China to Rwanda...

Playing for Change!

2011-09-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts about living in Rwanda is being exposed to amazing people and their dreams. I also love being able to share them with you.

Saturday, Matt and I had the pleasure of attending a benefit for our friend Kelly's boys. It doesn't take long after meeting her to learn about "her boys". She works with a group of genocide orphans who are now young men. They spent the first 9 years after the genocide living on the street together trying to survive. Kelly spends her time teaching them English, giving financial advice, and basically being mother and sister. The young men have formed an Intore Dance and Drumming Troupe in Kigali and are now living in a home together as a family. Their hope is to help other street kids in Kigali by teaching them to dance and drum so that they can support themselves as well.

If you are interested in making a one time or monthly donation to help Kelly's boys, check out the Playing for Change website!

Opportunity in Kenya!

2011-09-12T05:32:00.000-07:00

In October, there will be a conference in Nairobi, Kenya that our school would like us to attend. It is put on by the Association of International Schools in Africa and there will be three days of sessions and workshops for Matt and two days of Guidance Counseling sessions that would be incredibly helpful for me.

Our school is covering our flights to Kenya, but we need to cover the costs of the conference, transportation in Nairobi, and food while we are in Kenya. We need to raise $1000 to cover our costs.

If you would like to give to this opportunity for us, we would really appreciate it. You can mail a tax deductible gift to GENERATION CHURCH 1106 Whaley Street, Oceanside, CA 92054 (write Nash-Rwanda on the back of the envelope not on the check itself) or you can click the paypal button on the right and make a donation that way.

Any gift you can give will help get us to Kenya for this conference in October. And as always, we are so grateful for your prayers and support of our ministry here in Rwanda.

Rwanda Ballet

2011-09-12T05:11:00.000-07:00

Last week Emma had her first ballet class. She loves it! She just grinned from ear to ear the entire time. When they had a break, she ran over and gave me a huge hug and a kiss. I asked her what it was for and she said because she was so happy to be in ballet. Perfect!

They will be performing The Nutcracker in December. Should be a riot!

Praises and Prayers

2011-08-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

We have been back in Rwanda for 3 weeks now. It has been quite the whirlwind so far. As soon as we landed, we were busy helping new staff get settled into life in Rwanda. It is something that I love to do. We really do feel like this is our home and I love sharing that home with those starting the adventure.

I have several things to give praise for and some prayer requests as well.

First of all, some of you might remember me sharing a story about one of the little guys in the orphanage that I taught how to give a high five to. His name is Shayka. I just found out that he was adopted! He has a wonderful forever family and is living in the US. Praise God!

Emma is loving her new preschool and we are excited to be back with our students at KICS.

I am also praising God for safe travels, our supporters and rain.

Prayer Requests:

1. My dear friend, Jenn, was in a car accident on Tuesday. Her two children where in the car with her. She and her son suffered broken bones, scrapes and bruises. Her 19 year old daughter, Alix, has suffered serious injuries. She has undergone 4 surgeries to stop internal bleeding. The most serious of the injuries however is head trauma. The doctors have told her that she will have no right side brain function when she wakes up. Please pray for miraculous healing.

2. Several of my graduates are starting their first year of college in the US. Please be praying for Sophia at Wheaton, Diane at Cal Baptist, Nicole at Tyler in TX, and Christelle at Oklahoma Christian. Boris is heading to China to study engineering and Stephanie is in Belgium to study culinary arts. Please be praying for a smooth transition to new cultures, a great bond with roommates and an increased reliance on God.

3. One student, Doreen, has had to postpone her education in the US due to her mother becoming ill. Her mother is in a coma. They are unsure what is wrong with her and because of her critical condition they are unable to transport her out of the country for further treatment. Please pray for her to be healed.

4. Our helper Emmanuel's mom has malaria. Again, I ask that you pray for healing.

Praise God from Whom ALL Blessings flow!

The Story Continues...

2011-07-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

So about a year ago our world was turned upside down. We were offered the incredible opportunity to move to Rwanda and serve at KICS. In a period of 4 weeks, we sold everything, started raising support and got on a plane for Africa. Part of the draw to Rwanda was the fact that we were planning to adopt from there. God had other plans all along. Rwanda closed their adoption program a month after we arrived in Kigali. It is still closed with no real end in site. We have spent the last year praying and researching and trying to understand what God has for our family.

We finally know. We have started the process to adopt a baby boy from the Democratic Republic of Congo. I have been a bit hesitant to mention it here because it seems that every time things seem to start moving with Jack’s adoption and we start to get excited something happens to slow it down again. I guess I have not been able to really allow myself to grab hold of it. Until now. I know how hard it was to wait for Emma and I think that it is my heart’s built in defense. God is in control and knows our baby. I am embracing His providence and love for us.

We have been working with an attorney in Kinshasa, DRC and feel very confident that this is the direction we are supposed to take. We will be flying in a social worker from Germany this fall to do our home study so that we can move forward with our USCIS requirements. While on furlough this summer, we have been requesting and gathering our dossier documents. So much easier than China by the way!

Please keep us in your prayers as we return to our life in Rwanda and add to our family!

the summer is almost over already!

2011-06-29T19:25:00.001-07:00

So I just realized that my last post was at the end of April! The month of May was crazy busy with graduation preparations. I had 9 graduates this year which doesn't sound like a lot but this is the largest KICS graduating class so far. I had to track down a place to get new caps and gowns (ended up getting them from Uganda!) plan the ceremony, take pictures, finish all the final transcripts, etc. and prepare to be gone for 2 months. It was very hectic but fun.

We just spent the month of June in California with Matt's family. It was a really fun time. We were able to speak at a few churches and meet many new people. We spent a day at Disneyland and lots of time with family and friends. We are now in MI for the month of July visiting my family. We are booked to speak at a few churches here as well. We will be attending our friends (2 KICS teachers!) wedding in Indiana. Emma is going to be the flower girl and I am the photographer. Several of the teachers are flying in for the wedding. One all the way from England! We just love our KICS family and we are so blessed to be a part of Douglas and Kerry's day. My brother is also coming to visit from NY so we will be able to spend an entire week with them.

In other news...Emma is reading like crazy! She is 4 1/2 and is reading at a 2nd-3rd grade level. Insane! I am so glad that we are switching her to a new preschool this year. I think she would be completely bored at the old one. She is having so much fun with family and friends. We had root beer floats out on the boat tonight and Emma caught a fish. I just love it here. So relaxing!

The Royal Wedding!

2011-04-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

Today was finally the Royal Wedding! Emma and her friends (and who am I kidding...all of us mommies, too) have been waiting and waiting to celebrate. One of my earliest childhood memories is getting up at 5am with my mom to watch the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. I was 5.

It was so exciting today to watch Prince William's wedding with Emma. Emma's British friends came over to join us for a Royal Tea Party. It was so fun!

I admit that I am very jealous that our British friends were all invited to a Royal Wedding Party at the British Embassy tonight. I can't wait to hear all about it!

Emma and Emily all princessed up

Here comes the bride!

Tea, Scones, and wedding cake.

Easter in Africa

2011-04-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

Each Sunday during the month of April we have been lighting 17 candles to remember the 17 year since the genocide. It has been so moving because members of the congregation are asked to come up and light the candle in memory of a loved one.

Easter Sunday was such a time of celebration. We celebrated the resurrection of our Lord. While lighting the candles we celebrated that Jesus is in all things and that through Him there is healing and peace. Even when we don't understand and our world seems to be falling apart around us, Jesus is there to rescue us from the darkness.

Emma and Monkey Funky with there matching Easter dresses.

I need a favor...

2011-04-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

I really hate to do this but I am in desperate need of a favor. I am planning graduation for our school and I need more caps and gowns.

I am wondering if anyone is coming to Rwanda by May 24? I have 20 caps and gowns that I need to have brought over. They weigh about 25lbs total. If you have room in your luggage and are willing to help, please let me know as soon as possible.

Thanks!

Jeana

Lovely...

2011-04-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

I am in love with this tiny baby...

My Birthday Gift...

2011-04-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

Friday was my birthday so we headed to the market in Ruhango to buy my present. I have been waiting for several weeks now to pick out this gift...a goat for Leia! Ruhango is the 2nd largest market in Rwanda and has the largest animal market. It was fantastic! As soon as we stepped out of the truck we were mobbed. We bought 4 goats for people in Todd and Andria's neighborhood by mine was going to Leia.

Matt and Emma at the market.

This picture pretty much sums up what happens any time we take Emma to the market.

Love this! Emma shaking hands with one of the kids.

I just think this couple is adorable!

Matt and Emma hanging with the kids.

Andria, Emie and I sat in the back of the truck with goats.

Emma delivering a goat to one of the neighbors.

This woman was collecting the goat for a handicapped woman in the village.

Matt passing off a goat.

Me giving Leia her goat. Notice Emma in the background making more gumbo!

She was so happy. She kept saying "Thank You" and "God Bless You."

The goat is officially hers! They used a pen to write on her thumb and take a finger print.

What an amazing way to celebrate my birthday!

The Road to Kibeho...

2011-04-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

Mine in the side of the mountain.

Tea Plantation!

Creepy storm clouds rolling in...

I guess it's okay to let your child ride the camel in the giant nativity as long as the Catholic Priest is the one who puts her on it?

Love these ladies!

Genocide Memorial Service in Gatagara

2011-04-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

Thursday, April 7 marked the 17 year anniversary of the start of the Genocide here in Rwanda. There was an official week of mourning throughout the nation. Everyday services were held so that people could share their stories and remember the lost.

On Wednesday, Matt, Todd and Andria went down the road to attend the closing memorial service in Gatagara. We decided that it would be best for Emma and I to stay at the house since Emma tends to draw a crowd and we didn't want to cause a distraction.

It is estimated that there were about 2,000 people living in Gatagara before the genocide began. 415 were killed. That's about 1 in every 4 people!

During the service, several people shared their stories. One was a widow. She told of the day her husband and children were killed. The men came and led her husband and children away. It was a miracle that she was left behind. The children were told that they were going to be given food. Instead, they were killed. She said that she knows the people who did it. They are her neighbors to this day. They have never asked for forgiveness but she has forgiven them. She said, "I am free."

Creation Enjoyed...

2011-04-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

Maraba Coffee Co-Operative

2011-04-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

Day 2!

We drove out towards Butare and visited the Cyarumbo Coffee Washing Station. Unfortunately, they will begin harvesting coffee beans in the next week or two so we missed the actual process. It was still cool to imagine all those yummy coffee beans floating through the process.

The beans grown in this part of the country and processed here were ranked 2nd in the world by a US study. They are sold throughout the UK and US...even at Starbucks! Yum!

Coffee Tree

Coffee Beans! They remove 2 layers of shell to get to the actual bean.

First the beans are sorted out on these tables to remove any bad beans.

After soaking in a huge tub for several hours, they come down through these machines that remove the shells.

Then the beans float down this "lazy river" the the soaking pools.

The beans soak in these tubs for 24-48 hours.

They are then placed in the sun on these tables to dry.

Gatagara Adventures Day 1

2011-04-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

So I am just now blogging about our April Break adventures.

We went out to Gatagara and stayed with our friends, Todd and Andria. They are doing incredible things there. There vision is start a school. They have started out by offering sewing classes to the girls in the village. So each morning, about 30 ladies come to their house and start sewing. They are sewing school uniforms to give to the kids in the village who couldn't otherwise go to school. It is a win win for the community. Another great thing they are doing is buying goats, cows and rabbits for the people in the village. People in the States can buy a goat for about $30 and it provides both food and income for a family. So far they have distributed 115 goats in the village. It is so great to drive down the road and see all the goats! The great thing about the program too is that if you receive a goat you need to give your first born baby goat to another family. How awesome is that?!

The woman who lives right across the road from their house, Leia, is over 100 years old. The first time she shows up in the census is 1915 but it doesn't say how old she was at the time. Many people think she is over 110. Her son lives with her and he is in his 80s. They think! Their house was built in the 70's and is in terrible need of fixing up. So, we started working on it while we were there.

Me, Emma, the village leader, Leia's son, Leia, Matt, Andria and Todd

Emma and Leia.

Emma was drawing a crowd.

Emma was making gumbo and sharing it with all the locals. It was so funny!

Too much Princess and the Frog I guess!

Emma getting in on the action!

The plaster is a mixture of lime, sand, concrete and water.

Here is Todd and Andria's blog if you are interested in buying a goat, cow or rabbits!

www.toddatrwanda.blogspot.com

Genocide Memorial Church in Kibuye

2011-04-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago I had the chance to go to Kibuye for a Women's Retreat our church put on. Kibuye is a small town located on the shores of Lake Kivu. We have visited a few times for various conferences and retreats but never had a chance to visit the Genocide Memorial Church. I was finally able to on this trip.

I was reading in my Bradt book about the church and I think it is best to just quote it to describe what happened here.

"During the genocide the prefecture of Kibuye experienced the most comprehensive slaughter of Tutsis anywhere in Rwanda. Previously there had been around 60,000 in the prefecture, an unusually high proportion of about 20%. When the French troops arrived afterwards they estimated that up to nine out of every ten had been killed."

Many churches were involved in the genocide. People came to the churches to seek refuge only to be killed. Over 11,400 people were killed in the church below. There is a mass grave and memorial. Here is what Lindsey Hilsum has to say in an article for Granta:

"The church stands among trees on a promontory above the calm blue of Lake Kivu. The Tutsis were sheltering inside when a mob, drunk on banana beer, threw grenades through the doors and windows and then ran in to club and stab to death the people who remainded alive. It took about three hours."

The Mommies are Coming! The Mommies are Coming!

2011-04-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

In August 2009, Matt and I decided that we were going to adopt a baby boy from Rwanda. Being the planner and researcher that I am, I immediately started researching all of the options and meeting new people along the way. One of the first people I met was Allie. She has become so special to me over the last nearly 2 years.

We have spent the last 9 months dreaming about the day she and her husband would come to Kigali to pick up their daughter and we could finally meet. As time as gone by, we were beginning to worry that I might be in the States while she was here.

But, Rwanda finally came through...

she is coming in 2 weeks!!! There is a whole group of AWAA families coming and so far I know 3 of them. I am so thrilled! I can't wait to meet these wonderful ladies face to face. And, I am so honored that I have been asked to come and photograph Gotcha Day for them.

Oh Happy Day!

Shopping for Baby-Kigali style

2011-03-30T05:29:00.000-07:00

Some of you have asked me what baby items are available in Kigali. I have been doing a bit of research on this for you and here is what I have found.

I priced out items at Nakumatt. This probably isn't the cheapest place to get baby supplies but it is going to be your most convienent place to get them. Nakumatt is sort of the closest thing we have to Walmart here in Rwanda. Don't get too excited. It is located right downtown in the Union Trade Center or UTC. You can't miss it. It's right at the top of the fountain round about. This is also were you will most likely go to exchange money.

A bit about that since some of you have asked. It is very easy to exchange money here. We use our visa or mastercard debit card at the Access Bank at UTC and basically debit if from our account. You can get Rwandan Francs this way. You can also request US dollars and then take them across the hall to the forex for a better rate. You will get about 597 RWF for each USD at the Forex. The exchange is not as good at the bank but it is less hassle. Keep in mind that they are going to withdrawal Euros so there will be additional charges on your account for that. You can use your debit card at some ATMs in town. We have not had luck with this and have friends who have been ripped off. Wouldn't really recommend it.

I would recommend bringing a few US one hundrend dollar bills with you. Make sure that they are crisp and 2006 or newer. Most places will only take RWF. Your hotel may take USD but I doubt debit or credit. Check with them when you book. A tour company (if you do a safari or something) would take USD as well. A few hundred will get you by until you can get to the bank and withdrawal more.

Now baby supplies-

Keep in mind that Emma is 4 so I have no experience with any of these products. I'm just looking at the shelf and seeing what is there. All my girlfriends here with babies use cloth diapers so I can't really speak to the quality of the diapers on the shelf. When we went to China to get Emma, we were told that the quality of the chinese diapers was terrible. So, what most families do to save luggage space is bring enough diapers for about 2 days and then plenty for the long flight home. We just used the local ones while at the hotel and around town. So glad we did. You might want to consider this plan too since the flight is very long and there is nothing worse than a blow out at 30,000 feet!

Here are the prices of some basic baby supplies:

Pampers Diapers 64 count 8-19kg=about $18.00US

Huggies Baby Wipes (I don't remember how many but not a very big package)=about $3.30US

Nestle Banana Infant Cereal 400g for 7months and up=about $6US

Formula 0-6months 800g=about $38.00

Formula 6 months and up 900g=about $45

Formula 6-12 months 400g=about $12

Baby food 12 months and up 250g (basic jar of baby food)=about $4.50

A few things that I brought to China that I'm sure would be useful here as well:

*Cheerios! Every kid loves cheerios. Emma was really sick when we got here and would only eat chinese noodles and cheerios. I put them in zip locks and then inside an art tube. The cheerios didn't get smashed and we used the tube later to bring home awesome art work.

*disposable bibs

*disposable placemats

*a baby carrier (ergo, etc)

*bottles with the drop in liners-this made it so much easier while traveling. I only had to clean the nipples in the hotel and on the flight home.

*bottle brush for cleaning the bottle nipples

*small rubbermaid bowl-something maybe shoebox sized. You will need to boil water in your hotel room. I used this in the sink with the boiled water to wash bottle nipples, spoons, bowls, etc. I also brought a travel size bottle of dish soap. you can use it for washing out clothes in the hotel as well. on the way home you can use the box to pack any fragile souveniors you bought!

*disposable spoons and bowls

*stacking cups are the best baby toy.

Also keep in mind that your baby is used to cloth diapers. You will want to bring gentle soaps and lotions.

I would also recommend some basic baby meds like infant tylenol, ear drops, teething tablets, infant liquid enema, etc. Emma was very constipated when we picked her up. We were so grateful that someone recommended enemas. I never would have thought of it! You can get most of these things here but it is not easy to find what you are looking for. Save yourself some stress and throw them in the suitcase. They are light and you will be happy you have them if you need them.

I mentioned La Sierra in most post about restaurants. It is also a fabulous little grocery shop. They have a pretty good supply of baby items there.

La Sierra is located near the Gorilla Roundabout downtown.

UTC is our "mall" you could say. It has Access Bank, Nakumatt, Bourbon Coffee, and several other shops. MTN, the main cell phone service, is located here as well. You can get a local sim card for your time here. Nakumatt is open 24hours if you have an emergency.

How to spend a Saturday Morning in Kigali!

2011-03-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

Our favorite way to spend a Saturday morning in Kigali is to take a little drive over to African Bagel Company. ABC is a co-op started by Robin and Rich a wonderful couple from Boston. It has been such a joy getting to know them...and their donuts! Each Saturday (except the last Saturday of the month) ABC serves hot delicious donuts. I'm talking the BEST donuts you have ever had. Way better than Krispy Creams.

It's not just about the donuts though. ABC has become the Saturday morning hang out for expats. It is the place to meet new friends and learn about the amazing work that people are doing here in Rwanda. It is our little piece of home I guess you could say.

In the past couple of weeks there have been some adoptive families coming to check it out. I think it is a must do during your visit. It is a perfect place to hang out especially with kids. They can run around in the yard, watch them make the donuts and sometimes there are even rabbits to hold. Emma's favorite part of the week is donut time.

They are open from 9am-2pm on Saturdays. Again, they are closed on the last Saturday of the month. They also serve hot pizzas for lunch. There are other things that you could also pick up to have in your hotel room: bagels, bagel chips and hummus, chips and salsa, chocolate chip cookies, natural peanut butter, etc.

Seriously, your kids and you will love this Kigali experience!

So Yummy! So Yummy! There's a party in my Tummy! So Yummy! So Yummy!

Emma loves "helping" the ladies make the donuts.

They are so sweet to let her hang out with them.

Directions:

* Tell a Taxi that you would like to go to near the Kicukiro market.

* After the Kicukiro Market the District Office will be on your left.

* Take the 2nd Left. You will see a sign on the corner for ABC

* Once you make the turn, you can't miss it. There will be lots of cars parked on the road. Also looke for the red door above marked ABC!

Hope to see you there!!

Homestudy

2011-03-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

We have been having a difficult time figuring out how to do our homestudy from here. Because Rwanda is in transition into a Hague country, there really isn't anyone who can do it yet. There seem to be 2 ways this could go. 1. the Ministry of Gender can drive across town and do our homestudy and USCIS will accept it for US Immigration purposes. 2. we will have to fly a SW in from Europe or the States at the cost of at least $3000.

I just got off the phone with the USCIS Hague office. They said that yes they will accept a homestudy completed by the Ministry as long as it is signed off by an approved agency. Yahoo!

However, she said that in the eyes of USCIS Rwanda is not yet a Hague country. So, she said that we should wait until they actually reopen to do the homestudy because if the date of the homestudy is when they were Non-Hague they won't accept it. Looks like we will need to wait until we return to Rwanda in August to do the homestudy.

At least we know for sure that they will take it. Now, I just have to beg the Ministry to do it!

Please be praying that this will work out.

Answer to Prayer!!

2011-03-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure most of you reading this know, a month after we moved to Rwanda the Ministry stopped accepting dossiers. This was because they signed the Hague Agreement and needed to make changes to their system to meet all the requirements of that agreement. It was very discouraging at the time. Things typically move slowly here in Africa and we anticipated that they would not reopen for a couple of years. Over the last few months we have tried to stay current with what is going on at the Ministry and have even researched adoption programs of neighboring countries.

One of the huge changes for us with the process is that we will now need to go through an agency instead of being able to adopt independantly. I started researching the handful of agencies in the States who have Rwanda programs and became encouraged. We were planning to gather documents for our dossier when we are in the States this summer thinking that Rwanda may reopen in 9-12 months. We thought we could get a jump on a few things. Then, I started to get more and more positive information about the program. I finally called Children of All Nations (CAN) adoption agency. I was telling them our plan to work on things this summer and the wonderful woman I spoke with told me that the Ministry told them they plan to reopen in June or July. Now this is Africa so let's just be real and say August or September. Either way...so much sooner than we thought! CAN is the only agency I found that is actually accepting applicants right now. They said that we could apply now, start working on our dossier and have it done and ready to submit when Rwanda reopens. Hopefully, we will be at the front of the line this time!

So, we completed the application Thursday night and were accepted on Friday. We are officially Paper Pregnant once again! I find it hard to believe that we are actually, finally starting another paperchase after all this time.

The big thing that we need to figure out is our homestudy. When expats have adopted in the past, the Ministry has sent a social worker to the house to do a homestudy. We are praying that this will still be the case. It will save us, I'm guessing, $2-3000 if we can have a Ministry SW come to the house instead of flying in a SW from Europe. I am planning to go to the Ministry this week sometime to find out what we need to do. Please be praying that we can do this all through the Ministry.

And...I promise that I have not forgotten about the shopping post. I have been gathering info about baby products and pricing. I will have everything for you soon!

Helpful Tips for Traveling Families!!

2011-03-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

I am so excited that referrals are finally starting to appear and even more excited that familes are traveling. I met a wonderful family at church this morning who just adopted a beautiful baby boy. I'm pretty sure that I gave this little guy massages in the past. He looked very familiar. And, their little girl was from the same provience in China as Emma. What a small world we live in!

I was thinking that it would be a good time to give some of you some tips on things to do in Kigali with kids while you are here. Meeting them this morning, motived me to get busy. So, all of you who are about to travel or who are going crazy and need something to keep your mind occupied while waiting for an email or phone call...this is for you!

Today...Food!

There are so many fabulous restaurants in Kigali. The big thing to remember with kids in Africa is that you could easily end up waiting an hour or more for your food. Be prepared with little ones to have something to keep them occupied. An ipad, itouch, or iphone works great! Or, sometimes we bring coloring books, story books, small card games, etc. It depends on how old your kids are. You can't be too prepared. We have waited 2 hours for lunch before! Not fun when it runs over nap time.

If you are planning on dinner, remember that most restaurants here close between lunch and dinner. Most of them don't reopen until 6pm. Ask at your hotel if they know the times or if they can call for you if you plan to go out earlier than that. We like to get to a place right when it opens to save on the wait time. Most restaurants have outdoor dinning as well so remember to bring a light sweater or a scarf you bought that day at the craft market. It doesn't hurt to put a bit of bug spray on your ankles either. I usually wear long pants at night to dinner because of the cold and bugs.

I am putting the neighborhood in Kigali that the restaurant is located too so that you can easily communicate where you are going to a taxi driver.

Here are a few of our favorites that are near downtown:

Rwandan

Africa Bite in Kimihurura-If you want to try the local cuisine, go to Africa Bite for lunch. It has a great buffet for a great price. We love taking Emma here because you don't have to wait! They also have an open yard for her to play in when she starts to get restless. She loves the food so I'm sure your kids will, too.

Mambo Club in Kimihurura-This place is every kids dream! You pay 1,000RWF to enter the club. This gives you access to a playground for the kids, beach volleyball, and a basketball court. They also have a kiddie pool and a full size pool for 1,000RWF for kids and 2,000RWF for adults. The buffet is Rwandan food and usually a western dish as well. On Sunday's they have a great brunch buffet. The price is also very reasonable.

Asian

Flamingo in Kimihurura-great food. great price. Spring rolls and sweat and sour pork are super.

Zen in Nyarutarama-This is our favorite. It is a bit on the pricey side but it has an incredible atmosphere. Maybe a great place for a final date before you get your little wonder. Matt loves the sushi and I love the duck rolls! It's a bit more on the Thai side of asian I would say. It is also out of downtown a bit so about a 15 min taxi ride to get there. Closed on Mondays.

Indian

Zaafran in Kiyovu-This place is fantastic! And-they deliver! So, if you are in your hotel right now and you really don't feel like going out for dinner, call them up! Make sure to tell them if you like mild, medium or hot! I recommend the garlic and cheese nan along with Murg-e-Malai (cashew chicken) and Subzi Taka Tin (vegetables with flaffel.) The coconut fish is great, too. We haven't taken Emma here but they are pretty quick with your order so most kids would probably do fine.

American (I say that loosely!)

Heaven in Kiyovu-This is fantastic food! You will not be disappointed although it is on the pricey side. It's about 7,000RWF for a meal at night but so worth it! Again, this would be a great night out before you have your little one. They actually do a dinner buffet and a movie w/popcorn on most Saturday nights. It's a great date night! There is a small art gallery attached as well as locally made crafts for sale.

Republika in Kiyovu-If you are in the mood for steak, this is the place to find it! Great food as well as a fantastic shop downstairs. The brochettes and garlic potatoes are great, too!

Cafe' Bourbon downtown in the UTC-If you are wishing that there was a Starbucks around the corner from your hotel, this is the closest thing we have. It has a very western feel. In fact, we call it Mzungu Central because it is usually full of westerners. Emma's favorite things are the Very Berry Smoothy and the chicken fingers. If you have kids who are craving something familiar, you might want to pop in here for lunch. And, get yourself a yummy iced coffee or carmel mochiato Mommy!

La Sierra downtown near Gorilla Roundabout-great price. They have a buffet for lunch and a take away deli type bar where you can grab egg rolls, samosas, burritos, pancakes, waffles, etc. Great grilled cheese, too. Best potatoe and tortilla chips in town! Very kid friendly food and it is close to all the major hotels downtown. You could easily grab someting and take it back to the hotel if you wanted some time in while the baby is napping.

Middle Eastern

Shokola in Kiyovu-amazing atmosphere! You realy feel like you are in the middle east. The food is not all middle eastern though. There is a pretty large menu with some mexican dishes as well. There is an open area where the kids like to play while waiting.

Italian

O Sole Luna in Kacyiru-Great Pizza! If you have been to Italy, this pizza will remind you of your time there. It is a bit out of the downtown area so it will take you about 10-15 minutes by cab. Worth it though if you want pizza. They have take away if you call ahead.

Those are all places we have been to and I can personally say are great. Now there are many other fabuous places to eat in Kigali. Some that friends would recommend are:

Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant in Remera

New Cactus in Kiyovu-french food and pizzas. I think you can do take away pizza here if you call ahead.

Chez Robert in Kiyovu right by Mille Collines-mix of continental dishes

So, hopefully that will keep you busy and full during your time in Kigali.

Next time...Shopping!!

Emma is 4!!

2011-02-15T06:42:00.000-08:00

Friends and Family Celebrating Emma's 4th Birthday!

The yellow candle is how we remember her nannies at the orphanage and her foster parents.

The red candle is how we remember her birth family in China.

Emma turned 4 on January 29! I am just now getting around to posting pictures because we were so busy having a blast with my parents here. I asked Emma for weeks leading up to her party who she wanted to invite. I thought she would want to invite all her little preschool friends but everytime she insisted on the teachers from school. She would start naming each and everyone not leaving anyone out. So, we ended up having a big kid party with all of our big kid friends.

I am so greatful for the friends that we have made here. They have become are family here. Emma loves them all and they are so wonderful with her. Emma was so happy that many of them came to her party. Her favorite guests of course were Grandma and Grandpa.

Emma's birthday is always a difficult day for me. I am so torn emotionally. It is hard not to think of a woman in Jiangxi, China and wonder what she is feeling. How hard it must be for her every January 29. While we are celebrating the beautiful gift that Emma is to us, she is probably torn apart, too. She probably can't help wondering what Emma is doing, what she looks like, what her voice sounds like, what her laugh sounds like, what her hugs and kisses feel like. How can I even begin to understand what she has been through? I don't think I ever will. I just thank her everyday for giving us such a precious gift. I thank her for risking her own life by giving birth to Emma. Oh the courage this woman must have.

Quick Healthy Meals for your Family!

2011-02-15T06:39:00.001-08:00

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Orphanage Day

2011-01-25T04:50:00.000-08:00

I took my parents to the orphanage today. We came down the long stairway and around the corner. As soon as my dad was in sight, the kids came running up to him yelling, "Santa! Santa!" It was perfect. They lept into his arms and didn't let him go until our hour was up.

We are no longer allowed to visit the babies so we now stay outside with the older kids and sing songs with them. There were probably 20-25 kids with us for the hour. We sang songs, played games and held them. Most of the time we were there, my dad had one kid on each leg, one standing in the middle and one hanging around his neck. They just love seeing men.

Some good news for those of you who are waiting for a referral...I have heard from 2 different people that referrals are coming soon. I have heard 17 and 19. I was even told that the little guy I taught the high-five to was taken out of the orphanage for blood work the other day. I can't wait to see who his forever family will be! I hope and pray that it is one of you reading right now.

Grandma and Grandpa are here!

2011-01-24T04:15:00.000-08:00

My parents are here! It is so exciting for me to have my parents in Rwanda with us. We have been able to show them Kigali and some of the surrounding areas. One of the first things we did was take them to Akagera National Park for a day long safari. It was so much fun for Emma to take them.

Matt, me, Emma, Mom and Dad

Sunrise in Rwanda

Matt with a herd of Cape Buffalo. It was pretty amazing watching them run across the open land toward us.

My parents, Jim and Judy, on safari!

Matt and Emma on Hippo beach with all the crocodiles. Open wide!

Emma loves looking out the top of the truck. We were tracking elephants. No luck this time.

African Fish Eagle

Warthogs!!! They are so cute when they run!

Mr. Baboon

Our First African Christmas!

2010-12-28T03:52:00.000-08:00

Our first Christmas in Rwanda was a wonderful time. We were able to skype with family and friends and watch them open the gifts we had sent them. It just amazes me how much technology makes the distance seem not quite so far. We attended a wonderful Christmas Eve service at our church. Matt was asked to give the message at the Christmas Day service. It was such an honor for him to be asked. He did a fantastic job!

Matt was also able to go white water rafting on the Nile River in Uganda over Christmas break with some of the other teachers from school. It was an amazing experience!

Some of our new African ornaments.

Matt got Emma a new dress and some beads on his trip to Uganda.

Making cinnamon rolls.

I splurged and bought Emma some fresh strawberries. I think it was about $6 for this small bowl of berries. They were a bit sour but we still loved them!

I love me some baboons!

2010-12-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

On our safari Saturday, we came upon a large group of baboons. They were Emma's favorite part of the day. It was so fun to watch them interact with each other. The babies were riding on the backs of the mommies. The little ones were chasing each other all over and wrestling. One little one was picking bugs out of his mama. My absolute favorite part of entire day was the interaction between this mama and her baby. I am so happy that I was able to capture each part.

I first noticed this little tiny baby sitting alone with his mama behind. I could see through the lens that she noticed me. I actually got a little nervous because she looked at me and started walking closer.

The baby looked back at her for protection.

She walked up to him and looked so tenderly at him. Then she picked him up just like you would your baby.

She pulled him close to her for a little snuggle.

Then placed him on her lap for a minute and watched the others play.

Then he grabbed on and went for a ride.

He is just so precious. I seriously almost cried watching this precious interaction between mama and baby. The guide said that baboons love their babies very much. If a baby dies, they actually morn them for about a week before burying them.

How Amazing God's Creation Is!

Thanksgiving, Visitors, and An Exciting African Adventure

2010-12-10T01:08:00.000-08:00

Wow! It has been so long since my last post. We have had an incredibly busy yet exciting couple of weeks here. First we had a huge Thanksgiving bash with about 50 other westerners...mostly Americans but a few Canadians snuck in! It was so fun to eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash, pumpkin pie, etc. It was fabulous! So much so that we also had a dinner Thanksgiving party with the school staff. So, we were officially stuffed for a couple of days!

Then on Saturday right after Thanksgiving some friends arrived for a visit! It was fabulous! We had an amazing time showing them Kigali and what everyday life is like here. They also came to check out the school and I am so thrilled to say that they are coming next year to serve at KICS with us! We couldn't be more excited to have a little piece of home here with us. Emma is very excited to have her friends live here and go to school with her, too.

Matt took them to the orphanage on Sunday right after they arrived. They all had an incredible time playing with the kids. I planned to take them back on Tuesday but we ended up not being able to go for a few different reasons. We did take them to the Genocide Memorial in Kigali. That was the first time for Matt and I to visit as well. It was very moving. I highly recommend that anyone coming to Rwanda visit the memorial in Kigali. It is very eye opening not only about the genocide that took place here in Rwanda but also about genocides that have happened in modern history throughout the world. We all left a bit speechless.

One of the best days of their visit was being able to get them out of the city and into the true Rwanda. They chose to go on a day safari at Akagera National Park. We love it there so we were more than happy to take them. We hired a tour company to drive us for the day. We had traveled about 2 hours and were maybe 5 miles from the park enterance when the car just would not move anymore. Smoke started surrounding and filling the car. Emma was asleep on my lap. The driver turned around and shouted, "get out!" We tried but the one door in the back for all six of us wouldn't open. Matt's door in the front was stuck for a time as well. A bit of panic set in until the doors finally worked. By this point Emma was so freaked out she wouldn't let me hand her out the door to Matt so her and I just stayed in the truck because we realized that it was not actually on fire and going to blow. Of course by this point, there was a huge crowd of on lookers. One of the local men decided that we should push the truck down to the entrance where there is a mechanic. So, Emma and I road, Elizabeth steered and the rest of the gang pushed along with some villagers. We didn't make it far before a truck of military men pulled up. Our driver explained what happened and they told us to hop in the back of their truck. They drove us to the Akagera Lodge where we waited for 4 hours for another park truck to take us on safari. When the truck finally arrived, it was a completely open truck! It was awesome! We could stand up and everything. We had an amazing view and I got some fabulous shots.
The next few hours were full of adventure as well. A man who is "foolish in the head" was walking through the park and started throwing stuff at us. It started to rain so the guide took us to a house where we waited on the porch for it to clear. It was such an African adventure. We were so happy to walk through our front gate late that night all in one piece. Everytime Emma has played with her dolls and toy car since then, she says, "the car is smoking, get out, get out!" It's hilarious!

I can't believe that it is almost Christmas. We have been recieving Christmas packages in the mail and can't wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus with our new friends here in Africa. Matt is planning a 4 day adventure with some of the teachers to Uganda the first week of break. They are going to raft on the Nile River in Jinja. Matt has wanted to do this for a long time and we have heard that they are building a dam and the rafting will all change soon. So, I am really excited for him to have this chance to experience it. Emma and I will just chill out here and have some girl time. It is a 13 hour bus ride each way from Kigali. Not my idea of a good time with a 3 year old!

We have 3 Christmas parties this weekend so we are going to be very busy again. I am looking forward to some time off to relax.

There are tons of pictures on my facebook of the safari. I will post some here soon for those who don't have facebook.

Heartbreak

2010-11-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

I don't really know where to begin in describing this weeks visit to the orphanage. I can't really describe it in detail because I need to be careful what I say. We did not massage the babies. We were told that we can no longer do this. I am asking for your prayers that God would reopen this door. It is such a valuable and important thing for babies. I am praying that my descriptions of my visits were not the cause of this change. I have only said positive things about the orphanage and the workers so I am sure that is not the case. I just can't help but wonder.

This week they brought us a few handicapped children. It was so difficult. We were not mentally prepared to handle this but we said a quick prayer and God directed us. Fortunately, the mommy that I was with is a physical therapist so she knew right what to do and walked me through helping each child. It was so difficult emotionally...and physically. I can't really get into details just pray for these sweet children. Our hearts were breaking as we held them.

We were both nearly in tears by the time we left. We said quick goodbyes and gave hugs to all our little friends. We are not sure if we will be able to see them again in the future. We are going to go again next week and hopefully we will be able to make progress and find favor with the director. Please pray that her heart is changed and she sees that we are doing good. My heart is just breaking for these little miracles and for you waiting families. Again, we just ask for your prayers that when we return next week we will be able to love on those little babies again.

I'm back!

2010-11-17T04:12:00.001-08:00

First of all...so sorry that I have been gone for a couple of weeks. I didn't make it to the orphanage last week because I was sick on Monday and didn't want to risk getting any of the little ones sick.

But, I did get to go yesterday. It was a bit of a roller coast experience this week. We were all heart broken to see a new little guy in the big baby room. I would guess him to be about 12-16 months old. It is so hard to tell. He was so stiff. He would hardly move. His fist was clenched so tightly that his little arm muscles were flexed. He is so beautiful though. His skin is so rich and creamy looking. One of the moms who I go with is a physical therapist so she worked with him just about the entire hour we were allowed to be in the room. By the time she was done with him, he was smiling and bending his legs. What a precious little smile he has. All of our hearts were just breaking. He has been at the orphanage for just about a week. I can't even to begin to imagine what is going through his little mind.

On a happier note...the little guy I taught how to high-five a couple of weeks ago totally remembered! It was so fun. He crawled up to me and reached out his hand. And even more fun, he was wearing a shirt that one of the ladies with me donated to the orphanage. Her sons are both from there and so she passed along some of their things. How incredible to think that this little Reebok shirt was worn by a little boy adopted and now in a home and he passed it on to another little boy in the same orphanage. What a privilege for this mommy to see that circle of love. It nearly brought tears to her eyes.

There is also a beautiful little girl there who looks exactly like my dear friend Ariel in San Diego. I was able to hold her and give her a massage this week. I love telling her that she looks just like Aunti Ari. She just smiles.

We had an incredible Orphan Sunday service at church on November 7. We had a panel discussion on the current orphan situation in Rwanda. The panel was made up of members of our church who are involved with orphans and at risk kids in Kigali in various ways. There is one gentleman who moved here from California with his wife (she is Rwandan) and they started a safe home of sorts for street kids. They now own 2 homes and have 20 children whom they care for. The children keep their names and attend school. It is incredible.

Rwanda has 1 million children in vulnerable situations. It is estimated that 13% of Rwandan homes are headed by children. In the US we think of an orphan as a child who is without a mother and a father. In Africa, a child is considered to be an orphan if 1 parent is deceased. If both parents are deceased, they are considered a double orphan. It is estimated that there are 200,00 double orphans in Rwanda. The country has about 30-35 registered orphanages. There are about 4,000 children in those orphanages around the country. That means that the others are either being cared for by extended family, in non-registered orphanages or homes, leading their own household, or on the street. Our church is currently praying about how we can be involved in the solution to this problem. There are many adoptive families in our church and there is a true heart for orphans. We are praying for guidance and an opportunity to be God's hands and feet.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.' James 1:27

A Sanctuary

2010-11-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

There is a small group of us here in Kigali doing BSF together. If you don't know what that is, it is Bible Study Fellowship. It is a Bible study that is done by thousands of people all over the world at the same time. We all started at the same time and are doing the same lessons each week together. It is a pretty cool feeling to know that my mom is studying the same thing as me on the other side of the world. This year's focus is the book of Isaiah. We talked this week about the sovereignty of God.

What is it that makes God sovereign? He is in control. He is all knowing. He is just. We serve a sovereign risen Lord. How do you see God? As a sanctuary, a cornerstone, a father, a friend? As I think back over the past several years, I have to say that He has been a sanctuary in my life. We went through years of trying to get pregnant, to dealing with infertility, to a 2 year adoption process and now a lack of adoption process in Rwanda. Through all of this, God has been a sanctuary...a God of hope. Without that, I don't know that I could have made it through those rough times.

Our study asked the question, which image does your life communicate to others? I hope that I am portraying Him as a sanctuary to all of you who are waiting for your little miracles. He is your sanctuary. Rest your hope and trust in Him.

I did visit the orphanage today. What a blessing those little ones are to my heart. I was able to work with a sweet little boy with the most precious face. He was so happy. He loved being massaged and just laid on his back and smiled at me with his mouth wide open. When I was done with his massage, I just held him close to me and he nearly fell asleep before he was taken back to the baby room. He was so peaceful.

Another of the little guys is so much fun. Just full of life and spunk. I was playing with him while waiting for the little babies to come. I taught him how to give a high-five. He stopped me a couple of times as I walked past his crib. He would reach out and grab my sweater and then hold up his hand. As we were leaving, I reached across several cribs and gave him another high-five. He got a huge smile on his face and kept his hand raised as we walked out the door.

Tuesday is quickly becoming my new favorite day of the week!

Intore Dancers!

2010-10-31T05:24:00.001-07:00

Our pastor and his wife threw a fabulous ice cream social last night. It was an evening full of fun and fellowship along with some incredible entertainment. They hired a local Intore dance troupe to perform for us. This is the traditional Rwandan dancing once performed only for royalty. There are different stages of the dance that touch on peace, reconciliation and courtship. The men dance as warriors to show power. The women dance with grace to show love and care. It is also said that their dance emulates the movement of cattle because cattle are a form of wealth in Rwanda. Each performer wears bells around their ankles. Emma loved the drums and the girls with baskets on their heads.

To the Waiting Families...

2010-10-28T13:26:00.001-07:00

I have been receiving emails this week from Rwanda waiting parents. I am so blown away by the response from my last post. Thank you first of all for even reading my ramblings. You put things out here into space and never know if anyone other then your friends and family are listening. I hope that sharing my life in Rwanda is helping you cope with the wait and I guess it is.

One of the major reasons that I wanted to take the huge leap of faith and move to Rwanda was to do just this. I want to be able to be sort of a bridge for waiting families to their children here. I know that when we were waiting for Emma I would have done anything to know where she was and what her life was like. As I said before, it really is a blessing for parents to know where their child is. You can pray so specifically for that child. I hope that I can help you to understand the culture and the people here. That was so important to us when adopting from China. When we landed in Beijing we felt sort of at home because we had read and studied so much about the place and the people. It really felt like the only connection I had to Emma and her birth family during the wait. Sort of my way of trying to understand her birthmom I guess.

I am trying to be that sort of link for you. There are those really dark horrible gut wrenching days when all you want to do is get on a plane and get your baby. You just need some sort of connection to your baby. My desire is to be a comfort to you. Know that there are 3 adoptive mommies loving on your baby every Tuesday afternoon in a dark room with light blue walls and cream colored cribs. We have felt every single thing that you have felt through your wait. We know what you are thinking and understand. Know that we are praying for your child when we hold him and we are praying for you, too. Know that we are cheering them on when they pull themselves up in their cribs, when they stand on a blue mat and try to dance to the music, when they clap and make adorable baby noises. Someone is paying attention. That was hard for me. I don't really know what Emma's life was like. I don't know how much she was paid attention to. I want to be your hands and heart until you arrive to bring your baby home.

And I pray that happens soon.

Witnessing Joy in a Dark Room

2010-10-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

i started volunteering at the orphanage today. i think that I am still processing this afternoon's trip. I didn't really know what to expect from it really. when the teachers go on sunday afternoons, they are not allowed to go in the baby rooms. they play with the 2-4 year olds outside. because my friend has been involved with adoptions for so long here, she has been able to work with the nuns and educate them on the importance of baby massages. so we got to massage the little babies!! i couldn't believe it! I was in the room with babies who looked to be about 8-13 months old. now they might be a bit older but they were just starting to stand up and try to walk so i would guess about that age. when we got there they were feeding them. a couple were crying...a couple were sleeping...others just hanging out. after a few minutes, they brought us 3 little babies. i would say they were about 5 months old. all boys. i swear...adorable!!! we loved them and gave them massages, did a little Physical Therapy muscle toning type stuff and just held them until it was time to go. while we were there, they got out a new mat and let the kids crawl around. some where trying to stand and attempting their first steps. I couldn't help but think of emma at this age. they then put on some french children's music and the kids started bopping and swaying around. I thought of Emma's nanny telling me that she enjoys joyful music.

i didn't really know how i would react today. i didn't know if my thoughts would be for our future children or more directed to emma's past. i was definitely more connected to emma's past. i think it was a bit easier because emma was in foster care at this age. i noticed their cloth diapers...not a rope or bungee cord to be seen thank goodness as this is often the case in china. i watched the little ones try to dance around the room and thought of emma's ankle scars from being tied to her crib. it made me grateful for this orphanage. the nuns seemed to be enjoying their time with the little ones. they were singing to them and clapping along. the children were all smiling. there was joy in that dark room.

it is so different from our china experience. i was probably in the same room as my friend's little girl. and the children of some of you who are reading this blog. my friend has had her dossier in rwanda since january knowing exactly where her little girl is and where she will go to get her. with china, we had no idea where emma was in that huge country until we got her picture. so different. what a blessing for the parents waiting to be able to pray so specifically for their little ones.

so much to process. i'm just so happy to finally be able to go. i have been so scared to go for the last several weeks given the changes in the rwanda adoption seen. i just wasn't sure if i could handle it. orphans and their care are constantly on my heart. i feel like this was my reason for moving here. i'm just praying for God to use me to help the orphans here. there are about 1 million of them in a country of 9 million.

i'm starting small and praying for something big.

Where God Sleeps

2010-10-25T01:45:00.001-07:00

I have been to many beautiful places in the world...The Great Wall of China, Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, Loch Ness in Scotland, the mountains of Germany and Austria, Hawaii, the rolling hills of Italy and England, the Rock Mountains, and the list goes on. I must say though that the place I just returned from is the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life. The volcanoes and lakes of northwest Rwanda form the most breathtaking landscape. The colors are so vibrant...almost electric green leafs and grass, blue lakes, orange dirt roads, every shade of green and yellow you can imagin form rectangles across the mountainside.

Not only are the views amazing but the people are too. A friend told us about Virunga Lodge. It is, according to the guidebook, the best hotel in Rwanda and right up there with all resorts in Africa. Our friend, who used to live in Ruhengeri said that Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck stay here when they visit Rwanda. It is $500 per night per person. Yikes! We decided to drive up and check out the view and have lunch. The lodge and food were amazing (I have been craving a delicious steak and I had one finally!) But, the best part of the whole thing was the ride down the hill. As we drove back down the mountain, the village children sprinted after the car. We gave high fives and waved. We stopped and Emma, Abby and Lucas shook hands with the children out the window. In fact, when they saw Emma, they got very excited. They probably haven't seen many Chinese children. They kept running after us and shouting and cheering. We handed one little girl a can of pringels...she was so thrilled. We finally figured out that they were shouting "pen." They wanted pens and pencils! We dug through our bags and the truck and started handing them out the windows. They were so excited! It was an amazing 15 minute drive down the mountain.

We then drove over to Volcanoes National Park. If you have ever seen the movie "Gorillas in the Mist," this is where it all happened. The mountain gorillas live in the bamboo forrests on these volcanoes. It is really expensive to go on a gorilla treck so we thought we might be able to just hike around the park with the kids. Didn't happen. It costs $100 a person just to hike the lower levels of the rain forrests. Someday, I will see the gorillas but not this year.

The next day we decided to head out to a fishing village we saw on our map. First we stopped in town at a shop trying to find pencils and pens to give any children we might see again. When Matt and Spencer (our friend) where in the store, the truck ended up surrounded by children and women. I started chatting with one little boy. He spoke very good English. (we were about 25 minutes from the Uganda border where they speak English.) He asked me for my email address! It was hilarious! No pencils or pens to be found so we stocked up on suckers.

The fishing village was beautiful...of course! We walked along the shore of the lake which was all lava rock. There were children fishing and playing, women doing laundry and men playing cards. The colorful fabrics that they wrap around as dresses and capes where laying out on the lava rocks to dry. I loved seeing the carved out fishing boats and talking to the boys who were fishing. It really made me wish that my Grandpa Hubbard where there to experience that with me. Anywhere he goes, he must check out the fishing seen! The little boys were using worms they had found in the fields and catching very small fish. I don't know if they were catching those to eat or to sell as bate for catching larger fish. I just know that it was great! The children sat on the rocks and watched as Emma pretended to fish like the boys and Abby and Lucas ran around the mounds of lava rock. The children are so lovely.

On our way back to the main road, we busted out the suckers and the children went crazy! It was awesome!

I finally understand why Rwandans say, "This is where God sleeps." It is the most breathtaking place I have ever been. I really can't imagine a more pleasant place for Him on earth. It just amazes me that the people of this part of the country can be so full of joy and happiness after everything they have been through. Ruhengeri was one of the hardest hit places during the genocide and yet they thrive. Is it reconciliatoin? Is it true forgiveness? Has God reclaimed this place for Him? I don't know. What I do know is...

God is peace and God sleeps in Rwanda.

Gahaya Gifted Hands

2010-10-16T07:04:00.000-07:00

This morning we went into town with some friends. On our way home we stopped at the Gahaya Gifted Hands. This is one of the many craft co-ops in town that creates beautiful baskets, beads, and art. This particular business actually sells to Macy's. You may have seen their products in the store. The woman who owns the business attends our church and her daughter goes to KICS. So, we were given special permission to take photos and given a special tour. It was fantastic!

These beads are extremely common in Africa. They are made by hand from pieces of magazine paper and then strung on string to make beautiful necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

Emma joined in and gave it a go!

Is this not the most beautiful sewing machine you have ever seen?

I wanted to take it to Antique Road Show so bad!

This is one of my favorite shots so far in Rwanda.

I just love the color and her face. So beautiful!

Here the men are dying sisal to be used in the weaving of baskets. They boil water in these huge tubs over a fire and then add the dyes.

They put in the sisal in and then give it a stir. It immediately turns into a vibrant color.

They only had it in the pot for about 3-5 minutes. They then lay it out to dry.

The sisal is then woven into these gorgeous baskets and bags. They actually had one there in the shop with a Kate Spade USA label on it. Pretty cool!

Happy Birthday Matt!

2010-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today is Matt's birthday. He is the first of us to celebrate a birthday in Africa. Emma and I made cupcakes and took them to one of his Bible classes. The second grade class made him a card and sang Happy Birthday. We spent the afternoon skyping with family and friends who wanted to wish him well. Then in the evening several of us from KICS went to a new Chinese place down the street. It was a beautiful place and the food was fabulous!

We had a wonderful day celebrating Matt. We love you!

Butare

2010-10-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

The school has been so great about taking us on day trips so that we can leave Kigali and see more of Rwanda. On Saturday, we all climbed on a bus and headed south to the city of Butare. Year's ago, as recently as 1960, Rwanda was ruled by a king. Between Kigali and Butare, you can visit the palace and the King's huts. The huts were very fascinating. Emma was very excited to visit a palace. She had visions of Disneyland in her head I am sure. The palace is really more a house by most standards. It is said that when the King visited Europe and saw the palaces there, he returned and started construction on a new larger palace. Unfortunately, he died before he was ever able to live in it. His new palace is now an art museum full of wonderful pieces.

The King's Hut. There are also 2 other small huts. One for the milk and one for the beer.

Here is the palace that he lived in until he died in the early 60's.

This is the palace that was under construction at the time he died.

We also visited the National Museum in Butare. It was a beautifully done museum with wonderful displays on the history of Rwanda as well as instruments, weapons, baskets, etc. Of course, no pictures allowed!

On the drive home, we stopped for some fast-food Rwandan style. Goat brochettes! Delicious!

Moon Festival Party!

2010-10-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

So I am just now getting around to posting about our Moon Festival Party. Emma really wanted to have a party this year for Moon Festival because for the first month that we were here the only Ni Hao Kai-Lan episode on the ipad was the Moon Festival one. She has the whole thing memorized and really wanted to have a party. So, we did. We had about 25 people here in our not so huge house. One special guest was a woman that I had met that week at a coffee shop downtown. She had just arrived the night before from London. She was visiting Rwanda on her own and asked a friend and I if we lived here. We took her across the street to the craft market and told her some places to visit. It struck me that I am no longer a newbie here...I was able to show someone else around town. It felt great! She was a lovely Jewish woman all on her own so I invited her to our party. It was so great. She was able to visit with lots of our friends and find out information on the gorilla treck and some other adventures she had planned. I just hope that we were a good witness of Christ's love to her.

Emma and I spent the week getting everything ready. We made tons of paper lanterns. I asked at the Chinese restaurants and a store in town owned by a Chinese family if they had them and they said no. The young Chinese man at the store who helped me was great. He was really excited that we were having a party. In fact, he told me that he would be carving a watermelon (like we do pumpkins) for his lantern. He said, "it's more fun that way." I told him that I was going to try to make mooncakes and he said, "impossible! it's much too hard. I tried once and couldn't do it." Well, thanks to my friend Sheri's special recipe I was able to make mooncakes that all the kids loved!

The biggest challenge was making egg rolls and cream cheese wontons from scratch. It wouldn't be so difficult if you could by egg roll WRAPPERS in Africa. Making egg roll wrappers from scratch is quit a challenge. After 2 days and 2 different recipes, I finally mastered it! I was so proud of myself. They turned out Fantastic! I would like to think that Emma's birth mother would be impressed.

So, I always forget to take a group picture because we are always so excited to eat the yummy food! I will try to remember for Chinese New Year!

Author on Campus

2010-10-06T05:41:00.000-07:00

Today at KICS we had a very special speaker on campus. Her name is Hanna Jansen. She is the mother of 5 Rwandan children-all survivors of the genocide. She has a total of 12 children most of whom are war orphans. She wrote the book, "Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You," about her daughter's experience in surviving the genocide. She had with her one of her sons. She is currently writing a book based on his experience as well. I haven't read her book yet because I just received a copy last week but I am very anxious to get started now that I have met her. She spoke in chapel this morning and then met with the 7-8 grade students and the high school students to do more of a question and answer time. I sat in on the time with the 7-8 grade students and just found their questions fascinating. It is interesting because several of our students are Rwandan and even though this group is too young to have experienced the genocide first hand they absolutely have been effected by it. They were very interested in why Hanna would want to adopt these children and how her and her husband came to this decision. They also wanted to know about her life in Germany. She was born right after WWII and told the children that she grew up in a town of rubble. Her father was a prisoner of war in Russia and returned to her mother after the war. She said that even though she did not live through the war she knew and understood the affects of war. She said that as a child she would have nightmares of war returning to her homeland. I can only imagine that some of the children in that room have had the same nightmares.

One of the 7th grade students ask a great question, "what do you want your readers to get out of this book?" Hanna's answer was, "I want the reader to understand that life is precious and it should not be waisted."

Here is a link to her website if you would like more information on her. She is a lovely woman and I encourage you to check out her work. www.hannajansen.de/engl-home.htm

Kabuye

2010-09-16T10:53:00.001-07:00

Kibuye is a small town on the shores of Lake Kivu. Lake Kivu is the largest of the lakes in Rwanda and is considered to be a "resort" location in the country. Half of the lake is in Rwanda while the other half is in Congo. It is a massive lake. It reminded me somewhat of being at Lake Michigan in that you couldn't see the opposite shore. There were however several beautiful islands. We hired a boat for a 1/2 hour ride out to Bat Island. The island gets its name because it is home to thousands of fruit bats. As you climb the trails, you throw rocks up into the trees. They then fly up and create a huge black cloud. It is a pretty awesome site actually.

Yes, the little black dots are all bats. Emma said, "I don't even think that Count could count all those bats!"

Emma was obsessed with Kelly's dinner. Fish...the whole fish!

Saturday was Game Day! Michigan vs. Notre Dame. Emma's response whenever someone asked about her shirt..."GO BLUE!!!"

Waterfall Fun!

2010-09-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

I think my favorite day so far in Rwanda was this past Friday. The entire KICS staff ventured over to Kibuye. Along the way, two of the trucks stopped for a picnic near a waterfall. It was just beautiful. It only took about 5 minutes for word to spread that the mzungus where hanging out at the waterfall. We quickly had a group of children and women watching us eat. Matt shared some of the peanut butter no bake cookies that I made with the kids and they all gave a big smile.

Once we were done eating, we hooked up a zipline over the river for the kids to do. It was a blast! All the Rwandans continued to watch and cheer on the kids with us. It was so much fun. The best part was once our kids all had a turn, we asked the Rwandan kids if they would like to give it a try. Before we could blink, 4 of the boys scaled the rocks and were ready to get strapped into the harness. The joy on their faces as they came racing down the line was priceless. We all cheered them on and gave high fives when they returned to their friends. It was an amazing afternoon.

I was also had a moment with this little guy. What a cutie pie! Everyone was watching the zipline and he and I just stared at each other. What a precious little soul in those deep dark eyes.

My favorite shot of the entire weekend though has to be of this mother and baby. Everywhere we go we see this and I will never get tired of it. I have not been able to get a really great shot of this mommy/baby moment until now. She was walking away from the rest of the group back across the field and I just happen to see her. It was so beautiful. I just couldn't look away from her.

The Road home from Akagera

2010-09-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

I love getting out of the city and seeing the real Rwanda. This is such a beautiful country. It is called "The Land of A Thousand Hills" and that could not be more true. The only flat area that I have seen so far is the plain in Akagera. Whenever we venture out of the city, I like to snap random shots out the window of the truck. You just never know what you are going to capture. That is the beauty of the digital camera. You don't feel like you are wasting film. Here are a few shots from the road back from Akagera. The children are just too much...wish that I could bring them all home.

Safari!!!

2010-09-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

A friend of ours took us on a day trip over to Akagera National Park. It is just over a 2 hour drive from Kigali and borders Tanzania. The best part is that because there are very few lions, you can actually get out of your truck and walk right up to the animals. It was amazing. We were within 15 feet of a giraffe. We just kept getting closer and closer and he didn't really seem to mind. We had a picnic with him looking on right in the middle of the plain. Emma's favorite part was seeing the giraffes and zebra. We also saw baboons, cape buffalo, impala, waterbucks, and a warthog. There were also several gorgeous birds. We got out near a lake but the hippos wouldn't come out. We saw their bubbles under water and knew they were there but couldn't entice them to come out and see us.

The great thing about this park is that it is inexpensive. It cost us less to go there than it would for a day at the Wild Animal Park in San Diego. We are planning to go back in October for a camping trip. We will then have more time to venture further into the park where the elephants and more hippos tend to hang out. So excited!

Emma and her Teacher

2010-09-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today Emma and I took Matt to her preschool. He has not been able to see it because he is always teaching when I drop her off. We decided to stop by on our way downtown tonight. Emma was very excited to introduce Daddy to Miss Rebecca. She asked Miss Rebecca if she could take a picture with her to show Grandma Ross and Mema. Miss Rebecca was very happy. She is a lovely young woman from Uganda. She is just great with Emma. Emma is adjusting really well. She thinks it's really fun for me to drop her off and then later in the afternoon she picks me up from my school. She comes running into the office saying, "mommy, did you have fun at school today?"

Rwanda Adoption News

2010-08-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

I found myself very emotional at church this morning. I was surrounded by beautiful Rwandan children looking at me with their huge brown eyes. All I could think about was our son. I wondered if he is born yet. Who his mother is and where does she live? Have I walked by her at the market?

I think that it hit me more today than other days because it was recently announced that Rwanda is no longer accepting dossiers as of Tuesday. They have signed the Hague Agreement which long term is great news for children. It will protect them against harm and eliminate corruption from the system. The sad and upsetting news is for those families who are currently in the process of preparing their dossiers. For us, we have put things a bit on hold until we get settled in to our life here in Rwanda so it isn't as devastating to us as it is for many families. We have heard that there are about 150 dossiers waiting at the Ministry office to be processed. In my mind, having been through a Chinese adoption where there are tens of thousands of dossiers waiting to be processed, that doesn't seem like a lot. But, I can also completely understand how they feel. It doesn't matter if there are 30,000 or 3 dossiers in front of yours. You just want your child home in your arms.

So, we will just have to wait and see what happens. We have no idea how long the process of accreditation will take. We just have to trust God. Again...the biggest lesson we learned while waiting for our sweet Emma was...God's timing is Perfect timing.

Our House and Church

2010-08-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Several of you have been asking for more pictures of the inside of our house. I finally have things put away enough that I felt I could take a few pictures to post.

The school...more pictures to come in a few days of Matt's classroom and inside the school!

Here is the church we attend...the blue is an outdoor baptismal!

Our House

The Front Yard. It looks Much better now that Emmanuel cleaned it up. He did awesome!

Our Room. Emma loves our huge mosquito net. She is being a monkey here.

Emma's room!

Emma's pink bed and mosquito net. She loves it because she HATES bugs!

The cabinet above the sink is actually no longer there. The other day it along with the faucet came crashing down. Water was gushing out of a hole in the wall. It was a totally "I Love Lucy" moment!

Kitchen

living room

dining room

We have a guest room/office too. So if you are in the neighborhood, come on over!

Emmanuel

2010-08-21T04:26:00.000-07:00

Probably the biggest adjustment and the thing that has put me most out of my comfort zone here has been having a worker. I am a very "do-it yourself" kind of person. It is the norm here to have workers. Most "upper class" families have inside workers who help with cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc. As well as a guard and/or outdoor worker who would be sort of like a grounds keeper there to keep the yard looking nice, etc. This is so weird to me. We decided to have someone 2 days a week to help with the yard, go the market for me and just sorta be a presence while I'm at work. He works another 4 days a week for our friends down the street. His name is Emmanuel. He is a really nice young man and super sweet with Emma. I discovered yesterday that he has a 4 year old son and a wife. He has done an amazing job cleaning up the yard. Our house hasn't been lived in for awhile so the yard needed a lot of work. Please pray that we are able to build a relationship with him and share Christ.

We have been told by many families that if I try to go to the market and buy produce I will be charged Mzungu prices. But, if we send our worker, he will be charged local prices and so we will pay much less. Yesterday, I made a list and Emmanuel road a moto to the market for me.

Here is what he got for 14,000 Rwandan Francs. That is about $24 US.

2kg of potatoes (4.4 lbs)

1 pineapple

2 bunches of bananas

1 kg of mangoes (3)

5 apples

2 green peppers

1 kg of sweet potatoes (2.2 lbs)

4 avocados

1 cabbage

2 kg of flour (4.4 lbs)

1 kg of sugar (including rocks!) (2.2 lbs)

2 cucumbers

4 cans of tomato paste

12 eggs

and round trip moto ride

Yes, this IS the biggest avocado you have ever seen! I cut into it thinking it was a mango! That is a mango above it. Unreal!

Emma's First Day of Preschool!!

2010-08-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Emma started preschool Wednesday. We are so excited that she loved it. We were pretty nervous that she might struggle with being away from us for 4 hours since we have only been here for 2 weeks. Starting preschool is a pretty big deal in itself let alone throwing in the fact that she just moved to a new country. She has been awesome through all of the changes. She says all the time, "I love living in Africa Mom! It's Awesome!" Wait until she actually sees a zebra or something! She'll really love it.

Her preschool is mostly Rwandan children. She does have a few other missionary kids who attend with her as well. She has her friends Tilly, Joe, and Emily all from England. We think that one other family will be sending there little girl there too. She is actually adopted from China as well so that will be extra special for Emma.

I'm so glad that she enjoys it. I will be starting work at the school on Monday!

Islands In The Stream

2010-08-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I was resting on the couch while Matt worked on school things and Emma took a nap. I woke up to what sounded like a parade coming down our street. We went outside to check it out and was told by our neighbor, a lovely Rwandan woman, that it was a betrothal ceremony. Basically, the young man was coming to ask for the woman's hand in marriage. He would make a speech and then negotiate the bride price with her father. Typically, cows are given. It was such a beautiful affair. I ran down the street a snuck (as much as a white person can sneak anything in Rwanda) a few shots. The wedding photographer in me couldn't resist. I tried not to take anything too invasive. People are very sensitive about having their picture taken by strangers here so I didn't want to be rude. I could hear people saying, "mzungu" which means white person so I just grabbed a couple of shots and took off.

This was a few hours ago. I can still hear them celebrating down the street. In fact, they were just blaring, "Islands in the Stream." I just had to sing along!

"Islands in the stream that is what we are.

No one in between. How can we be wrong.

Sail away with me to another world.

And we'll rely on each other ah ah."

Shopping...Finally!

2010-08-12T11:00:00.001-07:00

Today I was able to venture out and do some grocery shopping to stock up the cupboards. One thing that I always find interesting when visiting another country is the price difference for certain staple items.

Just a sampling for those interested:

Rice 5Kg bag-$14.50

Banana chips-.85

Vinegar-$3

Canned Peaches-$4

Soy Sauce-$3

Canned Mushrooms-$5 (if you know Emma, you know that she LOVES mushrooms. she was thrilled to see them on the shelf)

Pasta-$1.20

Ketchup-$1 (not sure why I bothered bringing ketchup p

ackets.)

Tomatoes (a bag of about a dozen roma tomatoes)-$0.68!!

Ground Hamburger is about $2/pound

Shaved Ham is about $3.50/pound

4 Garlic Cloves-$1.40

I was also able to go to a

Craft

Store...not

like Michael's...it is a store wit

h crafts already made. There were so many beautiful things. It will be a favorite stop whenever

I make it to the grocery store since it is right next door. I was looking for bread loaf pans and baking sheets at the market so when I spot stone crocks and plates I was thrilled! I bought the dishes for 3000 Rwandan Francs (about $5US) and the Crocks that I can use for bread or casseroles/lasagnas for $8.50 each! I also found

these beautiful baskets perfect for our toiletries and dvds. Emma picked out 2 little animals so that her dolls could have pets at the doll house.

Another fun find was this wall hanging. They are made from banana leafs. We have seen them at the school and I was

hoping to find one. It was only $5. I made a fun collage of family photos. And, the other day I bought this fantastic chair for Emma on the side of the road. $6!! She loves it!

Water

2010-08-10T13:30:00.001-07:00

Over the last several years we have been involved with many clean water projects. Matt worked on wells in Malawi, we worked with our youth groups to raise money for wells, we were involved with the Rwanda Clean Water Project at Mars Hill, etc. I have seen the pictures of kids carrying large yellow containers of water from the river. Matt has walked with women in Malawi for miles to gather water in the pond and carry it miles back to their homes. You can do all those things and think, “Wow, that’s horrible.” But then you walk over to your sink and drink glass after glass of water and don’t think about it again.

We have been driving around town seeing people carrying containers of water. We are in the capitol city of Rwanda. This isn’t some little village in the middle of Africa. It really hits me when I come home and I turn on my faucet. I can turn on my faucet and there is fairly clear water that comes out. Yes, I have to boil it and then run it through a filtration system and it still tastes like you are licking a ceramic pot or a rock. But, I don’t have to walk for miles and then boil and filter my water.

The water situation is interesting. Each home has a water tank. Well at least the homes with running water. The city will fill the tank randomly so there will probably be times when we will not have water. Maybe even for a couple of days at a time. We only have hot water in the upstairs shower. None of the faucets, including the kitchen, have hot water. So, anytime I do dishes I have to boil 2 kettles of water and then add cold water from the faucet. I use some faucet water for washing dishes so that we can get our stomachs somewhat used to the water. I’m sure there will be times when we eat something that wasn’t washed properly so if we can get our stomachs used to it we might not get so sick. We only plug in the water heater or the water pump right before we take showers or baths to save electricity.

Enjoy a yummy glass of water from your tap...even those of you in So. Cal...and be grateful!

Water tank the back yard.

Water filter in the kitchen

Our New Home

2010-08-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here it is! We are so pleased with our new home. The yard is fenced in so once the dry season ends we will be able to let Emma play outside more in the yard and not worry about anything happening to her. I haven’t taken too many inside pictures yet because we are still unpacking and settling in. All of the walls are yellow which of course makes Emma very happy. (it is her favorite color.) There are lots of window with great light during the day. The kitchen is pretty retro. I actually love it. I feel like I’m in the UK actually. Everything feels very British right down to the tea kettle.

There are 3 bedrooms. Emma loves her new pink and yellow bedroom. She picked out some fun wall stickers before we left and had lots of fun helping me put them on the walls. Some new friends gave her a doll house and she is just having a blast with it.

I will post more pictures of the inside once we get unpacked. It is actually a really big house. We love it!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2010-08-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 2 we woke up in our hotel room just outside LAX at 4AM. We had an 8:30 AM flight and wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to get all of our bags checked in. We had 10 check bags and 6 carry-ons. Insane! We actually took up the entire luggage rack on the shuttle to the airport.

As I mentioned before we left, we have been praying that our bags would make it under 50lbs each so that we would not be charged $400 extra per bag. Matt and I specifically prayed that morning that our check in agent’s eyes would be blind to the scale or that he/she would be very generous. Well, one of the too happened. Half of our bags were 53lbs and the rest were 50lbs. She didn’t charge us anything extra for being over the weight limit. She just smiled and rolled them through. Praise God!

At our gate we met Jennifer. She is from LA and is also a new teacher here at KICS. We were hoping to have time to chat with her in DC but our flight was late and we almost missed our connection. When I say almost missed, I mean we were literally sprinting through Dulles flagging down the agent as she said, “last call for Brussels.” It was complete OJ Simpson style. Once we got settled on the plane we realized the Jennifer was not on the plane. She ended up missing the flight and had to stay in DC until Thursday...along with our 10 bags of checked luggage!

We had a 4 hour layover in Brussels. They have these great, however dirty, play areas for kids. Fantastic idea! Emma had a blast playing with the touch screens and running around with the other kids. It was perfect timing for her since we were pretty much on a plane for 13 hour straight from LA to Brussels minus or quick sprint down the hall in DC.

She did amazingly well on all 3 flights. She hardly even fussed. She slept most of the flight from Brussels to Kigali which really through off her sleep schedule since we arrived at 7pm. She woke up at 4 the next morning. She is now sleeping through the night and not getting up until 6-6:30, which is still early for her.

When we arrived in Kigali at 7pm on Tuesday, we came down the stairs to the baggage claim area only to be greeted by this sign. We finally got our luggage late Thursday night. It flew in from DC with Jennifer.

Emma at 5AM with our luggage ready to go!

Playing with the touch screen in Brussels

Yes, those are our names.

Our Last Week in the USA!

2010-08-01T01:13:00.000-07:00

What a week! I can't believe this week has gone by so quickly. Emma loves visiting the pool at Mema's house. She has become an amazing swimmer. We are thrilled that there is a pool 300 yards from our house in Kigali.

Tuesday night, Mema and I took Emma to the Wild Animal Park. Summer evenings are our favorite time to visit. All of the tourist are heading out and we are heading in for the cool weather and active animals. Emma loves to play on the playground and ride the carousel.
Wednesday we visited Sea Life Aquarium. We had purchased discounted tickets through Groupon and needed to use them up before we left. Emma had a great time with her Uncle David looking at the sharks and sting rays.

Thursday was Mommy's day to play. I was able to have dinner with my So Cal Mommy's. We had an amazing time catching up laughing. I just love these incredible ladies! There are 11 kids between the 5 of us. We really needed a break!
Friday we spent the day with some of Matt's family. 7 great-grand kids had a blast running around the yard playing baseball. There were Dodger, Padres and Angel fans present. It was a "big game" as Emma said. It was awesome to see Matt's cousin, her husband and their 4 kids home from Africa. They serve at an international school there and just returned to the States a week ago. We were so happy to be able to spend the day with them. We hope to spend Christmas with them in Africa! The day was full of food, laughter, and prayer...the perfect send off!
It is now Sunday at 1:30 AM. The bags are packed-for the most part-and ready to go in a few hours. We will be having a send off in the morning at church and then heading to LA to stay the night before flying out early Monday morning. I really can't believe that the last 3 weeks have gone by so quickly. I also can't believe how much this feels like when we left for China. There is anticipation, planning, packing, unknown. I also know that this is not only a new adventure for our family but it is also bringing us another step closer to our son.

Please be praying that our travel goes well. We are checking 10 bags and have 6 carry-ons. Each bag has been weighed over and over again. We are praying that they are under 50 lbs according to United Airlines. If they are over, the person checking us in can charge us $400 for each bag that is over. We are considering taking a Starbucks card and selling a big story about moving Africa to teach children and volunteer in an orphanage. Also, pray that Emma would travel well. We have 22 hours of air time plus several hours of layover time. She is used to flying but the last long flight she had-11 hours from Hong Kong to San Francisco- was when she was 16 months old. I know that she will have her moments-as I will probably have too. Just pray that our melt down moments are not at the same time!

Emma

2010-07-22T15:47:00.001-07:00

Emma just continues to amaze me. Our lives have been so unpredictable for the last 5 months yet she has continued to be a smiley, happy, agreeable kid.

She was so excited yesterday when her new passport book arrived in the mail. She has a Chinese passport that she enjoys looking at once in awhile with her special China things. We also had a US passport card for her because we used to travel through Canada a lot to see my brother in Rochester, NY. Now that we are moving to Rwanda, she needed to have a passport book. When we went to get her picture taken, she was really excited. She has seen our blue passports lots of times and couldn't wait to get her own. She stood really still and said, "fuzzy pickles!" Everyone in the post office cracked up.

When we got the mail and pulled out her blue passport, she got a huge smile on her face and said, "let's go to Africa!!" She talks about it all the time. She really is excited to go. We have been talking about pre-school. And she says that she is "going to teach the babies about science." So funny! What an amazing kid we have. We are so blessed.

Packing....HELP!!

2010-07-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

So the packing situation is beginning to stress me out. We are allowed 6 bags free of charge at 50lbs each. It is $200 per bag for each additional 50lb bag. Because this is our first flight to Rwanda, we are allowing ourselves 9 bags. We figured that because we are just getting settled and we don't know what exactly to expect, we will take a bit more. When we return next summer, we will just take the 6 bags we are allowed for free. This time we need to take a lot of extra things like anti-bug mattress covers and pillowcases, books (that is a HUGE part of the weight problem,) some toys for Emma, clothes, sheets, towels, etc. These are all things that you have to take the first time there.

When you think about flying, you think 9 bags Holy Cow! That is so much room. But when you think about the fact that you are moving to another country with a 3 year old it is so hard. The last time we moved we had a 20' uhaul! Now we have 9 suitcases and 6 carry-ons. We have already sold just about everything we own. It is so hard to look at the house and think that I still have so much to try to fit into the suitcases. I have filled 8 bags to just below 50 lbs each. There is no way that I'm going to fit the rest of our clothes, dvds, shoes and a couple of Emma's stuffed animals into that bag. I am pretty much going to have to start over and eliminate more items. 2 suitcases are full of toiletries and food items for several months. We were told that things are lower quality and more expensive so we should bring stuff with us.

In the Bible, it talks about leaving everything behind and going where God calls you. We are trying to do that. The absence of materialism is one of the things that draws us to Africa. We don't want our children to grow up with a sense of entitlement. We want them to serve others first. I guess this is the first step toward that.

So, hopefuly Wednesday will be the day that the puzzle is solved. I think we are going to have to eliminate some of the mac and cheese and brownie mixes. Maybe just the mac and cheese. I'm really going to need a good brownie by the time we get there!

Scotland Revisited

2010-07-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Two weeks from today we leave LAX for Rwanda. I can't believe how fast this week has flown by. I must say that the highlight of my week was attending Coleman and Dayna's wedding. Five years ago, Coleman was a part of a missions team to Scotland that Matt and I led. Several of the students from that trip were able to attend the wedding. It was 5 years ago Saturday that we were chasing Tiger Woods around The Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. It made me think of all that we have been through in 5 years. Infertility, moving to Michigan, adopting Emma from China, Matt completing his Masters of Divinity, deciding to adopt a son, moving back to CA and now our huge move to Rwanda. The students have graduated high school and some of them college. Two are now married and one has 2 children of her own. It just amazes me that I can get together with this incredible group of people and feel like we have never been apart. They have become more than students in our youth group to me. They are truly my friends. I am better for having them in my life and I hope that I have had the same impact on their lives.

A Nation of Children

2010-07-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

65% of Rwanda's population is under the age of 25. The genocide that took place in 1994 pretty much wiped out an entire generation of Rwandans. That, along with HIV/AIDS, has left a nation of grandparents raising grandchildren. These children need first-Love and second-Education. We hope to be a small part of the healing process that is taking place there.

Water, Bugs and Shots

2010-07-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Young girl carrying water home from the river.
The taller building on the top to the hill is the church. KICS is located right next to it. We think that our home will be one of these houses.

This morning we found out that we need to take a water filtration system for the house. It is $200. This seems like a lot but when you consider that 1.5 liters of bottled water costs about $8 US. We also found out that we need to take anti-bug mattress covers and pillow cases. I don't even want to ask! So, our 6 suitcases are filling up quickly.

We got our yellow fever vaccinations this afternoon. Emma was such a champ. She said that she wanted to go first so that Mommy and Daddy would be brave and not scared. She really did an she did awesome! The nurses loved her...of course.

What a Week!

2010-07-10T22:34:00.001-07:00

Monday was our 7th Anniversary. Matt's brother, David, offered to take Emma for the day so that we could spend the day alone. What a gift! We saw Toy Story 3 (with our free passes) in the morning. We both cried. Loved it! Then went to PF Chang's for lunch. Loved it! Then went to Ikea to buy some fun things for our new home in Kigali. Loved it! Then went to Coldstone for dinner. Loved it! What a super day!

Tuesday I was up bright and early making phone calls. I ordered copies of our medical records to take with us. Made appointments for our Yellow Fever and Hep A vaccinations. FYI to anyone adopting from Rwanda-you need a Yellow Fever vaccination card to get off the plane in Kigali. They are pricey. $450 for all 3 of us! We were also able to get a Passport appointment that morning to expedite Emma's passport book. We should get it back within 2 weeks. We also spent most of Tuesday sending out support letters. We need to raise about $1800/month to cover living expenses/travel/Emma's preschool, etc.

Wednesday and Thursday were spent sorting boxes of everything we own. We rented a 17' Uhaul and moved everything to Matt's parents' church in Escondido for the yard sale. Friday and Saturday we spent selling pretty much everything that we own. We were able to raise $2200! We will be keeping a 5x10 storage unit in town to keep some special things in while we are living in Africa.

Next week is the HUGE task of narrowing things down to 6 suitcases of 50lbs each! Any additional bags are $200 each. We are probably going to end up paying for at least 1 additional bag. We think it will be cheaper to just check the extra bag instead of trying to ship things over or pay huge amounts of money for things there. We have been told that children's books are hard to find and when you do find them they are really expensive. Anyone who knows Emma knows that books are her favorite thing. So, we will be taking a secret stash of new books to pull out over the next 10 months...puzzles, too!

Our flights are booked! We are flying out early on August 2 from LAX. We plan to go up to LA on August 1 and stay near the airport because Matt's dad is having surgery on the 2nd. We will fly from LA to DC to Brussels and then finally to Kigali. I think it is 21 hours our actual air time not counting the layovers and time changes.

Please continue to pray for our support to come in and for our car to sell. We don't want to have to continue to cover a car payment while we are not even using it. Plus, it is more support that will need to be raised each month if it doesn't sell. Those are the 2 big things right now.

But again, God is in control!

The Answer!

2010-07-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

Over the past year, I have often asked myself and God why he put another adoption and Rwanda on our hearts. Why were we given the amazing gift of funds a year ago for another adoption only to have to put everything on hold for a year? Why did we both immediately feel like our son was in Rwanda a year ago? Why have we gone through so much change and waiting for the last 5 months?

I now have the answer...

For the past several months, Matt has had his resume posted on the Mission Teach website. This is a site that is used by international Christian schools to find teachers. We have been turning down jobs in Columbia, Belize, Indonesia, etc. One day I was on the site checking to see if anything new had posted. I noticed that a school in Kigali was looking for a Math/Bible teacher. I looked up the school and found that you didn't have to teach Math you could just teach Bible. So, I sent the link to Matt and told him that he should apply. I can guarantee you that if we were not already in love with Rwanda and knew that our son was there, I would never have clicked on the job. I don't even think I would have known that Kigali was in Rwanda over a year ago.

Kigali International Community School, http://www.kicsrw.org/, first serves children of missionaries and humanitarian aid workers however most of the high school students are Rwandan. There are 34 nationalities represented at the school. There is even another teacher with 2 little girls from China. One is the same age as Emma.

After a couple of weeks of emailing and interviewing, Matt and I have both been offered jobs at that school! We are so thrilled! Matt will be teaching Bible, US History, World History and be the Chaplain. I will be working part time while Emma is in preschool at the church next door. I will be the Guidance Counselor focusing on Career/College Counseling. This is so perfect for me because while at Cornerstone University I worked with the international students. I am so excited to work with Rwandan students. Most of the students go to university in the States or the UK.

I am also really excited to be a resource for adoptive families. I hope to be able to help them with logistical things and answer questions about the city and orphanage. I would love to volunteer there once we get settled. How incredible that we will be able to live in Jack's city?!

When we told Emma that we are moving to Africa, she said "great...where the hippos live!"

We will be provided with a 3 bedroom fully furnished home, insurance and 1/2 of our flights will be covered. We do need to raise support for the rest of travel/moving as well as about $2000 a month for living expenses, Emma's preschool, travel, etc. If you feel led to support us monthly or with a special gift for travel, we will have details in the next few days. We are still working that out with the church.

Please pray that the finances come together quickly. We need to be in Kigali on August 2! That is one month from today! We need to sell our car, pretty much everything we own really, get Emma's passport processed, get vaccinations, and raise support.

God is the owner of all things and he owns this, too. He will move this financial mountain.

Jeana

My "Gorillas in the Mist" Moment

2010-06-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

I have seen gorillas several times during all my visits to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. It is one of my favorite things to do each visit. They are just so fascinating and hilarious to watch. They really do act like humans.

Yesterday I had a amazing moment with one of the gorillas at the zoo. He was lying on his back right up by the glass playing with his feet. He looked like a giant baby rolling on a blanket in the middle of some one's living room. It was awesome to see his feet and hands so closely. The best and most amazing moment though was when he turned and looked directly into my eyes. There was this indescribable connection. His black eyes were so deep. I just could not stop looking into them. I wanted to know what was going through his mind. I thought...this must be what Dian Fossey felt like living amongst these amazing creatures in the jungles of Rwanda. I understood how she could fall in love with them and be completely captivated by them.

I never stop being amazed by God's creation. Such small differences really exist between man and gorilla but the ones that do exist are incredible. God chose to give us a soul. A soul that would live forever.

Birch Aquarium

2010-06-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

Bank of America offers 2 days a month for its customers to visit participating museums for free. The 2 in San Diego are the New Children's Museum downtown and the Birch Aquarium. Saturday was a free day so we went down to La Jolla and checked it out. Emma had a great time. Her favorite parts were the sea dragons and playing with the sea creature puppets.
They have an amazing Sea Horse display. I couldn't stop thinking of the look on Matt's face when he ate one in Beijing. I don't think the Birch Aquarium would approve.

Duh dum, duh dum...

Emma checking out the surf.

The jellyfish were incredible!

Hello Grandma!