Shopping-- School-- and Send-offs!

The next day we went shopping for some gifts that Roger and Ann

wanted to take home… I took them to Abraham's shop which 

has some nice things.  

When we got there his wife and kids were at the check-out table
watching The Lion King.

They were so cute I just had to take their pictures!

I think they loved the movie!   They were watching on the computer screen.   Shopping is always good here
and R & A had a good time looking at a LOT of
Rwandan and Kenyan craft items! 

Leaving there we had to drive through the market area where
all the shops come to get their products. 

Everyone here has lots of weight on their shoulders! 

 Traffic was a little congested and we sat
in this jam for quite a bit. 

This guy has bout 300 lbs on the back of his neck.

But this guy…  more like 400!  Yes, the Rwandan men are strong
and the women are, too!  

The bananas might not be as heavy but they carry them all day--
on their heads! 

This poor man was probably hurt during the genocide.. but he is out working to earn a living for himself.  There are no handouts here of any fashion--except from family members or friends.
There are a few beggars here and there but for the most part
due to a high level of dignity and pride in being Rwandan… people carry on with life to the best of their ability!
It is encouraging, inspiring and it seems like other countries
ought to have similar policies.
One of the things i find the most intriguing about Rwanda (and I never cease to marvel at it)…is in spite of their recent history
there are NO victims here.   Imagine!

  And this sign….  announcing the 20th anniversary of the Genocide says it all!  You can check out the website.
A Passion for Excellence!    Kwibuka….in Kinyarwanda…means  to remember or recall…. They choose to remember so that they can also never forget so it won't happen again.

The Lord has his hand on this place…. as they
as a country seek to follow Him!



After leaving downtown we headed to the Youth for
Christ School where Kofi is in boarding school.

Kofi showed us all over---

This is actually the new girls dorm but we didn't get inside. 

A new resident house is being built for "house parents" to live in.

Classrooms behind them… you can see 

Kofi isn't quite as tall as Roger but he is a little taller than Annie!
 He is just 16 and probably hasn't even started growing yet!
Kofi is one of our kids that we and others support to go to school.
He is doing much better this year and you can tell he is
much happier with himself.

We headed home that day and had time for Roger and Ann to pack and organize themselves for their trip home.  They decided to have one more shopping trip so that would be the next day on Sat. 

We started the morning at JLynn's…. the bagel/donut place to be on Sat. mornings.  It was fun to sit and talk.  In fact,
the whole time Roger and Ann  have been here we have had many times to sit and talk about the world, church, the faith, the Bible, America, Rwanda.   In fact, on Thurs. night Roger
went to lead a Bible Study with Innocent at a local church.  So.
they haven't just been tourists here.. but missionaries, too!
Roger loves to listen to preachers and he introduced Innocent and me to some new ones that I didn't know. For those of you who know me know how much I like to talk about the Lord, the Bible and issues surrounding both so it was fun to do that with Roger and Ann, too! 

At our stop to shop at a local Cooperative Roger got a hug on
this guy who always calls me "mother love".
Guess he'll call Roger "Papa love" now!  

I love this place…. but these guys have been misplaced since they used to be in a larger store before
they had to move.  They are tearing down the part of town they were in so they moved to this cozy place. 

Hiding among the myriad of giraffes and aprons was Bruce's early birthday present.  I had taken a picture of these 3 giraffes
and asked if they could make something like the picture.
While it isn't quite as big as the picture I took.. it turned out
quite nice!  We came here primarily to surprise Bruce with
this piece!  

This is the shop he bought presents for his mom in.  The
shops are very narrow and crammed with crafts
and merchandise!  

Then we uncovered the giraffes for Bruce.. or is it the giraffe?
Not sure he was thrilled at first but it is growing on him. 

Just so you can see the workmanship?   These are carved out of one trunk of a tree!  We put them in the back of the car and took them home to live in the dining room!!

I think by this time these two had come to love Rwanda, too… but it was getting to be time to head back to their family in the States… As everyone that comes says….
"I wish we could stay"…This place has a way of growing on you. 

This is the picture I dreaded taking..
The last one before going to the airport.
It has been so wonderful having these two here.

Since Roger was born 10 years before I was we didn't
spend a lot of time together growing up…We figured this
was the most amount of time we had ever spent together
in our lives and it was wonderful.

I want to thank their kids for helping them to get here for
a visit.  It was a great gift to them since they haven't traveled outside the states much together but it was a real gift to me, too!!
To have them here and time to really just do life together…..
was just fantastic….

Thanks for coming, Roger and Ann and I hope
you will take home with you great memories
of Rwanda and from being here with us!

We sure have great memories of you being here with us!!
Love you both so much!
(and happy birthday to both of you --coming up soon!!)

love,
margie