Back in Kigali; Meetings with Compassion Children; CPAJ
We began this morning very early. Up at five o’clock in the morning, to make sure all preparations are ready for our return to Kigali today. Our driver, Gilbert, was to pick us up at 6:00 hoping for a 7:00 ETA in Kigali and time to worship with the staff at the EPR office. But as things always seem to go here, we were running late.
We missed the time for morning worship, so headed straight to the home of Gertrude Mupfasoni, where the ladies of the team were to stay Monday night. After dropping luggage there, we proceeded to the Presbyterian Guesthouse next to the EPR office to register Boyd Edmondson, Pastor Eugene Rubanda, and Gilbert. There was a little surprise there when we found that Boyd had a room, but Eugene and Gilbert did not. The staff assured us that if we came back later in the day that they would be prepared for Pastor and Gilbert.
We took the opportunity at the EPR office to visit with Astrida, the financial coordinator, and the other staff at the office. There was a joyful reunion when we encountered Pastor Rose Mary of Butare, whom we had just recently visited.
This is the morning we were scheduled to visit the Compassion children of Larry Tanis family, Revs. Terri Swails and Matt Jones, Rev. Boyd Edmondson family, and the young man, Muvenyi Rewo, sponsored child of United Presbyterian Church of Blairsville. We took advantage of the EPR telephone to call Compassion to confirm that all four children had arrived and arrange the exact expected time that we should be there. We were very disappointed to learn that the child, Ruth, sponsored by Pastor Boyd and his family would not be present at the visitation. It seems her family has gone to Burundi, a small country south of Rwanda. Unfortunately, there is no Compassion office there, so we are not sure what the fate of Ruth is or will be. They accepted the gifts that Boyd and his family had prepared for the child, and promised to do their best to deliver them even into Burundi.
The other children were waiting and excited to see us. It was a little bit hectic with so many children, but Compassion had arranged an interpreter for all involved. Betty and Donna met with Terri and Matt’s little boy, Boyd Edmondson met with Larry Tanis’ young lady, and Terry Semsick met with Muvenyi.
We had arranged a visit with Muvenyi last year at his Compassion school, and found him shy, quiet and unsure. Last year his hope was to be a nurse. One year later, we met a young man, growing out of his boyhood, who was relaxed, smiling, and warm. What a difference a year can make. This year he wants to become a doctor!
Boyd Edmondson presented Josee with the gifts that the Tanis’ had sent. The girl was sweet and shy, unsure of herself or why this man was there to see her. Boyd explained that he was there as a representative for her host family.
Betty Grunstra and Donna Doutt found the little boy that Terri and Matt sponsor to absolutely charming, with a huge smile and a lot of personality. He was communicative and appreciative of the gifts he received, and excited to share with his parents the events of the day.
Despite the disappointment of Boyd’s child’s absence, for the rest of the children, and for us, this was a great time and one of the highlights of our trip.
Our next stop was at CPAJ, the Center for the Love of Children. Last year, when we were there, we had observed a framework for a dormitory that had stood so long waiting for a roof that the walls themselves had started to crumble. Members of Presbytery had worked hard with donations and our fundraising Rwanda angels, to pull together enough for this roof, and we sincerely hoped to see progress.
It was here that we had our second disappointment of the day. There was no progress on the dormitory that we had seen last year. However, our spirits were really brightened, when the Director, Cyprien, showed us a new dormitory that had been built from the ground up within the last year. It seems that an engineer was brought in to appraise the viability of the previously-started dorm, and had determined it not worth salvaging. Having scrapped that project, they proceeded with construction of a brand-new dorm, which we were pleased to tour. It houses 52 boys in sets of bunk bends lining both sides of the room. In response to our questions about the children’s few possessions not readily being available to them, Cyprien explained that these are street children, who must learn how to live in a social environment unlike any they have know. If possessions are not secured in the blue metal footlockers, chances are someone will steal them.
We made a tour of the classrooms and greeted the children, and then purchased some of their wonderful market baskets. A new project for them this year is that their art class is making t-shirts with transferred art work on them that they design. So, of course, we had to buy some of those too!
After a lunch with Cyprien, we made our way back to the house of Gertrude. She had arranged for some friends to come over and we had a time of prayer and preparation for this trip that we are beginning on Tuesday, when Eugene and Gertrude come to the U.S. with us.
It was a long, exhausting day, coming at the end of a long, exhausting week. After a late supper, we began to sort, shuffle, re-pack and prepare for the departure on Tuesday.
