Saying Our Goodbyes.

So here we are - our last night in the Hotel des Mille Collines.

This morning we finished our time of rest by sleeping in. We then spent some more time debriefing and reflecting before we headed back to Kigali for the night.

A few of us went out to dinner with one of our guides, Zachary.

The rest of us could be found by the pool enjoying our last night in Kigali.

Tomorrow morning we begin the long process home.

After four plane rides and some long layovers, we'll be back in Dallas. Then it's on to our respective homes.

We've enjoyed our time in Rwanda - more than I can even explain in words.

But seeing our families is exciting as well.

See you soon readers.

A Day of Rest.

This morning the groups packed up their bags and headed to Lake Kivu.

On the way, we stopped at the Sonrise School.

The Sonrise School is a boarding school for Rwandan children. 

They teach orphans and upper class students. They raise money in the US to pay for the orphans school fees. Alongside of those who don't have families, are those of privileged

 families. These children are able to afford their school fees without any needed help.

To keep the children from appearing more privileged than the others, the school restricts the amount of clothing each child can bring and they also require the students to wear uniforms.

They teach english and french to the students but teach all of their classes in english. 

We were able to taste some of their homemade bread - which was amazing. They provide all their students with three square meals a day - something that some of the children wouldn't be able to have otherwise. They also have cows at the school - some of them are from Heifer International and one of them was given by the president of Rwanda. 

This afternoon we found ourselves at Lake Kivu.

Breathtaking.

That's about the only word to describe it.

This is our time for debriefing, for reflection. 

I'm sure you're wondering why a mission trip team is staying at a 5 star hotel. 

Becky K. (fearless leader) and Ben C. (religious guy) shared with us the necessity of this time to reflect on what we have discovered in Rwanda - what we've learned through our experiences. 

In a few minutes after settling down - everyone  could be found on the beach of Lake Kivu. Some brought books, others took naps and then some put on their bathing suits and took a dip. Then a game of volleyball began. We ate an amazing meal tonight that consisted of appetizers such as sushi and brie (not together), a main course (buffet style) including tilapia and lamb and then a selection of desserts.

To sum it all up - we're being spoiled in one of the most amazing locations in the world. 

Our main goal for today and  tomorrow is to rest. After learning so much and experiencing the things we have experienced - we need a break before our 48 hours of traveling home and then readjusting to the American way of life. 

We've had a life-changing time in Rwanda. We've seen things that most college students haven't seen, we've learned how to help those around us and we've experience compassion and friendship that knows no language barriers. 

I'm just wondering if we're really ready to head home.

(I'm sure some of us are.)

But what have we really learned?

Perhaps we haven't learned everything. 

But the learning process will occur - even as we go home, lessons will continue. 

And that - is all we can do. 

We are students (after all) and the world is our classroom (no matter how cliche that sounds).

Remembering.

All of the groups had breakfast together this morning on the 4^th floor of the hotel then headed out to the Kigali Memorial Centre.

The Kigali Memorial Centre is a museum that is dedicated to the genocide of 1994. A Documentation Centre is also on the grounds with permanent records of the genocide, such as testimonies and pictures.

Surrounding the centers are gardens that feature themes of unity, division and harmony. Mass graves are the main focus of these gardens. There are 285,000 bodies buried on the grounds – twice the size of Waco, a fact pointed out by Maxey Parrish, leader of the G.M. team. A wall of names is given for those whose remains were identified.

 The Memorial Centre contains three different exhibits – an exhibition focusing on the genocide in Rwanda, another called “Wasted Lives” that tells of other genocides that have occurred throughout the world and through time and a children’s exhibit that has pictures and facts about children who were killed in the Rwandan genocide.

 Video interviews with survivors puts a personal face on the results of the genocide. The same people tell their stories throughout – about seeing their family members die before their eyes, how they survived and the effects of the genocide on their lives.

A video clip was just a silent film of clips of the bodies that were found in the streets after the mass killings. Mutilated bodies of all ages were shown – attempting to make those who weren’t able to experience it feel the horror of it all.

One room contains photos that family members have brought to the museum of those who have died. This is their attempt to memorialize those who they lost. A visitor can walk along the walls covered in photos and try to imagine those who faces stare back at them – how it felt when they realized they were dying and how their family must have felt incomplete without their presence.

The “Wasted Lives” exhibit featured genocides across the globe – including the Holocaust and the genocides in Cambodia and Bosnia, among others. One of the main facts that shocked the students was that the US has never acknowledged the genocide that occurred in Turkey.

The Children’s exhibit focused on those children whose lives were cut short by a machete or other forms of murder. Large photographs hung from the ceiling showing a child’s innocent face. Underneath the photo was the child’s name, the age they were when they died and facts such as their favorite activities or best friend.

One little boy’s last words were not to worry because the UN soldiers would save them.

After encountering this mass of information on the loss of lives, students gathered outside to reflect and recover. There we were able to hear a student from the UK speak to us who works for the Aegis Trust. He told us how we could help to end genocide and bring attention to the events that are occurring currently – such as in Darfur.

Tonight the G.M. and Y.S. teams had church at the home church of Zachary where they sang “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” in inkinyarwanda.

The S.W. and Religion team had dinner with the Baylor alum who works for the microfinance bank that they visited last week.

Tomorrow we leave the city of Kigali for rest and relaxation at Lake Kivu.

Healing Hands.

Today the G.M. and Y.S. teams did vacation bible school once again with the church that they were at yesterday. They made crafts with the kids and a game of duck, duck, goose also occurred. In the afternoon they made a trip to the market for a little bit of shopping.

This morning the S.W. and Religion teams headed to the small town of Rwinkwavu, which is about two hours outside of Kigali, to head to the Partners in Health clinic.

The hospital is located on a hill, overlooking a valley. Not the kind of place you would mind

being sick at with its lush vegetation, shady green corners and a great view. But though this place may look like a location for a resort, instead this place is saving lives of those who wouldn't normally be able to afford healthcare.

Partners in Health was started by Paul Farmer in Haiti in 1987. In 2005, he opened up a clinic in Rwanda.

Rwinkwavu is one of the hottest locations in Rwanda due to its location so close to the equator. Because of this, the clinic mainly deals with malnutrition and malaria cases.

The hospital also does HIV and tuberculous testing. These tests have saved numerous lives such as the life of Jenny, a little girl who came to the hospital for malnutrition but after discovering she has HIV and TB, they also tested her entire family with the same results. Now she is a healthy little girl who spends a large amount of time hanging out at the hospital.

Community health workers are individuals in the community who help to make sure that the locals are taking their medication, living the healthy lifestyle that ensures recuperation, and also administers drugs to those who need them and have been released. This is the best way to make sure that medication is taken so that the person will become better.

The biggest issue at the hospital is food. Food is not usually given to patients at the hospitals in Rwanda, but since malnutrition is such a problem in this area, the hospital felt that it must feed its patients. And since most of the patients are children, they also must feed the parents who are staying with the children and may send packets of food home to the rest of the household.

They also have a pediatric playroom where children with HIV can come to play and act like normal children. Around of the age of 8, they begin to educate the children on the consequences of having HIV and trying to live a normal life.

In the afternoon, the S.W. team headed to the market and the Religion team had a longer discussion with the organization they had met at the church on Sunday, the Abahetsi group.

The group buys food, materials such as kitchenware and housewares, and clothes for the poorest members. They also give Christian counseling to those with HIV and help to spread HIV awareness.

They were making bricks until they were shut down by the government for not meeting the correct codes. The Religion team hopes to find someone who can teach them the correct method and they also want to find churches in the States to help fund the products they need for production of the bricks.

On a Thousandth Hill.

Today the G.M. and Y.S. teams led a vacation bible school for about 15 children. This afternoon they visited an organization that works with orphans.

For the S.W. and Religion teams - a six hour drive would take us to our destination.

A city on a hill.

 

Right across the border from Tanzania is a small village that would go unnoticed by the usual tourist except for an event that occurred there during the 1994 genocide.

The six hour drive was filled with story telling, occasional sing-along to acapella versions of "Hey, Jude" or any song from "White Christmas." There was waving that occurred to the school children who yelled gleefully the inkinyarwandan word for white person whenever they caught a glimpse of our bus. 

Slowly but surely, with several stops to ask for directions, we reached our destination. We passed home after home, village after village, until all we were on was a red dirt road only fit

 for one vehicle. We saw exactly two trucks and one motorcycle on that dirt road. Beyond that, we were as far away from our homes in America as seemed possible.

The closer we got to our destination, the quieter we became.

Until finally we glimpsed the red brick Catholic church and a large sign saying, "Nyarubuye Genocide Memorial Site." Underneath was a

 simple statement, "In April 1994, 26,000 people were killed at this place."

Silence. Complete and utter silence.

We filed out of the van. Some of us going straight into the church, others of us taking our time to enter. 

26,000 people killed. At this one location. In the middle of nowhere by American terms. 26,000 people. That number is larger than my hometown's population. I tried to imagine the residents of my hometown strewn across the steps of the church, inside the church on it's altar, the pews. I wondered if anyone had attempted to seek shelter inside the confessionals covered by a simple purple sheet. Or if they knew their time was coming and took it bravely.

There is an image of God reaching down to heaven on one of the walls. The majority of the picture is missing, all you can see is God's hands and his ever flowing white beard and I have to ask, "Where were you God? Did you cry and scream as they cried and screamed?"

We visited the mass grave sites located in the garden in front of the church. Bouquets of flowers decorated the concrete slabs. Names of the families were etched into the concrete walls.

Then it was time for the tour.

We were taken into the area that was once a nunnery and is now a mausoleum in remembrance of the massacre. 

Once you walk into the buildings, you are greeted by a coolness that can only come from an escape from the African sun into an open hall of whitewashed walls.

Then you notice the pile of shoes and clothes on your right.

These shoes belong to the victims.

To those 26,000 who died in that one day. 

Those 26,000 who were killed by their neighbors.

I see children's shoes, mother's shoes, grandfather's shoes- shoes I would have worn. That my family might have worn.

Then on my left is a little alcove. 

In this alcove are bags. 

Immediately I dismiss them as storage. Perhaps some food. This isn't uncommon for items to be stored in these plastic bags that look like potato sacks. 

One of the sacks is open and inside I see a human skull sitting on top of what looks like remains. Remains of teeth and the pieces of a human that are too small to be in anything but a bag. I've found a family. One entire family in a bag big enough for potatoes. The  guide tells us

 that these remains weren't found until last year. This occurs still - finding bodies. The killers flushed several of the remains down the toilets which made them difficult to find.

In one bag is an entire family. A family of 12. 

These remains are to be buried in June.

Several of the remains are buried.

The remains of the people who were hacked up by the machete, a weapon that the guide calls "messy." 

When you go around the corner past the shoes and the clothes, a long line of tables greets your eyes. They look like movie props from perhaps a famous pirate movie. Or even halloween decorations.

But instead, they are the remains of those who died.

And at first I only see skulls. I only see bones.

I see the legs, the arms, the pelvic.

Then I think of the little children I had played with the day before.

I think of the women with their babies strapped to their back who wave cheerfully as we drive by. The old woman who shook my hand in greeting as we stopped to ask directions.

And now, they have faces, those bones.

And I see where they're cracked in certain areas. A face smashed in on one side, half a jaw hanging off. And I can imagine it. 

But I can't cry.
The guide shows us a wooden object that looks like a makeshift wooden boat. He says that they use it for making beer. This is the container that the Hutus would slice off the head of the Tutsis. They wanted to compare blood - not believing it was possible for them to have the same color blood as each other.

Complete and utter silence.

We file back into the van. 

Some are crying, others in shock.

The ride back takes three hours.

We are silent for at least two of these hours- almost as if we are having our own memorial service in our little bus.

On the ride down, one of the S.W. girls passed around her iPod for us to listen to this song called "Albertine" by Brooke Fraser.

One of the lines stuck with me - even before we entered that church. But just as we drove past those banana fields, the families, the children waving, the crowds at the local markets:

Now that I have seen, I am responsible

On the drive back, we began to realize that we were covered in dust. The red dirt road that took us to the church had entered our lungs, filled our fingernails and left a thin veil on our clothing. And the song continues:

And I am on a plane

Across a distant sea

But I carry you in me

And in the dust on, the dust on, the dust on

The dust on my feet

Rwanda

We will always carry this with us.

Sunday Services Bring Singing.

Sorry for the missed blog on Sunday, 5/25.

Due to internet difficulties we weren't able to publish one. But here is the recap of the day:

Today the groups split up again to head to different churches for Sunday morning service.

The S.W. team headed to a church where the pastor works on reconciliation after the genocide – his entire family, siblings and parents, were killed in the genocide. He said that during the genocide he resided in Uganda, but he returned to Rwanda afterwards. He felt led to work in the prisons as a chaplain, even though it was difficult to work with the people who had killed his family.

The Y.S. and G.M. teams headed to a church in one of the nearby villages. There they sang for a crowd of 900 people then they did Sunday school with about 300 children. 

Tommy and Paul were even able to get in a game of football in the rain with the children.

The Religion team headed to the local church of Phoebe, our guide.

Several different choirs treated us to performances before we headed off to teach children’s church. 

Nick taught a lesson on David and Goliath complete with hand gestures and then we met a group from a bible society that had

 provided the children with their material for children’s church.

After church, we were able to spend time with the pastor and discovered that his seven children and wife had been killed in the genocide, and that people in his own church had tried to have him killed as well. Every year he holds a memorial service for them though he has no hope of ever finding their bodies since their killers threw them into the river. He has since been married but hasn’t been able to have a child yet with his current wife though they pray daily for one.

We also were able to meet a group that helps the local poor. They have built homes and also provide food and services to those who are in the hospital. Everything that they do comes from their own pockets – they pay dues every month to help continue their giving.

Tonight the G.M. and Religion teams were treated to a special treat by Phoebe’s friend, Jean Paul Samputu. Jean Paul is a traditional African musician who has won several awards worldwide. He also has local children perform with him who he has taken off the street and taught how to dance traditional African dances. They also taught us a few of their moves and we had a great time dancing along to the music. The organization is called Mizero - Children of Rwanda. 

A Little Culture Goes A Long Way.

Today was a day unlike any other day.

Today the all the teams became one and traveled to the great city of Nyanza to visit the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda. What we did not realize was what a great honor we were about to receive.

We attended the actual opening of the Museum of Rwandan Ancient History and were in the presence of dignitaries from the

 Rwandan government along with our own American ambassador. 

We were treated to a

 performance by cultural dancers that showed off their talents and artistic tastes. It was a once in a lifetime show that took all of our breaths away. Pictures weren't the only thing that was gained by the students during the show, sunburns also were acquired by a few.

After the show, drinks were offered to all of the guests and Jon Singletary, one of the leaders of the S.W. team, was able to speak to the American ambassador. 

A tour of the museum was offered for free for those who were guests for the opening. The museum is actually a palace that was once the residence of King Mutara III Rudahigwa. We were able to walk through the renovated rooms of the great king while learning more about the ancient history of Rwanda. On the grounds are also reconstruction of Rwandan traditional huts. 

We also encountered some local children who joined us for a few games and photo shoots.

After such an eventful day, we stopped for lunch in one of the neighboring towns and then headed back to our home base of Kigali for the night.

Day Three Brings Rain.

Today the Religion team traveled out of Kigali to the second largest city in Rwanda - Butare. They took this five hour long trip (round trip) to visit a local seminary. This is the only school that is located in Rwanda that trains students to become pastors. 

This was a great trip for the group whose entire purpose for this trip is to learn more about the global church's reply to the 1994 genocide. They were presented with a short speech concerning the steps that the church took after the genocide - such as public apologies for their actions during it. It was great to meet students who were studying the same things and to see the beautiful campus and facilities.

They also got to visit the university that Phoebe graduated from - The National University of Rwanda where she studied economics. This is the largest university in Rwanda and currently has about 9,000 students. They also got to meet the vice-rector of the university who is a childhood friend of Phoebe's.

The Social Work team visited an organization

 that is dedicated to working with kids who live on the street. They also visited with the Rwandan Women's Network. 

The G.M. and Y.S. teams visited an AIDS hospital in the afternoon and then had dinner at the house of their guide, Zachary.

We also experienced our first day of intense rain. It was about time that we saw the famous tropical downpour. 

Tomorrow all the groups will be together to attend a culture show at a castle that used to be for the king and is now an art institute. 

Umunsi Waka Biri (The Second Day).

Today the Social Work team visited the Urwego Microfinance Bank where a Baylor alum has made it possible for people who wouldn't normally be able to be a part of a bank, able to open their own bank accounts.

The General Ministry, Youth Sports and Religion teams visited a local school where one of our guides, Zachary, is a teacher. At this school they take old parts from dvd players, TVs, and computers and learn how to put them back together and to repair them. Zachary began by showing us the math skills he has taught his students - none of our students were able to solve the math problems on the chalkboard without help from everyone else, but one of his students was able to solve it in less than two minutes. Amazing.

It was great to meet the students who are so glad to be able to learn, who are so smart and hard-working. We hope to find a computer company, such as Dell, when we return to the States that will donate computers to them. We brought a computer that was donated from Baylor to give to Zachary so that he could teach his students html, web site design, etc. We also hope to be able to donate old textbooks to the school since the math book Zachary was teaching out of was from 1986 - which means the book is older than a number of our team members.

In the afternoon, the Social Work and Religion teams reunited to attend a conference that is being held in Rwanda that focuses on reconciliation - ever since the 1994 genocide reconciliation has been a major focus of Rwanda. They don't even discuss being Tutsi or Hutu anymore, but instead like to consider themselves Rwandans. One of the speakers is actually a pastor in Kenya and several of the members of the two teams knew him (Ben C. even spent a couple of months living with him in Kenya).

The General Ministry and Youth Sports teams did what they do best - got out their giveaway t-shirts and their basketballs, footballs, frisbees and volleyballs and headed to one of the poorer neighborhoods of Kigali. 

It was an eye-opening and amazing experience for every member involved. We were able to play with children ranging from just-learning-to-walk to about 20 years of age. We taught them how to play American football (Paul showed his amazing Joe Montana stance) and set up a game of volleyball. 

There were several students we were able

to meet that spoke english - one boy about the age of 13 told us how he wanted to be an engineer and go to college in America. Another was currently attending the university in Kigali and studying as an electrician. After a few hours of visiting and playing we were sad to go but left the behind all the balls for the children.

The G.M. and Y.S. teams then headed to a local church that they had visited last night - this time they were bearing t-shirts and drinks for some of the members. We were able to fellowship with a few of the members  and even taught them how to sing "Lord I Lift Your Name on High" in english while they returned the favor and taught us in inkinyarwanda. We hope to do a duet of languages on Sunday during service.

Our time here has been amazing so far - we've met some wonderful people that we'll never forget, we've seen the beautiful faces of Rwandan children and we've heard stories that will change our lives forever. And we've only been here for three whole days. 

We've arrived!

After four plane rides, three days of traveling, a brief trip into London, and catching a few cat naps here and there - we're finally in Kigali.

Our first day (Tuesday) in this beautiful land of a thousand hills began by meeting our gracious host, Phoebe. Phoebe is a native Rwandan who attended Baylor for her Masters degree. She has been a great connection for us and has taken care of our every need.

After settling down in the Hotel des Mille Collines, we spent the rest of the day relaxing and overcoming jet lag.  The hotel is famous for being the setting of the movie "Hotel Rwanda" which tells the story of the manager of the hotel during the 1994 genocide who saved a thousand Tutsi refugees during the 100 days of genocide. 

We were only going to stay here for a night, but have decided that this will be our home for the next seven days. We're very excited about this change of events since it is a beautiful location and the staff has been very accommodating. Of course, we're very spoiled with our amazing breakfast on the 4th floor with a view of the city that will take your breath away. Not a bad thing to wake up for in the morning.

Today (Wednesday) was our first full day in Kigali.

This morning we took a tour of the city - our four groups of students fitting into three buses to drive through the streets. Every few minutes you catch a glimpse of the valley in the middle of the city that is filled with houses with a backdrop of mountains.

We then took a detour to the local "mall" where the leaders exchanged our money into Rwandan francs while the students did a bit of window shopping and grabbed a cup of coffee.

Then it was time to head to the local university which is 

located on top of one of the many hills in the city. Phoebe (our host) once taught business english at this school so we were able to meet some of the students.

We attended their daily chapel service where we were treated to praise and worship by a choir. Then two of members of the Religion team, Ben and Morgan, shared about the resurrection of Jesus with the group.

 

After the service, the Social Work team headed to the Benishyaka Association. Benishyaka is an organization that was first founded to help orphans and women after the 1994 genocide but now focuses on HIV/AIDS education and helping those who are infected. 

They also teach skills to students such as sewing and tailoring. We were able to sponsor one of the orphans for a year so that they would be able to go to school and have the required uniform. This cost us 90,000 Rwandan francs, which is about $180. Not bad for helping a child go to school for an entire year. 

Tonight the Sports Team will be playing with local Rwandan youth, the Religion and Social Work teams will be visiting a local church, and the General Ministry team is going to be speaking to about 60 students. 

More to come about our experiences and how God is working in this amazing land.