energy, enthusiasm, and a heart of worship that is evident to those in attendance. Raising of hands and moving to the music are part and parcel. I love it!

It's official. Airline tickets to Jordan and Israel just purchased for Christmas holidays... woohoo!

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!

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!