Been here almost a month now!

Hey

So I have got just over a week and a half left at Urukundo in Rwanda to go and only one day left helping out at the school before the school holidays.

It has been great living in the same compound as all the kids, as well as being sticking with the same class at the school each day. It has allowed me to get to know the kids so much better than if I was just coming in for a few hours each day. Rather than just being known as some random Muzungu (white man) that they all swarm round, it has allowed me to hang out with just one or two of the kids at a time, playing a game, reading a book or helping with there homework and getting to know them a bit better. 

I managed to meet up with some of the friends I made last time I was here this week as well. It was great to see them again. I had an amazing meal around Bosco's house and got to meet his family (as well as having freshly made passion fruit juice!), he has had a new baby since last time I was here. I also met up with another friend called Olive, she too has had a baby since I was last here but I didn't get chance to meet the baby as she was asleep, she is going to visit Urukundo on Friday which will be great to spend some more time with her.

Visiting Bosco has meant going into town a few times this week, each time passing Muhanga Prison as well as many people begging on the streets. It is sometimes easy to forget when living in a place like Urukundo, where the children are loved so much and cared for, about what life is like for those who don't have anyone looking out for them, not just in Rwanda but around the world. 

This has to be where the Church comes in. It is by far the largest network of communities in the world, situated in some of the darkest and most desperate places, and it has a mandate to care for the most vulnerable in society, love the least the last and the lost and seek justice. It is the Church falling in love with Jesus, and God's love bubbling out of it into the community around them that is going to bring about change that we so desperately need in the world. 

Just over 2 weeks has passed since I arrived here and I feel that I am getting a bit more into the swing of things now.

I am helping out at the preschool week days, with one class in the morning and one class in the afternoon. It has been hard work but really good. The teacher will start the lesson with some songs and than get them to do some exercises on the board. Whilst this is going on I write an exercise for them to do in there books. After they have finished the work on the board they go and do the exercise in there books and I wonder round helping where I can. The rest of the time is taken up with reading to them, playing and going to visit the animals.

There are 4 voulanteers including my self staying here now, one person from Rwanda, someone from Germany (we watched the world cup semi-final together and he was very happy!) and someone from the USA. It has meant that evenings are less lonely now, with people to talk to, or even just company for each other whilst we read.

The main thing which has got slightly annoying is the electricity, or lack of it. It seems to turn off several times a day for several hours at a time. Most of the time it is fine as it is bright enough not to need lights at day and we have solar powered lamps for the evening, but gets frustrating when trying to Skype people back home!

The more time I spend here and get to know the children the more I realise how amazing this place is and what an impact it is making on the children's lives. Being told some of the stories about how the kids ended up here was heartbreaking, but it is increadible to see how they have been loved and taken care of so much here that they are happy, noisy, cheerful children (even if a bit grumpy just before dinner!). You wouldn't be able to guess there background if you met them.

It seems like such a great image of what the Bible says relationship with God is like. When we enter a relationship with him we are battered and bruised and dirty, but he loves and cares for us so that all the past rubbish is washed away and we become part of his family.

And that is exactly what he calls the church to do as well, to love people, no matter what there back ground, where they are coming from or where they are at, but to simply love them! And we have the hope that Jesus' love for people will bubble up in the church so we are moved to dismantle the unjust systems in the world, speak up for those who have no voice and love everyone who comes across our paths.

I have learnt in the 2 weeks since being here that even when we think there is nothing we can really offer, that there is huge value in simply loving someone. Use all the skills and talents you have in loving people, but when you end up in a situation where there is nothing practically you can do, just love them.

Hope you are all having good weeks!

Chris

So i have been here about a week so far and I thought I would write a quick post about how it has gone so far.

It felt strange sitting in departures without anyone else there, especually as just a week and a half earlier I had been sat in the exact same departure lounge with Karin about to go to Prague. After the initial strangeness wore off it was fine though, the flight was good, changed over in istanbul and it was really interesting to see the city and all the boats nearby all heading towards the narrow channel through to the mediterainian.

I ended up arriving in Kigali half an hour late so by the time we got back to muhnga where I am staying it was 1:30 in the morning!

The first day was a bit of a getting to know the children's home, the staff and some of the children. In the afternoon I sat in on a preschool. The weekend was pretty lonely as I didn't really know anyone by that point, but as this week has gone on I have got to know people alot better. On Monday I was observing another class, than there was a national holiday on the Tuesday. I have been in the preschool since than helping out with the lessons. It has been difficult as I am not used to interacting with such young kids, but has been good fun.

Meal times are fun, I eat with all the children for lunch and dinner, which can be a very loud experience! The food is good, pretty much the same most meal times but good food.

The evenings have got some getting used to. All the children are in bed by 8 and I usuraly go back to my room not long after. With only very basic internet function on my kindle I have ended up using the time to read and to chat to God about things. It has been really good, and often challenging, having this time with almost no distractions as it has forced me to listen to and really think about what he is saying and what I am going to do about it.

There are a few things I would really appreciate prayer for!

1. Language barrier - I know enough Kinyarwanda to ask someones name, how old they are thankyou etc but is hard getting to know people with only these phrases!

2. Learning names - particularly with the kids, I have learnt about half there names but would be great to learn all there names, particularly to avoid confusion about things!

3. That I can be helpful with the work I am doing in the preschool

Chris

The story so far

I am heading off on Thursday so I thought I would write another post before I headed off to tell the story so far of how I have ended up going away this summer.

I have been to Rwanda before back in 2011 for 4 months with 8 other people as part of a Tearfund transform trip. The time I spent thee was great. I learnt loads and met some great people. When I got home I would go on about it for hours, explaining what it was like, who we met and the amazing work that the church was doing out there.

The team I got to go to Rwanda with and our incredible translator Fulgence

Since I have been back in the UK I have wanted to go back and do something similar. During the summer between my first and second years at university this wasn't possible due to costs, but I was determined to go the following summer, so I got a job that summer working at Sainsburys to get some money to pay for it.

During my second year at university God thought me even more about how he longs to see the oppressed, the down trodden and the desperate be made whole. That his kingdom is one of justice, where people are treated in accordance with the amazing value he has placed on there lives. Where the church practices costly love towards the world. That we would be willing to sacrifice time, money, and resources in order to seek justice and speak up for those who the world often ignores.

This made me really want to go back to Rwanda during the summer between my second and third year at university. I made plans of what I wanted to do, started to sort out where I would stay, and looking at flights. But God kept saying no. For a long time I didn't listen and carried on making my plans, I didn't understand why would God be saying no to this? But God kept saying no, and things started to come up making it more and more difficult to go and eventually it resulted in there being no plausible way that I could go back to Rwanda that summer.

I decided instead to do an unpaid project at university that summer and stay in the UK. Soon after all my plans to go to Rwanda fell through I became aware that someone close to me was going through a tough time. I am so thankful God stopped me going and forced me to stay in the UK so I could be there for them that summer. He did know what he was doing when he said no!

About a month after I had abandoned my original plans I had started to think about the possibility of going this summer. The big thing in the way now was finances. God had it under control though, the unpaid project I was doing suddenly offered to pay me £2000 for doing it, after a minor accident on my bike I received £1100 in compensation and I got a travel bursary from the university for £950!

And that has made this summer possible. It is amazing how much simpler things become when you listen to God and follow him rather than doing things your own way.

I will try and write an update once a week while I am out there, thankyou to everyone who has supported me this far!

Chris

So... I'm going to Rwanda and Burundi this summer

Hi!

So I am going to Rwanda and Burundi this summer for 2 months and thought I would try to keep a blog during my time out there to let you know how things are going!

I will be spending 1 month in Rwanda teaching English in a children's home before travelling down to Burundi where I will spend the second month working in the lab of a medical clinic that has just opened.

More details about where I am going can be found at the links below:

hopemadereal.org/urukundo-home/
www.burundiyfc.org/shammah-health-center/

I am going to try and keep fairly regular updates, upload a few pictures (hopefully!) and keep you updated with what to be praying for.

The 2 countries are both quite small and sit next to each other in East Africa, sandwiched between the DRC and Tanzania.

Rwanda (and I have been told Burundi is also also) a beautiful country, known as the land of 1000 hills, home of mountain gorillas, tropical rain forests and some of the most welcoming and generous people I have ever met. Many people however probably know Rwanda better for the genocide that happened there in 1994 where at least 800,000 people where killed. Burundi has also suffered from civil war and violence over the last few decades. But in the 20 years since the genocide in Rwanda and 6 years since a ceasefire was signed in Burundi these 2 countries have made huge progress.

I have been lucky enough to visit Rwanda before, it was amazing to see what the church where achieving, and I look forward to spending more time there using skills I have learnt doing a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) course this year. This will be my first trip to Burundi but I really hope to learn more about the country and people there, see what the church is doing and hopefully contribute towards the work they are doing.

Chris