Betsy Walker

Beautiful

2011-11-16T11:48:00.022+02:00

Tom Allen, B2R Country Director, once said, "The village is as poor as it is beautiful." It's difficult to understand this statement without seeing the village with your own eyes. Until you have the chance to visit Rwanda, let me try to paint a mental picture for you:

To get to the village, you leave Musanze and drive about 20 minutes. You turn right onto a dirt road. You follow the dirt road for about 15 minutes as children run behind your car screaming, "Mzungu, mzungu!"

Our part of the village is at the very top of the road, near Mwiko Primary School. As soon as you reach a certain part of the road you don't hear "Mzungu, mzungu" anymore you hear, "Betsy! Betsy!" That's when you know you have reached the village. You are not some foreigner in this remote area in the middle of Africa. You are a friend, a loved one, a family member.

The view in the village is breathtaking. I can't put words to it and pictures really do not do it the justice it deserves. Imagine the most beautiful mountain top you have been on. Look down the mountain and you will see women in their brightly colored kangas working in their crops of beans, bananas, or potatoes. The land is blanketed with patches of various shades of green. During the rainy season, it is like a patchwork quilt God has placed to cover His land.

The next thing that catches your eye is Lake Burera. The lake is large and hosts three islands, one of which I have visited. The view is remarkable. You look straight ahead and see mountains continuing as far as you can see.

The houses are made of clay, wood and dirt. The water in the village is not clean. The village just got electricity about a year ago but that doesn't mean they all use it. Our friends who live in the village will eat meat maybe once a year. They will walk everywhere they need to go.

The beauty doesn't just lie in the landscape. The first smiling face you see catches your heart and doesn't let go. The child is most likely wearing his or her school uniform. It might be only one of two outfits they own. Their shoes will will be old and worn out from all the walking they do.

Everything about the kids might seem dirty on the outside, but on the inside these children are white as snow. Their hearts are kind and pure. They lead a simple life and dream of doing great things. Education is their top priority. They put their faith in God and read their Bible every day.

As word spreads that you are visiting, more familiar, smiling faces begin to arrive. The first face I look for is Didier. He is 7 years old and goes to Sonrise Primary School. He is sponsored by my family and was in my P1 class last year. When he sees me, his face lights up almost as much as mine does.

Two weeks ago was my last visit to Musanze and the village (for a while...I'll be back!!!) I pulled Didier to the side and told him how proud I am of him. He showed me his report card from school-he had great marks!

I explained that I am about to move back to America to go back to school. I gave him a small gold coin with an angel on it and told him that even though I won't be in Rwanda, I will be his angel and always pray for him.

I told him to continue to do very good in school and to pray every day. I gave him a big hug and I felt tear drops on my arm. Sweet Didier was crying. His older brother told me that "he has produced tears because you are leaving." My heart was hurting.

I gave one last hug to Didier and the rest of the kids before I had to leave. With a heavy heart, I drove down the mountain and away from beauty that is much more important on the inside than it is on the outside. I glanced back once more and I thought to myself, "This isn't goodbye. I'll be back."

"There are no goodbyes, wherever you'll be, you'll be in my heart." -Ghandi

Home of Hope

2011-11-05T13:49:00.021+02:00

Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work. -Mother Teresa

I was recently asked the question: if I could have dinner with any three people, who would they be? The first woman who came to mind was Mother Teresa. It was obvious. She has always been such a fascinating person to me. That response holds much more meaning after my morning at Mother Teresa's Home of Hope Orphanage in Kigali.

I first heard about Home of Hope when I met Gloria, a five year old girl in my P1 class at Sonrise. Gloria spent the first four years of her life in Home of Hope being cared for by nuns-the only family she knew. Shortly after her birth, she lost her parents to HIV. Gloria is also infected. Two years ago, she was taken in by her brother, a friend of ours, who had just found out about his little sister. God has brought this little girl the family she never expected.

My amazing friends, Brett and Keli Shreck, adopted their two boys from Home of Hope. The boys are Nicholas and Benjamin and I have to say, I just adore these kids! When they were adopted, Nicholas was 5 months and Benjamin was 17 months. Now, Nicholas is 4 years old and Benjamin is 5 years old. Today, Keli and I were wondering if Gloria and Benjamin may have been there at the same time as babies. Check out their blog: http://immeasurablymoreinrwanda.blogspot.com/

Keli and Jamie, my roommate, go every Wednesday morning to love on the sweet little angels at Home of Hope. They usually work with the children in the special needs area. I have heard so many beautiful stories from Jamie about these precious kiddos. I was so excited to meet them for myself!

As I walked in the orphanage I noticed that a few of the "aunties" were outside cleaning about two dozen baby cribs. A few kids were helping out with the cleaning while enjoying the sunshine. We went into the special needs room and my heart was immediately filled with passion and love. There were about a dozen children under the age of 8 and soon more, older kids joined us outside. I met a sweet new friend who could not talk or walk: his feet and hands were clubbed. I picked him up and held his hands as he walked around the room. He was beaming with joy and pride! We took the kids outside and played with some bouncy balls and on a merry-go-round piece of equipment. They had a blast while we pushed them around and around for about 30 minutes. We clapped and sang a lot songs: If You're Happy and You Know It, Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, and Imana Nziza. One boy who was about 12 years old kept singing Jesus Loves Me and I couldn't help but smile at the words coming out of his sweet mouth. Right before we left, I took a little boy who was sitting in the wheelchair outside and wheeled him around. His name was Dameon and he was smiling and so happy as we walked along the sidewalk. I fed him a few bites of a biscuit before it was time to leave. As we were leaving, I was talking to one of the nuns. I asked her if there is a special needs school in Rwanda. There is a school for the deaf and a school for the blind but not one specifically for special needs. She said some brothers who come and work the children three times a week have been thinking about starting a school for special needs in Rwanda. It is needed.

This afternoon I have been thinking a lot about those kids. My mind kept going back to high school when I was involved in Partners Club, an organization that worked with special needs kids in the Fort Smith area. Dianne Baer, former special ed teacher, was there in the beginning when God planted the seed to help children. I have learned so much about loving individuals as they are and that every child, young or old, deserves to be loved.

Each one of them is Jesus in disguise. -Mother Teresa

Kids, Caves, Dancers and.....GORILLAS!

2011-11-01T22:21:00.010+02:00

It's been a few weeks since I have updated, sorry! Here are some shots of some sweet kids at Gisimba Orphanage, my school, our girls weekend in Musanze and THE GORILLAS!!!!

Milk carton car with bottle cap wheels...so clever.

Hopscotch in the dirt at Gisimba Orphanage and Nursery School.

My new best friend learning to drive my car. Love this kid!

My kids made me this one day when I wasn't at school. I'm going to miss my First Impressions little ones so much!

New student, Mark! He did great reading to the kids and walking in a line.

Rwandan dancers at Virunga Lodge

Anna, Hadley, Emily, Frances and I went through the Musanze caves. Totally dark and lots of bat poo!

One of my favs-Lake Ruhondo

And.....THE GORILLAS!

Emily and I went together to see the gorillas on Sunday October 16. We got to the park office at 7:00 am and were appointed to a group with a guide named Felecia. Then we had to drive 30 more minutes to the base of Mt. Bisoke. We parked in a village area and hired porters to carry our backpacks for 5,000 francs (about ten dollars). Our guide handed out our walking sticks and we started climbing up the mountain. We followed a path to get us to the park entrance then our guide told us that the trackers said that the gorillas we were trekking were coming down to meet us! About ten minutes before we got to the gorillas, we left our backpacks, water and everything with the porters and started the hike to see the gorillas. We spotted the Silverback first climbing on the park wall. We followed him over the wall and found the rest of the group. Our guide taught us how to welcome them in gorilla talk so of course Emily and I are now experts at communicating with gorillas! The guide and trackers tell you that you have to be 7 meters away from the gorillas but at one point I was about 3 feet away. The gorillas had just eaten their breakfast and were taking a mid morning rest. We got to spend exactly one hour with them before we headed back down the mountain.

Seeing the gorillas in their natural habitat was so breathtaking. It's certainly an experience I will never forget!

Make your own colored pasta!

2011-09-05T21:14:00.010+02:00

And that's exactly what we did today! I found this idea on Pinterest and it was a perfect way to transition into our new sensory tub. Every child got one zip lock bag and I added some dry pasta, a few squirts of hand sanitizer with alcohol and the food coloring of their choice. Then we shook it all up and squished it all around! Once the noodles were colored, we let them dry in the sun. We added them to our sensory tub and each child got to take some of their colored pasta home.

Magic Wands

2011-09-03T12:03:00.009+02:00

I have a class full of little girls who love to pretend they are princesses! I read Cinderella every day for a week and I think I can recite the entire book by memory now. I got the idea to make magic wands one day when we were outside reading Cinderella. When I read about the Fairy Godmother, I picked up a stick to use as the magic wand. The girls went crazy! They loved it. Last week we made our very own magic wands. Even the two boys in the class loved it (but they quickly turned theirs into swords)! We went outside and picked up sticks off the ground, painted them, added glitter and wrapped pipe cleaner around them. It was a hit!

Our new school sign!

Week 2 of the new year

2011-08-22T20:03:00.004+02:00

First day of Interactive Writing.

Behavior apples and worms.

Isaac!

Keza at the block center.

Sensory tub. Using clothespins to pick up puffy balls and organize them by color.

Painting

Back to school!

2011-08-16T15:39:00.010+02:00

Welcome to First Impressions!

Awesome tree made from fabric and little birds Jamie left in Rwanda.

Zebra painting made from elephant poop.

Parents board.

Reading tent in the 3 year old class.

Fabric scraps!

The book nook!

Yesterday was the first day of school. Onawa and I spent hours upon hours over the weekend fixing up the school. We organized, decorated and crafted like crazy! We are so proud of our work and parents and kids certainly noticed today. It's amazing what you can do with African fabric, a hammer and nails, glue and cardboard boxes! We are so excited for this new year and we have tons of sweet new students starting at the Preschool.

Just another day

2011-06-30T22:04:00.007+02:00

When I first moved over here to teach I tried to google, "How to teach in Africa". haha I wanted ideas and ways to be creative with little to no materials. Well, I've made it over that hump and now I'm turning into a creative machine (thanks to Onawa Linden, Jamie Ankenbrandt, Pinterest, The Crafty Crow and many other great websites)!!! I have used a lot of my own "Western" classroom ideas and made them amazing works of art in the middle of Africa.

I am going to try to post a lot of pictures of what we are doing at school. I figure it will be great for future teachers in developing countries as well as teachers in American who are on a budget!

I will, of course, throw in some pictures of the cute kiddos I work with! I sure can't leave them out. =)

Daniella came to school with a teddy bear tied on her back!

Our school of fish-paper, scissors and crayons!

Hannah playing at the Pattern Center-pocket chart from America and anything can be used to make patterns.

Countdown to the last day of school-paper, crayons.

Sink of Float?

What sinks and what floats? We used a leaf, foam letter, bead, rock, foam dice, sticker, crayon, and paper clip

Field Trip!

2011-06-17T16:52:00.008+02:00

Field Trip to Kigali Museum of Natural History

A Walk in the Neighborhood

2011-05-15T14:57:00.006+02:00

Wednesday evening I went on a walk through our neighborhood. Here are some of the things I saw:

Home, sweet home!

Teaching Pre School in Africa

2011-05-03T16:38:00.008+02:00

I accepted a job two months ago in Kigali as the Supervisor/Pre K teachers at First Impressions Day Care.

There are about 30 children at First Impressions and I have ten in my class. The children are from all over the world: Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Eritrea, Libya, Burundi, Holland, Bolivia, America, Korea and India.

My sweet class

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree

Rainy Season bulleton board (there are only two seasons: rainy and dry)

Reading Center

Word Wall

Class names and star student

Rice Sensory Tub
Chicka Chicka Coconut Trees

Calendar and behavior chart

It's amazing what you can do with paper, scissors and crayons!

Smile!

2011-04-04T15:51:00.009+02:00

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. ~Mother Teresa

JanViere is our house girl in Musanze. I have never met anyone who loves Jesus as much as JanViere. Her love for the Lord and for others just explodes from her body and soul. JanViere always has a smile on her face and everyone who meets her immediately loves her.

JanViere is married to a wonderful man, Dameon. They have adopted two children who were both double orphans(they have lost both mother and father): Alice, age 19 and Olivier, age 7. JanViere once told me that "it is her duty and the duty of Rwandan's to take in those children with no parents." Alice is a relative of hers and she found Olivier sleeping outside the market. She woke him up and asked him if he had a family...he said no. JanViere invited him to be part of her family. She says that "Jesus took her right to where Olivier was sleeping."

Since my return in January, JanViere has been complaining that her tooth was "sick". It was her front two teeth that were bothering her. One of the teeth was discolored. She was not able to drink or eat many foods because the pain was too much to handle. A few weeks ago, she came to Kigali to see a dentist. He told her that she would need a root canal and cavities filled.

We got her back to Kigali this morning to have the root canal. With her rosary around her neck, she sat down in the chair saying, "Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming!" The root canal was very successful but she also ended up needing two acrylic crowns put on the front two teeth. She sat in that chair like a champ for over two hours! I felt like a mom as I sat in the corner, reading my book and checking on the brave patient.

When everything was finished she looked at her new smile in the mirror and jumped out of the chair yelling, "Thank you! Thank you!" She was the happiest girl in the world with the brightest smile in all of Rwanda!

Thanks to Kat for snapping these photos.

Sweet Diane

2011-03-06T16:25:00.007+02:00

About 7 weeks ago, I went to visit Diane in her home. Diane is a P1 student at Sonrise. As we were eating lunch (cooked potatoes, some kind of meat, green peas and a fanta) her mother and father were telling me why she has not been at school: over the Holidays, Diane became very ill and her parents had to spend a lot of money on her medical bills. This meant they couldn't afford to send her to Sonrise. As I was hearing this, my heart sank and I knew something had to be done to get this little girl back to her home away from home. I emailed some friends of mine in Fort Smith who immediately expressed interest in wanting to help. It costs $1200 to send a student to Sonrise for one year and within 7 days we had the money and Diane started school 3 days after that.

Yesterday was Visiting Day at Sonrise. This happens 3 times a year and parents, relatives and friends come to campus to visit their children. As I walked into Primary, I saw a sea of faces hoping their parents have come to visit. For some this is a joyous day. For others, this is a very sad day. I noticed Diane among the sea of children with a sad expression on her face. I immediately got on my knees and wrapped my arms around her asking why she was so sad.

I gave her a big bear hug and she buried her face onto my shoulder. I didn't know if her parents would be able to make the journey to Sonrise so I told her I was her visitor. I made funny faces and kissed her cheek and this got a smile out of her.

I took her by the hand and we walked together to greet the other children and families we were there to visit.

A few hours after I had left Visiting Day, I received a call from Diane's teacher, Christine. Christine was asking where I was because Diane's parents were at Visiting Day wanting to greet me. I wasn't able to see them yesterday but I have a feeling that their excitement and love could have been felt all the way to Arkansas!

Didier, Diane and I: All Arkansans at heart!

This post is dedicated to the amazing individuals who sponsor Diane's education at Sonrise. I pray that one day you get the chance to meet this sweet, precious girl.

On behalf of Diane and her family, thank you to: Rick and Jan Beauchamp, Martha and Vent Murphy, Hector and Kathreen Mendoza, Steve and Kyle Creekmore, Bob and Jan Cooper, Mike and Donna Stec, Kelsey and Chris Rogers, Linda and Henry Udouj, Candy and Neil Crow, Charlotte and Dudley Flanders, Carolyn and Breck Speed, Bob Cooper Jr., and Ricky Beauchamp.

Red and yellow, black and white...

2011-02-16T14:07:00.004+02:00

...we are precious in His sight.

I have been in Africa long enough to completely forget that my skin is white. The other day I was eating lunch with all my co-workers. They are all Rwandan or Ugandan. I was the only white girl in the room! It’s such an awesome feeling (especially coming from a country where the color of ones skin has played a major part in our history). We are not “American” or “Rwandan”. We are human…God’s children. We have only one creative creator.

A few days later, I was playing with some P1 and P2 students after lunch. Some of the new students have never had the chance to hang all over a white person. Well, I gave them that chance! I felt someone touching my foot and I looked down and a little girl was feeling the vein in my foot. My vein appears greenish-blue against my very white skin. Their veins are not visible against their dark skin. They love rubbing my arm and feeling my arm hair…they don’t have much arm hair and you certainly can’t see it! I showed them how I can push on my arm and a red spot briefly appears before vanishing. They thought it was magic. Some tried it on their arms with no success. Their black skin does not show the red marks like mine does.

They LOVE touching my hair. It’s like I’m a rare unicorn when I let them touch my hair. I started flipping my head over and let my hair fall over their heads and they screamed in excitement. I would spin around as they watched the yellow blur fly past them. I haven’t heard so many giggles in a long time! I had to condition my locks two times after that day!

My favorite white girl in Africa story includes Diane. One day she was holding my hand and started smelling my fingers, then smelling her fingers. It was precious. I knew exactly what she was doing: smelling to see if my skin smelled like hers. The mind of a 5 year old…amazing!

I really can’t put into words how awesome my life is.

“Our true nationality is mankind.” –H.G. Wells

Didier's First Day of School

2011-01-31T17:21:00.008+02:00

Today was Didiers first day at Sonrise Primary. Yesterday afternoon, Tom, Christian, Joris, Jamie and I went to the village to get Didier. When we arrived, he came walking down the dirt road, backpack slung over his shoulders. He had very few school supplies with him. Fortunately, the day before, Joris (B2R intern and Sonrise graduate) and I went to the Musanze Market to get the school supplies we knew Didier would need. These supplies included vaseline, toothbrush, toothpaste, towels, bedding, a blanket, shoes, soap and a bucket to bathe with. He was ready to go! Didier was so excited and eager to get in the car that he could hardly stand it!

Christian helping Didier.

We stopped at our house to pick up his school supplies. Didier enjoyed a Fanta Citron on the front porch while Tom gave the new students a pep talk on starting a new year at school. Didier asked us what the big black box was in the corner of the room. We realized that this was his first time to see a television! I immediately turned on the t.v. and popped in a Leap Frog Learning DVD. He didn't quite know what to think by the colors and sounds.

First t.v. ever!

When we reached Sonrise, we gathered Didier's items and carried them into the boys dorm. We were greeted by Didier's two older brothers: John Lambert and John Claude. They were so happy to be reunited with one another.

In the car heading to school

Today I was thinking that seeing the t.v. may not have only been Didier's first time to experience something new. Last night, he most likely slept in a bed for the first time, covered with the warmth of his very own sheets and blankets. He woke up this morning and put on clean clothes and ate a breakfast of rolls and porridge. He attended class with a new notebook and pen. He met new friends that he will keep throughout his time at Sonrise. He will get three meals a day and meat once a week (most Rwandan's get meat once a year).

I am honored and blessed that because of my parents, this child will get the education to change this country. Didier will have one of the top educations in Rwanda. I started thinking: I wonder what he will grow up and be...maybe a scientist who will find the cure for AIDS or a doctor who will save thousands of lives...the possibilities are now endless thanks to the education he will receive at Sonrise. But for now, he just gets to be a 6 year old little boy.

Photos courtesy of Jamie Ankenbrandt.

One Week Back

2011-01-25T17:15:00.004+02:00

I arrived in Rwanda last Monday night after spending 5 days in London with my mom. I looked at The University of London's Institute of Education masters program for Education, Gender and International Development. Loved it! I met with the Senior Lecturer for the program and the guy who helps all the international students.

Photo by Lynn Walker

Rwanda is so lush and green as this rainy season comes to an end. The drive from Kigali to Musanze is as pretty as ever. I started work at Sonrise last Wednesday. Until I get my teaching assignment from the new headmistress, who is from Australia, I offered to start organizing the library. There are so many books in the work room! The Primary administration staff at Sonrise want to eventually see "Library Check-Out" on the students schedule...YAY!!!! So I have spent the past 3 days organizing, shelving and logging the books.

It's so fun to see the new little ones at school. Some of the new P1 students are so little! They are precious and so sweet. Some of them have never been around a "Mzungu" so they hold my hand and touch my hair. I have a new P2 friend, Trengo, who is from Uganda. The first day, he came up to me and said, "Your bodyguard has arrived!" Now, he follows me around telling people he is my bodyguard!

There was one little face I was searching for and I never found her...Diane.

Diane was in P1 last year. Teacher Christine told me last Thursday that Diane became very sick over the holidays. So, on Saturday, Christine and I took a taxi bus to Diane's village to visit her. The drive was about 40 minutes and it cost 500 francs which is $1.00. We sat in their living room and talked with her mother and father. They fed us lunch: meat, potatoes and peas. We learned that they cannot afford to send Diane to Sonrise this year because they spent so much money on her medical bills. When I heard this news, my heart sank. I knew that I had to do something and that I had been brought to visit her for a reason. I am currently in the process of getting Diane a sponsorship for school this year. Since school started 3 weeks ago, I am trying to act fast! She is on the road to recovery and if we get the money we need, she can start school as soon as possible!

Sunday afternoon, Tom, Chris (Sonrise graduate and B2R intern) and I went to the village. I taught some of the kids "Doggie, Doggie, Where's Your Bone?" and "Heads Up 7 Up". It's extremely difficult to explain the rules to a large group of kids who don't speak much English but we managed!

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." -Edward Everett Hale

Photo by Lynn Walker

Books!

2010-12-18T22:48:00.010+02:00

"There are many little ways to enlarge a child's world. Love of books is the best of all."

-Jacqueline Kennedy

I am trying to collect as many books as possible to take to Sonrise. Research shows that books are a vital instrument to a child's development and books are very important to children learning English as a second language. I am very excited and passionate about getting books into children's lives. I am hoping to start a school library at Sonrise Primary so that the students can check out books weekly. I am also wanting to put books in the classrooms and dormitories, both places that students spend almost all of their time.

Fort Smith women have jumped at the chance to help gather books. A few months ago, Kyle Creekmore and Mona Eads collected books at their birthday party instead of gifts. Kyle has about 300 books ready to be shipped to the land of a thousand hills. Last Thursday, Martha Murphy hosted a book party and we collected about 320 books for kids like John Lambert, Gloria, James, Sofie and all my other little ones.

In Tulsa, Kendall-Whittier Elementary collected three boxes of books and puzzles. I'm so fortunate to have their support!

Thanks, mom, for letting me take over your house with books!

Murakoze cyane to everyone who gives love and support to the students at Sonrise. You are a blessing as you help us build the future of Rwanda!

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." -Dr. Seuss

Baby Elizabeth

2010-11-03T19:34:00.007+02:00

In August, Pastor Celestine told me his wife had a baby girl. He asked me what they should name the child. I said, "Elizabeth. That is my name and it is also a strong name from the Bible." His other children are named Sara, Christine, Joseann, Ruth and Christian-all Biblical. His wife's name is Esther, which he gave her when they married.

Two weeks ago, Celestine told me that he and Esther had decided on the name Elizabeth! He also asked me if I would be Elizabeth's Godmother. This afternoon, I was invited to their home to meet Elizabeth and have lunch. As soon as I arrived and greeted the family I held Elizabeth. She has curly dark brown hair and big brown eyes. She is beautiful just like the rest of the family. (The children are all beautiful!!) Esther prepared chips, rice and beans and Joseanne helped serve us. When lunch was over, Esther gave me a gift of a small gorilla. She said for me to share it with my friends and family in America since the gorillas are known in Rwanda.

We went outside and took pictures of the family and some with Elizabeth and I. Next, we all prayed and Sara, Christian and Joseanne prayed in KinyaRwandan. I said a prayer in English and Celestine ended our time together with a final blessing. I am honored and blessed to be a part of Elizabeth's life!

Celestine, Esther and Elizabeth

Sara, Betsy, Esther, Elizabeth, Christian

Ruth, Christine and Joseanne

Mama Esther and both Elizabeth's

The first born, Sara

Ruth, age 3

A day on the water

2010-10-24T09:18:00.022+02:00

Yesterday Tom, Blayne, Ronald, John Baptiste and I headed up to the village. We met at Christophe's house where we began our descent down the steep mountain to get to the shores of Lake Burera.

Our village family!

Bernard in his new pink shirt!

Baby carrying baby.

Walking down the mountain singing, "I am a soldier...because of education!" The kids all helped me because I kept falling. They would say, "Sorry! Sorry!" as I would be laughing at myself.

On the wooden boat about to cross the lake to go to the island.

Christophe and John Baptise on the boat.

A view of the village from the lake.

A woman and her child in their canoe made from a tree.

Muhurabura Volcano

The Island and a rainbow.

Christophe and I on top of the island.

200 people used to live on the island. Now there are 18.

That face holds so many stories.

Arkansas River Valley kids

Family portrait.

Children of the island. The boy in the middle wearing the yellow shirt is in charge of taking the children by boat to school and home every day.

Dreaming about kayaking and camping...

Our trusty boat which we had to scoop the water out of.

The climb back up the mountain to the village. Christophe referred to me as his daughter and helped me up the steep and slippery rocks.

Our friends waiting for us to get back.

Amazi...Maji...Mazzi...Water

2010-10-12T20:18:00.040+02:00

“Water is life, and because we have no water, life is miserable.”

- a voice from Kenya

Today is Blog Action Day 2010 (blogactionday.change.org) and the topic is water. 1 Billion people do not have access to clean drinking water...that is 1 in 8 of us. This can lead to many challenges in a persons every day life. 5 million people die every year from water-related illnesses. There are about 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unsanitary living conditions. 90% of these deaths are to children under 5 years old. These 4,000 water related deaths per day are the biggest killer of young children taking more lives than malaria, HIV/AIDS and measles. At any point, half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by people suffering from a water-based illness.

In Africa, women and children are typically in charge of collecting the water. More than 40 billion hours are spent a year just walking for water. Most of the sources are miles away which prevents the women from holding a job and the children from attending school. To make matters worse, the water that they spend all day collecting will most likely make them sick. Around 1.8 million of the water-related deaths are because of diarrhoea. This lack of water and sanitation causes a parasitic disease called schistosomiasis. This disease is caused by a worm found in irrigation ditches and river/lake water that has been urinated or defecated in. Schistosomiasis causes 280,000 deaths to 88 million children under the age of 15 per year. This causes them to miss school due to illness and a total of 443 million school days each year are missed by children due to diseases. Attending to the family's water needs leaves little time for education which is vital to changing the future of developing countries.

The jerry cans that they carry weigh about 40 pounds. Imagine an 80 pound child carrying 40 pounds of water at least 3 miles per day. I have attempted to help a child carry their water jug and I hate to admit it, but it was extremely heavy and I wasn't able to carry it that far. Imagine again a woman with a child on her back, a 40 pound jerry can of water on her head and bunches of banana's under her arms for hours.

Different organizations are committed to building safe water wells closer to villages. This way, children can pursue their education instead of spending 6 hours en route to the clean well and women have more time to pursue opportunities to improve the quality of life of their family.

"We are also working to empower women around the world, because women who gain access to sanitation, who are freed from the burden of walking for hours each day just to locate and carry water, will find it easier to invest time and energy in their families and communities." U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said last March at the National Geographic Society for World Water Day.

The world's water crisis is something that we can all work together, around the world, to tackle. There is no reason why children are dying each day because they are thirsty or why a woman cannot get a quality education because she spends her whole day walking to and from a water well.

Most of this information was found on the following websites. For more information and ways to help, go to:

www.charitywater.org/whywater

www.endwaterpoverty.org/the_issue

www.stopchildpoverty.org/learn/bigpicture/health/water.php

www.unicef.org/support/index.html

www.blogactionday.change.org

“What if there are children who will suffer somehow because I failed to obey God? What if my cowardice costs even one child somewhere in the world his or her life?”

- Richard Stearns

Sponges

2010-09-15T10:36:00.010+02:00

"Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire." -William Butler Yeats

I am sitting at Sonrise as I write this post. It is a beautiful day with a little chill in the air. I look out and see the great Rwandan hills in the distance. The rainy season has begun so everything is turning green. There is beauty everywhere.

I started teaching English on Monday to P1 students. The kids are ages 5, 6, 7, and 8-all in one class. Instead of their hour rest time they will come to me for English. Since it's the end of the year, none of them sleep anymore (except for the little girl in class yesterday!). I teach P1 A on Monday and Wednesday and P1 B on Tuesday and Thursday. P1 B has the youngest kids in the school who know the least amount of English. Their minds are like sponges. They are so eager to soak up everything I teach. We have been reading a book called, "Handa's Surprise". It is about a little African girl who is taking fruit to her friend and along the way different animals eat the fruit. The kids LOVE it! They love when I read books to them and shout out the animal names with every page. This is something no one does for them. They didn't grow up with a house full of books and there aren't even books in their classroom. I have been handing out books during the 2 hour lunch break and they are read all around the school yard. They soak up every picture, word and letter on every page.

I am also teaching Music and P.E. to P1 and P2. I have no musical background! I am teaching them different types of songs: silly songs, simple songs, songs about Jesus and many others. I can't carry a tune to save my life but for some reason they love when I sing to them. Teaching music is giving me a chance to bring out the creative side of the kids. They don't get much of a chance to use their imagination so I encourage them to draw a picture of whatever they like or get up and dance and go crazy as we listen to music. They really like listening to The Wiggles and Raffi from my laptop. P.E. has been a bit of a challenge. Usually their P.E. class is dividing up girls and boys and playing football (soccer) and that is all. They have a hard time understanding me so explaining games is difficult. I have taught them games such as Chicken, Chicken, Cow (our version of Duck, Duck, Goose) and a ball game named, Flinch. "Doggy Doggy Where's Your Bone" has become an instant favorite!

I have also taught them to walk in a straight line to P.E. by giving themselves a hug and catching a bubble in their mouth. The other teachers look at me in amazement wondering how I got 40 students to walk in a straight line being quiet. It's something that just isn't done here.

Everyday I get loads of hugs from the sweet little kids. They smile when they see me and I smile even bigger when I see them. They know that when they see my red and orange teacher bag that I have something fun inside just for them. These kids are the future of Rwanda. They will be the leaders of these green rolling hills and breathtaking sunsets. I am honored to be their teacher and love watching as they absorb everything I share with them.

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and it's best hope for the future."

-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Make Your Mark

2010-09-05T15:09:00.018+02:00

I finally met Bishop John! I told him how wonderful I thought Sonrise was and how I love everything about it: the teachers, the students, the school...everything! He thanked me and said, "Make your mark here in Rwanda." I have been thinking about these words and how God is using me to make my mark in Rwanda. What is more powerful is that God is using Rwanda to make a mark on me. I have been here one month and my life will never be the same as it was one month ago. Here are some things Rwanda has shown me in the last month:

-The Genocide Memorial in Kigali. It was very heartbreaking and the room dedicated to the children shattered me.

-The Presidential Election. President Paul Kagame was re-elected. That night, we went to the stadium hoping to hear his election speech. I took an ambien by accident before we went and was pretty out of it. We left before he spoke which wasn't until 3:30am.

-Visiting the beautiful children who attend Mwiko school. The village is located on a moun

tain between two lakes...it's breathtaking! We met some amazing children and adults. It's one of my favorite places in Rwanda.

-The first day of a new job. Sonrise is better than what I imagined it being! The teachers are supportive of one another and I have found myself in yet another great family! Every morning I share tea with my friend, Betty. I am currently teaching Religious Education, PE and Music to P1, P2, and P3. Language has been a small issue but I have figured out how to work around it!

-Being the only blonde haired, blue eyed girl almost everywhere I go (unless I'm with Anna!). I am the only "Muzungu" or "foreigner" at Sonrise Primary. Somedays, however, I forget that I'm a little white girl from Arkansas.

-Letting a child use her imagination to draw a picture of whatever she chooses with whatever color of crayon she would like.

-Watching wide-eyed students hold a children's book for the first time and flip the pages while being enamored by the colorful pictures.

-My first church experience at Sonrise Chapel with the students of Primary. It was so sweet and their singing was precious.

-Running on dirt roads through the village. Kids are always on the roads carrying a load of sugarcane or a jerry can of water on their heads. The first day I went running, I looked behind me and there were 4 children running with me. I slowed down and we ran together for about 10 minutes.

-Changing a little boy's bandage on the front porch of our house because he had no one else to do it.

-Moving that same little boy into his new home with his new and loving family!

-Experiencing the beauty in a sunset and really appreciating every day.

I have a blessed life. God is doing great things in Rwanda!

Nitwa MuToni Uwase.

2010-08-23T18:12:00.011+02:00

Walking up the hill to Sonrise this morning, I heard the beautiful sound of little voices singing. They were singing the Rwandan National Anthem and their voices were so sweet. I couldn’t help but smile. I took my camera to school today so below are some of the events of the day.

Brown bear, Brown bear

Looking at books

Break time

Gloria and I

One of my little P1 girls, Benneta

My new co workers Pennine and Grace

John Lambert!

Benneta and I.

Washing the students clothes

Vincent, the gate keeper

The computer lab-they were writing about their holiday.

B2R mousepads

Sonrise Primary Chapel

The Spiritual Committee with Pastor Celestine

Primary kids filling the chapel

I am so blessed to be working at Sonrise. I forget that I am the only white face among a sea of Rwandan children and teachers! They have taken me in as if I was born and raised here. My KinyaRwandan is coming along “bohoro bohoro” which means “slowly by slowly”. Every morning I greet the matrons including my new Rwandan momma, Betty. I have tea or a banana with them and I learn some new phrases. They have named me MuToni Uwase which is my KinyaRwandan name. From what I understood, it means the girl with the Father in her heart.

The Village

2010-08-12T10:09:00.006+02:00

Yesterday and today we went to the Village near Virunga lodge. We played with the village kids at Mwiko school. Here are some pictures to recap the days events.

Showing off her painting.

Jenna...LOVE HER!

John Lambert and I.

Suzie and I with John Lambert, John Gaspar, James and some other kids.

It's good to be home

2010-08-09T17:58:00.005+02:00

Yesterday afternoon, we went to the Genocide Memorial in Kigali. It was heartbreaking. There was an entire room dedicated to the children who were killed during the genocide. As you walk through, you see pictures of the children and can read about who they were. Some things mentioned about different children were: their name, age, favorite food, personality type and behavior, favorite thing to play and their last words. Reading what some of the precious babies said at their final hour was difficult for me. I can't imagine anyone doing such terrible things to a child.

Yesterday afternoon I sat under the gazebo at Tom's house and read a book as I looked out over the amazing city of Kigali. I could hear singing and music coming from various church's in the area. It was beautiful and I could really feel God's presence in Rwanda.

Today is election day in Rwanda. It's a neat experience being in an African country during an election. We have seen many people walking to the voting locations. When a Rwandan votes, they dip their pinky finger in ink to mark their choice. Everything in the city is shut down. It's like a holiday. Very few places are open today.

It's so good to be back in Africa. I really feel that my heart belongs here. It was such an awesome feeling stepping off the plane and taking in the new smells (much better than in Uganda!!).

Below is a picture of our new friend, Christopher. We met Christopher and his friend as they were leaving the voting station. They walked with us for quite some time telling jokes and asking questions. Look closely on his pinky finger and you will will see the mark he used to cast his vote.

I have fallen in love with this country.

Kindred Spirits

2010-07-25T04:30:00.004+02:00

Today I received a package in the mail. When I opened it, I was taken back by what was inside. One of my closest friends, Megan, sent me a poem and a necklace to begin my adventure in Rwanda. The necklace has three charms: the state of Arkansas, a heart and the state of Oklahoma. I was so surprised and excited! It was by far one of the neatest gifts I have ever received. Megan has traveled to Africa multiple times on different adventures. Our bond became much stronger when my love for the continent surfaced after my trip to Uganda last summer. Megan and I have loads to talk about and she has been my Africa "go-to" girl. I am so blessed to have her in my life. She is such a talented and beautiful person.

Close to Home

2010-07-12T05:49:00.005+02:00

A few minutes ago I found out that multiple people were killed in 3 different bombings in Kampala, Uganda. They took place during the Spain-Netherlands World Cup final game while fans were watching. One of the locations that was bombed is called Ethiopian Village and is located in Kabalagala . The hotel we stayed in while in Kampala was called the Tip Ton which was located in Muyenga. Kabalagala and Muyenga are two neighboring suburbs of Kampala. We would walk the short walk to Ethiopian Village almost daily to check our email. They had the fastest internet around.

This hits a little to close to home tonight. My sister is en route to Rwanda tonight and tomorrow and exactly one year ago my life changing journey to Africa began in Kampala, Uganda. Our trip started on July 11. Grace is in Jinja, Uganda but will soon be traveling to Rwanda to meet up with Lee and her group.

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Psalm 4:8
I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

Hebrews 13:6
So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Footprints

2010-07-10T06:58:00.008+02:00

Tonight I had dinner with Brandy and Sarah at Los Cabos in in Broken Arrow. They have become two of my closest friends during my time at KW and felt a stab of heartache as I told them goodbye and drove off after our 3 and a half hour dinner.

While we were waiting for our table, one of them noticed that a man standing near us with his family was wearing a bracelet that said, "Uganda" on it. I went over and introduced myself and told him that I noticed his bracelet and I had spent some time in Uganda last summer and that I am moving to Rwanda in a few weeks. He told me that he and his family had lived in Jinja, Uganda for seven years and that two of his daughters were born there. He is currently a pastor at a church in Tulsa and his church still plays a strong role in Uganda and they have people over there constantly. He and his family just returned a few weeks ago from Jinja where they were working on some water wells. We exchanged emails and names and he gave me the web address of the group they do a lot of work with. I love Godcidences! Everyone has been asking me if I'm getting nervous or scared and I think for a moment about why I am going and how this is the path God has me on and I reply, "No." Which I honestly can say I am not nervous at this point. Now, come August 5, the night before I leave, I might have a different answer! I have said many goodbyes to some great people the past couple of days and my apartment is pretty empty except for the big stuff and some boxes but I still have a neutral feeling. Just this afternoon I started getting nervous because I'm NOT feeling nervous! Silly, I know. But meeting the Taylors at a local Mexican joint in Broken Arrow, OK brought me closer to God tonight and I realized how small the world we live in actually is. God placed us there tonight, in the same restaurant, waiting the same 40 minute wait for a table, with our love for Africa visible. (He in his bracelet and me in my Africa Elephants shirt.)

The poem, "Footprints in the Sand" comes to mind even thought this is not a difficult or troublesome time of my life. I am certain that hard times will come but I will remember the Lord is carrying me. When we need HIM the most, HE is there.

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: One belonged to him, the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of foot prints. He also noticed that it happened at the lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you you would walk with me all of the way But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed you the most, you would leave me."

The LORD replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

The Right Path

2010-06-23T04:25:00.003+02:00

Last week was insane! I had to say "good-bye" to a group of amazing people who have become a second family to me the past 3 years. Teaching at Kendall-Whitter was a life changing experience. I learned so much about myself, working with other people, serving God in an unlikely way and that everyday is like a mission if you choose to accept it. I keep thinking of the little boy in my room who has been through brain cancer, chemotherapy, suffered a hearing loss and wears hearing aides. Coincidentally his name means, "God with us". A couple of times last year I would look at him and automatically think, "Oh! God with us! Yes HE is and how can I be more Christ like today? How can I show the love of Christ to my students without saying it?" I hope I managed to do that for them. Anyway, it was a hard time saying goodbye, especially to my boy(who I had in class two years) and his mother (who speaks no English but came and gave me a big hug and said "thank you"). I felt blessed to have known them.

The week ended very exciting: I have my plane ticket and I am moving to Rwanda on August 6! One door shut and immediately the next door opened..just like that. So today I went to the doctor and got all the meds I'm going to need for the next 4 months. Then I went to Wal-Mart and bought all the toiletries/personal items I will need and put them in boxes...with the help of Olivia, of course. I am delivering them to the B2R office tomorrow in Little Rock so the New Life group (who my sister is going with) can take them to Rwanda for me. Each person can take two bags weighing less than 50 lbs each. It's amazing to know that when I arrive in Musanze, my two boxes of school items and my two boxes of personal items will be waiting for me...whew!

I don't have any really strong feelings right now about anything. I don't feel like I have completely left Kendall-Whittier and I don't feel like I am moving half way across the world. Maybe it's because I am following so closely behind God and walking in the path HE has laid out for me. I do have one feeling. This feels right. I know I'm where I'm supposed to be. I'm doing what I was made to do. I have my faith and I am prepared to follow the Lord where HE leads me. With HIM I am unstoppable.

Africa

2010-06-12T02:43:00.003+02:00

Africa by Emily Dibb

When you’ve acquired a taste for dust,
The scent of our first rain,
You’re hooked for life on Africa
And you’ll not be right again
Till you can watch the setting moon
And hear the jackals bark
And know that they’re around you,
Waiting in the dark.

When you long to see the Elephants,
Or to hear the coucal’s song,
When the moonrise sets your blood on fire,
You’ve been away too long.
It’s time to cut the traces loose
And let you’re heart go free
Beyond that far horizon,
Where your spirit yearns to be.

Bittersweet

2010-06-01T03:24:00.002+02:00

I have 11 more days with my students! Most teachers are ready for the summer to be here..no students, no classes, just time to relax. I can't help but feel sad that this school year is over. Kendall-Whittier has been such an amazing part of my life. I really feel like they are my Tulsa family. (especially, Kathleen Walker-she's always going to be my Tulsa momma, no matter where in the world I end up). I have learned so much about myself and other people while working at KW. I love the population of students I work with. I admire them and their families. June 15 is going to hit me hard, I'm afraid.

This weekend has been particularly difficult for me. Lauren and I shed our first tears when thinking about goodbyes. It's going to be the first time in 7 years that I will be a world apart from my best friends. They have been with me through so much. I know they will always be a phone call or email away but I owe so much of the woman I am today to them. Thank you, girls. YOU are the definition of best friends.

I was the only family member not home this weekend for Memorial Day and I realized that's how its going to be for a while. I'm going to miss my nephew's first year of life. I want to prepare myself for the distance while clinging on to every minute I have left in the states. Why are goodbyes so hard...and yet, I still have 2 months!

But just before I get too wrapped up in my thoughts, God has a way of reminding me what His plans are for me. I had a surprise message on facebook from Manzi, a friend and Sonrise student I will soon meet in Rwanda. It was a simple, "Hallo Dear Sister Walker, how are you?" I was thrilled to hear from him even though we have only talked once or twice online. His timing could not have been more perfect. It's amazing how God does that, isn't it?! It brings me back to reality that this is what God has for me. He has paved the way for me to move to Rwanda. As Beth Moore said, "My feet were meant to dance on a different turf." And I know mine are meant to dance in Rwanda.

This chapter of my life is coming to an end. Although it will be sad and difficult, it will also be glorious. I feel truly blessed to be chosen by God to work in Africa for Him. It is an honor to serve His kingdom where so much devastation has affected His children. People tell me "Thank you" for the work I am about to do but I want to say, "Thank you" to those who are helping me on this journey. I didn't choose this path, God had it all laid out before me. I just take the steps.

Patience

2010-05-10T05:12:00.002+02:00

I’m having a difficult time being patient as I count down the weeks until I leave for Rwanda. I’m ready to smell the smells and see the sights. I remember what it was like driving in Uganda from Entebbe (where the airport is) to Kampala. Although it was different, it wasn’t as shocking as I thought it would be. People were on their way to work or school, walking or riding a bike. Women were carrying fabric or food on their head. Children were walking without shoes, dressed in their school uniform.

Maybe I didn’t find it quite as surprising as I expected because God planted Africa on my heart many many years ago. Deep down a part of me was prepared and ready to experience all that Africa had to offer. I feel like I am putty being molded into the person I was born to be.

In a strange way, I miss the smell of burning garbage. It’s not a smell I am excited to return to but it’s a part of Africa that’s just there. I’m ready to see beautiful brown faces who “ohhh” and “ahhh” at the sight of a Mzungu, especially one with blond hair who will let them play with it. They are so innocent but have experienced so much more in their short life than most Americans will ever see. I’m ready to shake hands with people and make life-long friends. I miss the layer of dirt that was left of my skin after a long day outside. I’m ready for things to be difficult and out of my comfort zone. Only then will I rely solely on God.

This spring in Oklahoma has made me think of the rains we experienced in northern Uganda. Purongo Hills school was on a hill and we could look out over the African plain and see the clouds rolling towards us about 3:00 every day. By 3:30 we were drenched and looking for cover. By 4:15 it was over and the sun was back. Children were playing. Women were beginning to prepare dinner before the sun went down. It’s just a part of the rainy season.

I’m very eager to be in the school. The students are the future. One of them might find the cure for cancer or AIDS. I’m fortunate to be going to a country where education is important. I’m excited to teach the kids anything and everything to prepare them for the world.

I’m ready to walk with God and grow in my faith and I’m ready to fall back in love with the continent I hold so dear to my heart.

Family Ties

2010-03-28T06:47:00.004+02:00

Last weekend at the Bead Party in Ft. Smith, my Great Aunt Anita stopped by. I had the most wonderful time visiting with her. She and I share a deep love of books (and going to movies!). She has been a Librarian in Ft. Smith for years. Lauren tells me I devour books, well my Aunt Anita demolishes them! We were talking about Uganda, Rwanda and Africa in general and the book I just finished came to mind. It is called Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I was wondering through Borders a few weeks ago searching for a good read and I kept seeing Little Bee everywhere. So I opened up to the first page and it read, "Sometimes I would rather be a British pound coin than an African woman. " SOLD! It was the best book I had read in a while. I gave Anita the book and told her a little bit about it. She writes an article for Ft. Smith's online newspaper, The City Wire, and she said that she wanted Little Bee to be her next book review. She likes to connect her books in someway to the real world so it would be perfect for her to connect this book to me since I'm moving to Rwanda. Here is her article...it's great! I am so honored she wanted to write this review about me. I'm pretty spoiled to have such an amazing and supportive family. Please check out her review and pick up a copy of Little Bee!

Paddocks Picks: Little Bee

Beads, beads, beads!

2010-03-22T05:09:00.004+02:00

Mom, Lee and I had a bead party at the house this past weekend. We sold over $4,000 of beads and the money goes straight to the beaders in Uganda. It was amazing!! So many of our friends and family from Ft. Smith came to support BeadforLife. It's incredible to see the fire in someones eyes light up when you tell them first hand stories about the women in Africa. One of the most exciting parts of the day was meeting a new friend, Jessi. Jessi is good friends with Blayne and traveled with him to Musanze and Sonrise. I had heard so much about her and had no idea she was planning on coming to the bead party. It was great to talk to her since she has been to the school where I will be working and stayed in the house I will be living in. It's such a small world.

Still thinking about Uganda...last week the Kasubi tombs where caught on fire and burned down. When I was in Kampala, we visited the tombs and learned the unique history of the Buganda tribe. Here is a picture of the tombs.

www.kasubitombs.org

Buried at the tombs are 4 Kings of the Buganda tribe. George was our tour guide. I hope he is alright and unhurt throughout all of this.

YAY!!

2010-03-04T01:28:00.002+02:00

Monday morning was a typical morning...breakfast in the classroom, calendar work, snotty noses...thanks flu season! But then I got the most REMARKABLE email from Dale....BISHOP JOHN HAS APPROVED LEE AND I TO WORK AT SONRISE! (Yes, that is how excited I was!) I read the email and started jumping up and down and grabbed Vanessa and gave her a big hug. My kids thought I was nuts. I am so honored and blessed to be working at the Sonrise School starting in August. God is working great things in my life and I can't wait to get to Rwanda.

Another connection...

2010-02-22T01:10:00.003+02:00

Yesterday, I drove to OKC to meet with Dave and Jana Jenkins. Dave is a pastor in Kigali and he and Jana helped start the Kigali International Community School (KICS). The church he is a pastor at is on the same grounds as the school. The church is Christ's Church Rwanda. They have five children, two are adopted from Uganda. They lived in Kampala for 11 years(another connection). I am so glad I had the chance to meet them before they return to Kigali. They are due back soon but don't have a set departure date yet. Their kids go to KICS and since they live there and helped start it, I was able to pick their brains! KICS sounds wonderful. It is in Kigali. Jana made a good point from a moms perspective: "If you think Africa is a long term deal, you should start out in your bubble." Meaning that if I see myself working in Africa for a long time, which I do, then maybe starting at KICS in the capitol might be a good place to start. I would be surrounded by more Americans and people my age. The students at KICS are from all over the world. Their parents are there doing missionary work or working for an NGO. Without an American school like KICS, they wouldn't be able to work in Rwanda because there is no good school for their children. But nothing is set yet and I'm working on being patient. 5 months to go...

Here is the website of the Rwandan Outreach Community Foundation. It has a lot of info about KICS.

www.rocfoundation.org

What I'm returning to...

2010-02-17T03:52:00.014+02:00

Here are some pictures of my two weeks in Uganda. I'm super pumped to go back!

It's a beautiful life.

Beautiful beaders.

Murchison Falls:the source of the Nile

my friend!

Did you know that the darker the spots on a giraffe, the older it is?

Yes, we were that close to her...

My favorite animal!

The infamous edible cane rat...yum!

Goat Roast!

My dear, sweet friends from Purongo Hills.

Duck Duck Duck GOOSE! This was the Fairway Childcare Vocational School in Mukono. Dan and I attempted to start a game of Duck Duck Duck Goose with these Kindergarten age kids. I started the game and tagged Dan who jumped up to start chasing me. Well, this frightened the kids and they all jumped up and ran away screaming. It was so cute and fun!

This curious little guy followed us through Namuwongo for about 45 minutes. So precious! He is a testament to the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." He was cared for wherever we went.

We were walking through Pakwach, a village in northern Uganda, and me being the Early Childhood teacher that I am started playing with the kids. I would make an animal sound, name the animal and act like that animal and they would repeat and tell me the animals name in their language. We were frogs in this picture...ribbit!

New Friends at Fellowship

2010-02-16T01:50:00.008+02:00

Melissa and Blayne invited Lee and I to Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock on Sunday. First of all, the church is massive!! It's like a mall or an airport in there! We got there a little early to meet Jessica Brogdon and her husband Todd. They lived in Rwanda for a while and are two amazing individuals! We talked a little about their time there and we told them our plans. I am so excited to be meeting all these passionate and wonderful people.

We attended the Worship Service at church. FBC has three services: Worship (devoted to a lot of worship songs), The Edge (for the younger crowd), and another one that is more traditional. There are about 15 or so Rwandan students that go to schools in the Little Rock area. They all go to the Worship Service so I got to meet them. They are all in school studying Math, Chemistry, Engineering, etc... Very bright kids! I met William, who is 36 years old from Rwanda. Melissa told me he was a soldier in the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) during the genocide. He was the driver on their trip when they went to Rwanda and now he is in the states on a scholarship at Arkansas Baptist College. He is amazing. I also had a nice chat with Alex. He is in school at Philander Smith College in Little Rock. He is planning to go to Rwanda for a visit at the end of July/early August and that's when I hope to leave for Rwanda. It's comforting to know that I will already have some friendships including Rwandans and Americans when I arrive.

Also, if you don't know much about the genocide that happened in Rwanda in 1994, I recommend you look it up. Here are some websites with information.

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Genocide

www.rwanda-genocide.org

Arkansas: the jewel of America

2010-02-14T15:35:00.001+02:00

I am in awe at God's powerful words through His children. He has brought together so many loving and compassionate individuals to perform His works. I am so glad to be a part of his plan in Rwanda.

Friday afternoon, Mom and I drove to Little Rock to meet with Melissa, Blayne and Glenn at the Bridge2Rwanda office. It was a great meeting and I instantly fell in love with all of them! They are so passionate about their work and God's calling to help the people of Rwanda. We sat and listened as they told story and story about what is happening over there with God's love and power. As I was telling them about my incredible experience in DC last week, they started to grin and I felt like they knew what I was going to say before I did! Dale and Judi Dawson (co-founders of B2R) were in DC for the National Prayer Breakfast which was the reason all the African's were in DC last week. They are good friends with Ward Brehm (the man I sat next to during the meeting in Senator Inhofe's office and who signed a copy of his book). It was an amazing connection which just kept getting better...

They were telling me about my options in Rwanda and how we are waiting for the Bishop to say yes or no as to my working at the Sonrise school. Melissa, Blayne and Glenn were telling me of some other options I have in Rwanda like working at the Kigali International Community School which was founded by some Arkansans, Mary and Dabbs Cavins. They were doing missionary work in Rwanda with some other people and needed a good school to send their children to. Well, as it turns out, Mary was one of the organizers of the National Prayer Breakfast and is also a friend of Ward Brehms. Mary has helped me get in touch with some girls who have been in Rwanda but are now back in the states.

Congresman Boozman has announced he is running for Senator of Arkansas. The chairman of his campaign is Stanley Reid. Mr. Reid's daughter, Anna, is in Rwanda at the Sonrise school! If the Sonrise school works out for me, we would be working together! In DC, as I was talking with Boozman about Africa, he was telling me that he knows some people in Rwanda and I'm pretty sure the young girl he was referring to is Anna! Lee met Anna over Christmas break and she sounds AMAZING!

All these connections are incredibly powerful that I am almost having a hard time wrapping my mind around it. But as I sit here thinking about it, I don't need to wrap my mind around anything-God has done that for me already. It is all in His hands. He knows what will happen and it will be wonderful! Wherever He takes me, whatever I am doing, whoever I am meeting will all be from the grace of God. I have learned to let go and let God!

So as of now my options for next year are:

*The Sonrise School. We are waiting for Bishop John to say yeah or nay. He might decide that he doesn't want anymore mzungus (foreign people) at the school. Which is totally fine and understandable--keeping is Rwandan is awesome! (But, please pray that he doesn't say no!)

*International Education Exchange. The man who founded this organization works close with Dale and Judi and B2R. Dale is going to see if there could be a position for me in Kigali. Rwanda has recently changed their native language to English and so many educators don't have strong English skills to teach their students in English. IEE helps train and teach teachers, especially at the primary level, how to teach English. That would be a fun and amazing experience!

*Kigali International Community School.

*Cornerstone Academy. For 10th, 11th, and 12th graders who are working on their English proficiency to pass the TOEFL exam to attend school in the US.

Epic

2010-02-05T14:52:00.000+02:00

It's amazing who you meet on an airplane. My flight from D.C. to Atlanta yesterday was packed. I am currently reading "Stones into Schools" by Greg Mortenson. This is the sequel to "Three Cups of Tea". I had noticed the man next to me was reading a book by John Eldredge, a Christian author who I am familiar with. He asked me about the book I was reading and we chatted about what we liked and didn't like about my book (Megan and I had just had this conversation as well!). He told me he was finished with the John Eldredge book and asked me if I wanted it. I graciously accepted it and as we continued to talk, I found out who this man is. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Executives Without Borders. ExecWB's goal is to recruit businessmen to serve as the link between individuals in the global community and humanitarian projects around the world. So basically, if I were to start an NGO in an education related field I could contact ExecWB to help on the business side since I don't know anything about business. The website is http://www.executiveswithoutborders.org/ and go to About Us then Board of Directors and the first biography is the guy I sat by. He has done some remarkable things.

The book is awesome! I started reading it on my next flight and I'm just about finished. It's called "Epic" and it is about God's story for us. Sometimes our story is wonderful and sometimes its terrible, but the Author is God and He has it written out where we succeed with Him in the end. We all have a true Epic to be told about us and there is a Larger Story and we are playing a crucial role.

It's amazing how God sets these meetings up. I am still in awe of how he worked through me the last few days. The things I experienced and the people I met will be with me forever. If it weren't for my amazing principal who assigned me to the Better Together grant where I met Jan Wetsel who asked me to be on the ECEO Public Policy board, none of this would have happened!

Green Lights

2010-02-04T16:25:00.000+02:00

I figured that my recent events should be recorded so this is it-the first of many entries!

First, I would like to dedicate this next chapter of my life to two wonderful young people whose lives were taken too soon: Brandon and Keely Trusell. Both were on a path to save the world and achieve greatness. I will take a small part of Brandon and Keely with me whether I am teaching in a remote village in Rwanda or studying International Education in Grad school. Hebrews 12:1 "Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us."

I arrived in D.C. last Saturday and played with Angie and Megan. We had a BLAST! This was my first time in this incredible city and I am in love. There is so much culture and history and I have decided that when I return from Africa I will move here. I am looking at going to graduate school for International Education (or something in the related field) and I think DC would be the best career move for me. Monday morning we had a fantastic tour of the Capitol. We sat in the joint chief of staff's seats on the House Floor and took pictures on Nancy Pelosi's balcony.

I was here representing Oklahoma Early Childhood Educators through the national organization NAEYC. We spend Tuesday learning the ins and outs of the Administrations budget proposal for education. Wednesday morning we took a bus to Capitol Hill. Jan, Susie and I met with Mary Fallen and John Sullivan's aids and had some nice discussions.

That afternoon we met with Senator Jim Inhofe from Oklahoma. Senator Inhofe is a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations and has special interests specifically in African affairs. He has traveled to almost every country on the continent and has close personal relationships with the Presidents of those countries. His granddaughter is adopted from Ethiopia. Needless to say, I was stoked about meeting with him. (He was also the only Senator/Congressman that we personally met. We met the aids of all the others.) The first ten minutes he and I talked about Africa, our time spent there and our love for the culture and people. I was telling him about my hopeful future of working with Bridge2Rwanda in Kigali and how it is an Arkansas based organization. He told me to go look behind his office desk where there was a picture of his two daughters as Arkansas cheerleaders. We talked about Northern Uganda and the sadness that happened there years ago. He was telling me that there was an African dinner the next night for the representatives from all the countries and he had meetings the rest of the day with Africans. He then invited me to his 3:00 meeting with representatives for the Presidents of Benin, Sierra Leone and Malawi. I was so floored and excited and experienced about 10 other emotions! Of course, I said yes! I had a 3:30 meeting scheduled with Congressman Boozman from the third district in Arkansas so I called and pushed that back to 4:00.

At 2:50 I went back to Inhofes office and waited in lobby with the men and women from Malawi, Benin and Sierra Leone. Listening to them speak in their native languages was amazing and I felt a great connection to the continent I fell in love with just 6 months ago. Erica (Inhofe's Legislative assistant) came and got me and we walked into Inhofe's office. I met two men who work with the Africans and who have done extensive traveling there with the Senator. The meeting began with greetings and soon the men began speaking about their countries. Inhofe is a strong Christian man and he referenced the Bible multiple times along with speakings of Jesus. The men from these countries are also Christian so they replied with praise and thanks to Jesus and Inhofe for the work that has been done to help their country. Tears came to my eyes more than once as they shared personal stories about people who have benefited from the Senators work. As the meeting wrapped up, the Senator asked us all to gather in a circle as he prayed for us. I held hands with Senator Inhofe. After the meeting, I med Ward Brehm who wrote "White Man Walking: An American Businessman's Spiritual Adventure in Africa". The Senator had many of his books on his desk and Erica grabbed me one and Mr. Brehm signed it for me. He wrote, " To Betsy-so excited about you wanting to be a voice to those with none. Proverbs 31:8-9." Proverbs 31: 8-9 says,

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;

ensure justice for those being crushed.

Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,

and see that they get justice.

Senator Inhofe invited me to his meeting the following morning with the Rwandan's and to the African dinner. Unfortunately I had to decline since my flight was leaving the next day. Deep down I know that this will not be my last meeting with him and I will share more exceptional moments with him and the amazing people from Africa. Standing in that circle of 11 people from all over the world who work with all peoples made me realize that we are all human. We are all brothers and sisters under Christ. It's okay to not agree on every political issue but if we find common ground and work together we can achieve great things.

After I left this meeting, smiling from ear to ear, I headed over to Arkansas Congressman Boozman's office. Kathy, his Legislative Director had called me earlier in the day saying that the Congressman was excited I stopped by and would love to meet me. I was a bit surprised by this but was very honored. Kathy told me that the Congressman was on the House Floor voting but only had 4 votes left so we walked over to the Capitol and waited in the Rayburn room for him. After a short wait, Congressman Boozman walked in and introduced himself to me. He asked me if there was anything he could do for me. I told him that I was up on the hill and just wanted to stop by and say hello. I told him about my meeting with Inhofe and he has done some traveling with Inhofe in Africa. Boozman's daughter has been to Zambia and he knows of some people who are working in Rwanda. Kathy is going to get me this list so I can contact some of them. We had a nice chat and he is one of the nicest person I have ever met. He is sincere and honest and you can tell he loves what he does. Boozman told me if there was anything I needed to let him know and he would be praying for me. I told him I would pray for him as well. I took a picture with the Congressman then he and Kathy helped me get into a cab and off I went.

Yesterday was a great day and as Susie told me, "You have hit all the Green Lights!" God has something major planned for me and He created these fabulous contacts I made yesterday. I am so excited for my future and happy to know that Africa and Washington D.C. are involved. God is Good!