Oh, how He loves us..

My big undertaking of the weekend was downloading the new David Crowder CD off itunes. A simple enough sounding task turned into a 5 hour project with our internet connection. It was definitely worth it. Sometimes it just makes me laugh a little that I'm living in Africa but we still spend our evenings online and watching movies.

This week the study abroad students were gone doing a research project about an hour out of Kigali. It was nice to have the house to myself for a few days. Wednesday night our part time cook Shakira took me to the market and then taught me how to make some traditional African dishes. It was great to learn how to make some things and even better to get to spend some time with Shakira. Shakira came over to cook on Thursday again and Friday the students got back. I was very ready for them to come back by that point. This Thursday the students will leave for good to go on to Uganda. I will definitely miss having them around.

Today myself and three other girls were walking into town for lunch after church, which is quite a walk. Suddenly an American woman in a pickup stopped and asked us if we wanted a ride somewhere. She asked us if we were from FH, we said yes, and she explained that she and her husband currently have a staff member from FH living at their house. Her husband is the president of World Relief in Rwanda. I felt immediately that it was no accident that I had crossed paths with this woman. I felt like she was someone I could really connect with, and I am excited to pursue that relationship. Especially with the students leaving, it is going to be important for me to get to know people around the city. It is exciting to see God open doors for this to happen.

A restful weekend

This past weekend was great. They were the first days since I've been here that I really had nothing in particular that I needed to be at or get done. Saturday morning I slept in (does 7:30 count as sleeping in?) and then went to a market down the road that sells mostly food products and fabrics. One great thing about Kigali is that it's really easy to find inexpensive fabric and then find a seamstress who can make you whatever you want out of the fabric - skirts, purses, computer bags, etc - also inexpensively. It was my first time at this market and I was a little too overwhelmed by colors and patterns to actually buy any fabric, but it was fun to look around and see the possibilities. Saturday afternoon was spent reading and hanging out with the students at the house.
Sunday morning I went with Aryn to the large Anglican church in Kigali that she attends. It offers an English speaking service that attracts many American and UK citizens who are in Kigali. As I stood there during worship I was overwhelmed with the realization of how much I had missed corporate worship over the last couple weeks. It was so refreshing to be in the presence of God with other believers that way again. After church my friend Rachel and I went downtown to a coffee shop/restaurant called Bourbon to eat lunch and read. This Kigali based chain has actually recently reached the states and it has a very Western feel. While it feels like cheating the African experience to visit Bourbon too often, It's a nice break once in a while. We also visted a craft co-op downtown that features a lot of beautiful African jewelry and souvenirs for really cheap. I'm sure I will make several more trips there while I'm here.
I also had today off thanks to a Rwandan public holiday. This morning I continued my shopping spree and went with several girls to Amahoro, a Christian organization that employs women who might not otherwise have income to sew all kids of bags, clothing, bed spreads and other items which they sell in a shop on the premesis. These women are incredibly talented and had alot of beautiful things.
After lunch today, all the students along with Aryn and Kate left for Giterama, a small town about an hour outside of Kigali, where they will be for the rest of the week. The empty house made for a nice quiet ending to a relaxing weekend.
I am excited for another week of learning about the city and the people of Rwanda. My prayer is that as I go through this week I will also feel a strong sense of God's purpose and direction. Often times short term trips like this can feel very self-centered. I get to learn so much and I am working for an organization that does so much for the Kingdom but how much can I contribute in such a short time? I know that God has a specific reason for my coming here and I want to feel that reason and purpose even as I go through my work in the office here and interact with the people I come into contact with.

Settling in...

I am starting to feel much more at home in Kigali. Yesterday things seemed to just start to "click". I am learning to speak english in a way that is more understandable for my Rwandan co-workers - no contractions and just generally speaking slower and enunciating. I also feel much more comfortable navigating the city. I walk to and from work when it's nice and I've been trying to take advantage of that since rainy season will be here soon and I will have to take public transport most of the time.

Today I took the morning off from work and Aryn, the sort of "house mom" for the study abroad students and the only full time resident of the compound I live at, took me downtown to get me oriented to that area. We visited a fairly modern shopping center with a very modern grocery store. We also went through a craft co-op, and even stopped in the actual hotel from Hotel Rwanda. There is no indication inside or outside of the hotel that it was indeed where that event took place. I think they think it would be bad for business. It was hard at first here not to be consumed with dwelling on this country's past. The genocide was all I knew about the country before coming and going to memorials right away just reinforced that. I had a real sense of uneasiness and fear about being here the first few days, but now that I am getting to know the current culture, it is so encouraging to see how far they have come and where they are now. Aryn and Kate advised me to avoid watching any documentaries or reading too much about the genocide while I am here.

This week I met a girl named Breanne who is also interning at a nonprofit here in Kigali. She is a senior at Wheaton, not far from Trinity. It was great to meet her and trade Chicago familiarities. I am hoping that I will be able to hang out with her more often and get a little America fix.

I am also very excited to share with all of you that my trip has been full funded! Thanks so much to all of you who contributed! God is so faithful to continually provide what I need!

Hillary

Cows mountain climbing on Bat Island..welcome to Kibuye..

This weekend all of the FH Go ed students, staff and myself went to Kibuye, Rwanda, a small tourist town on Lake Kivu, near the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

This area of the country is incredibly beautiful. We drove through three hours of mountains and Lake Kivu itself is well above sea level. The hotel itself was slightly questionable, and my roommate Rachel and I got moved to a different room after the toilet started leaking in ours and flooded our bathroom. Our shower then did the same thing to our second room's bathroom.

The weekend was a time for myself and the students to relax while staff members spent time placing students in month long practicum assignments for October. Lake Kivu has a large methane bubble underneath it, which make swimming dangerous in some places, but also makes it impossible for fish and other animals to survive, making swimming in the safe spots much more enjoyable.

Saturday we went hiking on "Bat Island". This island lived up to its name! About 5 minutes into the hike we began to hear the shrieking of bats and approached a tree that contained literally thousands of them. Our Rwandan guides began clapping and even throwing rocks into the tree which sent thousands of bats flying into the air over us. After surviving that encounter, we trekked the rest of the way up the huge hill of Bad Island, and enjoyed the view from the top. Through the fog we could see the outline of the mountains of the Congo. Throughout the hike we were puzzled to find cow droppings along our path, even up towards the top. I am still not exactly sure how they manage to climb the rocky hill, but swam to the island as well!

I also did a lot of reading. I am working through a book called A Thousand Hills, which is an autobiography of current Rwandan president and former rebel army leader Paul Kagame, and also a broader overview of the history of Rwanda. I am realizing that to be most effective here, I must understand the history of Rwanda, the genocide and how it has effected the people even today. I am hoping this book will help me do that.

The thing that has struck me most in my first few days in Rwanda is seeing evidence of the reality of conflicts that I have only read about. Not only were the genocide memorials incredible evidence of the horrific events of Rwanda, but as we drew closer to Kibuye we saw a convoy of UN peacekeeping vehicles headed to the Congo. These conflicts are very real as well.

A few specific prayer requests:

Some of you may have heard about recent riots in Kampala, Uganda. While this is far from us, the Go ed students are supposed to be heading to Kampala in 2 weeks, and a couple of our staff members this week. Please prayer that these riots will be resolved and that the FH members in Kampala will be safe.

When the Go ed students leave in two weeks, I will be alone with one other staff member and a housekeeper living on the compound. All of you know me well enough to know that I am very much a people person, and I am somewhat concerned about the amount of time I may be spending by myself in the evenings. Please pray that I will be comfortable with this time, and use it to rely on God as my foremost companion and best friend in a way I have never had the opportunity to before.


Thank you for all of your continued support! and for enduring through this abnormally long post. I love you all!

Hillary

Remembering the Rwanda genocide..

Today we visited two genocide memorials. This was something I had been dreading doing, but I also knew it was an important step to understanding the history and culture of Rwanda. This church, historically viewed as a place of "sanctuary", was the site of a 5,000 victim massacre during the genocide. We also visited another church that was the site of a 10,000 victim killing.
The church was first attacked with grenades, as you can see from the hole in the wall, and then the people inside were attacked with guns, machetes, and other crud weapons.
Walking into the church was a shocking experience. This memorial was not a sterilized plaque or stone statute, but the actual remains of the victims. You can see below the skulls of many of the unburied victims, and their clothing also hung around the church. Despite having seen Hotel Rwanda and having read books about the genocide, I was still hit with the reality that this horrific event actually occurred, and that neighbors, friends and co-workers were really capable of viciously destroying one another.
While it is encouraging to see the way that the country has rebuilt itself since the genocide, it is clear that affects remain in the hearts of the people here. Sadness still filled the eyes of those who walked us through the memorials, and the country observes a week of mourning each year.

A few pictures...

I live at the Food for the Hungry go Ed compound, which currently houses myself, a handful of staff members and 15 go Ed (study abroad) students. This is the smaller guesthouse where I live with one staff member and three students.

This is my bedroom that I share right now with Kate, one of our staff members. She has her own bunk bed on the other side of the room. She is moving on to Kampala, Uganda in about 3 weeks so then I will have my own room.


This is the front porch outside the main house. I have been spending as much time out here as I can while the weather is nice and who wouldn't want to sit out here when the view is the picture below..

I made it!

After 18 hours of flights and another 18 or so hours of layovers..I am FINALLY in Kigali! and all of my luggage made it with me, which is a big plus! It was a only 2 days traveling by myself but it was a good time to read, talk to a lot of interesting people from other parts of the world, and a clear reminder that even when I am alone, I am never really alone..

Currently I am sitting outside on the front porch of the large house where I am living with 15 Food for the Hungry study abroad students and two staff members. The view from the porch is breathtaking - the mountains in the distance and Kigali down the hill from where our house sits. I think I will be spending a lot of time sitting out here...

Tonight and tomorrow morning are for me to rest and unpack, and tomorrow afternoon we will be taking a trip to the Rwanda genocide memorial. I am glad to be doing this so early in my time here. It will be hard but I think it will give me a much clearer context as I try to understand the country.

thank you for all your prayers and continued support! I am so excited to begin my time here!

Hillary

Tomorrow....

Tomorrow is the big day! I am packed and ready to go! I want to thank all my wonderful family and friends who have kept me calm and helped me get ready this week. I was actually able to relax this weekend and go to a friend's wedding thanks to all the help I had beforehand. I couldn't have done this without all of you!

My flight leaves Minneapolis at 9:25 tomorrow night, and I will arrive in Kigali at 4:15pm on Wednesday (about 6am Wed Iowa time). Please pray for safe travel, safe arrival of luggage and ease through customs.

I will be spending the first two days in Kigali settling in and getting acclimated to the city, and then traveling to another part of the country next weekend before starting my internship next Monday.

I am so thankful for the peace God has given me over the last few days, knowing that He goes before me and is preparing my path.

thanks again for all of your support! I love you all!