My brain thinking outloud...

lately, as i sit here getting tons and tons of advice about our ringlet, something doesn't sit right in my heart. i've tried explaining it to my husband and he too says that i just don't understand because i've never been there.

everyone keeps saying "you're whole life changes the moment you lay eyes on that baby" or that "you don't know love until you've held your child for the first time, you think you do...but you don't". i understand these statements. but i don't get it. i admit it. i don't understand this statement. for me, i LOVED my kids in rwanda. i did. with everything in me. it broke my heart to leave them. i wanted to keep them so badly but the law prevented it. so i didn't have a choice. my heart aches for those sweet kids we left behind. and i feel that i did love them. i loved them with all that i had. and what does this mean for people who never have the opportunity to have their own child? that God has held out one of the greatest gifts in the world from them?

today, i was reading a blog by a girl that lives in uganda and LOVES people passionately. if you haven't heard of Kisses from Katie (kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com)...you need to read it. she will challenge everything you think in the most loving way possible. 

this is an excerpt from her blog. it totally describes what i can't seem to put into words. i try but fail at explaining myself...so maybe she can. (oh...she's 21 in this blog and lives alone and has adopted 14 children)...

"We have had one of those really great days when I can't stop praising Jesus for this life. The girls are on holiday from school (thank goodness because almost all of them have had the chicken pox!). Today I managed to clip all of their 140 fingernails and 140 toenails, file them and paint them. On a quick trip to the pharmacy I found surgical gloves almost small enough to fit my child-sized hands. During nap time I got to sneak in a long, quiet run. Chocolate chip cookies are in the oven. I feel so full and so very blessed.

But as I sit down, content, something is weighs heavy on my heart. Something that I have been milling over for some time, unwilling to write about it because my words seem too inadequate to describe the ache I feel. However, I know that this is urgent. An emergency. And as adequate as my words may be, maybe I should at least try.

It started a few months ago when my great friends Mike and Suzanne were here to adopt their daughter. In finding out she had HIV, they were obviously broken. Mike made a statement that stirred something within me. He said, "I guess you know that children are out there suffering. You know that children are sick, this sick. But it is different when it is your child. It's just different." And it is. I don't mean this blog to criticize you in any way, Mike, because what you said was true for me too. It is different when it is my child. I spend countless nights awake with dying, or at least critically sick, children. I love them and I cuddle them. I sponge bath them and give them their medicine and wipe up their vomit. I hold them and pray over them and tell them how special they are and how Jesus loves them. My heart really does hurt for them. But it doesn't hurt the way it hurts when I think one of my own children is close to death. It doesn't hurt the way it does when Sumini's fever just won't go down or when Patricia is up all night coughing with her third case of pneumonia in three months. It doesn't hurt the way it does when Margaret's teeth run into Agnes's eyebrow and I can see her bone, and then watch in terror as the doctor stitches it up WITHOUT anesthetic. Somehow, when it is my children, there is a bit more urgency, a bit more panic. There is a bit more frustration at the lack of medical care we can receive here and a bit more google searching of what to do. I am not saying that I am proud of this. I am just letting you know that it isn't just you I have held several children as they died of inadequate medical care. It was horrible and I grieve and cried, but I promise you that I wasn't as devastated as I would have been had it been one of my daughters. Its ugly, but its true.

Its just different when its your child who's suffering. But should it be? This is what I have been struggling with. I believe that this is a normal human reaction. I also believe it is WRONG. I believe that each human on the planet is God's child, perfectly made and beloved and cherished by Him. I believe that His heart hurts like mine does, even more than mine does, when my baby is hurting for EACH and every one of the hurting, dying, starving, crying children in our world at this moment. So I HAVE to believe that if my heart was truly seeking to be aligned with the heart of God, that I would have to hurt for each of these children as well. But sometimes, I forget. Sometimes I'm busy. Sometimes hurting for my very own children just feels like enough. I believe that the world says that this is ok. And I believe it is wrong. And this keeps me up at night.

Angelina is seven years old and barely weighs 15 pounds. You remember that picture that was made popular in the 1980's during the famine in Ethiopia of that little girl (who looked like a bag of bones) curled up next to a vulture? That girl doesn't look nearly as sick as Angelina. Her mother has not had any food to give her in over four months. When Angelina musters enough energy to let out a cry of hunger (she is far to weak to walk or even hold her head up on her own), her mother gives her some locally brewed alcohol to keep her quiet. For four months, keeping her a little drunk has actually probably been what is keeping her alive. The dirt floor where she has been laying her whole life accumulating bedsores is covered in waste, animal and human. Jiggers burrow deep into her little feet causing them to crack and bleed. She is naked, filthy, and cold. It is far worse than appalling.

I bet right now at this moment your heart is sad for her. Is it as sad as it would be if Angelina were your daughter? Angelina is God's daughter. His heart aches for this perfect, wonderfully made child of His. Her circumstances do not surprise Him, but I have no doubt that they grieve Him tremendously.

And it's not just children, because we are all children in His eyes. Grace is maybe 60 years old but looks to be pushing 100. She can't weigh more than 85 pounds. Grace is a mother to six children, but 4 have died of AIDS and the other two have deserted her for a better life. She lives in a 4 by 4 foot room that is pitch black, but she doesn't mind; in addition to being to weak to walk, Grace is blind. She NEVER has any visitors. At night her bones ache against the hard dirt floor and her feeble body shivers with cold. A cough racks her body and her stomach rumbles in hunger making sleep impossible.

Its sad, huh? How sad though? Sad enough that we want to do sometime about it? Sad enough that we will remember Grace tonight as we snuggle down into our beds or next month as we pay the bills? Maybe. But maybe not. Because it hurts, but it doesn't hurt that much. It doesn't hurt the way it would if Grace was your grandmother all alone there in the dark. It does for God. Because Grace is His.

As I snuggle both these sweet girls, as I kiss their cheeks, as I spoon Pediasure into Angelina's little mouth or watch Grace rejoice over the gift of a scraggly old blanket, I allow the tears to fall. The tears that hurt for these people as if they were my family. Because they are my family. And it SHOULD hurt. It shouldn't be different. I desire for it to never again be different.

We are the body of Christ. But do we know what that means? Do we long for our brothers and sisters to be comfortable and fed and well? Do we long for it enough that we are uncomfortable under our blankets at night or eating our pancakes in the morning? Do we feel the hurt that God feels as He watches the body of Christ sit back and allow these precious children of his to perish? Maybe sometimes. But sometimes, we are too busy, or we forget, or hurting for our own children is enough. We are the body of Christ. We need to hurt. We need to react. Their needs to be the same urgency and panic and frustration and desperation as if these were our own children. They are God's children."

Baby Ringlet

I saw this on a friends blog and thought it would be a good way to keep everyone in the loop!

How far along?: Baby Ringlet is 16 weeks and 4 days (July 1, 2012)

Total weight gain/loss: That depends. If I start with the weight I was before the pregnancy then I've gained about 2 pounds. If I go from where I lost down to while being sick up to now...about 6 pounds.

Maternity clothes?: Nope. Still wearing my Sarah clothes.

Sleep: This week has been touch and go. If the room is cold, then I sleep well. If it's hot, then I toss and turn all night. And I need to go to the restroom at least once a night.

Best moment this week: Yesterday until next Saturday. My in-laws left to go out of town and that means we get the house to ourselves! It has been 2 1/2 months since we've spent a night alone together and I am soooo excited!

Movement: I believe I'm feeling flutters. It's the strangest feeling. It isn't often but always in the same spot and very light. Jarod thinks I'm losing my mind.

Food aversions: Oh Lord. This has been awful. I was so incredibly sick from about week 5 until about week 13 1/2. I only got sick twice during week 14, which was huge! I haven't been able to even look at meat without wanting to throw up instantly. Jarod can even describe what he's had for lunch/dinner and it makes me sick. Thankfully though, that has calmed down and I'm starting to enjoy food again. yay!!

Food Cravings: None! I haven't craved one single thing yet.

Gender: Will find out in less than 2 weeks! July 9th, although I'm thinking of moving the appointment back one week just to add another week because I'm so nervous they won't be able to tell. I don't even have a bump, how can they possibly see what the baby is!?!

Symptoms: More and more trips to the restroom. If I lay on my back, then instantly I feel that "full bladder" feeling.

Belly Button in or out?: Hasn't changed one bit. Still have my belly pierced too. Can't seem to take that thing out since it has been in there 11 years.

Stretch marks?: Nope. Praying for good genes!

What I miss: Nothing really. I haven't changed anything since I came straight home from Rwanda, I didn't have any bad "habits" to break.

What I am looking forward to: Jarod feeling the baby kick and knowing I'm not losing my mind!

Weekly Wisdom: I feel as if I'm constantly being told what I'm going to feel like, think about, want to change/do, etc but this week I can't remember a single specific thing. My wonderful friend Ashley sends me articles about having a healthy baby, tips on what not to do/do while pregnant and then the first big decisions such as not circumcising vs circumcising, etc. Those have been very helpful! My sweet Johnna said that "you can't even begin to imagine the love you feel for your child, the shifting of priorities, the giving of one's self even to your very life until you hold that sweet baby in your arms for the first time."

Milestones:-I guess feeling the baby fluttering and lack of 24/7 sickness. I can't wait until I feel a hard kick and until Jarod gets to feel it too!

It is still hard to believe I currently have a "large avocado" sized baby that weights approximately 3.52 ounces and is over 4 1/2 inches long in my stomach. Where is it hiding!?!

12 weeks

13 weeks

14 weeks

15 weeks

16 weeks

 




































I think week 15 was an illusion. It looks as though there is something small there but then it vanished on week 16. I'm sure soon enough I'll have a gigantic belly and be laughing at these photos!

So long Rwanda!!! You will be missed!

Wow.  I cannot believe the time has come for this amazing journey to end.  I cannot believe that today is our last day as Peace Corps Volunteers.  Sarah and I have been in Rwanda for over 2 years and have completed our service with Peace Corps and now it is time to go home. 

Saying goodbye to our Rwandan family, neighbors, friends and co-workers was not easy and saying goodbye to the kids that we have come to love so much and that we have invested so much into was even harder.  Watching as the truck was packed and all the neighbors we love looked on was a little overwhelming.  Hugging the kids we love so much and telling them we may not see them again was heart-breaking.  One of my best friends who spent everyday visiting me walked off into the bushes to hide his face because crying in public is a cultural taboo.  They keep telling us the village will be “cold” now that we are gone meaning it will be sad and lonely.  So, I tell them Peace Corps may send new volunteers to replace us and then they tell me we can’t be replaced, they won’t be the same, not like us, that we are special and different from other Westerners, that they want us to stay.  This is such a difficult thing to carry…the feeling that we are leaving the people we love so much and that we have lived with hand in hand on a daily basis for the past 2 years.  They have truly changed us.

We have learned so many things over these 2 years.  We have learned that humility in understanding any situation and patience and sensitivity in dealing with cultural differences and/or disagreements.  We have learned that you can’t change a culture in 2 years but you can open minds to new ideas and set the wheels in motion for positive change.  We have learned that a few determined, motivated and upright people can make all the difference, that a small amount of resources in the hands of the right people can do amazing things, that you cannot help everyone but that is not an excuse not to try.  We have also learned that people you love and trust can turn on you, say horrible things about you and truly hurt you and that people are capable of doing horrific things but also are capable of a great amount of good.

We have been blessed with the chance to see the world and do amazing things such as: raft the Nile River, bungee jump over it, walk with lions, sit with mountain gorillas, go on safaris, see Zanzibar, learn a new language, live in a beautiful rain forest and meet so many amazing people from all over the world.  But the best of all was having the chance to be the hands and feet of Christ, to serve and love on these people right where they are.  And somehow, in the end, after all our effort and time, I feel that we are the ones who have come out blessed and with all the benefits…doesn’t seem fair.

Over the past 2 years, we’ve seen and experienced a joy that no amount of money or material possessions can produce…a joy that surpasses all understanding…at least our understanding.  We’ve seen and been a part of a community and group of people that have a love and heart for their neighbors that isn’t defined by status, background or segregated by city streets or blocks.  We’ve seen precious poor children suffer and die from 100% preventable diseases.  We’ve been betrayed, slandered, mocked and persecuted for doing what was right by those most close to us, those we trusted and loved dearly.

Over the past 2 years we have faced corruption head on and at times been a victim of it.  We’ve seen its effects first hand on people, fought hard against it at times and sadly, often, lost the fight.  We have developed relationships with people that are so different from us, learned to love, understand, support and believe in them, prayed with them, laughed with them, cried with them, buried their dead with them, celebrated marriages with them and the birth of children with them. 

Over the past 2 years we have seen poverty on a scale never before known to us. Poverty where many days and nights families don’t eat simply because there is no money for food, no 5 dollars to pay for health insurance that will cover the entire year resulting in most children going un-treated. Poverty where little girls rarely go to school because they are expected to tend to domestic chores and their younger siblings all day. Poverty where little kids run around naked because their parents don’t have the 50 cents for clothes or soap and where childhood is stripped away and replaced with non-stop manual labor.

We have battled cultural norms that often enslave people to lives of hardship, poverty, and malnutrition and probably will not live to see the impact our efforts have made or have not made on their lives.  We’ve often felt beaten down, defeated, discouraged, and always feel completely overwhelmed by the immense disparity between the rich and the poor in the world, by how much work is left to be done, how many lives are yet to be reached or touched, how many orphans, widows and lost people are yet to be cared for both physically and spiritually. 

However, in the end, we have come out encouraged, uplifted and honored that God has chosen us (all of us) to be his ambassadors of love and compassion to the world and to help others less fortunate than us in ways he has gifted us with.

We are trying our best to be the hands and feet of Christ, to love, serve, and care for those he would want us to care for, to forsake our own conveniences and amenities to help others, to allow Christ to glorify himself through our lives.  Though we are truly full and overflowing with inadequacies, inefficiencies and shortcomings, fortunately for us, his love, strength and power are proven most perfect and effective in our weaknesses.

We find ourselves daily challenged by his command and commission to GO!  And we are trying to respond to that command.  There are no doubt more qualified, gifted, talented, experienced, and educated people that us in this world but he has seen something in us worth redeeming, some potential for good and he has seen this quality in all of us, not just some or a select chosen few.  

I want to include here a page or two of the book “Radical” by David Platt that I feel is critical for all Christians to understand.

I wonder if we have in some ways intentionally and in other ways unknowingly erected lines of defense against the global purpose God has for our lives.  It’s not uncommon to hear Christians say, “Well, not everyone is called to foreign missions,” or more specifically, “I am not called to foreign missions.”  When we say this, we are usually referring to foreign missions as an optional program in the church for a faithful few who apparently are called to that.  In this mind-set, missions is a compartmentalized program of the church, and select folks are good at missions and passionate about missions.  Meanwhile, the rest of us are willing to watch the missions slide shows when the missionaries come home, but in the end God has just not called most of us to do this missions thing.

But where in the Bible is missions ever identified as an optional program in the church?  We have just seen that we were all created by God, saved from our sins, and blessed by God to make his glory known in all the world.  Indeed, Jesus himself has not merely called us to go to all nations; he has created us and commanded us to go to all nations.  We have taken this command, though, and reduced it to a calling, something that only a few people receive. 

I find it interesting that we don’t do this with other words from Jesus.  We take Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations, and we say, “That means other people.” But we look at Jesus’ command, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” and we say, “Now that means me.”  We take Jesus’ promise that the Spirit will lead us to the ends of the earth, and we say, “That means some people.”  But we take Jesus’ promise that we will have abundant life and we say, “That means me.”

In the process we have unnecessarily (and un-biblically) drawn a line of distinction, assigning the obligations of Christianity to a few while keeping the privileges of Christianity for us all.  In this way we choose to send off other people to carry out the global purpose of Christianity while the rest of us sit back because we’re “just not called to that.”

In Romans 1:14 - 15, Paul talks about being a debtor to the nations.  He literally says, “I am in debt to Jews and Gentiles.”  The language is profound.  Paul is saying that he owes a debt to every lost person on the face of the planet.  Because he is owned by Christ, he owes Christ to the world.

Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of hell.  We owe Christ to the world, to the least person and to the greatest person, to the richest person and to the poorest person, to the best person and to the worst person.  We are in debt to the nations.  Encompassed with this debt, though, in our contemporary approach to missions, we have subtly taken ourselves our from under the weight of a lost and dying word, wrung our hands in pious concern, and said, “I’m sorry.  I’m just not called to that.”

The result is tragic.  A majority of individuals supposedly saved from eternal damnation by the gospel are now sitting back and making excuses for not sharing that gospel with the rest of the world.

But what if we don’t need to sit back and wait for a call to foreign missions?  What if the very reason we have breath is because we have been saved for a global mission?  And what if anything less than passionate involvement in the global mission is actually selling God short by frustrating the very purpose for which he created us?  

These are some profound words and should encourage all of us to think about how we perceive missions.  Indeed we all cannot go and live overseas in other nations.  We have to be realistic with the life God has given us.  But we can all respond to his command in different ways.  In the book there is a man named Steve, an accountant.  Steve is constantly asking his pastor, “How can I lead my life, my family, and my accounting firm for God’s glory in Birmingham and around the world?”  He is leading co-workers to Christ; he is mobilizing accountants to serve the poor; and his life is personally influencing individuals and churches in Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe with the gospel.  And, there are so many other people in the world like Steve using their skill sets to glorify Him.

Each and every one of us has the potential to live our life in a way that glorifies God and responds to his command.  We just have to make the effort to figure out what that way is and do it. 

So, this is Jarod and Sarah, signing off from Rwanda for the last time. Thanks to everyone who has followed along with us on this crazy and adventurous journey.  We love you and will be seeing many of you very, very soon and we cannot wait!

Oh…almost forgot.  We will be moving to Malawi in June to work with Esther’s House (a Christian outreach organization…puremission.org) so stay tuned for the next leg of the journey to see what wild, crazy, and amazing things God is going to do there.

Be blessed!

So long...

Oh man. What an interesting couple of weeks/days we've had. It's just been plain nuts. It started off around mid-February. We had a Close of Service (COS) conference in which we were told how this last few weeks should go as far as ending our service and leaving PC. Then, we got home and within a week had to return for our COS medical exams. The day mine ended I rode back to Banda with my supervisor from America and we had them plus the owner and some board members until about the 15th of March.

 

Jarod relaxing with Zuba on the porch for the last time

After that...its just was pure insanity. We started packing up our home. This is no easy task when you have lived in a place for two years and can only take a couple of suitcases home. In addition, when living in a culture in which everyone thinks you owe them something and should give away all your things and money to them...we faced a dilemma of what to do with all our crap. So we decided to sell it all. Every single thing. From pencils to furniture. We, of course, gave them the cheapest prices ever i mean like 5 cents and such but it was the principal of them investing into something that mattered to them and thus avoiding the "give me mentality". It was a HUGE success. We sold everything we had! And people wanted more but we didn't have anything else to give. It was great. We also showed the kids their first movie. They watched WALL-E. It was such a delight watching their little faces during the movie. They also got a yummy cup of porridge to fill their little bellies!

 

watching WALL-E 

Our days leading up to the goodbye was tense and stressful. Telling everyone when we were leaving and then constantly following up their questions of "yes but you'll return quickly" was overwhelming. The night before we left we hosted a going away party for all of our closest friends that had been important to us over the past 2 years. It was so sweet. We fed them this food called "akabenzi" which is basically pork and plantains but cooked in the most amazing way. They were so excited as many of them can not afford meat and this was their first time eating this dish that is so common in their country. We all then proceeded to tell awesome stories and memories about one another. They did a traditional dance for us and we joined in as best as possible. It was hilarious.

 

me trying to do the "cow dance" with my friends

All of our precious people...its so hard to believe 2 years have passed

The next morning was bitter sweet. Levi, our Supervisor showed up at our house at 6:20 am. We started packing all of our things and everyone came to help. There were so many people trying to get our things arranged that it was overwhelming. Naturally, this is the part where my "This is Africa" saying starts coming in to the equation. I climbed into the bed of the truck to arrange the suitcases and my arm just starts burning! I look down and some insect is stinging the mess out of me. Before I could get it off, it got me twice.  Then, Jarod hands me the bike and we realize it's too long. So we have to remove the back wheel from it. Then, of course we had to remove the back wheel of the other bike as well. But, we finally get it all packed. I'm doing a walk through of the house and walk outside and I'm just not paying attention so I kicked a rock and my toe starts bleeding. AHH!

Finally the moment has come...we say our goodbyes. This is the part where we lose it. My little babies, all present and accounted for on my legs. I couldn't take it! I just started crying. And then naturally because they don't cry a woman says "Jesus Christ look at Sarah, she's crying." So everyone starts staring. Then, I realize Jarod's crying and I lose it more. Finally and thankfully, we drive away. But those emotions couldn't stay long because less than 2 minutes later the car gets stuck and we have to all get out and push. Well...we as in me, Jeremiah and Jean Pierre push while Jarod just laughs at all of us and watches. Then, about 5 minutes later we get stuck again. But this time, when the truck takes off...he keeps going so we had to walk the shortcut up the mountain to catch up with him! Finally we get back in and literally 30 seconds later we get stuck again. He of course takes off again and we walked another 15 minutes to catch up for the 2nd time. I was thinking to myself how I just couldn't wait to never do this again! Thankfully, that was the last time we had to push.

Once we got to the main road, we were off! Within an hour and a half we were pulled over (in Rwanda, the police stand on the side of the road all day and pull over almost every other vehicle that goes by just because they can and want to see the paperwork etc.). This cop of course sees that we are white and assumes Levi is just a driver so he makes up this bogus law that we absolutely know to be wrong and writes Levi a ticket and takes his driver's license (also how they operate in Rwanda...takes the license and to get it back you have to pay the ticket). I am livid at this point! I'm screaming and Levi is laughing at me saying "This is Rwanda, you have to just be patient" blah blah blah. No. So we get pulled over about an hour later again and she sees the ticket and asks what happened. We explain to her the situation and we can tell by the look on her face it's a bogus ticket. She asked us to go speak with her boss and tell him what happened. So we do...probably because I was so furious that I couldn't see any reason not too. We arrive and they quickly direct us to the supervisor. Jarod and I explain what happens and he is surprised. He's the person in charge of the entire Southern province....meaning he's that dudes boss. He immediately calls and scolds the person on the phone and gets the ticket dropped. So Levi can now go get his license the next time he passes through. woo hoo!!

We continue on our way. After being stopped a 3rd time...we arrive! We head to Peace corps and naturally none of the people we needed were there (during business hours) and the people who were there didn't have one clue what to do with all our stuff we're required to turn in. Eventually the man in charge of taking PCVs stuff shows and takes care of it all in 25 seconds. We then went to our friend Emily's and we unpacked and it was such a wonderful feeling.

Since it's our goodbye moment with Jeremiah and Levi we all decided to go to dinner. Now, I may just be hateful at this point but I believe the waitress deserved to be straight up punched in her face. She forgot to bring Jeremiah's drink for more than 30 minutes...then got mad when Jarod got up and asked the bar for it. When our food comes out it looks great...burgers and fries. But we got our bill, she had added fries to all of our food. We told her we didn't add extra fries. She said they don't come with it but apparently the menu doesn't say that...they just bring you the food and then charge you. I said well you should say that on your menu and she says "well everyone knows". I quickly replied well I don't live here so I don't know! Jeremiah was mad but quickly decided to add thank you to her and she made a huffing sound and said "you people are making me tired" and walked off. It was not as nice as it sounds being typed. It was totally rude and Jeremiah was like "excuse me??" So that was my cue to leave before I got hateful! So we left the table a mess and I stormed out of there. Honestly, lady you have a job because I was hungry. Learn the words...customer service.What a day.

I keep thinking this place has made me an abnormally patient person with so many things and then a day like this happens and I wonder if I'm 12 again....thankfully we'll be home soon and then we can just remember the good things and spend time with our amazing families and friends.

5 days! I can't believe it.

Proof that we have done something!

Hello All,

I have officially failed as a frequent blog updater. Sorry! But, Sarah has made me feel bad so I decided to write a little something to appease her and to make me feel a little better in my heart as well. Let's see...100 days left of service...that is crazy and hard to believe. May 5^th is our official close of service date. So with most of our Peace Corps service behind us I have decided to write a little about our work over the past 2 years and accomplishments so you can see that we have actually done some things besides hole ourselves up in the middle of a rain forest for the past 2 years.

This is probably going to be a very un-detailed blog but should give you some understanding of the work we have been doing in our village. Most of our work has been health related since we are technically health volunteers. But, a lot of it has been outside of the health field and has dealt with community development. So, starting with health...we have worked constantly with a malnourished feeding program to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the project by continually weighing and measuring the children on the program. Sarah has also been able to help in this area using her background in nutrition to improve the quality of food the children are receiving to better meet their nutritional needs. For example, incorporating fresh carrots from the local garden to supplement their cups of porridge.

I am sure we have mentioned this in previous blogs but hygiene is one of the biggest issues in the village...well, all things health in general are an issue. Things that we know as just common sense like wash your hands before you eat and after using the bathroom, brush your teeth to prevent teeth issues, wear shoes because it can help prevent worms, don't drink bad water, don't have 359 children because you can't possibly feed them all and give them a good life, NO, condoms do not have HIV/AIDS implanted in them by the western world, they actually can help you prevent HIV/AIDS transmission, don't eat only potatoes every single day for every meal because you are getting no nutritional balance from eating all starches all the time, you are actually making yourself malnourished and so on. These are all things we deal with on a daily basis that many people have never even thought about because they have had no one to teach them. So, that has been part of our job...educating people on these topics: family planning, nutrition, hygiene, HIV/AIDS, etc.

We have also both done water projects with 2 schools in our village. My project was a clean water catchment system that we constructed to service over 500 primary school children and Sarah completed another bigger water project at a different school that now supplies 1600 students with clean drinking water.

In the not so health related field, we have done things like constructing a play ground for one of the previously mentioned primary schools. This is still a work in progress but we are getting there and hopefully will be done in a month or so. It takes quiet some time to level an acre + of land by hoe and shovel that is off by 15+ feet. I have also worked with our organization to bring an alternative fuel source to our village AKA briquettes. These are small donut looking things that are made from sawdust and scrap paper left over from carpenters and schools. They are mixed with water and compressed into briquettes which can be used for cooking, are half the price of charcoal and reduce the impact of deforestation around the village...which is pretty important since we basically live in a national park that is slowly being chopped down illegally.

We have also worked with the nursery school teachers to do a world map project. This map is 6 feet by 12 feet and actually turned out much better than we had planned. This is great because to be honest, most Rwandans (at least the ones from our village) know nothing about geography. I have still not found a person under the age of 30 who could find Rwanda on the map. They also believe and are even taught in most schools there are only 5, sometimes 6 continents. Because of course N and S America are all just one big continent and as far as Antarctica is concerned, it can't be a continent because, how can people live under the sea? These are all serious questions asked and simply come from a lack of education...another thing we take for granted. But we were so excited about this project because a person can actually learn so much from just seeing a massive map on a wall.

So, these are some of the things we have been working on. Other things include bringing 2000 books to the village (this is still in progress but the books should be in Rwanda within a week or so), teaching English lessons, conducting clothing drives with help from people like you and putting on one stellar dance party with the kids. Also, I have been teaching English songs to one of the local churches now for several months. So far they have learned 3 extremely well (Open the eyes of my heart Lord, O come let us adore Him and I am a friend of God) and these we have presented in church on Sunday morning. But I had to also sing their songs as part of the deal and do all the awesome movements and hand gestures. It 

was great. We have helped refer youth to feeding programs, health centers, monitored and evaluated all programs in our village and probably the most meaningful thing of all is we have developed relationships and friendships with our neighbors and co-workers that will last a lifetime. We have truly been accepted into the village I feel as much as any foreigner can be accepted into such a remote, rural and isolated village. The people are amazing and it will be extremely difficult to leave them.

Oh I forgot to also mention another huge accomplishment and one that was a life saver...that is mastering the art of a make-shift stove to make....wait for it.......PIZZA!!!! Without this little contraption, we might have been home a year ago and still be sitting even now in Pizza Parlor basking in the amazing goodness of that glorious salad bar and abnormally thin pizza dipped in delectable ranch dressing served on what I can only believe are old hubcaps. Oh Pizza Parlor...it will no doubt be a joyous reunion 100 days from today! This blog is for you!

Anyway, sorry I got a little carried away there. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that you are enjoying the new year. I hope to see you all very soon! Be blessed!