The Elevation Project

It’s so hard to believe we’ve been home for almost a week already! While I’m sure our whole team is very much enjoying drinkable tap water, hot showers, unlimited internet access (!!) and, of course, catching up with friends and family, I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re also missing Rwanda and all of the new friends we made there. 

As promised, here are some shots from our trip to a cultural village on our last Saturday in Rwanda.

Brinsley celebrating his banana leaf bullseye

Kiara taking her best shot at skewering us some dinner 

King Cody and the King Mother Maureen looking fancy outside their home

The beautiful bride is carried in to the ceremony

The newlyweds 

“Very believable medicine man”

Rhys, Maureen, and Kiara get in on the drum circle

All about the hair flips

Miss you all!

Muraho from Rwanda, on our last night here!

Today we journeyed into the north of Rwanda, to the foot of volcanoes where the silverback gorillas live, to a cultural village where we could catch a glimpse of the old traditional Rwandan way of life. As always, the trip was full of excitement. (Archery! Banana beer! Rhys and Emily’s wedding! King Cody! Dancing with wigs!) We’ll post some pics later.

The whole drive was beautiful, but of all the sights today, one in particular struck me. At the bottom of one valley, between streams of water, in a big grassy field, animals were grazing and children were playing football just below an old church whose walls had been partially destroyed by what looked like grenades. It’s a scene that seems to embody much of what Rwanda is now. The tension of death and life, pain and joy, held together. It’s all part of Rwanda.

Through the reading and contemplation I’ve done on this trip, I’ve come to realize that the Rwandan story of genocide and reconciliation is a story that reflects our own. It’s a story of acknowledging and accepting the good and the bad, the light and the darkness in our lives and in those around us, embracing ourselves and others for all they are. As Richard Rohr has been teaching me, “everything belongs”.  

When you’re talking about something as horrific as genocide, that’s hard to accept. But the perplexing truth is that growth and transformation are found within the difficult questions, not the answers. God works in the darkness and suffering, in the unknown where we are not in control. This is where we find grace.

And by the grace of God, in the journey of life, nothing will be wasted and nothing will be used against you. There are no dead ends; there is no wasted energy. Everything is recycled. The restoration of all things means not denying the bad parts, the ugly parts. It means feeling that pain and then rebuilding. It means holding the good and bad together and giving them up to God to make something out of them. This is true of redemption in Rwanda and it’s true of redemption in us.

Many members of our team have expressed amazement at how happy and loving most Rwandans appear, even though so many of them have lived through a great deal of suffering. Our friends at Youth for Christ Rwanda have received us with love and welcomed us like family. Every day they greet us with warm smiles and invite us in to their lives as we work, play, eat, laugh, and dance together. They love us, no questions asked. Despite our faults, despite our darkness, despite our differences. Despite how exhausted and anxious and burdened they may be. Because it’s not about how they’ve built these beautiful new lives and everything is wonderful and that’s why they can now be happy. Life here is still imperfect; it still includes pain; it’s still exhausting; it still can be unjust. They choose love anyway. They choose joy anyway. We have that choice too.

This is the way Jesus loved, and I think the Rwandans that we have had the privilege of getting to know have done a beautiful job of following his example. My prayer for this team is that they would follow this example, as well. That they would realize the smiles that brightened their days here are theirs to pass along to others; that no matter what their lives look like, no matter the chaos, hurt, and loss that comes, it is all part of growth and transformation, and they can choose life within their pain. In times that are easy and times that are hard, they can still offer love and joy to those around them. You can too.

Love,

Karis

Muraho to all of my Canadian friends! It is Jessi here; I guess it has fallen on to my turn to write the blog. This trip has definitely been one that I will never forget!

As you may already know, we ended our camp yesterday. Camp was so great! I loved getting to know all the kids and making connections we’ll never forget. (We being myself and the kids.) I had some P6 kids (aged 13ish) make me things in art. It was so sweet, I started missing all of them as soon as we said goodbye. That may have been the highlight of my trip. Aside from maybe elephants, the miracle of monkey birth, the weather, and the connections I’ve also made with my Canadian and Rwandan team members. I’ve gotten pretty close with all of them. As the day gets closer that we have to say goodbye, I realize more and more how much I really do not want this to end. 

Today was the Rwandan election, and so everything was closed. To be respectful, we all stayed inside the compound and played card games. We all had a lot of fun sleeping in and teaching our new friends games, such as Jungle speed and UNO. I won none of the games we played, but it was fine because it was such a great bonding experience. We’ve really become one big family, and Rwanda is starting to feel more like home than my actual home. 

Canada is great and all, but Rwanda is so lovely. Everywhere you go people are kind, and the weather is definitely Jessi approved. Warm always. Even when it’s not warm, it’s still warm. And it is so beautiful here. The animals and plants are so pretty. The birds sing us beautiful songs each morning. And I see at least ten butterflies each day. The people are also SO nice here. Wherever you go, you are greeted with smiles and waves. I really hope to return someday. All of the experiences have been so humbling. And even though I can’t wait to go home and get hugs from my friends and family, like I said before, I’m not ready for this to end. Unlike this blog. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to read my small, dysfunctional blog. We always look forward to reading your comments. <3 

Hey friends and family! It’s Chloe, and today was a pretty good day - it was our very last day of camp, we had a farewell party celebration, and my Rwandan friend, Pascaline, and I celebrated our birthdays!

The day started, as usual, with a 7am breakfast and camp at 8. The upper primary kids were a little more difficult than the lower primary kids, but today I really connected with some of them and the goodbyes were not easy (there were a few tears). We ate lunch after camp (we had the classic rice and beans). Then Charlotte, Kerryanne, and I went and played basketball and volleyball for a bit with a couple of girls from VBS. One of our friends from the high school, in S3, that we met last week came and visited us. He gave me a Rwandan bracelet as a birthday present. We met tons of kids from the high school before they left for holidays; I wish we could have gotten to know them better before they left. One high school student that I became really close with was Nicole. She helped our group at camp and by the end of the camps she had become like a sister to me. Saying goodbye to her was so hard, I’ll miss her so much.

We got all fancy for dinner, and met all the staff and SLD in the assembly hall for what we didn’t know at the time was probably one of the best nights of our lives. There was so much food and dancing, which isn’t exactly the best mix, but it was still a good time. Jean Baptiste (National Director of YFC Rwanda), along with other staff members and the SLDs, gave us all Rwandan names and gifts. My Rwandan name is Mahoro, which means peace in Kinyarwanda. They gave us bags, hats, and lots of jewelry. It was an insanely emotional experience to be so loved by people who have known you for such a small amount of time. 

The next thing we knew, there were traditional Rwandan dancers coming in and performing for us. It was so cool to see a whole new side of their culture. There was so much drumming and singing, everyone’s jaw dropped instantly. It was INCREDIBLE. Pretty soon all of us were up there dancing with them. Progressively the dancing became more and more modern and people were free styling and jumping around and sweating just a little bit. When the dancing was done, we were all taking tons of pictures and as I was taking a picture with one of the SLD, bottles of water were dumped on Pascaline and me as a nice refreshing birthday present. Every time I thought they were done Placide would dump more on us. I must say, this wasn’t an ordinary birthday, but it was definitely the best. Every second was an experience and I’m so thankful that I got to have such a great day.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I’m excited to see all my friends and family in a few days!

Peace out,

Chloe

My name is Erica. Hello to everyone that is reading this. You’re great and thanks for sticking around. Well, this morning we had a great morning until Bryan decided to eat a passion fruit. He was trying to open it and it popped open and went all over me and Cody and Chloe. Thank goodness it didn’t get in my hair but I did have a great laugh (hahaha!) I also made a great pun, “Everyone needs compassion...” (think popular worship song…)

The second day of upper primary camp started today. I was tired but I stuck with it, keeping my energy high so the kids could get energy from me and I could be a role model to them. Even though I wanted to crash, I kept my head and kept going. The kids seem to listen a little more and our team is good at making a line and staying in line and it just made it easier for us.

We had games first, let say it got crazy playing musical chairs and like 3 kids sat on one chair and pulled me down with them. It was fun and crazy but the kids were all right. Next was Bible. The boys were trying to hide under the desk and not listen but we handled it well and tried to get them to participate. Bible is the part when they like to lean against the wall and be “too cool” but I sat in the back with them and they listened a bit. Then, on to art. I love art. We made paper glasses and I enjoyed helping the kids with the art project. Then it was snack time. I really enjoy the snack but I love seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces. 

Being in Africa has shown me that my life is a lot different than here but it makes you appreciate the little things that you have. Things like how just a smile or couple words can change your sad or tired face to a happy one – it turns your frown upside down! Little words can help so much. 

Hello, to our daily followers and fans!

We’ve all had another incredible day in Rwanda. Each day I learn more about the culture, history, and people, and it makes every moment more precious. Today we started our first day of Upper Primary day camp. The kids were energetic and lively, and their positivity was an inspiration to me in how I act in my day to day life. Although I loved working with the Lower Primary last week, I’m highly enjoying my time with the preteens. I can really get to know, and build relationships with these kids. Hearing little snippets of how they live their lives, and learning how different our daily routines are, makes me appreciate being born into such luxury.

I’m also connecting with the SLD students. We’ve been eating lunch together quite often, but we just began eating dinner with them as well. I will never understand the logic behind the Rwandan metabolism. They eat more food in one sitting than I do in an entire day, but remain so slender. I find myself missing them in our time spent apart. It’s painfully ironic that our relationships with our Rwandan friends became apparent in the same week that we have to leave them. 

Maureen lead an incredible group meeting today. We discussed a passage from the bible, ‘Romans 3:23-24 - For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus’. We individually had to think about what this passage means, and relate it to our lives. I believe, the meaning, or a potential meaning of the passage is this: Because people have the freedom to make choices for themselves, we all have the capability to make sour decisions in our lives. We are all capable of doing evil. The genocide that scarred this country almost twenty years ago­­ is an example of this theory. And if we as individuals could listen, and learn from past mistakes in human history, we would all be better off. Since the genocide ended, the Rwandan community has bound itself together in harmony. This is a huge inspiration to me to strive to be my best self; however, when I fail, when I make poor decisions, it’s essential that I focus on fixing and binding what I’ve broken.

To all my friends and family, I miss you guys dearly. I’m so conflicted with feelings because I don’t want my time in Rwanda to end, but I’m so looking forward to reconnecting with you all. I’m excited to share my stories and lessons with you guys. Love you all, and I can’t wait to see you.

xoxo,

Kiara    

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

Psalm 133:1

Yesterday (Sunday), we split into three groups and attended different churches to allow each of us to experience a different style of worship than perhaps we are used to. The church my group attended began this past January through one of the staff at YFC Rwanda. They meet in a public school and have a vibrant children’s [neighbourhood] ministry. It began by one neighbourhood boy hanging around the school, so they invited him in. The next week he showed up with friends and the week after that, more friends. The children almost out-number the adults, which is not surprising, since 43% of Rwanda’s 12,000,000 population are under 25. Thus, it is imperative that children are loved and well-cared for, as they are Rwanda’s future.

The people who attend this church understand the vision. Each Sunday after the service they break into groups and walk some of the children home and spend some time with their families, getting to know them and allowing the families to see the authenticity and the love of Jesus, whom they represent.

Our Pastor spoke on the above verse – how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It matters not if you are black or white, tall or short. We are the same in God’s eyes and if we are to make a difference in our world, we need to choose this same attitude.

In the afternoon, many of us visited two Catholic churches that were supposed to be a refuge for the Tutsi in April of 1994. Unfortunately, this was not the case. We were shown and were told of the history of how Christians turned against Christians and how they used machetes, clubs, sticks, axes to brutally murder those who were close friends. We were heartbroken to see the blood on the wall where children were thrown against it. We were shown the kitchen where mattresses, soaked in gasoline, were thrown into the kitchen, burning people alive. And piles and piles of clothing on benches. We saw actual skulls and bones of the people killed. 5000 in one of the churches and 10,000 in another. The one church hosts the bodies of 45,000 people that were gathered from the surrounding area. I tell you this only so you can understand the gravity and the heaviness we experienced and are trying to process.

That evening, our beloved YFC Rwanda Director, JB, provided dinner for us and then shared some of his personal story. It is not a pleasant one. He and other staff members lost many friends and family to the Genocide – being witnesses to their gruesome deaths. JB himself escaped the country and hid until the LORD called him back. He gave JB a vision of Ezekiel and the dry bones in the valley [Ezekiel 37]. God used Ezekiel, as He does with JB, to breathe life into the new Rwanda.

This is why the Kigali Christian School exists – not just to provide excellent education (a typical public school can have up to 80 children with one teacher in a 200-square foot room) and a hot lunch each day (children were passing out during class due to lack of food at home), but even more importantly to teach that everyone is equal - there is no distinction between rich and poor, Tutsi or Hutu. They all wear uniforms and are strictly disciplined if they are heard discriminating against each other, particularly with what they have at home. In Greater Vancouver, many generous people sponsor* a student who would otherwise not be able to attend the small classes, receive quality education and have staff who go above and beyond, all while sharing the love of Jesus.

JB explained that those of us who have taken the time to be away from our families, to travel 30 hours getting here, using the money we have earned (a huge thank you to those who were part of this!), plus all those who sponsor and pray for the children – we are all a part of this community. We each have a role to play and we are all part of the solution and the future of Rwanda. Humbly, he thanked us.

He did challenge us to bring these thoughts home with us. How can we make a difference in our own communities? What about the fellow student [co-worker, neighbor, friend] that acts a bit different than we are comfortable with? How will we choose to be different, to stand out from the crowd, being willing to share the love of Jesus and be an active part of our futures? For it is then that positive change will happen.

It was a lot to think about as we made our way to our beds, exhausted from another long and beautiful day in this country that is beginning to feel like our second home. I’m not sure what it is but Rwanda fills us with such joy and a sense of belonging. I believe it is the warm sunshine, the amazing sunsets and sunrises, even the red dust creating the most beautiful ambiance of peace.

Mostly though, it is the people. They are so welcoming, full of smiles and laughs. Often you will see many spending time just hanging out - sharing stories and jokes. They love to teach us their language and laugh with us as we try to pronounce the difficult words. Many of them speak French, English and Kinyarwanda (this is part of the school curriculum).

Considering what so many have lived through, have lost and are still haunted with difficult memories, they are able to smile and know that God is still good. Incredible. We continue to learn so much from them.

Today (Monday) was a camp prep day and a day to spend time with our new Rwandan friends. After the official preparations were done, we were invited to the art room to create individual banners that represented our groups. [These groups are Rwandans and Canadians that work together, leading, teaching and playing with the kids during camp. There are five groups and each group has approximately 35 kids.]

This quickly turned to chaos. Soon we were all covered in paint, some playing instruments (yes, a plastic pop bottle can be used as such), dancing, laughing and thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. These are times when memories are created, walls are broken down and we are living out Psalm 133 – “How good and pleasant it when God’s people live together in unity!”

Maureen

Youth Worker

Today was a very busy day with church, memorial site visits, and dinner out at a beautiful rooftop restaurant in Kigali. We decided to give the kiddos a day off from blog writing, so instead here is a collection of photos from this past weekend!

Photoshoot break mid-tour at KCS’ Rwamagana campus

Team bonding on the dock at Muhazi beach before an incredible BBQ dinner that included some very freshly caught fish

Hello friends and family, its Mechelle,

It’s my turn to write about our day and today I have a lot to write about.

We went on a safari! And it was amazing.

Our day started at 4:30 in the morning. Some of us were exhausted but some were just excited, I was both. The bus was packed with people and everyone got a little closer on this safari trip.

It took us about an hour and some to get there, but when we arrived at 5:50 am we were early. After waiting for a bit, we were let in at 6:00 am, we did all the paper work and had breakfast. Then we got an introduction about the park and what was in it. My favorite part about the introduction was all the bones they had of animals from the park that had died. They had a crocodile, elephant, and many more. It was crazy seeing all the animals that we could see today in bones, but I couldn’t wait to see them alive and in their natural habitat.

Finally, after all that we got back on the bus with our guide and we were off! In the beginning, there wasn’t much to see but after driving for a bit, we passed vervet monkeys. They were medium-size and very cute.

We looked at them for a bit and were starting to drive away but someone yelled stop! And look! On the side of the rode was a mother monkey giving birth. She was half way done until we scared her by backing up to look. She just sat down with the baby hanging out and stared at us so we decided to leave her alone.

A little bit later we saw baboons in a pack on the road. We passed them and saw this mother baboon with her baby that was around 2 days old. They were so cute and the baby kept trying to run away and was also trying to rip off momma’s nipple, but momma didn’t look like she cared.

After watching for a while and taking pictures we moved on. We passed many other animals like water buck, pumba, cape buffalo, zebras, hippos, crocodile, impalas, and antelope. We stopped a couple of times to pee and I learned for the first time how to pop a squat. For lunch, we stopped by a lake that had hippos and crocodiles. The food was amazing and so was the view. We stayed out there for a bit and ended up meting some guys from Scotland and Rhys picked up hippo dung without knowing it.

When lunch was over we kept driving. By this time, we had been in that bus for around 6 hours straight and my back was killing me. And I wasn’t the only one. And we were only a little bit past halfway through the park. It was a really big park – I think the guy said around 300 kilometers or more – but I am happy that there is a place for animals to live in peace and in their own natural habitat without humans.

We were almost done, and about an hour away from leaving, when we saw an elephant! We were told in the beginning not to get our hopes up that we would see a lion, rhino, or elephant. We didn’t see a lion or a rhino but we did see elephants – 5 exactly. When we saw them it was shocking how big they were and how easy it is to miss them because they camouflage into the background so easily. I even thought one was just a rock and everyone was crazy but then it moved and I saw its massive face. It was so beautiful. Everyone one was so happy to see elephants. Before we saw then people prayed that they would see one and others said they would cry if they didn’t see one or that they would cry if did see one. They ended up crying.

After the elephant, we drove to the last part of the park, the plains. The plain is a flat piece of land that doesn’t have a lot of trees and is very grassy and most of the animals liked the stay there and eat. The last animal we saw was a giraffe, we didn’t get to go close to it because they were too far away from the dirt road and it was $100 fine if we left the dirt rode so we didn’t, but we saw them from far away and they were beautiful and tall. After that we didn’t see anything that we didn’t already see and we were at the end of the park by around 4:00 pm, we had a 2-hour drive back to the hotel we stayed at the night before and another hour and a half to get back to the compound. But on the way back we had some entertainment: Rhys sleep talking for a good 45 min. He talked about Batman, Tupac, Tom Cruise, and even Laura was in his dreams! But my favorite part was when he rapped a whole song and knew all the words to it. But final we are back and tired, I am half asleep writing this, so I apologize if I miss something and hopefully you enjoy reading about our day. To my friends and family, I love you and miss you. Goodnight everyone.

Hey, Kerryanne here, so happy to share this incredible day with all of you. So we were supposed to wake up at 7:00am, however even though I was far down the hall, Rhys woke me up at 5:45am with his passionate "sleep singing." Anyway, we were all a little groggy at breakfast but we had delicious fresh mango so that helped wake me up.

Today was different because we had no camp, which was a little sad cause we love those precious children and their hugs, but it was also nice to have a break. We were able to relax a bit more after breakfast until 8:30am when we loaded into the monkey bus (our driver hangs a monkey stuffy from the mirror) with the sun shining and blue skies in sight. We then drove to the genocide memorial in Kigali.

We got out of the bus and walked under the archway where we went through security. Guys got screened with hand scanners, while then the girls had to get our bags checked and some got patted down. I honestly was quite nervous heading into the memorial. I'm definitely quite an emotional person so I was worried about how it was going to affect me. When we went inside we were greeted by a host who gave us a brief description of the memorial. Our team, plus other tourists were then led to a room where we watched a very heartfelt intro video of some survivors’ stories, personal experiences, and how they felt about the memorial where some of their family members are buried.

What I found very heartwarming is that they don't charge for you to come in, they just ask for a donation if you can and anyone is welcome to come in and pay their respects.

We then walked down a set of stairs outside to the next section, which was the museum part. There was a downstairs section that was all about the history of Rwanda and how all the hate and anger built up to eventually a genocide targeted towards the Tutsi and moderate Hutu, in which approximately one million people were tortured and killed – often by people who were neighbours or people they thought were their friends.

There was so much information to absorb and it was so interesting to read all the signs and watch the videos of survivors. There was actually a lot of people in there so it was a little squishy and hard to try not to block other people who were reading. There was this heartbreaking dedication room where they have strings on a wall under a spotlight and then people affected by the genocide are able to hang photos on there of people they lost. Every display was full of photos, and they had little stools so you could sit down and pay your respects.

The next room was a very tough and even more emotional one. Human skulls and bones that were found in mass graves that were not able to be identified. I immediately started crying, you could see the fractures in the skulls and some had a single bullet hole. I thought that would be the toughest room... I was wrong. The next one was displays of clothing that were found in the graves and hung up. There was a blue kid-sized shirt that had a heart on it and said, "Ottawa Canada" on it. I had to sit down and grab my tissues from my bag.

That finished off the downstairs tour, but there was a whole other floor still left. I didn't know if I could handle it, but then I felt ridiculous. The discomfort and sadness I was feeling, was nothing in comparison to what these children, teens, parents, and grandparents had to go through. I owed it to them to hear their stories and keep going. I'm really glad I did, too.

The next section was actually about other genocides that have happened in the world. Did you know there was a genocide in Turkey? And several other countries that we never hear or learn about! Partly because big countries won't admit that they actually happened. The main one we learn about in school is the Holocaust and then a only a tiny bit of info on Rwanda’s. I had never realized there have been so many more people in this world affected by genocides.

The next room was by far the most difficult and several people on the team couldn't even walk through it.

The children's dedication room.

There were about 10 big memory pictures of certain children and then a plaque telling us things about them such as their age, favourite food, favourite person, last memory or words, and then how they died.

The youngest in there was 9-months old, another only 15-months. The oldest my age: 17. Also several siblings. All suffered brutal deaths. Struggling trying to read the plaques with blurry eyes, that travel pack of Kleenex came in handy. Random strangers walked past me it was a bit awkward because as I was crying and sniffling trying my best to calm down.

Last but not least there was a moving forward section talking about how Rwandans are united as one group now and the country efforts for change. I ended up being the last one of our team to finish, so I quickly went and walked around the garden where thousands are buried.

What was incredible was leaving there though and going back through Kigali and just seeing how much the country has transformed in such a short period of time. Since we've been here I've never once felt unsafe or like there's hatred here. Quite the opposite – I see Kigali as a city of love, and the people are just so full of the Holy Spirit and spreading God’s love here.

In the afternoon we went and visited the Rwamagana campus of Kigali Christian School, and then went out to dinner at Lake Muhazi Resort and watched the sun set overlooking a lake. Now we are staying the night at Dereva Hotel, but not for long as we leave at 4:30 am to head to Akagera for our safari day!

Hello to everyone back home in Canada. I miss you all very much but I am absolutely loving my time here in the land of a thousand hills. When you look at all the adventures and incredible opportunities we have had in this beautiful country so far, it’s hard to believe that we’ve only been here for a week. We have had lots of fun playing games, meeting new friends and trying to speak our best Kinya-english as our friend Benie calls it. Today was the last day of camp with the lower primary students. After a fun day spent making and decorating paper bags, watching skits, and running around with our color teams, we had to say goodbye to our little friends. It was extremely hard, as during our three days together we managed to bond pretty well with these precious children. Our first week of camp was so much fun. They say happiness is contagious, and when you spend time here with these people I couldn’t think of a more true statement. Getting to see their smiles each morning made waking up a little easier.

Experiencing the culture here has been life changing and I can’t wait to get to see more of it over the rest of our time here. Some of my highlights have been the hugs from all the kids whenever you go out anywhere, and everyone’s willingness to chat to you. It has also been awesome getting to know our Rwandan teammates. They are all so lovely and being around them is an absolute joy. The nature here is beautiful and our bus rides have been a really cool way to see more of the city. Today we got a really cool opportunity to visit some YFC staff members in their homes. We all split up into different groups and went to visit different people. My group went to visit Rhoda, who is head of the SLD program here. When we arrived we were welcomed into their home and sat and talked with Rhoda’s husband Richard. He told us lots of cool stories and also answered all the questions we had. Then Rhoda brought us all drinks and an incredible selection of food. It felt like such an honor to be welcomed so openly into their personal space. We learned all about traditional Rwandan weddings and got to look through their beautiful wedding photos thanks to one of Erica’s questions! Kiara got pretty emotional at the sight of these photos and actually cried! I think Richard was a little confused as to why they provoked this reaction, but then again we were all slightly curious. During our visit we also tried to copy Rhoda’s amazing Rwandan dancing and learned about the traditional baskets and art hanging on their walls. When Rhoda explained that the art was made from cow dung, Richard seemed as surprised as we were! We were all very grateful to be given this opportunity to spend some more time with these lovely people in a different setting.

When we got back from our visits, Laura told us we were going out for dinner, and when we arrived at a pizza restaurant we were all pretty excited. The cheese pizza really hit the spot. One of the more interesting pizzas was topped with eggplant and French fries. It’s nice to relax this evening and spend some more time connecting with our teammates. Despite some sickness and jetlag, I think I speak for everyone when I say we have had an unforgettable week and can’t wait for more adventures.

Hello to my family and friends back home. I very much miss all your faces. However, I have been having such an amazing time here in Rwanda, from making new friends to learning different things (such as Rwandan culture and language) to having dance parties in the morning after breakfast. One highlight for myself is getting to know my Canadian team members more and more everyday and just doing something I love like working with children and such a great group of people. We have done so much together. Today some of us woke up with smiles, but some of us are just not morning people. Yet once we started hanging out with the children, I saw a smile on every single person’s face.

Today we played a bunch of games with the children, and it just makes my heart happy to see how happy it makes them, whether they are asking serious questions in bible study, or making creative hats in craft time. Then we had a break with the children to have a snack and a drink, and to play more games with them. I watched Charlotte and Chloe playing basketball with some of the children, and having conversations with them. Then we had nothing but good old beans and rice for lunch, but I am very blessed to have the staff here in Rwanda take such good care of us. Afterwards in the afternoon we were able to get some time off, which is time that most of us like to use to enjoy others company. For example, Nevada and Emily make weird noises in the mornings, people play games or have dance parties together, or walk to the store with someone you didn’t know from the beginning of this trip.

Being in Rwanda is a lot different than back home. For example, no one back home just touches your hair like the children here like to do, or hugs a total stranger, and the food is totally different. It is really exciting because everyday I aim to try something new. Speaking the language here in Rwanda is VERY difficult but our team has been trying their hardest to try speak it. For example, Rhys can say the whole memory verse in Kinyarwanda- like, that’s very impressive.  

Muraho, (or hello) from Rwanda. This is Rhys speaking for the team. As days go by, the jet-lag gets progressively weaker, I’ve had my fare share of homesickness, but I am getting more and more used to being here in Rwanda. It’s quickly becoming my home away from home. I speak for the trees, er, team in saying these past few days have definitely been jam-packed with amazing memories and experiences we will never forget.

Today was especially eventful as it was our first day of camp. I started off the morning right with a four, then six-o-clock wakeup courtesy of the crowing roosters (yay!) However, even in the early morning, the land of a thousands doesn't wait for anyone. After breakfast, we headed down to the basketball court and played games such as Octopus, and Duck Duck Goose as the kids started to show up, with smiling faces, one after another. As I have been studying some Kinyarwanda, I could see the surprised looks on their faces as I was able to hold a basic conversation with some of them. After waiting for the rest of the children we headed in to the morning assembly where one of the S.L.D, ( the Rwandan School of Leadership and Discipleship) Genie met the kids with high energy cheers, songs, and dances. This is where we took part in singing and a quick game with the kids. Lastly in morning assembly, our very own, Jessie told her unique testimony which was very brave and she did a great job. After morning assembly, accompanied by the five children wrapped around me, we headed to our first activity: games. Games was really fun for the leaders and the children alike, as we played a game called Concentration. Next was Bible lesson where the kids and leaders, through a fun skit, learned that God is pure. Lastly was an art project where the kids made a paper bag for their items, and had snack to finish off the camp. The rest of the day was packed with preparing for Wednesday’s camp and some free time.

Some highlights for me that were especially special was, when we were going between the activities, some of the kids were saying Kinyarwanda to me to repeat. What was funny was that they were trying to trick me into saying inappropriate things. For example they would say ikibero, (butt,) and tell me it meant house or something like that. It didn't take long for me to pick up on this, but it was funny while it lasted (for them, anyway.) Another highlight was, by the end of the day they all called me by my nick name, umuceri, meaning rice in Kinyarwanda, as some of the SLD called me this because my name sounds similar. Lastly my favorite moment of today was whenever we would transfer to an activity, there would be probably five or so children trying to climb on my back as we were walking. What was especially funny is that they would tickle each other so that they would fall off me, then they would take the other person’s spot and laugh saying, “HAHAHA UMUCERI IS MINE,” or ask me who my best friend was, arguing over if it was them. Eventually they would ask me for the answer, to which I disappointed them in saying, “my best friend is Jesus.”

Overall, today was definitely jam-packed with exciting experiences and some unforgettable memories, I would especially like to give a shoutout to my team members Chloe and Alisha as they powered through the day doing the best they could, just to get puked on by one of the children at snack time. Needless to say it was pretty funny. As the week goes on, I cant wait to experience more of what this trip has to offer, and I can’t wait to share when i get home.

Rhys.

Hello, to my friends and family back home. I miss you all dearly; however, I’m glad to say I’ve made a second home here in Rwanda. I’ve had an amazing time here so far, but today was a highlight for sure!

We started our day with an incredible tape recording of my new friend Rhys sleep talking. He was rambling on about cherry pies, and singing Whitney Houston. It brought a smile onto everyones face, and I hope there are more recordings to come in the near future.

After breakfast, my new friend Emily and I had a dance party! I got to bust out my Beyonce dance moves and soon nearly everyone was up. We all danced and sung, and received many odd stares; but it was a great way to connect the group. Shortly after that, everyone broke into their colour teams for a scavenger hunt. We had to do crazy things, like act like giraffes (not easy when your 5’1), and balance wood on our heads. It really bound our Canadian and Rwandan team members together. I’m happy to say my team won the scavenger hunt! We won a tub of chocolate treats!!! (Don’t worry mum, I only had one). We ended up handing out the candy to everyone, which resulted in lots of cheers, and hugs. Shortly after that, I took a nap, which doesn’t help my jetlag, but slowly each day I get a little bit closer to being conditioned into Rwandan time.

Later in the day, we started preparing for the camp. Our Rwandan friends walked us through Bible study, art, and games stations in preparation for tomorrow. After our lesson, I taught everyone ballet, and Mechelle taught me ballroom dancing. It was horrifyingly hilarious to watch the boys in our group tiptoe and twirl in an attempt to master the art of ballet. I’m feeling more and more confident each day to step outside my comfort zone; like today, I played basketball with very tall, and very skilled players. It was incredibly fun, even though I’m vertically challenged and have little to no hand-eye coordination. I’m loving my time here, learning about a new culture, and language, and meeting so many friendly faces. It makes every moment so rich and precious.

I started my day by visiting my new cow friends which is quickly becoming one of my favorite traditions here. We brought them some grass, and hung out for a little while before heading to a church service. Although not everyone agreed with some of the teachings, we still cherished our time singing, praising, and listening among all our Rwandan friends. The rest of the day was free time. A few people went to the market, a few stayed around the compound. A couple of friends and I went on a walk down the road just to see what was around the corner and to take some photos. As today was more a day of leisure, I thought I would write a small list of some things I have noticed that surprised me, made me happy, stood out to me, etc.

Affection. Something I’m really enjoying is driving around the city in our little bus. A common thing to see while on these drives is friends on the street holding hands, holding each other by the waist, or embracing on the street. I’ve learned physical affection between friends is really normal, whereas married couples or partners don’t show any sort of touch between each other in public.

The Air. Right when I stepped off that third airplane, I noticed that the air in Kigali feels so different than in Vancouver. It’s warmer, thicker, dryer and the scent is something else. It smells very distinct.

Butterflies. I have seen so many cool butterflies. While taking a walk down the road, I saw two small, light blue butterflies flying together. So cool. While writing a bit in my journal, I saw a bigger orange one flying all around the field. One I’m noticing quite a bit is a large, black butterfly with yellow details on its wings. I’m falling in love with them really fast.

Greetings. I am really loving how when you walk down the street and wave to people and say hello, they’re really happy to say hello back. In Vancouver I find that some people find it weird or get a little confused or even uncomfortable when you say hello to them in-passing - that is nothing like Kigali. As a “mzungu” (white person) we get quite a few stares, but as soon as we wave and say “muraho!” people are smiling and waving back.

These are just a few of the many things I’m learning and absorbing in my time here. My new Rwandan friends have been aiding me in picking up the language and helping me with understanding the many cultural differences.

By the way, Mom, you’ll be happy to know I’ve been wearing lots of sunscreen every day, and taking regular showers. I also haven’t forgot to take my Malarone yet. And I love you.

After a grueling thirty-hour flight, our team finally reached the motherland: Kigali, Rwanda. Although we were so exhausted that it felt as if the room was spinning, we smiled and cheered because we knew the real adventure was about to begin. Tomorrow we would be meeting new faces and making footprints in new soil.

This morning I woke up fueled by curiosity. I didn’t even take the time to have a coffee before I started exploring the compound. To no surprise, my animal loving heart’s first interaction was with a cow.  I knew I was going to see that cow again but in a different setting; a not-so-alive setting. I treasure the time we spent together.  

We ate as much and as quickly as our stomachs could handle to make more time to explore and introduce ourselves to our new neighbors. The first person I met was Joel. He was sitting on a picnic table, strumming a beautiful melody on a beaten up guitar that was missing the first string. Joel is an SLD (School of Leadership and Discipleship) student with a contagious smile and a love for gospel music.

As the day went by, our teams began to bond. We met the rest of the SLD team on a dry soccer field to play connecting games. We were then split into our colour teams to introduce ourselves further. Our colour teams are a mix of Canadians and Rwandan SLD students. Within thirty minutes, we were sharing our memories, fears, and hopes for the future. There was laughing, singing, and linguistic lessons!

Our night ended with dinner and a tour through Kigali. The streets were flooded with people because we caught the city on the night of a soccer game. Soccer (football here) is the country’s favourite sport, so you can imagine the patriotism. Like any city, it was very diverse. We drove away from the skyscrapers and towards the dirt roads. That’s when it hit me. I wasn’t anywhere near home. The roads were rough and the houses were falling apart. I was looking at my idea of poverty. People were so poor yet they were smiling, laughing, and playing with what they had. My idea of poverty is not their idea of poverty. Though poor in wealth, they were rich in life. We had a rock stuck in our van’s tire and it took less than a minute for six compassionate people to come to our rescue. That is a mindset I wish to exercise while I’m on this adventure.  

Here’s to the beginning of a new week in a new country! Mwiriwe!

We made it to Kigali!