It has been a long time since my last blog entry.A lot has gone on.The adult team from FPCB just left.It was great having Kat and my brother Steve here for those two weeks.I think it is going to be great having both them know the places and the people that I have been with over these past five months.We are still working on our library.Not sure it will be ready by the time I leave.Our new art room though is finally ready and we open on Monday the 4th.I am starting to debrief my time here.It is a bitter sweet feeling.I am sad to leave my friends here but I am so excited to come home and to see friends and family.
This last couple of weeks has been well, I’m in Africa.We finally got all of our books delivered to Center a week later than we had hoped for but the squeaky wheel gets the grease.JSo this week have been trying to get the books all organized in our library.We don’t have enough room for them which is now another problem and a good problem at that.There is a sense of excitement for all the books.Teachers and students are very excited.I have also been making arrangements for the FPCB team which arrives today actually.My girlfriend and my brother Steve are two of the team members coming.I am VERY excited!!!I have a meeting this afternoon with a man from World Vision to hear about some projects that they have going on which I am also excited about.I have just over a month left here in Rwanda and I am having mixed feelings.I am ready to come back to Bellevue but I have made some close friends here and it will be hard to leave them behind.
More than words. It has been the most eye opening two weeks of my life. I spent all of last week out at the center with the Peace Corps volunteer that is based out there. I helped her run some games and we spent time brain storming for when the books finally arrive for our new library. It has been great getting to know a lot of this Peace Corps volunteers who have been here for almost two years and just to hear their stories about why they are serving here in Rwanda. I took Saturday off and treated myself to lunch in town and then rested the rest of the day to get ready to head South to where AEE was having a crusade, we were going to be a part of the final day.
Sunday Morning I woke up at 3:45am to watch two of my very good friends wedding. It was hard for me to not be there at the ceremony, but my fantastic girlfriend streamed it live on her iphone. I was very thankful that I was able to see part of the ceremony before my internet went out. I then got up and got ready to head to AEE to catch a ride to the final day of the crusade in the south part of the country. It was a great day. MANY people gave their lives to Christ which was so exciting. I also rained on Sunday for the first time in a long time. The final ceremony ended at like 6pm and those of us going back to Kigali piled into the cars that we can in and headed home. We stopped a couple of time to get food and for a bathroom break. We were probably about 45 min. to an hour outside of Kigali and we came up on people waving for us to slow down and then within seconds outside my window I saw the worst thing my eyes have ever seen. We stopped and I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. It was a motorcycle accident and it was a hit and run. I ended up praying for this man who injured very badly. When I was in college I had a snowboarding accident which left me with a broken arm and I while I waited for ski patrol one of my very good friends held me while I lay on the side of a mountain. I wanted so badly to go hold this man but the sense was not safe for me to do so. I was then told that we needed to leave. I didn’t want to. I wanted to help this man but there was nothing we could do. We were a good distance from anywhere. A truck ended up pulling up that was going to take this guy somewhere. I spent the rest of the drive back to Kigali crying and praying. I have never felt God’s presence more than that drive home. I felt him very strongly at the accident scene too. I finally got home and was able to spend some time talking it out with Jean. I wasn’t able to talk to anyone in my vans about it because I was the only English speaker. Jean was great she listened and then she spent some time praying for me. I also was able to talk to my dad and my girlfriend. I wanted so badly to be able to tell them how much I loved them. Life is precious.
Monday finally came and I was able to jump right back into working. Our books finally arrived and I spent the day unloading about 2/3rds of the book out of the back of this semi-truck. The rest of this week has been sorting through 28,000 books that will go to 12 different schools here in Rwanda. It was been a good week to be able to keep my busy. I turned another year older on Wednesday. 31!!! So crazy. It was a great birthday. I spent the day sorting books and then I took three of my friends out to dinner at my favorite restaurant in Kigali. They have the best pizza in town.
I also found out that my brother Steve will also be coming on the FPCB team that will be arriving here in two weeks. I am very excited to see him and my fantastic girlfriend who has loving and supportive of me while I have been here. I am very excited to be able to share Rwanda with them and to also be able to share them with Rwanda. Thank You all for your prayers and encouraging words.
Prayer request: AEE – everything about it. Leadership, staff and volunteers The man in the accident and his family and for the person who hit him Jean as she prepares to head to Bellevue FPCB team as they prepare to come to Rwanda In Him, Mark
It’s has been an up and down week. Lots of good stuff though. Play basketball court at the Center is finally finished, it is all painted. On Thursday I was waiting for the taxi and this guy keep asking me if he could marry Melissa who is the girl that I work with. I kept saying no but he wouldn’t drop it. He ended up asking me about why I was in Rwanda. He asked me if I loved Jesus and I told him YES I DO. We had a long talk about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. At the beginning of our conversation he told me that he was a Muslim which threw me. When I got up that morning I was not anticipating having this long conversation with a young Muslim guy my age. In the moment I had to keep asking God for help with what to say for this guy while also praying for him while we were talking. God provided for me, the words just kept coming and he (Frank) listened. We talked for probably a good 20 minutes. I could tell what I was saying was sinking in which was SO awesome and then my taxi showed up. I didn’t want to leave our conversation but he had to go anyways we shook hands and said goodbye. So if you will pray for him with me that would be great. His name is Frank.Saturday I had been asked to be a part of Michel Kayiranga’s engagement party. So I was kind of like a groomsman. I wasn’t a wedding even though it felt like one. They do things differently than we do in the states. They basically get friends and family together for a large engagement party where gifts are exchanged. So I was dressed n traditional clothing and I will attach a picture. You can see more on facebook. I was a VERY long ceremony, but I fell very blessed to have been a part of it. I get enough people looking at me here but I had a lot of eyes on me yesterday. It is a very strange feeling being the center of attention all the time. Especially when I try my hardest to keep a low profile. It’s not my fault that I am white. The day before the wedding one of the guys I work with at AEE took me to get a haircut and a shave so I would be looking good for the engagement party. So Friday night I got my hair cut and my face shaved. After they had finished cutting it they then sent me to this other room where they washed my head and gave me a facial massage all for $1.69 US. I was blown away.
The down part of this week is that I have felt much attacked spiritually. I have been very tired and have felt very alone. Thank you for your prayers I do feel them and they are very helpful to keep me going.
Sunday night at church we had a guest pastor from SEATTLE. I was so pumped. He gave one the best sermons I have ever heard. I spoke with him afterwards and we exchanged emails and we are going to try and get together when I get home. I was very encouraging to hear him preach and then to speak with him after the service.Prayer requests: Leadership at AEE Leadership in AFRICA Prayer for parents raising children (anywhere) For the FPCB team coming out her in Sept. as they prepare Jean as she prepares to visit Washington My taxi rides!!! FrankIn Him,Mark
I am approaching 3 months in country.It feels like I have been here for years.Last Wednesday was a sad night here in Rwanda with the grenade attacks that took place.The next day I felt a little nervous being out and about but I also know that God did not create fear so I got up and went about my day.It was good to get out.I went downtown a couple of days later and I felt very safe.The people here are wonderful and enjoy living life with them.Friday I went to a genocide memorial with a couple of friends.It was a church where 5,000 people tried to take refuge.Inside the church there were bones and clothes from the people who were killed, it was a tough place to visit.That afternoon I went to visit one my good buddies who is sick with malaria.If you could be praying for him that would be great.His name is Jado.
Saturday a guy from our bible study invited us to a BBQ restaurant that his friend owned.When we got to the restaurant they were cooking a pig over and open flame, it was crazy.So guess what were having for dinner.When the pig was done they put it on the end of the buffet table and they cut it up in front of us, that too was a little crazy.Did I enjoy it?Sure.JToday was my first day back at the Center and it was good to see the students that were back.Our books have still not arrived which is frustrating but it’s ok.That is about all that is going on around here.Hope everyone is well.
I just wanted to let everyone know that I am ok. There were grenade attacks in Kigali tonight. I just received and email from the US Embassy confirming, they don't know the extent yet but I wanted to let you know that both Jean and I are ok. So if you would be praying Rwanda that would be great.
I have been eating food!!!JI can’t tell you how many people I have had e-mails from saying “Mark you look skinny eat some food” and then this lady that I am in Bible study with here told me yesterday that I looked like I have lost weight.I guess I just don’t notice.I eat more food and drink more water here than I ever did at home.I think it’s just my daily routine.I am out walking and doing work in the HOT sun every day.So…I will try to put some more food down.
Guess what I get to stay until Oct. like planned.Rwanda allows Americans 3 months in the country free of charge until and then you either have to leave or get a VISA.So instead of going to get a VISA which I kind of wanted to get because I wanted a Rwandan VISA stamp in my passport, I spent last Thursday in Uganda with a couple of friends.We left Kigali at 7am to head north.We ended up taking a taxi bus up there which ended up being a two hour drive.They dropped us off at the border; we cleared customs in Rwanda and then had to walk a good quarter of a mile to Uganda.We then bought our VISA to get into Uganda which nobody checked.I didn’t understand that, but I did get a cool Ugandan stamp in my passport.We then hired a taxi to take us to town.Uganda was very dusty, I mean it is dusty in Rwanda but I thought it was so much dirtier in Uganda.I ended up getting so much dirt in my eyes that day that my left eye ended up getting scratched.I’m ok.I just haven’t but my contact in for a couple of days.We had a few cold drinks and some lunch at this resort type place on a lake and then headed back to Rwanda.We cleared both customs and got back on a taxi headed for Kigali.It was the worst taxi ride I have had here yet.It was high speeds around sharp corners; I thought I was going to meet the maker.They had tied this one woman’s stuff to the top of the van and at one point we hit this bump and the stuff started to fall off.I was sitting by one of the window and was able to catch one of the bags before it hit the ground.I felt like that guy who has a mattress tired to the top of his car and driving with one arm out the window in case the wind takes it, like he is going to be able to hold on to the thing.The driver stopped and retied the stuff to the top.It was a long day.
I then spent most of the next 5 days just sort of hanging low.The presidential elections happened yesterday and just to be safe I just hung around the house and spent some time reading and watching a few movies and SLEEPING.I have been so tired lately.
Oh yeah our books did not arrive last week.Surprise Surprise!!!Hopefully soon.Hope everyone is well.Also Jean who is the woman I live with here will be traveling back to Seattle/Bellevue on September 7th and I won’t see here before I leave.She is coming home to visit some friends and family.So if you could be praying for her as she prepares to come back to the states that would be great.The picture of me on the trampoline is from Uganda.
Prayer request:The students from the Center who are still on break.
