We're Back!!

At the Kigali Memorial Centre (Rwanda Genocide Memorial)

It's so hard to believe that Lacey and I have been back from Rwanda and Kenya for almost a week now!  I apologize for the delay in writing.  We had limited internet in Africa and I couldn't get the Blogger app for my Kobo tablet.  So, we'll be writing our experiences here after the fact.

I don't know where to begin.  What an amazing journey!  First of all, I just want to thank our Heavenly Father for His blessing and care and thank all of you for your support and prayers.  We are safe and healthy and our families were kept well while we were away.  Special thanks to my mom for caring for my husband and children while I was away.  Thank you also to Heidi for making a delicious meal for them.  Mike raved about it!!

There is so much to process from this trip.  I'll give a basic explanation of what we did in this post and then I will write in more detail later.  

Our days began with devotionals led by a team member, followed by prayer.  Many days our team of fifteen was broken into a few smaller teams and then we all went in different directions.  We assisted with feeding programs, sometimes for over three hundred children, visited poor families, aided in medical ministries and helped with church services.  Each evening we would all meet for supper and share our "highlights of the day."  We went over the following day's schedule and closed in prayer.  

Rwanda is a beautiful country.  I could not believe how breathtaking the land is!  There are so many mountains and it is so green.

In Rwanda, we were based in Kigali, the capital city.  We journeyed out to rural areas each day.  The first full day was spent in Jabana.  We were met by so many children!  I don't even know how many were there! After spending some time visiting families in the area who were in need, we returned to the Jabana Word of Life church campus and played in the playground with the kids.

Children clung to us.  Sometimes we'd have two or three little ones hanging on each arm.  They loved to stroke our skin and hair.  They practiced their English by saying, 

"Good morning.  How are you?"  

We greeted them with "Muraho.  Amakuru?"  

Hopefully one of us would answer with, "I am fine, thank you," or "Meza."  

I met a twelve-year-old girl who carried her baby brother on her back.  I wish I remembered her name.  I spoke very little Kinyarwanda; and, she spoke very little English.  We connected somehow and visited for a long time. I felt compelled to teach her to say, "I am beautiful, " to which she replied, "God is beautiful!"

She was very excited for church to begin and guided me into the building.  Something I didn't know was that the children only sat in the back, not in the front.  The other team members wondered where I was and I didn't want to get separated from them, but when I tried to go to the front, I was not able to bring my new young friend.  She found me afterward and I was able to get a photo with her.  She touched my heart so much!  What a beautiful welcome to Rwanda!

Hugging my new friend in Jabana. 

Love,

Michelle

And then there was you...

I love my church family!  Last night we had an amazing service based on John 13:34

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Boy did I feel the love!  The service and the fellowship following brought so much joy and encouragement to my heart.  Sometimes, I just forget to reach out and ask for prayer.  Thank you!

Now, on to the fun stuff!  The online auction is going swimmingly!  So far you have helped us earn an additional $257.00 and today isn't over yet.  We have another gift certificate from Living Earth Massage up today and the bidding is hot, hot, hot!!  

Edited to add our updated totals: Lacey has raised a total of $2,640.00 and I, Michelle, have raised $498.22.

You all are amazing and we are so thankful for your help and prayers!  Please continue to pray for us.  As you can see from yesterday's post, we need strength to battle the negative spirits that may try to keep us from doing this wonderful work.  We know that prayer changes things, so please keep at it!

In closing, I'd like to share with you one of the projects Home of Hope has completed in Cyuru, Rwanda.  It's an amazing story!

Thank you once again for all of your support.  If you haven't already made a donation, you can still do so, just follow the instructions at the top of the page.  Much love do you all!  Most of all, Glory be to our Father in Heaven!!

Michelle

It's Getting REAL!

Yes, I'm shouting!  I can't tell you how exciting it was to attend our first (albeit virtual) meeting with the members of our Home of Hope May 2013 team!  We received our basic agenda via email today and went over it during the meeting.  We discussed some of the wonderful things we will be able to do during our trip such as teaching young children, ministering to women, and helping care for infants in the Dream Centre.  I'm particularly excited that I've been added to the women's ministry team, which is something that has been on my heart so much, especially to work with the expectant mothers.  Lacey and I will be working together with teens, sharing our testimony and with music (wink).

We were able to communicate following the meeting with our team leader, Brian Thomson, and a couple of the ladies we'll be working with in women's ministry.  It was so wonderful to hear what they have already been doing in Rwanda and Kenya, praying with women and helping them to overcome shame and fear and embrace our Heavenly Father.

Tonight, I have a lot to think about.  We still have so much to do to prepare for our trip.  We ask for your continued prayer.  If your heart is so moved, we are still in need of donations to help us reach our financial obligations for the trip.  All funds must be in no later than April 15, 2013.  We pray that we are used for God's glory.

In closing, I'm happy to leave you with this, a video with Brian Thomson, showing some of what Home of Hope is doing in the Dream Centre.   Enjoy and God bless!!

Love,

Michelle