Sponges

"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

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.

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

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

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

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

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?"