Michal is 10!

Here is our sweet and CRAZY Michal.

For her party, we had the other girls from 4th grade over to our house.

We decided to do a craft...

paper birds in cages.

Aren't they cute?

These angel food cakes look a bit ugly, but they tasted great.

Happy Birthday, Michal! We love you.

Umuganda

In Rwanda, the last Saturday of every month is UMUGANDA.

From somewhere around 8 to noon, people gather in their villages and do physical labor together. The work might be picking up trash, shovelling rock, digging ditches, clearing brush ... 

Umuganda is the word for the center pillar that supports the roof of a grass hut.

So, participating in Umuganda is a way to support your community.

It's actually required for Rwandese, and anyone seen out and about can get in trouble with the authorities. 

No shops or businesses are open during the Umuganda hours.

However, the work isn't intended for kids, and foreigners are exempt. When you don't speak the language and you don't understand the process and you're exhausted from living as a foreigner, it is common to lay low during Umuganda and wait for it be over.

Our family has finally found a way to participate in umuganda and still try to experience the rest that we need on the weekends.

We decided to gather trash on the road by our home.

Everyone has a glove and we're ready to work.

We found all kinds of trash to pick up.

It wasn't long before we had the attention of a few neighbors and a crowd of children.

They just watched us for awhile and then...

they joined in the work.

Some quotations from our kids:

Presley - "The other kids were kind."

Wyatt - "It was fun helping the community."

Michal - "It's kind of like what we're learning about in chapel... making an impact. Once we started cleaning up, other people said, 'Maybe we should do that too.'"

Afton - "Being part of umuganda made me feel like the people who were watching us changed their minds about foreigners. It's way different than what they're used to."

* Side note. This country is full of expats who are constantly pouring into their Rwandan communities, whether that is visible on Umuganda or not. However, many locals still have the perception that foreigners are above this kind of work.

Our contribution to the community may be small and it doesn't match the work that others in our village are doing at the end of every month. But, it's a step. 

And a passer-by even said to us, "Thank you for doing umuganda." 

So, I guess it counts.

School Days

First Day of School - 2015

 Do we look excited, or what?

7th Grade

4th Grade

1st Grade

Pre-school

This little one had to stay home for the first couple of weeks, but her turn finally came.

She was so EXCITED...

until she realized that her school was on a different campus than the rest of us.

She goes to her new school 2 days a week and she has finally managed to be dropped off with
no crying.

Presley loves her teachers at First Impressions.


It's going to be a great year of learning for all of us!

Afton is 13!

Afton has matured so much over the last year.
When we told him we were moving to Africa,
he thought we were ruining his life forever.



Since then, he has grown to love his school, including teachers and friends.





For his birthday party, we decided to do a
7th grade SLEEP-OVER!  Oh my.

Whipping up some Nutella frosting for the cake.

 12 middle schoolers. Let the party begin!

Gaming...

 

more gaming, 

a Nerf gun fight  

and more squealing than you might guess with middle school boys.

Presents - mostly edible.

A presentation from little Presley... with high pitched sounds from young boys.

Bed time. Of course, this picture was taken much earlier, as it gets dark around 6:00 PM every night.

Day 2

A few wanted to climb up the water tank.

And some had time for Mind Flex. 

All in all, the boys had a great time.

We wished Afton could have celebrated with a few special friends from back home, as well.

We are so very thankful for the truly good friends God has put into Afton's life all over the world.

We're so very thankful for Afton and his tender spirit.

Happy Birthday, buddy!

Kibuye - KICS Staff Retreat

About a week after Kumbya, we headed west to another area of Lake Kivu - Kibuye.

One of our favorite things to do in Kibuye is boat out to Bat Island.

This year, we were greeted by cows. Those who didn't go on the hike were entertained by these cows.  

Apparently, one nearly slipped into the lake. 

The name BAT ISLAND is an accurate description.

These are NOT birds. 

Want to hear them?

Wyatt decided he was old enough 

to hike up this year...

And he was right!

He did a great job climbing.

Siblings.

Heading down.

Back to the boats.

Kumbya

the rope swing

There's an annual missionary retreat in Kumbya. 

We've heard a lot about it, but this was our first year to go. 

We got to be with missionaries from, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania, 

as well as a mission team from Australia.

We were encouraged through relationships, collective worship and water play.

Wyatt and Sheldon Davenport

Lizzy (Michal's good friend), Presley, Michal and Wyatt headed out in the boat.

Afton (on the right) and his buddy Drew.

Go back to Kumbya? Yes, please.

Mobile Community

One thing we did not anticipate in moving to Rwanda is how quickly we would develop new friendships and how many of those friends would leave us in our first year.

They say missionary years are like dog years...  In one year's time, it feels like seven have gone by. 

Or as another friend puts it, "the days go slow and the years go fast".

In our first year, we have said goodbye to dearly loved friends and family,
gotten reaquainted with old friends,
made new friends,
said goodbye to our recently re-aquainted old friends,
and said goodbye to new friends.

I guess the point is, this earth isn't our home.
Goodbye is just part of life, until that great day when
we meet Jesus face to face and the word "goodbye" is no longer needed.