our trip in pictures

I thought I would try to be productive with the time I have recovering from surgery. (Recovery is going well. I'm getting to the point where I have to be really careful not to overdo it because I feel like I can, but my body certainly isn't ready for that. Slowly but surely, though.)

Here are a few (of many) pictures from our trip.

The school where we taught.

After our lesson on creation, the children drew pictures of things God made
Students from Alpha Omega donated school supplies for the children we taught.

I spent my summer loving on these kids.

Because they do not have many school supplies, they teach the children through games, songs and chants.

Visiting a small group.

Sewing project in Kabuga

Girls at the youth conference

Women's small group. These women are amazing.

Bible study group with the Bibles we gave them

Small group

Greetings to bring to America

Worship

We had traditional dresses made and wore them to church the last Sunday that we were there.




I have been asked to present my trip during the evening service at church sometime soon.
I am very excited about sharing my trip with those of you who made it possible.
I will update again when I know the date.

Out of surgery

If you read my last blog, you probably realized that it was not actually me typing, but my dad. He's great, love him! :)

Now it is really me and I am typing from my hospital bed. I'm hooked up to all kinds of things, so typing isn't really easy and this will be short.

I'm feeling really well now (who wouldn't be when you're being pumped with Morphine?). :) The fam is taking great care of me. I'll probably fall asleep soon as this has been quite an exhausting morning and jet lag is still having its effects.

If you are reading this from College Station, I'd LOVE it if you get a chance to come visit. (I'm at the Physician's Center, down University, across Hwy 6, almost to Hwy 30).

Thank you all for praying!

recovery time

It is about 10:30 on Friday morning. Since I am still asleep from the anesthesia, this blog entry will be pretty short. They rolled me in to surgery about 8:00 this morning. They had given me something to relax me before surgery, so I was a little sassy with the doctors and nurses. I was quite the talker. The anesthesiologist suggested that since I just got back from Africa a couple of days ago, I should consider putting this off to make sure I did not bring home a bug or amoeba. I told him that was not going to happen, so let's get this going. Then Dr.Briner came in and we talked for a few minutes, than they wheeled me on out to surgery. It took about 2 hours. Dr. Briner just went into my room and told my Mom and Dad and Kahler and my grandparents that it all went well. I should be waking up soon - they will wheel me into the room where everyone will be really glad to see me. I hope I am not too sick or groggy, because my Mom may not handle that very well. When I am good and awake, I will send someone out for ice cream. That will help me get well faster. I hope to be home by tomorrow, so you can come see me when you get a chance. Well, I should be waking up soon, so I will blog again when I get a chance.

HOME SWEET HOME!!

It's 4:15am right now, but my body is telling me that it is 11:15am and refuses to sleep.

I know it will probably be several hours before anyone reads this, but I wanted you all to know that our plane made it to Houston at about 12:45 tonight (or this morning... I'm still not really sure how you say that).

I want you all to know that I did get an aisle seat on the 9 hour flight from London to Chicago. God cares so much for us, even about the smallest things!

Thank you all for praying. I cannot wait to see you all, the ones who have loved me so dearly and prayed for me so faithfully, in person. The last two months have been unforgettable!

Hopefully, in the next few weeks, I will update this again with a 'reflective' post, as the first question I am always asked is "What did you learn?". That is not a question to be answered at 4 in the morning (especially for someone who is as sleep-depraved as I am). I have a feeling that once I let myself stop, here in a few minutes, I will be asleep immediately. (And I am oh-so-excited to be back in my own bed!)

Keep praying for my surgery. :)

Love you all!
-kt

Delayed...

Well, we didn't make it to London in time. (We didn't really think we would.)

The new plan is to arrive in Houston (still via Chicago) at 10pm on Wednesday. In reality, this is only 3 or 4 hours later than we had origianally thought. Not too bad.

We're both SUPER ready to get home, so pray for the rest of our traveling!
Thank you all for your prayers! Continue to pray for my back. (More specifically, you can pray that I get an aisle seat this time. I had a middle seat on our last flight and was only able to get up and move once during the 9 hour flight, so I'm hurting a bit now.)

Love and miss you all!
See you soon!

On our way...

We made it safely to Nairobi. We now have a 7 hour layover and then we will board for London. (PRAY for the London layover!) Until then, its milkshakes, sudoku and watching "forgein" people. :)

It was so hard to say goodbye, but now that we have left that red Rwandan soil, we're ready to see Houston!!

Keep praying. Love you and miss you all.
Getting closer to you every hour! :)

packing up...

So this is most likely my last post from Rwanda! We leave tomorrow afternoon at 1:55pm.

Last Friday, after I posted on here, we went back to the Ligue for Bible study. We talked about spiritual growth and taught them to share the Gospel using Gospel bead bracelets. The group gave us each a gift, of two small traditional Rwandan peace baskets and then they danced for us.

We had our regular Bible study with the women in Remera on Saturday. We did the same lesson (spiritual growth and Gospel bead bracelets). They also presented us with gifts. If you haven't noticed, gifts are a big part of their culture. They always tell us "This is so you cannot forget us." They don't realize that they have been such a huge part of my life that I could NEVER forget them. Saturday afternoon, we went to the market to do a bit of last minute shopping and get some fresh fruit (bananas, avocados, and passion fruit) for our last days here.

Yesterday was a very emotional day. It was our last day to attend church and the last time to see many of our new friends. I had to fight back tears throughout the whole service. At the end, they called us up to 'give a word' and tell the church goodbye. Again, they presented us with a gift from the church. Afterwards, we had a few of the women from our Bible studies stay around to video them talking about the studies. Esron translated for us and the things they said brought tears to my eyes (again). Thank you, for allowing this trip to happen. YOUR generosity has made an eternal difference in the lives of many people here.

We started packing this morning. I feel like we unpacked everything yesterday. As we were packing and deciding what to leave here, our friend who works at the Ligue (whose house we visited the first week for Bible study) was outside watering plants. I called her inside (she doesn't speak ANY English) and gave her a stack of my shirts and some candy and stickers to take to her children. She was SO excited she was about to cry (and Rwandans don't cry). She kept saying "Thank you! Ooh, Merci! Urokosay!" (Thank you in English, French, Kinyarwanda). To me, it was just a stack of old shirts I never wear anymore. To her, it was a brand new wardrobe. She was so sweet and so appreciative. It made me want to give her everything I had. Later, she wrote something in Kinyarwanda on a piece of paper and gave it to me. We had a friend translate it and she said, "Aww. Someone who has written this is very sad that you will be leaving her." I'm sad too. (And trying not to cry as I write this!) We had lunch one last time at the Emerald today and will eat dinner with Esron later tonight.

Here's how you can pray:
-That the seeds that have been planted would GROW
-That we would be comforted today and tomorrow as we prepare to leave
-Safety in traveling home (Also- we have a 1 hour layover in London and it will be VERY tough to get on our plane... PRAY!!)
-Of course, my surgery.

I've really begun to miss my friends and the people who have sent me here. I can't wait to see you all. (This may mean you have to come see me in the hospital or when I'm recovering. I won't be able to get out for a while.) The time has flown by, and every minute has been a gift from God! Again, THANK YOU for being a part of this trip.

Next stop: NAIROBI!!
(I'm not done updating yet!)

Love you and miss you all.
SEE YOU SOON! (I've waited 2 months to say that!)

'tis bittersweet

So, we're counting down the days until Bush Intercontinental (July 23).
I can't explain my emotions right now because they are so contradictory.
---Part of me wants to stay here, forever, and love on these precious people.
---The other part of me misses my family and friends, who I cannot wait to see again.

ALL of me knows that this trip has been God's plan for my summer and I can only pray that this experience has helped me become more like the person He created me to be. Pray that I will trust God with the next few days, knowing that, just as it was His will for me to come on this trip, it is also His will for me to return.

As always, a brief update:
We had a larger group of youth show up on Tuesday than Monday. We started at 10, teaching the youth (and whoever else showed up) at the church. We taught the Gospel and then had them make Gospel bead bracelets. We let them all make 2 and challenged them to go and share what they had learned. When we came back from our break, they were all very excited as many of them had gone and shared the gospel and given their 2nd bracelet away.

Wednesday was a long day, but it was also one of the best days so far! We talked about "the green bead", spiritual growth. We talked about many things that Christ commands us to do once we believe in Him. After the youth teaching, we had a break until 3. During our break, we went out into the village a little to buy Fantas and mendazi (small fried cakes) to give to the women during Bible study. Before we start our meeting, they sing and pray. While they were singing, they began a 'traditional Rwandan dance' and insisted that Melissa and I learn and join them. It was hilarious. (We had Kezia videotape it and, if you are lucky, you might get to see it when we return... ha.) We were laughing and they were laughing so hard they could barely sing. It was a sweet, sweet time! We made Gospel bead bracelets with them. They were very excited to go and share what they had learned. At the end, we told them we have learned a bit of Rwandan culture and that when you appreciate and honor someone, you give them Fanta and mendazi. They laughed and gladly accepted the snack. Before we left, they gave us gifts they had gotten us. We each got a purse made of banana leaves with a pen and card inside. This group of women has been such a blessing. The love they have for the Lord and for each other has taught me so much!

On Thursday, we went with Kathleen and Bruno (the Canadian Baptist missionaries) to visit a hospital. It was quite far from the city and a pretty long (and beautiful) drive. We went on a tour and got to see all their different units. Of course, my favorite was their Pediatric Malnutrition ward. I don't want to make this too long, but I will say that I know that God had that trip planned for me. As I mentioned earlier in the trip, I have had doubts about studying nutrition... until now. God taught me a lot and I'm going to have to trust Him with how I will use my education in the future... and I am SO excited to see what He will do!!

This morning (Friday), we visited the Dorcas project and helped them work. And by 'work', I'm not kidding. When we got there, they wrapped us up in long skirts and head wraps so that our clothes and heads would not get dirty. Then, they showed us how we would carry buckets of dirt on our heads from one place to another to prepare a place to plant flowers. Then we had to run some errands and now we are about to head back to the Ligue for our last Bible study with Mary's group of ladies.

-Continue to pray for our last days here- for safety and health and for God to work through us, every minute of every day.
-Also, continue to pray for my surgery. It is a week from today and I'm begining to get a little nervous!

I cannot thank you all enough for the emails. I have been so encouraged by them.
I cannot wait to see you all. Love you and miss you!

The begining of the end...

As of tomorrow, we will refer to the days as the 'lasts'. For example, tomorrow will be our "last Tuesday". Crazy, eh?

This past week has flown by. (I feel like I say that every time I update this thing!)

As you know, last week was our last week in the school. Their holiday started last Friday. We gave each class bananas and played games. We were able to leave a lot of school supplies and recreation things with the school and they were very grateful.

We were scheduled to meet with the Dorcas project on Friday, but we found out that they were not meeting when we got there. "Maybe next week." Instead, we used our time to plan out our last days here and get some errands done.

We had our usual Bible study at the church in Remera on Saturday. It went very well. The women are much more comfortable with us now and ask some really good questions. These women are amazing. They have been through so much and their lives are so hard, yet they make time to fellowship and fall in love with others AND the Lord. THEY are the ones teaching us so much!

We woke up at 6 yesterday (Sunday) to leave at 7 for a village outside of Kibungo. It took a little over 3 hours to get there (the last hour was down a small trail through banana trees). I forget how much I enjoy going out into the villages- this country is so beautiful! We finally got to the church and they took us on a hike to visit some land that they hope to build a secondary school on. Right now, there is only a primary school in that area, so once children complete primary school, there is very little hope of further education. We went back to the church, where there were women (and of course, some children) from different areas meeting for a conference. Church lasted about 5 hours. We shared the gospel and gave 'a word' (encouragement). I love village people. They are so kind and welcoming. After church, they fed us a big African meal. After a long ride home, I fell asleep before 8:00.

We went to Remera this morning for the first day of the youth conference we're doing. We arrived at 9 and noticed that there were no people around. We found Vincent, the pastor who is translating for us, and he said that we would have to wait for the youth to arrive. He told us that since this is the first full week of their holiday, they were probably sleeping. (I found that very funny and told him we do that in America also!) We started around 10, with only 6 people (including our translator). As we were singing, Melissa and I decided to change our cirriculum a bit and teach a different lesson that seemed more suitable for the occasion. (TIA: this is Africa!) We ended up teaching about prayer and Christ's example and how we pray. It went well. By the time we finished, we had around 15 people. We changed the time for tomorrow and are going to start at 10 so that the youth can sleep in a little more!

Now that I can look in my planner and actually see the end of our trip coming, I cannot imagine leaving this place. (I get pretty emotional and try not to think about that too much!) This place has become my home this summer and these people have become my family and dear friends. It is so hard to realize that I don't know if (or when) I will come back to this place. However, GOD IS GOOD and gives comfort. I know that I will see my Rwandan brothers and sisters on the other side!

(However, I'm begining to miss my family, friends, and the familiarity of home A LOT! It will be hard to leave, but once I get on that plane, I'll be ready to see Houston!!)

Pray for the rest of our week, that God would use us to teach who HE wants.
Pray that when we are done with this week, we will feel that we have made the most of every opportunity and have no regrets.
Pray that we would listen to the Lord in the next few days as we will be making some big decisions about the finances we have left to leave here.
Also, as the end is drawing near and we are quite ready to see our families and friends, pray that we would soak up every minute of the amazing adventure the Lord has put us in!

Thank you all for your comments, emails, and PRAYERS! I miss you and love you all dearly!

we're not slowing down!

Thank you all for your faithful prayers. God is answering them daily!

Since I updated last Thursday, we have been busy planning out these last 2 weeks. (I cannot believe that we will be getting back on a plane 2 weeks from today!)

Last Friday, we all celebrated American Independence Day while we also celebrated Rwandan Liberation Day. Since the whole city pretty much shuts down for holidays, we went to the American Embassy 4th of July party and had hamburgers! It was nice to be with some other people who also spoke English.

Saturday was Election Day. Apparently, voting is a very long (and important) process here. Again, the whole city shut down Saturday morning. We had a meeting with Esron Saturday afternoon about these last 2 weeks. It went VERY well and it looks like we will be quite busy.

We did not go to church Sunday because I woke up sick. (Not to worry- it only lasted the day and I am feeling much better now! Pray for our continued health.) Also, pray for Esron as he left on Sunday and will be traveling for a while.

Yesterday started the last week of school before their holiday. The teachers are giving exams in the mornings and we are spending one last hour in each class each day. The children, like children anywhere, are extra energetic this week, as it is the last week before their break. Not only do the children have extra energy, but I've felt a little wired myself! (And by this point in the trip, that is a blessing! Thanks for praying.)

Today, after school, we went to the home of a teacher who has been out sick for several weeks. From what we understand, she had a miscarriage and has been in the hospital and is now recovering. Please pray for her (her name is Providence). She is such a sweet, sweet woman and cares deeply for her students. Melissa and I have grown to love her. It was very good to see her and visit with her. She is doing much better now, its just hard for her to travel. She made us a huge lunch and for 'desert', we were each given a cereal bowl full of peanuts. We both ate until it hurt and she was very happy.

Here is a little summary of what we THINK the rest of our trip will look like. (Of course, TIA: "this is africa!")
In the school tomorrow and Thursday, like usual.
Wednesday: Women's small group, like usual.
Thursday: Bible study with Mary (We saw her yesterday and she is doing much better. We are looking forward to meeting with these women again.)
Friday: Bible study with Dorcas (It has taken 4 weeks, but we are scheduled to work with them!)
Saturday: Bible study in Remera, like usual.
Sunday: Visiting a women's conference with Kezia (Esron's wife) in a village not too far from Kigali. (We are very excited about this.)
Mon-Wed: Teaching Bible studies at a youth 'conference' in the mornings at Remera.
Wednesday: Small group
Thursday: Bible study with Mary
Friday: Dorcas Project
Saturday: Bible study at Remera

We also have many 'last minute' things to do (such as meeting with Esron again, telling people goodbye...) that we will be working into this time as well. Pray that we stay energized and focused on our purpose! God is so good!

Love you all!
-kt

JULY!

We finished our fourth week in the school today. This was our last time to teach at the school. Next week, we will go back and spend a day in each class. We plan to observe during the first part and have a 'party' during the last part. We'll buy them bananas and cookies and play games.

As I recap the last week, I'll try to give the "Reader's Digest Version" (from what I understand, that means I'll make it as short and informative as I can).

Last Friday: We went to the market and bought some food. It was such a neat experience. There were countless tables piled so high with fresh fruits and veggies that they were falling onto the floor. We bought some zucchini, avocados, passion fruit, and a strange red fruit that we couldnt figure out the English name for.

Saturday: That morning was a 'National Work Day', something the Belgians started. Everyone in the country helps with service projects and isn't allowed to do anything else. Cars aren't even allowed on the roads until noon. (So, naturally, we didn't have Bible study. We didn't help clean up the country either.) We took Esron out to eat lunch and have a 'meeting'. He is such a busy man that we don't get to sit down and talk to him often. After lunch, he helped us run some errands. That night, we took his family out to eat pizza and gave his kids presents that we had bought them. He has a wonderful family.

Sunday: We visited Pastor Andre's church, up the road from the Ligue. We have worked with Andre and his ministry on past trips. We had lunch that day with some Canadian missionaries that Melissa and Kristen met last year. We spent the afternoon and evening resting and preparing for this week.

Monday: First day teaching in the last class. This is the oldest and largest class. We have taught Jesus' death and resurrection along with shape and color words in English. When we left the school, we told Theophile that we would see him tomorrow and he said, "no, tomorrow is a holiday." (ah, this is Africa!) We had a snack at the Emerald after school and then went on a little hike to find a place with an internet connection. We heard about this Catholic compound that has a 'cyber-cafe'. That is where we emailed from on Monday. The connection was really slow, so we didn't get to do much.

Tuesday: As Theophile told us Monday, Tuesday was Rwandan Independance day. This country takes holidays pretty seriously. There was nothing going on. Sarah and Sylvain called us (knowing that we would have nothing to do that day) and invited us to go to a Rwandan Champions League soccer game. It turned out to be the playoffs for the "4th of July Cup" and we stayed for both games. We had a really fun time!

Wednesday: We taught that morning and rested in an empty classroom until our Bible study at 3. While we were waiting, Theophile's wife brought us lunch again. This week, we had the same meal as last week, PLUS cabbage, PLUS potatoes, PLUS bananas. I think my stomach still hurts from the amount of food I put in it yesterday. Bible study went really well. We talked more about the Lord's Prayer this week and then applied it with a group prayer modeled after the way Christ taught us to pray. It was really neat. The women said they have been learning a lot and clapped for us when we had to leave. It was very humbling, to say the least.

Today: We finished teaching the last class this morning and are taking a good bit of time to email this afternoon. We will not have our Bible study with Mary until next week. We saw her yesterday in the office at the Ligue, but she is having a very hard time getting around. We found out that she was actually bitten by a snake (sometimes its hard to get the right story around here). She is healing. Thank you all for praying.

Tomorrow: Another holiday, for us Americans and the Rwandans. It is Rwandan Liberation Day (yes, we've had 3 holidays in the span of a week). If things get slow, there is a 4th of July party at the American embassy that we might go to. Who knows, it could be interesting.

I am begining to get used to life here. Everything is SO layed back. It takes a huge effort to do the smallest things (such as going out to eat, going to the store, the bank, or checking our email). We are accepting the differences and really starting to adjust. We're getting used to dirty hair, our 'street kid feet', and the red dust that covers EVERYTHING. I'm going to miss it.

Praise:

-We talked to the Canadian missionary, Kathleen, on Sunday and she said there is still a chance that we would be doing a Bible study with the ladies from the Dorcas Project. Pray that God will work out the details there.
-Mary is healing. Continue to pray.
-Both Melissa and I are doing very well. We have both been so blessed with good health.
-The team from Michigan that we met last week returned to Kigali safely and is on their way home.

Pray:
-That we would simply be vessels of God's love and His work here in Rwanda.
-That Melissa and I would make the most of every opportunity given to us.
-That we would continue to have rest, strength, and energy through the last 19 (yes, we're already in the 'TEENS') days.
-That the details of our last week here would be worked out.
-For our families, who, by now, must be missing us terribly! :) (as we are missing them as well)

Well, it didn't turn out all that short. Thanks for reading!
Love you all!
-katy

ps- if you get a chance, i would love emails from home!!

thankful for hi-speed internet

dear faithful blog readers,

it is monday, the day i normally update my blog. i want you all to know that we are safe and healthy and doing well.

im not going to write much today because we are not at our normal 'cyber-cafe' and the connection here at this place in incredibly slow. i have several emails that i am eager to read and today, that comes first! (thank yall for emailing me so much encouragement. even though i cannot reply to each one, they all mean so much to me!)

so, know that all is well here in the 'land of 1,000 hills'. you are missed and loved!

-kt :)

God is good

I know they say teachers shouldn't have favorites, but this week has definitely been my favorite! The kids have been so sweet and so much fun. Along with our Bible story, we share the gospel on the last day in the class. Pray that God would use us to speak to these children. I have found a few that I wouldn't mind putting in my suitcase on July 22! We were playing outside yesterday with a huge inflatable volleyball that we brought and the kids were so excited they didn't know what to do with themselves. They were all running around sqealing and acting goofy. One little girl came up to me and grabbed my hand and gave me a high five and said, "Muzungu, bitse?" ("White person, what's up?") I laughed so hard because she was being so goofy and of course, when one of them found something to make me laugh, they all started doing it. It was hilarious.

Yesterday after school, we stayed in an empty classroom until our Bible study started. A little girl named Umadi came and hung out with us while we rested. I gave her stickers, aga chupa (an empty water bottle), and drew pictures with her. I could bring her home. Even though we don't speak the same language, we had so much fun together. Smiles and laughs are the same in every language. Theophile (the headmaster at the school who has been translating for us) had his wife cook us lunch (rice, chips, goat, red sauce and fanta). It was good, but we had to eat SO much! Each day at the school, Theophile and the other teachers buy us a bunch (sometimes 2) of bananas. I think we eat more bananas than the gorillas here in Rwanda.

Bible study went really well yesterday. We studied the Lord's prayer and the women were really encouraged by the study. I, too, have been learning a lot from the study that we are leading with this group. Our God is big and He is GOOD!

Today was our last day in the third class. It's amazing how time flies by here. I'm realizing that this trip is going by so quickly. Pray that we will continue to take every opportunity that God presents us with. We do not yet know if Mary is well enough to translate for us tonight. We may or may not be having Bible study this evening. She is out of the hospital, but continue to pray for her recovery.

Pray for the rest of our week. There is a possibility that we might go with Kezia (Esron's wife) and Bernedine (another women's leader of the church to visit women who are in the hospital). This is a ministry of the church that takes place every Friday. Bernedine goes to pray for them and take them food. (As a nutrition major, I am really excited about this!) We have not received "authorization" (permission) from Esron to go yet, but we will find out this evening if that is okay. Pray for that.

Also, Saturday is an international 'work day' and all activities are cancelled until 12 so that people can work on public things throughout the country (landscaping, cleaning, building, repairing...). Cars are not even allowed on teh street. Of course, this means that our Saturday Bible study will be cancelled. Pray that God will use that time as He wills.

I think that is all. Thank you all for your emails this week. They have been so encouraging. We feel your prayers. God has been SO good this week in giving me peace and joy!

May you also have unexplainable peace and joy!
Love you all!

staying busy

Here we are again, another Monday, another 'email day'. Our time here has been flying by. To think that we've already been gone 3 weeks!

Last Thursday, after we emailed, we went back to the Ligue and found out that Mary (the woman who translates for our Thursday night Bible study) was sick in the hospital and our Bible study that night was cancelled. (We used that time to get some much-needed rest.) We found out later that a cut on her leg had gotten infected and had made her very sick. Last we heard, she was supposed to get out of the hospital today. Pray for her recovery.

Friday morning was pretty relaxing. We got to sleep in (woke up around 9) and got ready for the day. I did a little laundry with some success (at least my clothes SMELL clean now, and don't have quite as much dirt on them). Esron came and picked us up around 2 and we went to Kabuga. It was about a 30 minute ride from Kigali. First we went to visit a sewing project that One27 has helped. It's a way to teach uneducated girls a skill that will help them make money. After that, we went to 'greet' the church. They sang some songs for us and we introduced ourselves. They presented us with traditional Rwandan baskets as a way of saying 'thank you' for being involved with their church and its ministries.

Saturday was typical. We had Bible study with the women at the church. We discussed the attributes of God. It went well. We visited with a missionary friend (Linda) Saturday afternoon and had dinner with her.

A team came on Saturday night from Michigan. They stayed 2 nights at the Ligue before going out into a village. We rode to and from church with them (Esron's church). After church, we rested and prepared our lessons for the week. We took the team to eat at the Emerald last night. It took a long time to get our food, but it was good because it gave us a long time to talk. That was a breath of fresh air to fellowship with people who really speak the same language as we do.

We started week 3 in the school this morning. This week we are teaching the birth of Christ. The children we're teaching this week are a little older and they were VERY well behaved this morning. I think this will be a really fun week.

Thank you all for your prayers. Keep praying for us. I think these next two weeks will be the hardest (physically and emotionally). Pray that God would continue to give us strength and peace. Love you all!

PS- my mom said some people are having a hard time commenting on my blog. If so, you can email me at katybug06@hotmail.com.

time is flying...

This has been quite a busy week!

As of 12:00 today, we finished our second week in the school. It has gone well, but has been quite draining. Our schedule of teaching 4 days has worked out great. We have enough energy to get through Thursday but would probably be pretty burnt out if we went back Friday. (However, God has been so faithful in providing REST for the weary!) Each morning (Mon- Thurs), our driver picks us up around 8 and takes us to the school. There are 35-45 children in each classroom. They hardly fit on the benches. The classroom has about 10 benches and tables and a chalkboard. We are so blessed in America! We teach a Bible lesson and some English words from 8:30-10 and then the children have a snack break and recess. Then, at 11, we review the morning's lessons and play some games until 12, when they go home. Working through a translator can be difficult (and very exhausting). The kids are precious. They are so fascinated by us. They want to touch our skin and hair all the time. It is funny how so many things about children are universal.

Tuesday, after school, we visited the Anchor of Hope office. For those of you who do not know, Anchor of Hope is an organization over here that ministers to street children. (Our friend, Sarah, is one of the founders.) On our previous trips, we have met many of the boys that are sponsored by Anchor of Hope. Some of them are part of a program that provides lunch at the Anchor of Hope office. It was so much fun to see these kids again. They've all grown so much! After we had lunch with Sarah and some of the other staff, we got to play with 3 of the younger kids who did not have to go back to school. It was neat to be able to play with just a few kids. (At the school, we don't get to play much because there are SO many of them!) That night, we went with Esron to a home where a small group was being held. There were about 10 adults and some children. They met in a small room and sang hymns and read by candlelight.
They had us give an 'exhortation'. It was a really neat experience to meet with them.

On Wednesday, we taught, and then hung out in an empty classroom from 12-3 until we met with the women's small group. During our break, we ate (they brought us sweet bread, fantas and LOTS of bananas) and prepared our lesson. The group time went really well. We began a study on prayer. The study is good, but the questions that it led to were even better. Pray that our studies will lead to more good questions and God would speak through us to answer them. That night, we went to eat with Sarah and Sylvain, which is always a treat! (We're really starting to miss people who speak our language.)

To answer a question I have received in many emails, the weather over here is perfect! It rained the first few days we got here, but now the dry season has begun. The high is usually around 80 and the low around 60. (One thing I'm not missing is that TX heat!) We sleep with the windows open and wake up to the sunrise and birds. Like I said, perfect! They were supposed to clean our room today!! When you take as few showers as we do, the sheets get dirty pretty fast, so we are really looking forward to that. (By the way, for those of you who have stayed at the Ligue, the showers are just as cold, but there is more water pressure.) After we check our email, we'll go back to the Ligue for a bit and get ready for our study tonight. Pray that all goes well.

I have been really stretched this trip and I'm learning a lot about myself. I've learned a lot about depending on the Lord and also that I really enjoy leading a group. There have been several times that we have been 'put on the spot' or asked to do things with a very short notice (such as our 'exhortation' Tuesday night). I know this was TOTALLY God working through me, but I felt very comfortable and really enjoyed that!

Tomorrow we will be traveling to Kabaya (a village about 30 min away) to see a church and a sewing project there. Pray for safety in our travels and for God to work in our time there!

Continue to pray. God is so good!!

loving every minute

Muraho! (Hello, in Kinyarwandan- that's for you, Abbey)

We have come to really look forward to checking our email, as our family and friends are all so encouraging! We DO miss yall, but not so much that we're ready to come home. It hasn't been too long since I posted last, but here is what's been going on:

Saturday: Went to Esron's church (Remera) around 9 for a women's Bible study group. It went really well. It lasted 4 hours (they go all out when they do church over here!). We taught for about an hour of that. Esron was able to translate for us, which was great! We've been using some other translators while we've been here and had forgotten how much easier it is to work with Esron. We had Esron translate the study into their language, so the women were able to have their own copies and follow along and take notes. It went really well. Other than that, they talked, prayed and, of course, sang. It is somewhat exhausting to constantly either be working through a translator or not understand what's going on. Pray that we can keep up the energy in that area. Saturady night, I got to talk to my family (and I mean the whole fam). They were with my grandparents, so they just passed the phone around. It was great to hear from them!

Sunday: Happy Father's Day! Church was 4 hours again. Again, it's hard to never fully understand what is going on. We met another muzugu (white person) there Sunday morning who is here working for World Relief. It was nice to hear someone else speaking English. Sunday was our first day to dance. (We avoided getting pulled in last week, but they had us sit on the front row this week.) It was great fun. I love watching these people worship with everything they have. I mean, really, when was the last time you (or I) praised the Lord so vigorously that we actually SWEAT? I danced with one woman who literally had sweat dripping off her forehead. I am still in awe of the hope these people have. We heard about a new restraunt (the Emerald) and had dinner there Sunday night.

Today was our first day in the second class at the school. We started teaching the story of Noah. (Each week we'll teach a different story, mainly for the sake of our own sanity.) This class is so well behaved. It was really nice, however, we had to come up with more to do to fill the whole time. After school, we had our driver drop us off at the Emerald and we got a snack and read out on their little balcony. Then we walked here (the post office) to check our email.

Keep praying for us.
-Pray for my back. (As many of you know, I've had problems for years and will be having surgery shortly after we get back.) It hasn't been too bad yet, but keep praying!
-Pray that we wont get homesick. (We're not yet, but we've got a long time!)
-Pray that our down time will be restful and productive.
-Pray for our Thursday study. Our translator may have to leave the country to be with her family. God's in control.
-Pray MOSTLY that God would be glorified in every aspect of this trip and that we would be make the most of every opportunity He gives us.

Again, thank you all for everything. Emails, comments, prayers. I love you all!

1 week down...

We finished up our first week at the school yesterday. It was great. They memorized Genesis 1:1 in English and Kinyarwandan. Precious! We had a really good time with them.

Monday and Tuesday afternoons were pretty slow. Wednesday we stayed at the church after school and had lunch with Esron's family. It was a typical Rwandan meal: goat, peas, carrots, cauliflower, rice, chips, red sauce, and bananas for desert. We got to visit with Esron and his family until 3. It was good to spend some time with Esron as he has been very busy for most of our trip. We got to see baby Gladys (who will be two this month) and that was fun! At 3, we went to the church to meet with the women's small group. There were 6 women there (plus Melissa and I). We felt a little intimidated, as these women are all older than us and wives of pastors and leaders in the church, however, it was really great. It was humbling that THEY want to learn from US. We are learning so much from them! We all shared our testimonies and spent most of the time getting to know each other. I talked a little about Jesus' temptation in the desert from Matthew 4 and how when He was tempted, He found strength in scripture. We told them that is what we want this study to look like. We want to talk about real issues and find out what the Bible says, because, although we will only be here for a few weeks, God's word is eternal. Esron told us later that they could not stop talking about how excited they were to have us spending this time with them.

Yesterday, we finished at the school and then went back to the Ligue for a few hours. My mom called while we were resting. It was so great to hear from her and dad. Around 5, we went with Mary (a woman who works at the Ligue) to do a Bible study with some women she knows. We met at the house of another woman who works at the Ligue and lives nearby. We walked through a maze of tiny, crowded homes until we came to the one we would be meeting at. I was holding back tears the whole time. These looked like the homes you see on tv. On all my trips, I have never seen houses like these in Africa. I knew they were here, but we've never really seen them. These people are living next to piles and piles of garbage. The dirt and smells... I could not believe it. It was humbling, once again. We met in a small room (maybe 4 ft by 10 ft) that had a small window, 8 chairs, and a bamboo rug on the floor. The women came shortly after we got there. I think about 8 women (and 5-8 small children) came. We filled up the chairs, plus there were some people on the floor. We shared our first lesson (gospel presentation) and they were all so happy we were there. We shared prayer requests at the end. In both groups we have met with, the requests have been the same:
1- that their children would not be hungry and would have the funds to go to school
2- salvation for their families
3- that they would follow the Lord faithfully
wow. I am so selfish. I'm tired of granola bars, and they are praying that their children would have food to eat. At the begining of summer, I was starting to doubt my major and why I had chosen nutrition. God has used this trip to show me that really is where He is leading me and that He is going to use my studies throughout my life.

After that, we went to eat with Sarah and Sylvain again. While we were eating, Kahler called and I got to talk to him for about 5 minutes, but it was still good.

We slept in this morning until about 9. We were supposed to have a Bible study with the Dorcas ladies this morning, but there was some miscommunication and they aren't even meeting today. Hopefully that will get worked out before next week. So, we've been resting and organizing things at the Ligue and just walked to the internet. We'll probably get as much done here as we can and then we'll walk home and get ready to go to dinner around 6.

Thank you all for praying. Again, I love reading the comments and wish we could get to the internet more often! LOVE YOU ALL! :)

"Good morning, teacher"

We went to church in Remera (at Esron's church) on Sunday. It hit me that I was in Rwanda when all the little ones ran over to us with wide open arms for hugs and then wanted to sit in our laps, touch our skin and hair... Needless to say, I was fighting back tears there for a minute. Church lasted 4 hours, lots of singing and dancing, and a little preaching. Nobody in Africa is too young to dance. When we got back to the Ligue, we took a nap (didn't get much sleep the night before), and then woke up and planned our lessons for this week. We took quite a hike and went to eat at a different pizza place with Sarah and Sylvan.

We started teaching in the school today (8:30-12). I think it went as well as it could have. This week (Mon- Thurs) we are teaching the youngest class. We taught days 1 and 2 of creation, a memory verse, and some english words. At 10, they have snacktime and recess until 11. Recess is madness- dirt, sweat, and tears... and then they do excercises before they go back in. After recess, we went outside and played a game with the class and reviewed the things we taught this morning. There are 5 classes at the school and we'll spend each week in a different class.

When we got here, we realized we were going to have to be very pro-active in organizing the Bible studies. This has been a challenge, but God has really worked out some neat things!
We talked to Mary (a women who works at the Ligue) this afternoon about doing a Bible study at the Ligue. She was very excited and was going to get a group of widows to meet on Thursdays.

So this is our typical schedule for each week:
Sunday: church (usually in Remera, with Esron, but we may go visit some others)
Mon-Thurs, 8:30-12: teaching at the school
Wednesday, 3-5: leading a women's small group on 'Christian maturity'
Thursday, 5:30-7: leading a women's Bible study at the Ligue (basic Bible doctrines)
Friday, 9-2: working with Dorcas project and leading Bible study there
Saturday, 9-1: leading women's Bible study in Remera (basic Bible doctrines)

On the afternoons that we have off, we will be following up with children who are currently part of the One27 scholarship program and looking for new ministry opportunities.

Again, thanks for your emails, comments, and PRAYERS!! Keep praying. Love you all.
-katy

we're here!!

actually, we've been here since wednesday. sorry it has taken so long to update this. it is harder to get to the internet over here when you dont have a personal driver to take you everywhere. (we've been taking a taxi everywhere, but it gets expensive)

we arrived safely on wednesday, however, our bags did not. we have now rested and are excited to get things started over here.

here's a short summary of our trip so far:
WEDNESDAY:
arrived around 2:00, went and bought water, went to the Ligue to 'take a nap' (and woke up at 10 the next morning)
THURSDAY:
we went back to the airport to look for our bags- no luck. went to La Gallette to buy some snacks. had dinner at Sole Luna (the pizzaria) with our friends, Sarah and Sylvan.
FRIDAY:
visited the Dorcas Proj. to talk to someone about doing a Bible study there. The possibility looks good. Went back to the airport and GOT OUR BAGS! went home, showered, put on CLEAN CLOTHES (for the first time in 5 days!), unpacked and organized everything... we went to bed pretty early because there is not much to do after dark. kahler was able to call around 9... i gladly woke up! :)

i dont think its really hit me yet that im even here (or how long i'll be staying)! i had goosebumps as our plane landed. i dont think i'll have a problem staying here for 2 months. (dont worry mom, im already missing yall!)

africa does not feel like a 'new place' to me anymore, but like another home. i feel like i belong here. the people, the smells, the sounds... its wonderful.

continue to pray for us. we're working out the details of how our women's Bible study will work. we're trying to figure out the small when and where details before next week.

also continue to pray for my family, that God will give them peace while I'm here.

we had a hard time sleeping at first. maybe jet lag, maybe the malaria pills. it seems to be getting better today. (we woke up around noon today... oops!) pray that we continue to rest.

thank you all SO much for your emails and blog comments. i wish i had time to reply to each one, but we dont (so consider this your personal thank you!).

love you and miss you all! :)

next stop: Kigali!!

We have arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya. When we got off of the plane, it was about 70 degrees (of course, I could be totally wrong with that, but it felt GREAT!) I hope it is the same in Rwanda.

Internet time is cheaper here, so I will update more: The flights have been good. We have actually gotten to sleep some, which has been a blessing! On our flight to London, we somehow got 1sy row Economy Plus seats (which means bigger seats and endless leg room). It was fabulous! We weren't so lucky with our flight to Nairobi. I have nothing to complain about though- I'm finally in AFRICA!! :)

I have no idea what time it is in TX. It's about 8am here. Our plane for Kigali, Rwanda leaves in about 2 hours.

Ways you can pray:
We will get over jet lag quickly.
Pray for one safe, final flight.
Also, that all our bags make it there!
That God would prepare us and those we will come in contact with for this trip.

Next time I blog, I'll be there.
Love you all dearly!

safe in London

We made it safely to Washington DC last night around 9 (TX time) and then we got to London at about 5am (again, TX time).

Now we are waiting for our flight to Nairobi, Kenya, but we don't leave for another 7 or so hours.

Thank you all for your prayers. Continue to pray.
Love you all.

Counting down the days...

6 days from today I will physically begin this adventure. (It has already begun spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.) I cannot wait. I have faith that God is going to do great things through this trip.

We have completed the curriculum that we will be using for our women’s Bible study. It is similar to the “Essentials” Bible study that I led through Grace Bible Church this past year. The study we have written is 6 lessons that focus on different Bible doctrines that are key to our faith.

I cannot say THANK YOU enough for your prayers, encouragement, and donations. All of my funds have come in and people still continue to make donations daily for Bibles and other needs we will see. I am blown away by the generosity I have encountered.

I have thought a lot about I Corinthians 12 this week. God has given us all different gifts so that we can all be a part of His perfect plan. He has called each of us to pray, send and go. Right now, I am going and you are sending (and we are all praying!). I can honestly say that all of you are as much a part of this trip as I am.

Speaking of prayer, I want to challenge you (and myself). Many of you, especially former team members, will remember this from past trips. Whenever you see the oh-so-familiar Starbucks symbol, let that be a reminder for you to pray for our trip.

More specifically,
-Pray for the last minute preparations during the next 6 days
-Pray for peace for our families and friends who we are leaving
-Pray for safety in our travels (for us and our luggage!) and throughout our trip
-Pray that God would begin His work now, preparing the fields that we will be working in
-Pray that while we are there, our time would be used effectively and we would make the most of every opportunity
-Pray that we will give God ALL the glory of this trip

(again, I cannot say thank you enough.) I love you all dearly.

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.
I Corinthians 12:12

ALL to Him I owe

I will admit, I am procrastinating. I woke up at 5 this morning to study a little more for a final I had at 8 and now I SHOULD be studying for another final at 3. (and then I have two more on Monday.)
Pray for me. I'm a little overwhelmed right now.

No turning back now: the tickets have been bought! Again, I want to thank you all for your faithfulness in giving. The financial aspect of the trip is huge and God is really using it to teach me. I want to share something that happened a few weeks ago regarding this. I was on campus one evening, about to go to class, when my mom called. We started talking about the funds for my trip and the fact that the tickets were to be purchased that week. At this point, I really started to panic. The money I personally had saved plus the money I had raised at that point wasn't nearly enough. I remember sitting on a bench in front of the library and praying "Lord, you've shown your faithfulness in my life time and time again. Don't allow me to doubt you or your perfect will. If this is your plan for me, I know you will provide." (and then I had to go to class) Well, I was sitting in my management class and I noticed my phone light up. I received a text message from Mr. Stone saying that I had received enough money that day to cover the remaining part of my ticket. PRAISE THE LORD! He is so faithful and I still do not understand why trusting Him can be such a challenge. I cannot say it enough, THANK YOU.

Growing up, I took hymns for granted. I have realized in the last 2 years that I LOVE them. A few weeks ago at church we sang "Jesus Paid It All". I have always liked this song, but that Sunday God used it to teach me. "Jesus paid it all, ALL TO HIM I OWE." wow. I am such a selfish creature. ALL to Him I owe. That wiped out any doubt and all fear I've had about this trip. It doesn't get any clearer than that. Since then, I get that wonderful song stuck in my head weekly.

So, I can't actually take credit for this, although I wish I could. I found this on the internet a while back and wanted to share.
"AFRICA is amazing. Africa is a million and one things. It is a land of contradictions, and a land of great controversy. Africa is more diverse than any other place on the planet. It has experienced the greatest combination of foreign thievery and foreign goodwill. It is plagued with individuals who are hurting, dirty and dying. It is plagued with rich leaders. It is strong, joyful and resilient. Africa is filled to the brim with song, dance and soccer. It fills your lungs with life with every burnt breath. It fills your eyes with tears with every sight. The sun blazes, the rain pours. It has more sky than your eyes could possibly take in. Africa is humbling. Africa rips the heart out of your chest and buries it in the rich red soil, knowing that you will someday return, to see the growth. And there is no doubt it will grow. Africa is dangerous, welcoming and addictive. It is prosperous. It is poor. It is all too overwhelming. Africa knows the value of friendship. Time is not money in Africa. And money goes a long way. Africa holds a mirror up to your soul - letting you see all your selfish desires, and not letting go, until you're completely broken."

It's true: Africa 'ripped out my heart and buried it in that rich red soil' and now I'm returning. and I can't wait. I love you all dearly.

(now back to the books...)

Here goes...

Thanks for visiting my blog! I'm new to all this, so we'll see how it goes.

It's official! The tickets are being purchased this week. I think it's starting to sink in that I am really doing this. (Pray that the during the next few weeks, I will be able to focus on school in the midst of the excitement.)

I remember leaving Africa on my last trip. Our plane was still on Rwandan soil and we were waiting to take off. I told Alyssa (a 2007 team member and wonderful friend) that God was already preparing me to return... and He never stopped. This has been my dream for the past year and a half. My prayer has been "Lord, if this is not your will, make it obvious". He has done the opposite- He has made it obvious that this IS His plan for my summer.

Thank you to everyone who has already begun to support me. God has really used you all to teach me how incredibly big He is.

In case you did not receive this, here is a copy of my support letter and a little more info about the trip.
I hope this letter finds you all doing well. I am now well into my second semester at Texas A&M (after transferring from SHSU last summer). I am majoring in nutrition and still have no idea where God will lead me with that. Between school and church activities, I usually stay pretty busy and I’m loving every minute of it!

Now that spring break has come and gone, I am looking forward to summer. This year, I have been given the opportunity to go back to Rwanda, Africa. This trip will be quite different from the last two I’ve been on. I will be spending about 7 weeks ministering to widows and orphans in Rwanda with one other teammate, Melissa Smith. We will depart from Houston on June 2 and return in July. We are going through One27 Ministries, Inc. (www.one27ministries.org), a local organization that seeks to minister to widows and orphans in east-central Africa. We will be working through churches and contacts that we have formed relationships with on past trips.

Melissa and I will be involved in several ministries while we are there. In the mornings, we will be teaching English, Bible, and PE at a church preschool. Our afternoons and evenings will be devoted to evangelism, leading, and training. More specifically, we will be leading a topical Bible study of basic Bible doctrine for women’s groups at 4 different locations. We will also be able to follow up with many of the children that are currently being sponsored by One27. On the weekends, we will be able to travel into villages for church services and evangelism. It is possible that a team will come over for 3 weeks in July and focus on village evangelism, similar to the previous trips I have been on. Melissa and I may be spending some time with the team as well.

I find it hard to put into words my love for the people of this country. I am filled with joy to think of the opportunity to share God’s great love with them again. As I prepare spiritually, mentally and physically, I would like to ask you to partner with me in prayer for this mission endeavor. Pray that God will be glorified in every aspect of this trip and that His will may be fulfilled. Pray that I will be adequately trained and prepared for the work we will take part in. Pray for our safety as we travel into this country. Most importantly, pray that the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of those we will meet and that the lost would come to know Him.

I would also like to ask you to partner with me financially. My trip will cost about $4,000, with the majority of that going to plane tickets and my transportation while I am there. Pray that I would trust God completely with the financial aspect of this trip.

I am excited about what God is doing in my life and what He will do through this trip. Thank you in advance for your prayers and support. You are all a huge part of this journey in my life.