Today was fully engaged with Esther Home family visits. We indulged ourselves with a later start this morning. Our first visit was with Claire. Claire and her sister live with their Aunt – their parents live in Kayonza and are very economically deprived. Her aunt’s rented home consisted of two small rooms where seven people live. The rent is 40,000 francs which translates to about 80 US dollars – an expense that is overwhelming for them. Claire’s aunt is widowed – her husband was a solider and was killed three years ago leaving her with four children. The aunt sells clothing that she gets from Uganda in a small shopping mall in a space of about 3.5 feet. With this small business she barely manages to provide for her family. She was very thankful for Claire’s opportunity to be part of the Esther Home program. Claire volunteers at the Dream Center every day working with the children – she is bright and full of life. We shared with her sister and her aunt photos of the Esther Home and the profile of the other Esther Home girls. Bunny left behind bags of trail mix and beef jerky. It was truly heartwarming to visit with Claire and her family.
Our second visit took us to Esther’s home (another Esther Home girl) – where we were greeted by her large family. Esther is one of seven children. She lives with both of her parents, grandmother and an uncle – a total of 12 live in a four room home. Esther’s parents are from the Congo; her father was educated in Kenya. Esther’s father started a church in Rwanda and there was a violent uprising that put him in prison for a short period of time – he is still being pursued by the courts – he shared in detail the long political story about his situation. Esther’s grandmother, 74 years old, was so very excited to meet Bunny who was her age. The grandfather was killed by lightening a few years ago. At the end of our visit Esther sang for us – she has such a beautiful voice and we were all captivated by her performance.
After lunch we visited Patience, along with her mother and two sisters. Patience’s mother was very welcoming and forth coming with her story. Her first husband was with the RPF – he was a soldier that was killed during the genocide. With him she had two daughters - Patience and her sister, who is high school age. Patience was five years old at the time her father was killed. Patience’s mother, after the loss of her husband, found a baby that was seven days old left on the street. She didn’t have the means to care for this child, but took her in anyway. The baby was hospitalized during this time which left the other two children to care for themselves. Once the baby was released Patience’s mother became ill with typhoid and this put a tremendous strain on the family. Patience’s mother was focused on the girls going to school – the government paid ½ the school fees and she worked hard to cover the other half. After a year she met a French couple that adopted the abandon baby and later she married another man and had more children. Her new husband did not want to be responsible for her previous two daughters so they had to stay with other family members. Each day the girls walk 3 to 4 miles to school, come to see their mother before the step father comes home, then again they walk an additional 3 miles to spend the night at their relatives. The girls are not welcomed in the home. Patience’s mother, with tears in her eyes, expressed how very blessed she felt that her daughter was afforded the opportunity of the Esther Home program. The visit was quickly concluded; I suspected that the step father was due to arrive home at any time. You could feel her nervousness and her anxiousness – her greatest challenge is not being able to have her daughters live with her. She was so very appreciative.
Next visit was with Beatrice. Beatrice’s mother has passed away and her father resides in Uganda. She has three brothers and five sisters. Beatrice lives with her cousin, husband and three children. Beatrice has a contagious smile and is so very personable. She will lend to the Esther Home her great personality and uplifted spirits. When we went to visit with her and her family the rain was in full force – as we walked up the muddy path – slipping and sliding – they commented that our visit in the rain was a sign of love. Beatrice has the same name as my mother and has the same birth date as Ron – she holds a special connection with us.
At each home we shared our personal stories, introduced Cathy & Steve Hackett (the other project sponsors) - showed each family photos of the Esther Home, and left small bags of goodies and ended each visit with family photos. Each and every family was so appreciative.
As we met with each girl and each family we shared with them that it is not only the Pepos and Hackett families that are sponsoring this program but that we have a large wonderful community in the United States that are supporting, both spiritually and financially, the Esther Home program.
To our families, our friends and our associates, we again thank you for your continued support and love. You have truly made a difference in many lives here in Rwanda. We carry your spirit and support with us each day as we journey through this beautiful country with these beautiful people.
We are now heading up to the northwest providence of the country to Lake Kivu – where Ron and Dan will go Gorilla trekking and Bunny and I will indulge ourselves in a little relaxation.
Our second visit took us to Esther’s home (another Esther Home girl) – where we were greeted by her large family. Esther is one of seven children. She lives with both of her parents, grandmother and an uncle – a total of 12 live in a four room home. Esther’s parents are from the Congo; her father was educated in Kenya. Esther’s father started a church in Rwanda and there was a violent uprising that put him in prison for a short period of time – he is still being pursued by the courts – he shared in detail the long political story about his situation. Esther’s grandmother, 74 years old, was so very excited to meet Bunny who was her age. The grandfather was killed by lightening a few years ago. At the end of our visit Esther sang for us – she has such a beautiful voice and we were all captivated by her performance.
After lunch we visited Patience, along with her mother and two sisters. Patience’s mother was very welcoming and forth coming with her story. Her first husband was with the RPF – he was a soldier that was killed during the genocide. With him she had two daughters - Patience and her sister, who is high school age. Patience was five years old at the time her father was killed. Patience’s mother, after the loss of her husband, found a baby that was seven days old left on the street. She didn’t have the means to care for this child, but took her in anyway. The baby was hospitalized during this time which left the other two children to care for themselves. Once the baby was released Patience’s mother became ill with typhoid and this put a tremendous strain on the family. Patience’s mother was focused on the girls going to school – the government paid ½ the school fees and she worked hard to cover the other half. After a year she met a French couple that adopted the abandon baby and later she married another man and had more children. Her new husband did not want to be responsible for her previous two daughters so they had to stay with other family members. Each day the girls walk 3 to 4 miles to school, come to see their mother before the step father comes home, then again they walk an additional 3 miles to spend the night at their relatives. The girls are not welcomed in the home. Patience’s mother, with tears in her eyes, expressed how very blessed she felt that her daughter was afforded the opportunity of the Esther Home program. The visit was quickly concluded; I suspected that the step father was due to arrive home at any time. You could feel her nervousness and her anxiousness – her greatest challenge is not being able to have her daughters live with her. She was so very appreciative.
Next visit was with Beatrice. Beatrice’s mother has passed away and her father resides in Uganda. She has three brothers and five sisters. Beatrice lives with her cousin, husband and three children. Beatrice has a contagious smile and is so very personable. She will lend to the Esther Home her great personality and uplifted spirits. When we went to visit with her and her family the rain was in full force – as we walked up the muddy path – slipping and sliding – they commented that our visit in the rain was a sign of love. Beatrice has the same name as my mother and has the same birth date as Ron – she holds a special connection with us.
At each home we shared our personal stories, introduced Cathy & Steve Hackett (the other project sponsors) - showed each family photos of the Esther Home, and left small bags of goodies and ended each visit with family photos. Each and every family was so appreciative.
As we met with each girl and each family we shared with them that it is not only the Pepos and Hackett families that are sponsoring this program but that we have a large wonderful community in the United States that are supporting, both spiritually and financially, the Esther Home program.
To our families, our friends and our associates, we again thank you for your continued support and love. You have truly made a difference in many lives here in Rwanda. We carry your spirit and support with us each day as we journey through this beautiful country with these beautiful people.
We are now heading up to the northwest providence of the country to Lake Kivu – where Ron and Dan will go Gorilla trekking and Bunny and I will indulge ourselves in a little relaxation.
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