Sunday, October 19, 2014

35 years later… Get the Picture?

  
And while they were here…..


THE FOLLOWING STORY WAS WRITTEN OVER TWO YEARS AGO ABOUT KIGALI…
AND THE JOURNEY OF TWO FAMILIES' PARALLEL
TRIPS GETTING THERE!




 “Do the Pictures!”                                              Feb. 2012

We were preparing to move to Africa and Bruce Krogh had gone ahead to begin his new job as the Director of CMU Rwanda, in Kigali, Rwanda in Jan. 2012.  This project of opening a master’s graduate program in IT, in the land of a thousand hills, began over 2 years ago in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon University where Bruce has been a Professor for the last 29 years.   (At this writing… 2014..over 4 years ago)

Crystal Rugege joined CMU in April 2009 and was given the task of managing the development and implementation of CMU-R.  She was responsible for developing the proposal for CMU-R and coordinating all aspects of the project for Carnegie Mellon University and the Government of Rwanda. She has been working tirelessly along side of Bruce for months to get the program off the ground. 


This will be the first of its kind in Africa.

After getting to know Crystal, we soon learned that Crystal’s parents and us were all at University of Illinois at the same time for graduate school—in the late 70’s.   Bruce and Geoffrey (Crystal’s Dad) completed their PhD’s there, but in different areas.  I was the Stratford House Mom and I’m not sure what Anne, Geoffrey’s wife was doing. The Rugege’s had come from Uganda after leaving their home country of Rwanda, many years before. 

So, after Bruce left in January 2012, I have been stripping the house of unwanted items.  One of those items was a box of pictures…  about 500-600.  This box had moved from the front closet to the back closet and had been setting around for about 20 years.   I knew a lot of the box was filled with duplicate pictures, but I had to sort them to make sure.  

So, I started!   Three to four hours into the process I was sick of it and just wanted to throw the last 100 that were in my hands away, but something or someone (like the Holy Spirit) said, “Do the Pictures”--"Do the Pictures".   So I continued.

Almost to the end… the last 10 pictures or so and up comes the picture of Rev. Wayne Rogers dedicating our first baby, Heather, to the Lord.  Sitting there reflecting on this sweet memory… I went to the next picture….

I was stunned as I looked at the picture.  I hadn’t remembered there were other babies being dedicated that day…. (I hope it was because this was our first baby that I had just delivered a week before and not because I was being self-centered)….but truly I don’t remember any other families there, except my mom and Bruce’s parents.  But in this picture there was a beautiful black family, dressed in Western clothes and another couple dressed in African outfits and theirhbabies were being dedicated, too!   But the one family… that family… could it be???  It looks like Anne and Geoffrey… but could it possibly be them?  I sat and looked at the picture for 5 minutes and then got up and went to another chair with better lighting and sat for 10 more minutes until I was almost totally sure, yet not quite.

After several emails back and forth, (talking to Anne and Crystal about the possibility of this being them) Ann said, “Well, we did go to University Baptist church and our daughter was dedicated there, but I’ll look at our baby book”.  I did the same and there in the photo album was pasted the church bulletin lines that read… 
             
 “Babies Dedicated Today…June 17, 1979,  
        Heather Krogh, Crystal Rugege and Ola Sesay.”   
                                   
  (maybe Ola will show up in Rwanda, too!) 

But in our photo books I had not included the picture of the other families… So, THAT picture was not a duplicate.  It is the only one any of us had, and I had almost thrown it away!
  “Do the Pictures!”
      I still hear that still small voice.

33 years later… 33 years!!! (now 35!!!)  God took the scales from my eyes to see this beautiful family of five and who they were- 33 years later!  (35 years ago, at this writing and now they are a family of 6).

It was indeed a picture of the Rugege family and our babies, Crystal and Heather being dedicated to the Lord on the same day!  The Lord had put us all together at University Baptist Church, in Champaign, Illinois-- then sent us off to grow-- and He is now sending us all to Rwanda to work together and worship together, too!  Bruce has been attending church with Geoffrey and Anne the last few weeks at their home church in Kigali, Rwanda.   (Now in 2014, we are heavily involved with CCR… Christ Church Rwanda.)

We visited the Rugege’s in July 2011, in their new home in Rwanda where they recently returned to live and work since Geoffrey is the Executive Director of the Higher Education Council of Rwanda and they, too, have been in our home in Pittsburgh in 2011.  All this time Bruce and Crystal have been working together and our families spending time getting acquainted, we never knew or remembered that we first were brought together at University Baptist Church, where Rev. Wayne Rogers dedicated our little girls to the Lord—on Father’s Day, 1979!

Little did we know then, 33 years ago, that we would all be brought back together to serve the Lord together in Rwanda.  We are all ready for whatever He has for us to do.  We were in His hands then and will continue to be so in the future… whether here or there.  God’s plans for our lives are indeed mapped out long before we ever have a clue!  As Richard Halverson says,

“We go nowhere by accident.  Wherever we go God is sending us!”

A picture is worth more than a 1000 words!  I’m so glad we found this picture so that we would have the “rest of the picture” at least up to this moment.  Who knows what He will do next!

     
Thanking him for his faithfulness and assurance,

Margie Krogh


AND NOW… THE PICTURES!  

THEN 


AND

NOW
NONE OF US HAVE CHANGED A BIT!! 

When I told this story to my girlfriend, Jeannie… she
said.. "OK… I didn't want you to go to Africa..but if this is
all true.. then you must go….You are destined to be there
if this was all set in motion over 33 years ago." Indeed!

PSST and in this picture Crystal is carrying twin little boys
to be born in August.. (they were born and are healthy little guys)

We had a great day preparing for Heather and Crystal to meet
because you see…until Heather and Colin came to Africa….


 THE GIRLS HAD NEVER MET.

So we made zebra cake….


And Heather's baby, Katherine helped me clean the bowl!! 

Sorry girls, I should have taken 2 pictures of you because this one is a little fuzzy…but here you are together on the couch, in Kigali, Rwanda and out of Pastor Wayne's arms!

I'll simply close by saying…. if the Lord speaks to
you about something.. .something you may even think is
insignificant….  LISTEN!!! 


You'll never know all the places you'll go or 

all He has to show you, teach you 
 and bless you with until you do!!

love,
margie

From Villa Gorilla to the Sorwathe Tea Plantation


Five months later we meet again to continue our journey with the Ashe's around Rwanda!
 (Sorry I've been away so long!)

Before we leave Villa Gorilla we have  
a hot breakfast near the hot fire!  
What a great time we had here at this sweet little place!
Thanks, Gilbert!
What a super birthday and family time it was together!
The men and women were already out in the fields
working away.
And the cows were out grazing in the foothills.

 Katherine atop the brick wall next to the monkey sign.
Love this sweetness!

Grampa holds onto K as she is perched near the giant
gorilla statue.  This is the place the gorilla treks
leave from each day.  All "5 visible" hands down--
the gorilla treks are the experience of a lifetime.
We didn't go this time..because
children can't go and it is a bit
pricey…. but if you ever can go… do it! 

Going on down the road the loggers were sawing
away so we went to take a closer look. 

This is the smoker where they make charcoal from the wood.
I don't know how they do it… 

but this is the beginning of the process!


These men love showing us their work and how well they do it!  

 We headed south and drove up the beautiful lush fields of the Sorwathe Tea Plantation.  Always a treat!
Once on top there is a lookout /tennis court/ guest house. 
Lush?  Very!!  We had drinks and lunch and simply 
soaked in the surroundings!
Close shot straight down at the tea bushes.
They carpet the hills with variegated colors of green! 
And these three little tea cups just make them all the 
more great to look at!!
The Family Five!
 Where is THIS church directory photo when you need it? 
I wonder who is telling whom-what?   Our littlest flower bud!

On our way out! 
These kids are hitchin' a ride down the hill!
It is about 45 minutes to the main road.

Both the entrance and exit of the Sorwathe Tea Plantation.
Quite welcoming and warm are these TALL eucalyptus.

View on the way down the mountain and on the way back
home to Kigali!

What a couple of days we have had… Now back for a
little rest before we go on our next outings. 


From Volcanoes and Birthdays
and Sights in between…
Just our Cup of Tea! 

love,
margie