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

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

Giving Thanks, Looking Forward

Poster designed by Sydne Maisonville, age 9.

It's been a whole week since we've posted on the blog and what a week it was!  Thursday, January 17th started out with Lacey and I on the morning show with Charles Sciortino on 98.1 CKVN.  Thank you so much to Charles and the staff at CKVN for welcoming us into the studio and helping us to share our story with Lethbridge!

After my family and I left the station, we were en route to Great Falls, Montana, USA, where I am originally from, for a memorial service for one of my old friends.  It was a bittersweet day.  While I know it may seem to have little to do with our mission here for Home of Hope, I wanted to share a little bit of my experience here as it really impacted me.

I had heard about my friend's passing on Friday, January 11th.  It was the birthday of my former Sunday School teacher, who had also passed, and I had been taking the day to remember her.  The news of my friend's death threw me for a loop and I immediately sank into overwhelming grief.  I began looking back at all of the memories I had of him.  The more I thought, the more I cried and at one point, I almost felt as though the part of my life that included him was also gone.  It was very painful and I spent the next several days trying to work through my grief and focus on our planning for our mission trip.

When my husband and I arrived at the chapel for my friend's celebration of life, we did not expect a Christian service.  My friend was an amazingly eclectic person, but not one that I had remembered subscribing to one religion.  We were pleasantly surprised when his cousin, who led the service, began to speak.  He was a Christian and related to the Lord many times in his speech.  It was a comfort to our hearts.

Here is where I began to see the correlation between my friend's passing, or rather his life, and our work with Home of Hope. My friend had a big heart.  He saw no race, no gender, no life circumstances.  He did not seek out the richest, the most beautiful, or the most perfect people.  He loved genuinely and with his whole heart.  He looked not at the outside, but to the soul.

My friend's cousin so gently pointed out that there was once another man on this earth who did the same.  A man who sat with prostitutes, visited the homes of the tax collectors, and beckoned even the smallest of the small to come unto Him.  He is our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

No, I do not compare Jesus to a mortal man; rather, I see how we as Christians can embody His goodness. How we should strive to take on His character more everyday.

I lost a friend; but, I gained the Godly eye salve to see what I could be...what we all can be.  God has used this experience to change my heart, to open it and to let His love radiate through me.  I do not need to look back with sorrow, but rather look forward with joy in knowing that God can use me and you to share His love with the world.  It doesn't have to be a large production.  It doesn't have to be difficult.  All our Lord is asking is for us to open our hearts to those in need.  They could be our neighbors or they could be worlds away in Africa.  It all begins with a smile, a cup of coffee, or a listening ear.

Thank you again for your support of our journey.  God bless you all!

Love,
Michelle

All Hands on Deck!

...Praying hands, that is.  We're asking you to be a part of our prayer team.  As we work hard to prepare for our mission trip, evil spirits will work hard to try to deter us from doing God's work.  Will you help us?  Areas where we could use prayer are:

• Strength - We need strength to work toward reaching our goal of serving in Rwanda and Kenya.  We also need strength to battle against negative influences that may try to shift our focus.  We need strength to handle what we will face in Africa and the sorrow and tragedy we may see.
• Health - Prayers that we are healthy as we prepare for our trip and while we are on it.  We will be doing our best to take preventative measures against the prevalent illnesses of the area with vaccinations, etc.  Please also pray for the health of our families and our fellow missionaries.
• Protection - Please pray for protection for ourselves and our fellow mission workers while we travel and are in Rwanda and Kenya as well as the protection of the loved ones we leave behind.
• Blessing - Please pray that we can be of good service and a blessing to all those we meet and work with in Africa
• Financial Miracles - We are working hard to fund raise for our trip and organize all finances necessary to be a part of this mission. Please pray for financial miracles for us so that our trip may be fully funded and any monetary burdens to be lifted.

Once again, thank you so much for all of your love and support!

Blessings to you all with much love,

Michelle