Without incident, our little team of four landed on the rich red soil of Rwanda. Beautiful Rwanda! The moment we stepped off the aircraft there was that familiar scent of the country. Dinner had just been prepared on thousands of makeshift wood stoves - filtering the skies with a thin layer of smoke. The weather is mild – the cool temperatures in the evening warrants a light sweater – where the daytime heat is comfortable and summer like – it is only a few weeks away from the rainy season.
Needless to say our luggage quantity called for two vehicles to transport them. 300 pounds of books and supplies were safely stored at the Mission House avoiding the massive handling of the overstuffed luggage at the hotel.
After a much needed night of sleep we awoke rested and ready for action. Along with our driver, interpreter and Charles we headed to a local establishment where we shopped for furniture for the Esther Home. After a an hour or so and with a clear idea of what was needed we gathered up our cost figures and headed to the Esther Home to further evaluate the needs and the space.
When we approached the Esther Home, I must admit, my stomach had butterflies moving around in constant motion. My heart was palpitating at a high rate of speed. The feeling of excitement was in the air. Once the gates opened and we parked - there was an overwhelming sense of pride and anticipation of what is to come. To envision 13 girls living in this beautiful home – a home that they will call their own for the next four years – was so very powerful.
The Esther Home is surrounded by a beautiful landscape yard – rooms are spacious and logistically located as if it was built with the purpose of housing these 13 girls. Behind the main living area – connected by a long walkway – was a separate area where the house mother will live. After our tour, we sat comfortably in the main living area and shared our visions for the program and the opportunities that will be provided for each of the Esther Home girls. When it was time to leave I looked around again and my heart was full!
Our next stop was to fill our stomachs – the time had gotten away from us and it was mid afternoon by the time we had lunch. We made our way to Hotel Rwanda. It was a bit surreal to be there – a place where so much devastation had taken place during the genocide. A few scenes from the once popular movie Hotel Rwanda vividly replayed themselves my mind. It was hard not to concentrate on all that went on there.
I loved witnessing Dan and Bunny take in all that the roadside scenes had to offer. The motorcycle taxis weaved their way in and out of traffic, there were pedestrians walking everywhere, hiking up steep hills while managing heavy loads on top of their heads.
We all look forward to what will unfold in the next few days. Tomorrow we will travel 2 hours north of the Kayonza district, where we will meet with women who are sponsored through Women for Women International The training center houses 80 women – the group that my sponsored sister trains with is a total of 20. My sponsor sister is 45 years of age, a mother of 2, healthy - economically poor and uneducated. We have been invited to visit her home and children – which is rather a long walk from the center. We are looking forward to this visit and our travles through the country side.
7:30 am pick up is scheduled for our long day in the village - so with that in mind everyone concluded the evening at a reasonable hour. What a wonderful first day of our Rwanda journey!
We send our love to family and friends – we carry your spirit and love with us.
Needless to say our luggage quantity called for two vehicles to transport them. 300 pounds of books and supplies were safely stored at the Mission House avoiding the massive handling of the overstuffed luggage at the hotel.
After a much needed night of sleep we awoke rested and ready for action. Along with our driver, interpreter and Charles we headed to a local establishment where we shopped for furniture for the Esther Home. After a an hour or so and with a clear idea of what was needed we gathered up our cost figures and headed to the Esther Home to further evaluate the needs and the space.
When we approached the Esther Home, I must admit, my stomach had butterflies moving around in constant motion. My heart was palpitating at a high rate of speed. The feeling of excitement was in the air. Once the gates opened and we parked - there was an overwhelming sense of pride and anticipation of what is to come. To envision 13 girls living in this beautiful home – a home that they will call their own for the next four years – was so very powerful.
The Esther Home is surrounded by a beautiful landscape yard – rooms are spacious and logistically located as if it was built with the purpose of housing these 13 girls. Behind the main living area – connected by a long walkway – was a separate area where the house mother will live. After our tour, we sat comfortably in the main living area and shared our visions for the program and the opportunities that will be provided for each of the Esther Home girls. When it was time to leave I looked around again and my heart was full!
Our next stop was to fill our stomachs – the time had gotten away from us and it was mid afternoon by the time we had lunch. We made our way to Hotel Rwanda. It was a bit surreal to be there – a place where so much devastation had taken place during the genocide. A few scenes from the once popular movie Hotel Rwanda vividly replayed themselves my mind. It was hard not to concentrate on all that went on there.
I loved witnessing Dan and Bunny take in all that the roadside scenes had to offer. The motorcycle taxis weaved their way in and out of traffic, there were pedestrians walking everywhere, hiking up steep hills while managing heavy loads on top of their heads.
We all look forward to what will unfold in the next few days. Tomorrow we will travel 2 hours north of the Kayonza district, where we will meet with women who are sponsored through Women for Women International The training center houses 80 women – the group that my sponsored sister trains with is a total of 20. My sponsor sister is 45 years of age, a mother of 2, healthy - economically poor and uneducated. We have been invited to visit her home and children – which is rather a long walk from the center. We are looking forward to this visit and our travles through the country side.
7:30 am pick up is scheduled for our long day in the village - so with that in mind everyone concluded the evening at a reasonable hour. What a wonderful first day of our Rwanda journey!
We send our love to family and friends – we carry your spirit and love with us.
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