We have officially reached our financial goal of raising $11,000! Praise the Lord!
We received an update a few days ago and if we include the amounts pledged, we have passed $11,000. The amazing part is that we have had other people email us and tell us that if we are short they are prepared to give us more money. We feel so blessed that the Lord has provided abundantly more than we have asked for. Thank you for all that have been faithful in this process.
Our prayer is that we can be good stewards of these faithful pledges and be intentional about how are time here in Rwanda is spent. Please keep praying for discernment about the future. Also, we are both keeping very busy between all of the work we are doing, and would appreciate prayer so that we will not become overwhelmed. As of now, we are feeling great and are looking forward to experiencing more of Rwanda.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
An Unexpected New Passion
This week we’ve been able to get into more of a routine. We have been getting up at 5:30 to work out with our roommate, Chrissy, and the Thomases, every other morning. Michael and I have always been night owls, but since we got here we have been in bed by 8:30 or so most nights.
I work in the school Tuesday through Friday, from 8 until 12. I am working individually with a couple of the girls who are in a specialized reading program. I am also teaching science and history to the younger girls (a second grader and two fourth graders). I’m really enjoying the opportunity to actually plan lessons again.
On Wednesday I went to a meeting (after a no-show from the director twice) to begin the English Program (to teach local teachers English). I sat there for almost two hours as they discussed, in Kinyarwandan, the purpose of the English program. They introduced me, as one of the two teachers (the other being the director).
On Thursday I met with the director for an hour before the first meeting. We had discussed the need for some kind of test to divide the group into beginning and advanced English speakers. I came with a plan, after doing much research online. I gave the 30 students a list of questions, orally, and had them write their answers. I asked simple questions, such as “are you married?” and “what is your job?” and a little more complex questions, such as, “what do you like to do for fun?” (Most had no idea what the word ‘fun' means). After the first part, I asked students individual questions to hear them speak so we could evaluate their speaking skills. We determined that there will be about 10 students in the beginning class and 20 in the advanced.
After finishing this first day with the students, I came home energized and extremely excited. These teachers are so eager to learn English. For many of them, their job depends on it. And for others, they lost their jobs because they cannot speak English well. The one difficult part of this all is that ONLY ENGLISH can be spoken during the entire class time. It is difficult to try to explain something in English when I can’t reference their own language for help or translating. I am forced to be very creative and clear when teaching anything.
In the States I have never really gotten excited about the idea of teaching English, or ESL (English as a Second Language), but here it is so different!
On Friday I prepared my first real lesson. We kept both groups together. I taught the days of the week, the months of the year, and basic greetings and introductions. The class went so well, and I can’t believe how much I am loving it. I feel so excited about teaching English, and feel like I am doing it well. The students were laughing and asking questions. Their homework assignment was to come with some questions for words and phrases they wanted to learn in English. This part was fascinating. I was asked geometry terms from a math teacher, what the name of a house builder is (and to explain some of the tools they use), and how to explain the steps to making tea (each of these questions came from people who will be in the advanced class).
The only disappointing part about teaching English is that I am attached to these students already, and will have to say goodbye in less than three months!
I work in the school Tuesday through Friday, from 8 until 12. I am working individually with a couple of the girls who are in a specialized reading program. I am also teaching science and history to the younger girls (a second grader and two fourth graders). I’m really enjoying the opportunity to actually plan lessons again.
On Wednesday I went to a meeting (after a no-show from the director twice) to begin the English Program (to teach local teachers English). I sat there for almost two hours as they discussed, in Kinyarwandan, the purpose of the English program. They introduced me, as one of the two teachers (the other being the director).
On Thursday I met with the director for an hour before the first meeting. We had discussed the need for some kind of test to divide the group into beginning and advanced English speakers. I came with a plan, after doing much research online. I gave the 30 students a list of questions, orally, and had them write their answers. I asked simple questions, such as “are you married?” and “what is your job?” and a little more complex questions, such as, “what do you like to do for fun?” (Most had no idea what the word ‘fun' means). After the first part, I asked students individual questions to hear them speak so we could evaluate their speaking skills. We determined that there will be about 10 students in the beginning class and 20 in the advanced.
After finishing this first day with the students, I came home energized and extremely excited. These teachers are so eager to learn English. For many of them, their job depends on it. And for others, they lost their jobs because they cannot speak English well. The one difficult part of this all is that ONLY ENGLISH can be spoken during the entire class time. It is difficult to try to explain something in English when I can’t reference their own language for help or translating. I am forced to be very creative and clear when teaching anything.
In the States I have never really gotten excited about the idea of teaching English, or ESL (English as a Second Language), but here it is so different!
On Friday I prepared my first real lesson. We kept both groups together. I taught the days of the week, the months of the year, and basic greetings and introductions. The class went so well, and I can’t believe how much I am loving it. I feel so excited about teaching English, and feel like I am doing it well. The students were laughing and asking questions. Their homework assignment was to come with some questions for words and phrases they wanted to learn in English. This part was fascinating. I was asked geometry terms from a math teacher, what the name of a house builder is (and to explain some of the tools they use), and how to explain the steps to making tea (each of these questions came from people who will be in the advanced class).
The only disappointing part about teaching English is that I am attached to these students already, and will have to say goodbye in less than three months!
Our New President
After Obama's inauguration, Michael wrote a blog post about our experience, and posted it here. (He was going to repost it here, but I thought I would provide the link for those who don't know his other blog address.) I was going to write a similar post. It seems we had similar impressions regarding the experience.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Kigali Shopping
Today we went into the city area to buy some bulk food items and run a few errands. The city is bustling with 1.2 million people in the limits during the day. There are many people walking on the side of the road, a lot of motorbikes, and large vans that serve as taxis, and this makes driving hectic and crazy at times. (I want to take some pictures one of these days, but traveling with the camera isn't always a good idea. Plus, it's not polite to take pictures of just anyone without asking them first, which is hard to do when I can't speak their language).
It was good to get an idea of what kinds of foods are available so we can figure out what to make for meals. We will be eating a lot of fruit and vegetables, rice, noodles, and there are a few soups I'd like to try. We also will be able to eat Mexican food, which is our favorite. Last night we had breakfast burritos, and we've already had pizza, too. For breakfast we have mostly eaten zucchini bread and tea, although today Agness, our houseworker, made more granola, which I'm excited about.
Today we had a typical Rwanda dish for lunch. It was cabbage and carrots, mixed in a really tasty spice (I thought it looked a little like Pad Thai because the cabbage looked like noodles), and it was served over rice, with potatoes (served as french fries). We drink a lot of Rwandan tea, which is a basic black tea brewed very strongly. I actually really like it, and don't even need to add any milk or sugar. This is a far cry from our espresso machine back home. :)
Tomorrow I begin teaching in the school, and will also start teaching English to the secondary school teachers. Today we met with a few people from the school and we scheduled to meet with the director of the English program this afternoon, but he didn't show up. Tomorrow is the first day of classes, and I'm still not exactly sure what to expect. It may just be him and me, with 19 students. There doesn't seem to be any curriculum set up, so this may be an interesting process. More to come on that.
It was good to get an idea of what kinds of foods are available so we can figure out what to make for meals. We will be eating a lot of fruit and vegetables, rice, noodles, and there are a few soups I'd like to try. We also will be able to eat Mexican food, which is our favorite. Last night we had breakfast burritos, and we've already had pizza, too. For breakfast we have mostly eaten zucchini bread and tea, although today Agness, our houseworker, made more granola, which I'm excited about.
Today we had a typical Rwanda dish for lunch. It was cabbage and carrots, mixed in a really tasty spice (I thought it looked a little like Pad Thai because the cabbage looked like noodles), and it was served over rice, with potatoes (served as french fries). We drink a lot of Rwandan tea, which is a basic black tea brewed very strongly. I actually really like it, and don't even need to add any milk or sugar. This is a far cry from our espresso machine back home. :)
Tomorrow I begin teaching in the school, and will also start teaching English to the secondary school teachers. Today we met with a few people from the school and we scheduled to meet with the director of the English program this afternoon, but he didn't show up. Tomorrow is the first day of classes, and I'm still not exactly sure what to expect. It may just be him and me, with 19 students. There doesn't seem to be any curriculum set up, so this may be an interesting process. More to come on that.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
A Lesson in Words and Culture
Today we drove into town to attend a meeting in one of the communities that Dave and Debby are doing development training in. We had to drive through a busy market, and naturally received a lot of stares and waves simultaneously.
As we drove through a tight spot between a large truck and a building, people came up to our windows and spoke to us. Though English is being taught in all the schools as of last week, many people still don't speak English (not even a simple hello is understood by many). I did learn, however, that if people do know English, they often simply know the following three phrases:
"Hello."
"Good morning."
"Give me money."
At first I thought the third phrase was too direct and commanding. I figured at least they would learn a more polite way to say it, such as, "Please can I have some money?" or "Do you have any money for me?"
But, this afternoon we had our first language lesson, and we learned that there is no word for "please" in their language. When someone wants something, they say, "Ndashaka..." which means "I want..."
As we traveled around, we saw a lot of little children follow us or stare at us through the windows. Many waved at us, and since Michael and I didn't even know how to say hello, we would simply smile and wave back. Debby saw me waving to the children and informed me that waving by touching my fingers to my palm as we often do in the States, actually means "come here." So, this whole time I thought I had been waving hello, I was actually confusing them by telling them to "come here."
I can only wonder what else I'm doing that can be misinterpreted.
As we drove through a tight spot between a large truck and a building, people came up to our windows and spoke to us. Though English is being taught in all the schools as of last week, many people still don't speak English (not even a simple hello is understood by many). I did learn, however, that if people do know English, they often simply know the following three phrases:
"Hello."
"Good morning."
"Give me money."
At first I thought the third phrase was too direct and commanding. I figured at least they would learn a more polite way to say it, such as, "Please can I have some money?" or "Do you have any money for me?"
But, this afternoon we had our first language lesson, and we learned that there is no word for "please" in their language. When someone wants something, they say, "Ndashaka..." which means "I want..."
As we traveled around, we saw a lot of little children follow us or stare at us through the windows. Many waved at us, and since Michael and I didn't even know how to say hello, we would simply smile and wave back. Debby saw me waving to the children and informed me that waving by touching my fingers to my palm as we often do in the States, actually means "come here." So, this whole time I thought I had been waving hello, I was actually confusing them by telling them to "come here."
I can only wonder what else I'm doing that can be misinterpreted.
Friday, January 16, 2009
We're Here!!
Just a quick note to say we made it safely and with all our bags!
The weather is nice and warm and we are settling in nicely. This morning we got up at 5:30 and went for a brisk walk around the city, something we are hoping to make a habit.
I can already tell that not speaking the local language will be frustrating at times, as we have a houseworker, and a guard, as well as many other men working on fixing up the house at the moment. Yesterday I tried to communicate with our houseworker, Agnes. She makes a great zucchini bread and I was able to use the word "to cook" in Kinyarwandan and "bon" in french to compliment her. She understood.
We are starting our language training today, so we are looking forward to being able to at least greet people.
The school week is Tuesday through Friday, and I am really looking forward to getting going in the school on Tuesday. It sounds like I will also be teaching English Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3-5, though we're not sure if it's just me, or a group of people. We will find out on Monday. Originally we had heard that the country was requiring English to be taught in all schools beginning next January, but a week ago the officials changed their mind and decided to start it now. This meant a whole lot of teachers were fired, many of them friends of the Thomas'. Please pray for them as the situation is frustrating for many. The teachers who do know English are suddenly expected to teach everything in English to students who don't speak it.
The weather is nice and warm and we are settling in nicely. This morning we got up at 5:30 and went for a brisk walk around the city, something we are hoping to make a habit.
I can already tell that not speaking the local language will be frustrating at times, as we have a houseworker, and a guard, as well as many other men working on fixing up the house at the moment. Yesterday I tried to communicate with our houseworker, Agnes. She makes a great zucchini bread and I was able to use the word "to cook" in Kinyarwandan and "bon" in french to compliment her. She understood.
We are starting our language training today, so we are looking forward to being able to at least greet people.
The school week is Tuesday through Friday, and I am really looking forward to getting going in the school on Tuesday. It sounds like I will also be teaching English Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3-5, though we're not sure if it's just me, or a group of people. We will find out on Monday. Originally we had heard that the country was requiring English to be taught in all schools beginning next January, but a week ago the officials changed their mind and decided to start it now. This meant a whole lot of teachers were fired, many of them friends of the Thomas'. Please pray for them as the situation is frustrating for many. The teachers who do know English are suddenly expected to teach everything in English to students who don't speak it.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
All Our Bags Are Packed
And We're Ready To Go...
In a few minutes we are heading to the airport. Michael is in the other room playing with our roommates' boys one more time. We will miss the sounds of a one and two-year old running around, laughing and playing and giggling.
Mostly, it all feels surreal right now. Our money is in (we'll post final numbers after we get to Rwanda). It is such a blessing to go knowing we won't have to worry about the funds while we're there. It's also a blessing knowing that countless numbers of people are praying for us today and over the next few months.
In some ways, this trip is almost two years in the making. It was about two years ago that Michael first started looking into the MBA program at Eastern University. That's when we first learned about the internship requirement. It was about a year ago that we really started to pursue looking for an overseas placement, and it wasn't until the summertime that we really started feeling directed towards Rwanda and this experience.
The last few weeks have been filled with saying good-byes ("It's only for 3 months," I keep telling people), and a lot of small errands that have created a hectic schedule. Michael and I are feeling ready for some downtime on the airplane, and are expecting to need a few days to adjust to culture, time change, and a new pace of life.
We are excited beyond words and are looking forward to what the Lord will show us in the next few days and weeks and months.
And now it's off to the airport!
In a few minutes we are heading to the airport. Michael is in the other room playing with our roommates' boys one more time. We will miss the sounds of a one and two-year old running around, laughing and playing and giggling.
Mostly, it all feels surreal right now. Our money is in (we'll post final numbers after we get to Rwanda). It is such a blessing to go knowing we won't have to worry about the funds while we're there. It's also a blessing knowing that countless numbers of people are praying for us today and over the next few months.
In some ways, this trip is almost two years in the making. It was about two years ago that Michael first started looking into the MBA program at Eastern University. That's when we first learned about the internship requirement. It was about a year ago that we really started to pursue looking for an overseas placement, and it wasn't until the summertime that we really started feeling directed towards Rwanda and this experience.
The last few weeks have been filled with saying good-byes ("It's only for 3 months," I keep telling people), and a lot of small errands that have created a hectic schedule. Michael and I are feeling ready for some downtime on the airplane, and are expecting to need a few days to adjust to culture, time change, and a new pace of life.
We are excited beyond words and are looking forward to what the Lord will show us in the next few days and weeks and months.
And now it's off to the airport!
Friday, January 9, 2009
5 Days and counting
5 days until we leave and we are feeling ready. Friday's agenda is to pack our bags and make sure everything fits.
In some ways it feels funny to make a big deal about us leaving. We are only going to be gone for three months. But, as someone pointed out at our small group the other night, though it might be just an average few months here in the States, for us these three months will potentially be life changing, and may help determine our future one way or another. And, who knows how long we'll "be back" in April before we head somewhere else, depending on what happens over the next three months?
On another note, we received yet another financial update today. Actually, this update does not include support from this week, so we will probably get another update tomorrow (Friday) afternoon. We are now up to $10,436! We are so close to meeting our budget! I am so thankful that we will have peace of mind about this before we leave for our trip. We are so blessed by the amazing amount of support we've received, and I wish I could convey that better than in a simple thank you note in the mail or here on our blog.
But, I will try.
Thank you to all of you who are supporting us by committing to be a Prayer Partner for the next three months. Thank you to all of you who are supporting us financially. We have trusted the Lord to speak to each of you, you have responded, and God has Provided. All the glory goes to Him.
May we honor your offerings by clearly being open to the Lord's leadings over the next few months.
In some ways it feels funny to make a big deal about us leaving. We are only going to be gone for three months. But, as someone pointed out at our small group the other night, though it might be just an average few months here in the States, for us these three months will potentially be life changing, and may help determine our future one way or another. And, who knows how long we'll "be back" in April before we head somewhere else, depending on what happens over the next three months?
On another note, we received yet another financial update today. Actually, this update does not include support from this week, so we will probably get another update tomorrow (Friday) afternoon. We are now up to $10,436! We are so close to meeting our budget! I am so thankful that we will have peace of mind about this before we leave for our trip. We are so blessed by the amazing amount of support we've received, and I wish I could convey that better than in a simple thank you note in the mail or here on our blog.
But, I will try.
Thank you to all of you who are supporting us by committing to be a Prayer Partner for the next three months. Thank you to all of you who are supporting us financially. We have trusted the Lord to speak to each of you, you have responded, and God has Provided. All the glory goes to Him.
May we honor your offerings by clearly being open to the Lord's leadings over the next few months.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Wrist Incident
It's been wonderful to see how the Lord is continuing to provide.
This week has been filled with coffee dates, dinner dates, lunch dates, get-together dates, shopping for toiletries (this has involved multiple trips to the store already), and the first signs of packing for our trip.
One final requirement of EFM (our organization we are going to Rwanda through) is that Michael and I both get physicals so we can be deemed fit and healthy to travel. Michael had his physical yesterday, and he decided to ask the doctor about his wrist. A couple months ago he was playing on an indoor soccer team when he fell and landed on his wrist. He immediately stopped playing, and we left. Of course, both of our first thoughts were, "please don't be broken. We don't have health insurance." (That could be a whole different blog, but suffice it so say that it is very hard to find health insurance when one of us is working as a substitute and the other is finishing classes online.)
Well, it swelled and bruised within a couple days. He couldn't use it for much or it really bothered him. During this time he also was helping his parents move and was limited because of the strain it put on his wrist to lift furniture, etc. By this point we were figuring maybe it was fractured, but we knew that the doctor wouldn't do much because of the location.
Fast forward to yesterday. The doctor wrote an order for an x-ray, and because we chose to pay up front it only cost about $30, a huge relief. We decided to just get it done so we could have peace of mind, as it still bothers him often, though seems to be healing.
The doctor called today to report that yes, his wrist was fractured, but in a place where they wouldn't have been able to do anything if we had gone in when it first happened. The best news was that it looked to be healing completely and in just the right place, and the doctor advised us not to call an orthopedic surgeon who would tell us nothing could be done.
So we are thankful that the x-ray was cheap, and we feel peace of mind knowing he won't need any kind of surgery. Praise the Lord! This was just another way we've felt the Lord's presence this week as we prepare for Rwanda.
This week has been filled with coffee dates, dinner dates, lunch dates, get-together dates, shopping for toiletries (this has involved multiple trips to the store already), and the first signs of packing for our trip.
One final requirement of EFM (our organization we are going to Rwanda through) is that Michael and I both get physicals so we can be deemed fit and healthy to travel. Michael had his physical yesterday, and he decided to ask the doctor about his wrist. A couple months ago he was playing on an indoor soccer team when he fell and landed on his wrist. He immediately stopped playing, and we left. Of course, both of our first thoughts were, "please don't be broken. We don't have health insurance." (That could be a whole different blog, but suffice it so say that it is very hard to find health insurance when one of us is working as a substitute and the other is finishing classes online.)
Well, it swelled and bruised within a couple days. He couldn't use it for much or it really bothered him. During this time he also was helping his parents move and was limited because of the strain it put on his wrist to lift furniture, etc. By this point we were figuring maybe it was fractured, but we knew that the doctor wouldn't do much because of the location.
Fast forward to yesterday. The doctor wrote an order for an x-ray, and because we chose to pay up front it only cost about $30, a huge relief. We decided to just get it done so we could have peace of mind, as it still bothers him often, though seems to be healing.
The doctor called today to report that yes, his wrist was fractured, but in a place where they wouldn't have been able to do anything if we had gone in when it first happened. The best news was that it looked to be healing completely and in just the right place, and the doctor advised us not to call an orthopedic surgeon who would tell us nothing could be done.
So we are thankful that the x-ray was cheap, and we feel peace of mind knowing he won't need any kind of surgery. Praise the Lord! This was just another way we've felt the Lord's presence this week as we prepare for Rwanda.
Monday, January 5, 2009
As you can see, eight days to go before we leave and our list continues to dwindle (even though we've thought of more things to add). We are getting more excited everyday. Yesterday we were blessed with a commissioning prayer from our church community at Newberg Friends. Hearing their prayers for us and meant so much, and trusting that those prayers will continue will be the thing that sustains us through this trip.
Our week is booked with doctor's appointments, last meals and meetings with friends, store runs, and packing.
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