Lake Kivu

The KICS staff retreat at Lake Kivu was our first adventure out of Kigali.

Africa definitely broke us in. Read on to hear more.

The van with kids is ready to roll out.

         

       A few sights along the way

First stop - Nyanza

(The King's Palace)

 There are 3 replica huts... one for the virgin milk maid, one for the king, 

and one for the boy who tested the beer.

The original palace of the king had about 20 different huts.

It was nice and cool in the king's hut. Those layers of grass really block out the heat.

The king's cows are specially bred.
This cowboy entertained us with his cowboy call.

Everybody hold still.

This is the "modern" palace for the king. 

It was build by the Belgians who took control of Rwanda for a time.
Side note: there is currently no king of Rwanda.

 After our stop at Nyanza, we were off to Kibuye.

 From our hotel, we took some boats out for an afternoon adventure.

 Michal was happy.

Presley and Afton were happy.

Poor little Wyatt was not feeling well.

If you look hard enough, you might make out land in the distance.
This is the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Our first stop - Napolean's Hat Island,
based on its shape.









 




It's other name is Bat Island,
for obvious reasons.

 

We left our little ones on the shore with a few friends
and took the older kids on a hike up the mountain.

 Michal took off, but Afton was pretty hesitant...
earth that slips beneath your feet,
steep inclines, and of course, BATS.

He was a trooper. With a lot of encouragement, he kept climbing.

 .

We stopped near the top to catch the view.

 

 

  Nearly there.

 Look who made it to the top!
Michal had a great time and Afton conquered some fear today.
This experience was so cool.
All of you who have seen Afton struggle with sensory challenges would have been so proud of him!

 



 Taking a break at the top...



before we head back down

The trek down was a little intimidating.

Meanwhile at the shore.. 

Crazy girls.

Our next stop - Peace Island. 

We heard there was a 

monkey on this island, but we couldn't find it.
Some from our group thought it was a trick or that the monkey had been long gone.

.

 It's no monkey, but we found this poisonous guy.


We began loading into the boats, a bit disappointed when...

the monkey came out to say goodbye! Perfect timing.

On the way back to the lodge.
Our Lake Kivu adventure was a great way to spend the afternoon.

For the first night, our family stayed in "the apartment". It sounds neat, but, in reality, it was infested with mosquitos and did not have adequate nets. Aside from the incredibly uncomfortable beds, water that ran out mid-shower, and cockroaches we had to sweep ourselves, we managed to get a little rest.

 

By morning, every member of our family had hundreds of mosquito bites. Poor Wyatt had them all over his face. Thankfully, we got to spend our second night in a VIP room. Ah... sweet relief.

Despite the accommodations, our retreat was somewhat restorative. We had great worship with our staff and encouraging time in the Word with Chris Shelby.

Here's hoping for another family adventure where nobody's sick and the mosquitoes aren't biting.

Afton's Birthday Party

We are so proud of our sweet Afton. He is a treasure.

For his first birthday in Africa he wanted to celebrate Seahawk style.

We had big plans for a fancy cake, but aquiring food coloring did not work out.

He was disappointed at first, but decided to roll with it and quickly set about making decorations.

12 years old - 12th Man party. 

The paper and lego decorations on the right were were made by Afton.

We walked down to our local "green space" for a game of American football.

 getting ready to play

The game is on. 

A few locals even stopped by to watch.

In the end, the birthday boy got to score the final touchdown!

 back on the front porch for snacks and Fanta

present time. 

 Afton received some yummy snacks and a soccer ball.

 cake

12th man and his birthday drum

Celebrating a week late (due to sickness) turned out just fine.

Afton missed getting to play with his buddies from home, but had a great time with his new friends in Kigali.

We love you, Afton!!!!

Tour of our House

Hello, Muraho, maybe even Bon Jour

It's time to begin our guided home tour.

On your left is the room where we play games together,

watch movies, read, color – no matter the weather.

Across on the right is our dining space.

We share crazy meals and take turns saying grace.

Ahead is our hall, it’s nice and it's wide

It leads us through to the other side.

This room is not pretty. We won't stay long here.                       

It holds extra stuff and Chad’s biking gear.  





OK, now that's better, shutting the door.

It's time to move on. Storage rooms are a bore.

                

If you look on the left, the stairs are inviting.

We’ll wait to go up, though I know it’s exciting.

Watch out! The floor might be covered with toys.

This is the entrance to the room for the Boys.

 Trinkets, Nerf guns, and Legos galore
Bunk beds for sleepy heads - whom we adore.

Here’s the boys’ bathroom, which had a leak issue.

It’s fixed now and comes with a shower and tissue.

 Utility Closet and Pantry in one

It’s all in order, we’re calling it done.

*One of our favorite snacks is POPCORN

 Michal is fixing our favorite snack. 

We'll show you the kitchen and then head right out back.

The steel pot is our filter
(step 3 out of 4)

for cleaning the water. Want to hear more?

First we must boil to kill the amoebas,

Never just drink it, that's for the zebras.

Step 2 - let it cool. Now hold on to your pants.

Step 3 will take out all debris, dirt, and ants. 

Step 4 is a bonus, not everyone does it.

Make cold in the fridge – that’s how our kids love it.

The rest of the kitchen has all that we need 

for cooking our meals, though not with great speed

It comes complete with a window for dishes.

Or give us your order, if that’s what your wish is.

A spot to stick pictures, you know that it’s true

We’d love to add to it a photo of YOU!

To the right of the fridge is the metal pot

That electrically makes our water hot.

If you think that's just a small thing, well

– it’s not!

A few steps outside takes us to the place

Where laundry is washed – a pretty big space.

After the washing it hangs on the line

Or a door or a bush is also just fine.

Concrete and dirt that’s hard as clay

It’s where these two buddies like to play.

 That’s it for the back yard. If you’re ready for more

Let’s go check out the second floor!

As you can tell, our ceilings are high

this hallway lets in the light from the sky.

When you visit and bring stuff for yourself

You might want to put it on this shelf.

The Girls' room has bunk beds too

and dolls and books and a pretty nice view.

Every bedroom has a wardrobe spot

For storing clothes. They hold a lot.

Here is another toilet and sink.

The water’s not safe. Remember -don’t drink!

This room has its own bath and shower

To fill it would take nearly an hour*.

*This would be a poor idea, especially with water shortages in the dry season.
We only mention completely filling the tub for rhyming purposes.

  

Final stop, the master bed

The mosquito net might hit your head.

We don’t really need to use it

Just tie it up nicely, and don’t abuse it.

That’s all to show of our little home

Maybe sometime you’ll come and roam.

Thanks so much for stopping by 

 Adieu, mwaramut, and now goodbye.

Water!

We made it through our first time of the city water being shut off. When we realized that had happened, our water tank was half-empty. Honestly, it was half-full, because many (like our neighbors) were completely out. Albert, our neighbors' worker came with a bucket to borrow water. Glad we were able to help and glad the city water is back on now. Our water tank is full again and we are relieved - until next time.
Conservation is always a good idea.

Update: We are nearly in the last month of dry season.
Some of our friends have been out of water for days. Even the wells in their area are dry.
Last night we had some rain. We are praying that those wells will have water soon.