Calendar for Sister Gertrude and Pastor Eugene while in Kiski Pby

Please click on the link below to see the calendar of events for Gertrude and Pastor Eugene while in the Presbytery of Kiskiminetas from September 27 – October 14. Contact the presbytery office for further information.

Calendar for Gertrude and Pastor Eugene

Murabeho (good-bye) to Rwanda!

 Tuesday, September 25, 2007

With a good night’s sleep under our belts, we decided to venture out today for an adventure at the open air markets that are so common here.  Donna and Gertrude struck out on a bus, along with Gertrude’s son, John, to the bank and exchange money.  Pastor Eugene took the rest of the team on a driving tour of parts of Kigali that had never seen before.  Our plan was to reconnect with each other at the market.

We had a wonderful time, going in and out of stalls, buying fabrics, baskets, crafts, jewelry.  The Rwandan market is fun and interesting.  We were fortunate to have one Rwandese with each muzungo (white person), so bartering and making purchases went very easily. 

We wrapped up the shopping with a nice lunch at what could be Rwanda fast food.  It’s the same food we always eat, rice, meat with sauce, peas, and potatoes, but the restaurant is buffet.  We saw lots of other muzungu there too, more than we have seen all week!  This meal was the setting for another unfortunate hot pepper incident.  The name of the victim is being withheld to protect their dignity. 

The women spent their last few hours packing up the treasures we purchased at the market, freshening up and saying good-byes to Gertrude’s children. 

Right on time our driver, Gilbert and our friend, young Jean Claude, showed up to take us and our luggage to the airport.  We stopped by the EPR office to pick up Boyd and Eugene and were surprised that so many people were there to see us off.  A quick guess would be 20 or more.  They caravanned with us to the airport, where more people were waiting as well.  Another quick guess is that probably about 30 people were there altogether. 

Through tears, hugs, and kisses, then more tears, hugs, and kisses, we waved our way off into the maze of security at the Kigali airport…no longer able to see them. 

It was dark when we crossed the tarmac, once again on a warm Rwanda night, this time going instead of coming.  We looked straight up at the full moon, and realized that when you’re that close to the equator, the moon is straight up over your head, not above the horizon as we see it. 

Another memorable time has passed.  More progress for our Rwanda Partnership.  More friends made.  Once again, an experience of a lifetime.

Murabeho (good-by) Rwanda!

Back in Kigali; Meetings with Compassion Children; CPAJ

 Monday, September 24

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.

The Lord’s Day: Final Visits with Partner Churches

Sunday, September 23

The day started a little slower because we were to be picked up for church service at 9:00. We were able to enjoy breakfasts with our host families. The ladies of the travel team were wearing their new inikinyaros (high ceremony gowns), and host mamas helped them prepare appropriately. Our host families were able to attend worship with us at the Birembo Church of Mpushi, partner of Mt. Tabor, Marienville and Miola.

As we approached the church, joyous sounds of praise and worship, and people were streaming along the small dirt road, heading towards the sound of the music. Betty Grunstra, our official traveling greeter, called out muraho (hello) to all the passers by.

We made our way to the side entrance, and the modest office of Pastor Leonard Byenda, where all the leaders (and there were many), who were to participate in this special worship service were gathering. After coordinating and a quick prayer, we opened into the sanctuary were the music was going strong. This was our first true jump and dance service of the trip, and the worshipers did not disappoint.

After several choirs, prayers and introductions, Rev. Boyd Edmondson delivered the morning message with Pastor Eugene Rubanda translating. The congregation listened attentively and clearly understood the message of how good things can come from bad situations. This was a message of encouragement to these humble people who have been through so much. It was a message of hope and faith.

The offering was interesting in that several bags of produce, eggs and a basket of peanuts were placed on the Communion table, in lieu of monetary offering. Pastor Leonard then held up the individual items and offered them for sale to those who had cash to pay for them. The cash when then placed in the offering basket.

Next was time for the exchange of gifts. Birembo members gave us each a gift of honey and presented a gift basket to be taken to the partner churches in Kiskiminetas. Pastor Boyd presented Leonard with the banner that the women in Mt. Tabor and Marienville. Pastor Leonard and Pastor Boyd, joined together immediately to hang the banner for all to see.

After the final benediction, the people gathered for the traditional drinking of the Fanta soda that occurs after every social gathering.

We were invited to the home of the Partnership Chairman for the afternoon meal. We made a quick and fortuitious stop at the Presbytery office and it was a good that we did stop there. While we were there, Pastor Beatha and a congregation member from the Birembo/Ruhango church, partner of NICLP churches Rochester Mills, Gilgal, Plum Creek and Washington appeared at the doorstep.

 

If you remember, we were never able to cross the bridge to meet their congregation, and they were unable to give us the gift they had planned to send to their partner churches. We were able to take this time together to receive this gift and wish them farewell.

Going on to Chairman John Baptiste’s home, we all gathered to extend our final words to each other. It was an emotional exchange, for us as well as our host families and friends, as we all expressed our love and caring for one another. The afternoon ended with a final photo of all these wonderful people gathered on the veranda overlooking one of the most beautiful mountain views in Gitarama.

It is the end of our time here, for tomorrow we head to Kigali to visit the Presbytery office, visit our Compassion children, and the Center for the Love of Children (CPAJ). Our departure will be early. For some of us, this will be our last time in this beautiful city. But with God’s blessing, this partnership will last throughout our lifetimes.

Partnership Meeting and More Visits with Partner Churches

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Today was a break (for a while) from the traveling to partner churches routine. This was the day that the Gitarama Partnership Committee and we all met to discuss direction of the partnership.

We all agreed that the conquering language restrictions are a high priority. Several different ways of working on that goal were discussed. As we examined their 8-year prospective plan, another key issue that entertained much discussion was that of creating a self-supporting project which would tackle many aspects of their needs. One idea that was generated was that of opening a Presbyterian guest house in Gitarama. It could be built by church members, could be staffed by church members, the food that is served could be provided and prepared by church members, and finally could serve as an evangelism center.

Another major idea that received great attention was the need for a library or resource center. As they described their need for resources and teacher training and how they are lacking in curriculum and teaching tools, we told them of our Resource Center, and they immediately lit up with enthusiasm seeing this project as another potential evangelism tool.

The women of the congregation were asked to speak, and they expressed concerns about domestic issues for women and children, such as abusive relationships, employment and empowerment. We offered to help provide them resources to begin addressing some of these issues.

After presenting the letter of greeting from General Presbyter, Wayne Yost, and the resolution recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda, and the new partnership banner, we received gifts from the partners as well.

Following a lunch at the home of Pastor Eugene Rubanda, we were on the road again headed Buha, partner church to Brookville. This visit and the next were re-scheduled from the days of delay in Brussels. At the end of this rugged drive, we found a surprisingly good quality church. The exterior of the building was solid; it had a poured cement floor over brick, cement benches, 8 big windows with wooden shutters and a double-wide side entrance. But more important than the building itself was what was happening on the inside.

As we walked in we were greeted with much singing and dancing to the praise and glory of God. Drums and metal shakers provided the rhythm while human voice and dancing feet provided the praise.

The Buha church was formed in 1974 with 40 members. Today the church now consists of 175 members, including 36 orphans and 19 widows. This church is 21 km from Gitarama. The flock is led by evangelist, Florien, whose very modest home is near the church.

Team member and Brookville church member, Betty Grunstra, presented Pastor Florien and the congregation with a new Communion cloth, as well as a Communion set. Betty received many gifts from Buha as well, including fruit, a basket, and a wooden carved plaque given by the young men of the church.

Back up the road we bounced, towards our next re-scheduled church, Birembo of the Ruhanga District, partner church of the Northern Indiana Co. Larger Parish, that includes, Rochester Mills, Gilgal, Plum Creek and Washington. We stopped at the Ruhanga EPR office to pick up this church leader, Beatha, a 27-year old probationary pastor, who will complete her studies in December of 2008.

The road was very rugged. Talking to several people along the road, we wondered when we would find this group of worshippers who have no church building, and never have had a church building.

Once again, darkness started to close in on us, and we still had not found our way. Through fields, pastures and over many bridges we drove into the dusk, finally stopping at a bridge that had too many logs missing to allow us to drive over it. Everybody was out of the car; many local residents joined us to give us advice concerning our dilemma. The final decision of Pastor Eugene, for the third time this week, that it was too dangerous to proceed. Disheartened that we could not reach the congregation on the other side of the defunct bridge, we managed to get turned around and headed back up the hill.

We stopped again at Pastor Beatha’s home, where she was presented her gift for the congregation of a Communion set from. It was then that Pastor Beatha was told of the generous cash gift made by her partner church, and the look on her face was priceless. She could not believe of the generosity of people she didn’t even know.

When Beatha heard we were headed to Butare-town to visit our old friends Pastor Rose Mary and Gabriel, she asked to come too. She and Pastor Rose Mary knew each other so she joined us as we careened down to Butare. The road is good, but nothing is as dark as an African night. We don’t know our liters from our centimeters, but it seemed like our speedometer was pegged about 80 kilometers per hour.

After sharing a wonderful evening of fellowship and an evening meal, we headed back home to Gitarama, an hour away.

With a sigh of relief, we have now completed a mission set for ourselves to visit all the partnership churches (except one). Clymer church and their partner Ntendri were formed too late to incorporate into the schedule Pastor Eugene had provided. Pastor Eugene asked me to prepare all the questions I would like to ask of the pastor and we will contact him before our departure for information about this church.

Tomorrow (Sunday) we go to the Birembo Church of the Mpushi District for worship. Many of our friends around Rwanda are joining us there. It will be a day of celebration of being together, and a rest day for this exhausted, but dedicated, group of Partnership travelers.

Amen.

Gacaca Day

Friday, September 21

This is a day that happens only once in a lifetime.

We began our day early with a big surprise, when sister Gertrude Mupfasoni, who will be coming to the U.S., joined with us for our daily travel to churches.  She had taken the bus the hour’s ride from Kigali to be with us.

Our two-hour drive to the end of the Kabadaha district brought us to the Musange church, partner of Marion Center.  The church, being of mud brick and daub construction fell down in 2000.  The people now worship on the ground of the site of the old church.  We walked a footpath, and the congregation led the way bringing benches and electronic keyboard (battery operated).  The evangelist, Aaron introduced the congregation to us.  There was only a small gathering because today was Gacaca day.

Gacaca day is the time when the genocide tribunal courts meet to hear testimony and judge the accused.  All residents are required by law to attend, except for school-age children, or those who were not present at the time of the 1994 genocide.

Our outdoor worship area was also set with a wooden table covered by a bright green cloth with embroidered flowers.  We presented the congregation and Aaron with the Kiskiminetas Partner certificate and the stained glass dove that was a gift from Marion Center to their sister church.  They had never seen anything such as this, but Pastor Eugene, our interpreter, read the story of the dove to them.  We also gave them the directory that Marion Center sent showing their church and the congregation members.  They were really excited to see a picture of their sister church, and oohed and aahed over it. 

One young man in the congregation, named John, shared his email with us and will possibly be good contact/communicator for this congregation.

As we were approaching our next stop at Kiganda, sister church of Worthington, a young man ran to the van to tell us that the police heard that there were many people gathered at the Kiganda church, which is not allowed without permit on Gacaca Day.  The people, having heard this, ran away to hide.  We decided to go to the church anyway, and once we arrived at this beautifully landscaped church, the word began to spread through the magical way communications work in Rwanda, and people began to re-gather at the church.  The crowd also included a government official who questioned us heavily about our presence and the fact that he had not been notified of this gathering. 

We entered the church and began to greet the few that had gathered with us.  As we were there, more and more came.  Pastor Andrew from the Kabadaha district told us that the Kiganda church was the first church of the Eglise Presbyteriene au Rwanda, and for sometime, was the parish office of Kabadaha, having a primary school with three classrooms.  The school, however, was closed because of the presence of the Catholic church school.  The site soon became the community for four small congregations under the leadership of evangelist Justine.  This church alone has 280 members.  Those present gave us a gift of a wooden carved “Good Shepherd” that was prepared by one of the very artistic members of their church..  They asked us to send it to their Worthington sister church. 

We presented to them, on behalf of the Worthington church, an alter cloth, that they immediately placed on their Communion table.  Pastor Eugene read a letter of greeting to them from Rev. Jon Speck.  We also presented the Presbytery Partnership certificate.

Waving good-bye, nine of us piled in amongst gifts of fruit, flowers and baskets, and made our way towards Gihara, partner church of NuMine and Rural Valley.

As our Jeep climbed forward up the hill, a soldier stopped us along the road, and told us the congregation of Gihara had been arrested for holding an “illegal reverie” on a Gacaca Day.  We were all in shock as the people of the church came into view, carrying benches, chairs, and their Communion table that was intended to be used for our worship and visit time.  The officer was friendly, but firm, with strict orders that they were to report to the police station three miles away.  The women in our group were in tears, the men in stunned silence, as Pastor Eugene tried to assure us that all would be well.  However, we must go to the authorities to plead on their behalf.

We found the correct official location where they were to be detained.  Pastor Eugene, brother Andrew, sister Gertrude, a former mayor and government authority of influence, went in to plead the case of Gihara congregation.  They assured us this would only take five or ten minutes, but more than an hour later, found us still waiting in the grassy yard next to a genocide memorial.  The heat was intense, so we clustered together under a bit of shade with many children who came to see us.  We sang and prayed on behalf of our brothers and sisters. 

At long last, our trio of warriors emerged from the authority building, followed by the trail of the Gihara congregation, still carrying their benches, their table, and their chairs.  We decided to hold a very brief time with them right then and there in the shade so they could rest.  Pastor Eugene told us that they were to be charged to three days in prison and fined 30,000 francs for their illegal revelry.  We had to be very brief, because the police were still watching.  We succeeded in giving them our Partnership certificate and the wooden cross that was sent from NuMine church, but alas, the gifts they wanted to give to us had been left behind at the church.  Andrew assured us that we could get them at a later time.

We left them resting in the shade as we moved on to Kabadaha church, partner of Beechwoods at Falls Creek.  This church partnership has been one of the most successful in the Presbytery, and many, many gifts were given to us to bring back for Beechwoods. 

The day was getting very late, and we still had two more churches to see.  Onward ho to Rambi church, partner of Freeport.

Our Jeep went deep into valleys and high over mountains in a series of switchback turns and washed out bridges and hillsides.  Eventually, leading us from the road to a mountain path, and finally to a hillside where the people of the Rambi church were gathered.

We exited the Jeep to the sounds of great rejoicing and the site of almost 80 people.  They have 127 members, but, one again, because of Gacaca Day, many were still at court. This congregation has no church building and worship surrounded by their beautiful area of God’s creation. 

We observed that one of the many needs of this congregation would be Bibles.  The ones we saw in use, were stained and battered, and falling apart.  The lack of Bibles, however, did not curb their enthusiasm for their worship. 

Again, because of the day slipping away, we had to cut short this visit because we had one more stop to make in Twabumbago, partner church of Bethel of Indiana…and what a stop it was!

The dirt road that led up to Twabumbago was blocked by fallen rock.  So it was decided we would walk up the mountain path to join them.  We climbed straight up until we came what we thought was the village of the church.  We now call this village, base camp #1.  Passing through and picking up followers behind us and around, we continued to base camp #2, where there was a cluster of home.  Still no church.  Marching straight up and with dusk starting to fall, we could see base camp #3 in site.  Still no church.  Finally, Pastor Eugene deemed this an unsafe expedition.  We were now approximately 1-1/2 miles up the mountain, and the church was still not in sight. 

A runner went ahead to try to bring the congregation down.  We hikers gathered on a meadow flat place to catch our breath and wait as the sun continued to get lower and lower and lower.  We were beginning to fear for our safety anticipating the walk (or roll) back down the mountain, when suddenly we saw a parade of the congregation running across an upper road and down towards, singing all the way, and carrying their benches.

The light was slipping quickly away, as we exchanged our gifts, and Terry Semsick presented a cross and directory and our Partnership certificate. In turn, the people of Twabumbago, presented us with their gifts for the people of Bethel. 

With a sense of urgency, we turned to go down the mountain, escorted by the congregation’s drummer and the entire congregation dancing and singing us all the way back to the main road.  Alleluia. Amen.

With six churches under our belt, we looked forward to the end of the day, when we were being hosted by Emmanuel and Florence, last year’s host family to Pastor Marty Cartmell, and parents of our faithful and excellent and superior driver, Gilbert.  We can’t say enough good things about Gilbert’s driving skills.

A wonderful, relaxing meal with this beautiful family filled our evening.  Philbert, their son, who suffers from leukemia was there with all the rest of the family, and we were very happy to see him.  He will be going to the hospital on Monday again for more treatment.

Emmanuel presented us with many things to bring back for their American daughter, Marty.  He presented the four of the traveling team with Kyrwandan language Bibles.  This was a subtle hint to us that we should learn the language.  But we must say, we’ve picked up quite a bit on this trip.  Yago! (Yes!)

Because of the impassioned thanksgiving from Emmanuel for all the prayers on behalf of Philbert, we were lead to join in a time of prayer for him.  As he knelt before us, we placed hands on him and Pastor Boyd anointed Philbert with oil.  You had to be there to appreciate the emotion of these moments together in prayer.

Tomorrow, we meet with the Partnership Committee (thank goodness we don’t have to drive over mountains to get there)!  In fact we will be in Gitarama all morning and have lunch at Pastor Eugene’s home.

On the road again, we will make up for our lost days by visiting Buha of the Brookville partnership and Birembo/Ruhango of the NICLP churches. 

We’ve earned our rest from the wonderful, but bittersweet day.

Finally in Rwanda!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

A good night’s rest has us all feeling better as we head out to the hills of Mpushi District today.  One traveler Googled Mpushi and all it returned was “a mountain top in Rwanda”.  I guess they don’t know that on that mountain top are four small, but thriving and happy Presbyterian Churches.

Our first stop of the morning, part way up the mountain, is at Nyarubuye (pronounced Niyarooya), the partner church of Calvary in Indiana.  There were many members of this congregation waiting for us and the drums and choir were going full tilt as we approached the church.  We were greeted by Mrs. Alphoncine Mukarugira, the leader for this church.  This building measures about 10′ x 14′, made of mud bricks and daub with a few tiny windows that measure about 1′ x 1′.  The dirt floor is cleverly sloped upward away from the door so that those in the back can see over the worshippers in the front.  The benches are made of stone. 

Their leader spoke with great pride about the 33 families that make up the 102 members of this congregation.  They feel they are small, but their members are spread wide throughout this mountainside community.

This congregation has several important associations in place, of which they are very proud.  They have a savings and credit association that could probably best be described as a credit union for their members.  The people save and borrow to help start businesses or help one another.  Another important association that the church is involved in is bee keeping, and they raise money for the church and its members by selling their honey. 

Alphoncine presented us with a special certificate created by them to take back to the United States for their sister church, Calvary.  We also presented them with a certificate of their partnership with Calvary from Kiskiminetas.  They were very happy and pleased to receive the Communion set that we brought as a gift from Calvary to them.

We were touched by the joyous and lively congregation in such a tiny and dark church. With much embracing and greetings we climbed aboard the Mpushi Express to head out for the next stop at Gitwiko, partner church of St. Paul’s of Northern Cambria.

We found the building much the same here, but perhaps a little smaller, a little rougher. There were some holes in the roof and daub fell on us as we shuffled around seating ourselves in the places of honor.  Each of the two little windows had a wooden shutter to cover them.  The benches were of mud brick, and some, just like in Kiskiminetas had brought their own seat cushions that were made like woven mats.

Dust mites were flying in the air in this little, dark building as the enthusiastic choir raised their voices in song and danced on the dirt floor the joyful way that Rwandans do in worship.  The very few songbooks here were battered and threadbare, but not one singer looked at them anyway.  They knew the words by heart to every song they sang.

They did not have a large drum here, but a small one with a bold sound that more than filled this tiny church. 

The leader shared with us that Gitwiko is composed of 28 families.  In those families, they have 35 married people, 17 youth, 28 small children, 33 school children of which 19 of them are in primary school.  Their women’s association grows cassava and peas to support them, and they are also working to establish a youth association.   At this stop, too, we were presented with a plaque for partner church St. Pauls and we in turn presented a plaque from Kiskiminetas to them as a church partner.

We were trying hard to stay on schedule, and doing a pretty good job of it.  So back in the Jeep to climb still further up the mountain again we go.  Next stop… Nyarurama, the partner church of Cross Roads Community.  The mountain road was getting worse every 100 feet, but for us it was worth the climb.  This partnership was a match made in heaven. 

One again, we’re in a small, tiny, daub church.  The little choir was rockin’ and dancing as we were seated.  This church only has pews on one side of the building.  Each stone pew held about 5 people at most.  The other half of the room was spread with woven mats.  As is tradition here, shoes are not worn on the mats, so there was a pile of shoes inside the door right in front of the mat.  The mat was full of people, mostly women with children, and as more children arrived they were seated there.

The enthusiastic leader shared with us that this church was once considered in another district, but when lines were re-drawn for regions, they were put right in between two regions, so they are geographically and literally situated at a crossroads.  The leader said there were 23 families on the 2 hills that made up the Nyarurama Church, 14 on one hill, 9 on the other.  Evangelism is their priority and they constantly pray and seek out through evangelism for others to join them.  One of the ways they evangelize is through music, and they were anxious to tell us that some musical instruments would be wonderful and welcomed in their church.  Other needs revolved around the need for goats and manure to help increase fertility of their crops.  Being near the top of the mountain, they lose much soil when the rains come, as it slides downward toward the valley.  They must work hard to keep the fertility up.

They presented us a wonderful certificate to take to their partner, Cross Roads, with original artwork created by one of the members of the congregation.  When we presented to them the stained glass cross that was created by a member of the Cross Roads Community Church, the leader immediately pointed out that this was another similarity between their churches because there was much artistic talent.

We found this to be a joyful church, with enthusiasm and optimism and brimming with faith. 

We thought we were on our way back to Gitarama, but Evangelist Leonard Byenda of the Birembo church of Mpushi invited us to “stop by” his church for refreshments.  Every event in Rwanda Presbyterian churches seems to end with the distribution of Fanta sodas, so feeling the need to share Fanta and also find a toilet facility we took Leonard up on his offer.  About 20 minutes later as we rocked and careened thousands of feet in the air, we accomplished Birimbo, Fanta and toilet facility.  It was also an opportunity to see the improvements made over the last year at Birembo, including a new floor and a prayer chapel.  It was here that Pastor Leonard surprised us by inviting us to his home, which “wasn’t far”.

Another 20 minutes later, we parked along the road and began a trek down, down, down into a very deep valley along a rutted and slippery foot path.  After a non-injurious fall by one of our travelers, Pastor Eugene deemed the trail too dangerous.  The look of disappointed on our friend Leonard’s face, spoke volumes.  Pastor Boyd expressed a willingness to venture on, so with our translator Jean Claude, Boyd, and Leonard Byenda ventured into the valley to the humble single room daub home of Leonard.

The rest of the travel team amused themselves by admiring the view, chatting with one of the many children that are drawn to us everywhere, and taking pictures of ladies washing coffee beans. 

After about 20 minutes, we saw the happy wanderers coming back up the mountain with a few other people that includes Leonard’s wife carrying her baby on her back, and also one of his children.  For Boyd Edmondson this was a dream come true in his life to visit in the home of Leonard, a friend he holds dear and admires.

So now, it’s mid-afternoon.  Our host family had expected us for lunch, and we arrived home to prepared tables and food being kept warm for us.  After this brief respite, we headed up a double set of mountains over washed-out, rutted, log-bridged roads to visit Musenyi, the partner of church of Shiloh, at St. Marys.

We had visited Musenyi last year and were touched by the need for classrooms for the many, many children there.  The church is a fine facility for Rwanda standards with a cement floor, electronic organ run by car battery and microphones.  The large crowd greeted us with much music and song, and the traditional greetings were exchanged.  At this church, school children came forward and gave us gifts of pineapple and artwork. The leaders presented us with a gift of a lamp to take back to the Shiloh congregation as a symbol that Shiloh has brought light into their church with their generosity.

Because darkness was beginning to set in, we had to move on quickly to view the two new classrooms that have been added at Musenyi, thanks to members of the congregation at Shiloh.  One classroom is completed except for putting up the black board and putting in the benches.  The beautiful cement floor had only been poured several days ago.  The second new classroom had completed wall, but still needed to have the cement floor poured.  Their dreams include a set of secondary school classrooms as well, and they are optimistic about accomplishing this.  There are no secondary schools in the area at all, and many young people leave the area because of this.

We left Musenyi to head back over the mountains to Gitarama for a dinner with Arlene Brown, founder of the Urukundo Orphanage in Gitarama.  The treacherous trip up the mountain was made worse by the darkness that set in, and it took about an hour to come back in.

The children in the girl’s house of Urukundo welcomed us with a dinner and entertained us with songs, both Rwandan and American, and performed their beautiful traditional African dances.  We toured the girl’s home, the boy’s home, the Christian guesthouse, and the health clinic.  All created within the last two years by Arlene and a dedicated staff of Rwandans with some help from American volunteers who come to visit for periods.

Arlene invited us into her home, and shared with us the plans for the new site where there will be individual children’s cottages, a chapel, a new guest house, schools and a clinic.  These plans are ambitious, but Arlene and her staff are confident.  Whenever asked how something was accomplished, she just kept saying “God is so good”.  She is amazing in her enthusiasm and dedication.

Finally, at 10:00 p.m., we returned to our host families and begin preparation for tomorrow when we will visit six partner churches.

We’re exhausted and marveling that we can keep up this pace (or can we?).  We’ll try.  That’s all folks.  We’ll update you more after we cover the Kabadaha region tomorrow.

Blessings.

Last Day of the Brussels Delay; Waiting Anxiously to Leave

September 17, 2007 (Monday)

Sleep did not come easy to us last night.  There is no air conditioning, so we slept with the window open.   Now that we are better rested, the noise from the airport and traffic in the parking lot kept us awake until the wee hours. 

We started out this new day with our breakfast choice of bread and bread, but the coffee sure is good here!  We decided to take the train into the city for some more touring.  We had an interesting morning train ride with an Indian textile yarn salesman who didn’t know where he was going, a couple from Mexico on their honeymoon, and the four of us.  By the time we reach the central city of Brussels, we all felt like friends.

We were dismayed when we got to the city at how it clouded up and became so cool.  Because we did not bring clothing appropriate for this much cooler climate, we find ourselves wearing the same clothes over and over.  Donna is on her fourth day in the same jeans, and is now wearing her pajama top disguised as a shirt for the second day.  Betty, has changed her clothes once and then reverted back to her warmer clothes also.  Boyd is the only one with several long sleeve choices and pants, but he was caught off guard today as well.

We had only finished touring the Our Lady of the Sablon Church, which took from 1400-1549 to build, as we exited, the rain began in earnest.   We jumped on a tour bus to get out of the rain, and rode that for about an hour until it returned us back to the train station.  By then the rain had let up, so we walked to the same café where we had lunched yesterday, but this time chose to eat inside instead of alfresco.   The day felt long and we were tired as we boarded the train back to the airport.  We feel like we’re treading water waiting for tomorrow morning to come. 

We have not heard from the Rwanda partners.  We check email twice a day, but know that they must be very busy re-working and repairing the schedule.  We also know Eugene’s computer is broken and he is back to using internet cafés.  We worry that preparation for our trip has cost much money and he does not have money left for internet.  We’ll see.

The high point of the day was our dinner hour.  We have one choice of where to have dinner, so we’ve eaten in the same place for the last three evenings.  Our server, named Touria, has been kind and patient with our bumbling language inadequacies.  We have grown attached to her.  It’s like coming home when we enter the dining room because she greets us so pleasantly and warmly. 

We’re re-packing and re-working our luggage this evening.  Boyd must get one suitcase down to acceptable weight so he’s not fined, and we need to be prepared to pull out of here first thing in the morning.  We all discussed the idea that perhaps when the next group goes to Rwanda, it would be better, safer and smarter, to fly to Brussels the night before and take one of the two flights to Rwanda that goes each week on the following morning.  This should be considered in planning for the future.

When we arrive tomorrow evening, if we pick up our schedule where it is on Wednesday morning, we will visit the Mpushi district and the churches of Cross Roads Community, Marienville, Miola/Shiloh, Mt. Tabor and Marienville, Indiana/Calvary and St. Marys/Shiloh.  Somehow we must find a way to make up Brookville and the NICLP church partners.  We have gifts to deliver and pictures to take!

We sign off the posting with uncertainty.  We don’t know what the next few days will bring or when we might be able to post again, but stay-tuned Kiski-ites.  We will trust in God and sally forth!

Marking Time in Brussels; Waiting for the Flight to Kigali

 September 16, 2007

To describe the hotel we are in, the words low-end would suffice as accurate adjectives.  The rooms are spare, but the water is hot and the beds feel good.

After 11 hours of recuperative sleep, we struggled out of bed, stiff and sore and still feeling a little road weary.  One of the perks with our rooms is breakfast for 5 euros per person.  Bread seems to be what breakfast is all about here.  We had many more kinds of baguettes and breads than we could recognize, all served with Nutella and interesting jams.  Coffee varieties were numerous also; with cappuccino, espresso, and hot chocolate dispensed about a dozen different ways from a machine.  Orange juice and apple juice were the drinks of the day (oh, yea, Culligan water too).

There was no church around that we could see.  We’re out near the airport in an industrial park, so we spent some time in devotion together after breakfast. Betty Grunstra shared an inspirational piece that seemed so appropriate for this day and for our situation from The Daily Bread.  We were able to pull off this humble worship without benefit of the 20 lb. concordance that made Boyd Edmondson’s luggage overweight (again).

As we lingered at the breakfast table we reminisced about a pleasant dinner the night before in the neighboring hotel (our hotel doesn’t offer dining services).  We dined with a fellow Rwanda traveler named Karl Jean-Louis, a Haitian-American.  He is employed by the Ministry of Justice Department in Rwanda and was returning there to resign his position.  The new organization he is going to work for is an NGO that will be based in Haiti doing charity work, such as securing medical supplies and relief for those in poverty in Haiti.  We all marveled that the Lord had all brought us together with similar goals but in different parts of the world.

Because of his experience the last few years in Rwanda, he was able to give us some valuable insight on the workings of the government and how they relate to the churches and the people.

Being more familiar with the country and having friends scattered throughout, Karl was taking a roll of the dice today and flying into Burundi.  He had no guarantee of a flight from Burundi to Kigali, but knew people he could stay with or arrange the 7 hour drive.  We left him with our blessings and hope for his successful passage.  It is a must that he be in Kigali on Monday morning.

With the guidance of the desk clerk, Soffie, she gave us instruction on where and how to secure a train to the city of Brussels to take a look around.  We were pleasantly surprised to find that this was the weekend of the Folklorico (Folk Festival). 

We have truly become “accidental tourists”.  We had never thought to visit Brussels, but once here, find it a genuinely beautiful city.  We took advice of several people we spoke to and walked to the Grote Markt (Grand Place).  This is where the wonderful festival was taking place.  We indulged ourselves in the Belgian waffles that are famous here at an alfresco café, and got up close and personal with the poepedroegers (literally puppeteers).   These are the people inside the huge puppets that are part of the revelry of many festivals in Belgium.

But while we were watching these festivities, we were acutely aware that the festivities in the Ruhanga district of the Gitarama Region of Rwanda were going on without us.  We were not there to present our proclamation, read letters of greeting, take part in the official procession, or share in the time of jubilation and recognition of the 100 years of the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda. 

We are pained that when we reached Pastor Eugene that he and his welcoming committee were already at the airport ready to greet us…two hours before our scheduled arrival.  The news of our non-arrival must have been as heartrending to them as it was for us.  We still find it hard to believe this disaster has occurred.  But, in two more days, we are sure they will be there to greet us once more.  They are people of great faith, and we will not disappoint them. 

Our comfort in this is that this time in between is a time of rest and recuperation from the grueling trip.  We will be renewed and refreshed to begin what we have been sent to do.

 

First Day of Travel: Delayed in Brussels!

Members of the Rwanda Travel Team (from left): Terry Semsick, Boyd Edmonson, Betty Grunstra, Donna Doutt 

September 14, 2007

It is just short of a day since our first visit into Rwanda.

The day started great with everyone arriving on time for our departure to the Pittsburgh airport. Jack Loucks, former Rwanda traveler, and Dave Semsick, husband of Rwanda traveler, Terry Semsick, had agreed to drive and drop us at the airport. Families and friends of Betty Grunstra, Boyd Edmondson and Donna Doutt were on hand. Many Presbyterians arriving for Acts 16:5 at Calvary gave us their blessings as well as we gathered in the parking lot at neighboring Graystone church in Indiana.

The flight to Atlanta was a little bumpy with some buffeting and holding while the Atlanta airport cleared out backed-up planes. The weather had been so bad, that the airport had been closed for a while and needed some time to clear out and make room for incoming flights.We arrived only a few minutes late with no problem and plenty of time to make our connections. As we found our seats, suddenly, everything we dark for just a moment as we lost all power. Thus begins the rest of the story….

Mechanical failure. Air conditioning gone. The next four hours were spent sitting on the runway. At first we weren’t too concerned, but after the second hour dragged by, we knew we were in jeopardy of missing our connection. Finally at 9:45 p.m., we took off for Brussels.

Fearing the worst, we snagged a flight attendant and explained the repercussion of missing our connection. Flights only go to Kigali, Rwanda several times a week. If we didn’t make our connection, we would be stuck in Brussels until Tuesday. Showing mild alarm, the attendant promised to do what they could. In the end, promises did not help us.

As we feared, the worst happened. Even though we made up very good time getting to Brussels, the flight to Kigali left without us.

Heartsick and disappointed, we started trying to develop a plan B. Delta didn’t want to help us and Brussels Air wasn’t doing too much either. Our options were few. One was to sit in Brussels until the next flight on Tuesday and try to recoup our lost days by ramping up our schedule, or try to find an alternate way to get to Kigali. The alternate route to Kigali involved traveling through Burundi (a neighboring company of Rwanda) and then taking a local plane into Kigali. This posed several problems: 1) no visa for Burundi; 2) significant additional expense; 3) an overnight in some little town in Burundi that we couldn’t pronounce; and 4) our counsel advised us that he felt it was too dangerous. We chose the obvious option…wait it out.

Step 2 of plan B required finding cheap lodging, which we managed to do with some advice from the desk clerk at the airport. But of course, as would be expected for this day, when we got to the hotel, there was a miscommunication and they could not house us until Tuesday. Fortunately we found another hotel nearby that could house us and we settled into to our spartan, but clean and safe rooms. Terry, Betty, and Donna all are bunking together, and Boyd luxuriating in his own space.

Next step was to make contact with the Rwandans preparing for our arrival. Quite a bit of time was spent trying to figure out country codes and figuring out how much a phone call to Pastor Eugene would cost. After several false starts, we succeeded. When we finally reached him…there they were…all of our Rwanda friends…waiting for us at the airport. We had to tell them the disappointing news that they were waiting in vain. We quickly advised him of our new arrival time and he assured us they will be there for us on Tuesday.

So here we are, 36 hours after leaving home, no sleep, no euros (who knew we’d end up in Belgium?), hungry, disheartened, tired, discouraged, but trying to make the best of the situation. We are together. We are safe. What’s going on tomorrow? Who knows? Check back for reports. At least while we’re here, we have internet!