Jesus and the Genocide!

How can you have a solemn remembrance of those lost during the Genocide 

and celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the tomb at the same time? 

This Easter in Rwanda was particularly difficult since it fell the day after 

the Day of Silence!  

But both services I attended on Easter Sunday provided the answer. 

 This was the only indication it was Easter Sunday!
No flowers, no fanfare, no fancy clothes... at either church. 

The Worship Team was wonderful and the music terrific...
Innocent is the tall one in the middle of the guys.

Pastor Evans, visiting pastor preached on the 3rd Day!
This group had a skit before the sermon!


The first answer came in a simple song which i think should be the Rwanda National Anthem  (but they never asked me).  I'm sure you know it...but here are the words.

BECAUSE HE LIVES


    Because He lives----   I can face tomorrow.

                                            Because He lives----  All fear is gone.

              Because I know----    He holds the future.
Life is worth the living, 
Just because He lives!


The pastor preached on the provisions of "the 3rd Day"! 
 Provisions of forgiveness and redemption and what that means for all of us.  


He also said that Jesus just 'borrowed' the tomb because He knew 
He wouldn't be there very long. 
But he paid the price and 'bought' our redemption so that He would live within us forever and that we could live with Him!


Vs 1:  God sent His son...They called him, Jesus! 
He came to love, heal and forgive.  
He lived and died to buy my pardon.
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives! 


After that the real worship of the morning began. If you've never stood with men that are on an average of 6'5" raising their arms to heaven and watch them jumping up and down in joy... then it is hard to describe.  Rob and Barrett, you would have loved it.  It's the MEN of the congregation who show most of the gratitude, praise and love of the Lord through their motions and emotions.  Very different from our culture.  I wonder why?  We had communion at the end of the service and then traveled on to our next stop....
Oh... yes, I forgot to tell you i drove... Something i never thought i would do here. 

I got to meet Innocent's new girlfriend but a girl he's known most of his life.
Very sweet.. She had to go to work or she would have come to church with us. 

The Pastor concluding this part of the service.

Then we got to Christ Church Rwanda about 11:45 and the 2nd service was just starting.  After the initial worship music... we broke up into small prayer circles to pray for Rwanda and all the people grieving.  There was a young girl about 11 in our group and I was astounded at her love of the Lord and compassion for others. 

Then the Pastor explained how hard it has been over the years to celebrate the resurrection during the time of Remembrance of the Genocide.  

The question is always 'WHERE was Jesus during the Genocide'?

So someone came up with the candle idea.  

The big red candle in the center in the large globe represents Christ.... 

Because Christ was in the center of the genocide.. 

He understood what it meant to be

tortured, beaten, killed and for no other reason than for who he was. 

The little white candles represent 18 years after the genocide.  

The pastor asked people 

to come and light a candle if they had a memory of a loved one or friend who is or has suffered or died because of the genocide.  And they came and came!

It was extremely moving and then we prayed again..... 

Brett had a great sermon tying it all together. 

 Innocent really loved it. 

It was the perfect answer to where Jesus was and still is in the hearts of those who lost so much. 

A new worship team led and they were terrific.

Following the service an 8 year old girl was baptized.  What a great
day to tell the world that You belong to the King!

Both services left us grateful for the tomb and the resurrection!

And then... to end this Easter "Sun-day"....

The whole area 
       had a cleansing!  



   





Jesus is in the center of everything....in every storm of our lives... if we 
would just recognize him! 


It was an Easter of Reconciliation!  


It was the Son's Day!


I trust you had a blessed and challenging day!  




love to each of you, 
margie

What I Will Miss Most This Easter!

And every other day, too! 
 

Newest Kissable Chubby Bunny, KATHERINE!

Irresistible Bunny, almost one year old, IRIS!

  Overly content and talkative Bunny, just over  2 year old, OSCAR!

Is her left index finger saying 

"I'm one?"

 One little bunny jumpin' on the bed.
Happy and always Grinning 3.5 year old Bunny, HENRY!

 Another 3.5 year old little bunny jumpin' on the bed!
Brimming with Grins Bunny, BRIAN

6 (next week) yr. old, Busy Wheelin' & Dealin' Bunny, WYATT

  6 year old Inquisitive & Instructive Bunny, ISAAC 

             the most Elastic, bouncy Bunny Ever,     

          ELIZABETH at 7 -(8 in May)

 my three legged fuzzy Bunny, Barney

and my Globe-Bouncing Bunny, BRUCE!!!  

Happy Easter to all the baby bunnies parents, too! 

Heather and Colin, Rob and Michelle and 

Michelle and Adam!!

love you all,

margie, mom, gramma

and my new neighborhood name from all the house boys, Happy Mama!  

p.s.  All the rest of you know i miss and love you, too... but family 1st... you know how it is! 

A Day of Silence!

 April 7th is the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Rwanda Genocide that happened in 1994.

April 7th was designed by the UN in 2004 so it is not an official Rwanda holiday,  however it is an entire week of solemn remembrance here in Kigali.  I didn't wake up early today because there were no radios playing, no hammering happening, no one going to work, no trucks driving by, no people shouting.  I have seen some folks walking so i hope it will be ok for me to take a walk, but everything seems to have stopped.  

For those of you who don't know, in 1994 there were anywhere from 800,000 (the UN number) - 2 million ( which most books record) Tutsis slaughtered by the Hutus here in Rwanda.  The world did nothing and for 100 days the killings continued.  Being here today it is impossible to imagine... these people are so kind and full of joy.  

Yesterday Innocent said without forgiveness this country would have ended, but because of forgiveness and because people refuse to be victims... they are building a country even better than the one that was.  So, all i hear right now are the birds.... 

It is a day of silence...  

but no one told the lady next door who tends to scream everything she says.... And no one told our new boarders...either...Since this mama makes a lot of noise, too.  She cries meow, meow very loudly in hopes of more food.   

Aren't they cute?  I wish i could drop one at each of my grandkid's houses!  Ha!  But i don't want 4 cats here.... Our beautiful birds are already chattering in fear.  Innocent just said he will keep chasing them out of the yard.  Since the whole yard is walled, the only place they can enter is through the circle of holes at the bottom of the metal gate.  I don't know if it will work... because they can just keep coming back AND i know I shouldn't have fed them but the incessant cries broke me down. 

 I might be able to sell their pictures to some calendar company though, don't you think?

Yes, this family arrived yesterday and they are already making themselves quite comfortable.  Mama was curled up in my chair outside this morning.  She is quite friendly and tame, so they aren't wild cats.... but ...we'll see what happens next.   At this moment in time.... they have been driven from the premises.  I feel like such a mean person (even though Innocent did the driving).  I think it will take several times before the message will get through.

So, it will be a quiet day.  Bruce is in Omaha with his Mom and some of his siblings.  Michelle and Adam and Issac and Iris are also there for Easter.  There is no commercialism about Easter in Rwanda. It is all about the Lord... His resurrection and our eventual resurrection to be with Him. 

That is refreshing in many ways.  So during this time of remembering all those who died and all the families affected by their deaths here in Rwanda we also stop to think about Jesus in the tomb.   His death too, was violent, but He was not a victim.  He chose to die for us and to forgive us of all of our sins so that we could "rebuild" our lives in Him-- so that they could be better than they ever were before.  And there is an even greater life ahead with him after we die, due to His resurrection!  I pray you know Him as your Lord and have this assurance!  

So have a blessed Easter. 

 Find some time in your day today to be silent and thank Him for all He has done for us... 

because without HIS forgiveness where would we be?

Just as i am finishing.... I hear someone off in the distance whistling....

"AMAZING GRACE"!

 How priceless!

A Day to Make the Senses Come to Life!

Decided to visit the back end of the market today!  Seems like it is so large you can

never see all of it at once... It is a bit overwhelming.  I didn't take pictures of the 

meat shops or should i say butcher shops... right on the spot butchers!  Didn't see a lot of refrigeration so i didn't buy any meat.  

Clothes everywhere!

Hanging from every possible rack

And of course... there are African deco pieces....

Hundreds, no maybe thousands of them.

And millions & millions of beans... every kind and color!

I think the longer we are here... the more beans we will consume.  

 Cauliflower and Cabbage Heads are huge at the market! 

It's hard to imagine they don't use special fertilizers.

 There were really a lot of bananas up and down every aisle today.

 This little girl and I kept bumping into each other all over the market 

and as we were on our way out i asked her if i could take her picture. 

She nodded yes... but then looked away when i snapped the picture. 

She had the sweetest smile.

The thing she is holding is a hand broom.   These brooms have no handles

and people just bend in half to use them.  The lady in the pink skirt

is using one to clean up her shop area. 

Below are acres of dried fish.... This is the only part of the 

market i can't stand.  The smell is overwhelming!

After we left the market we headed for the hospital 

where Innocent was to have his first eye Dr. Appointment. 

I had called at 8:00am and the Dr. said-- (yes, he answered his 

own phone) come in around noon. So we did.

He was still doing surgery when we arrived so we did have to wait about 2 1/2 hours

but the time in the waiting room was so much fun.  It seems wherever we go 

everyone is trying to teach me Kinyarwanda.  So, we had lots of folks laughing 

and getting acquainted in the waiting room.  

Once in with the eye Dr. he proceeded to give Innocent 

a new look at the world.  He was a very kind and patient Dr. and made sure that Innocent 

understood everything.  I wish i would have taken a picture of his face when the Dr. got his prescription right and he could actually see.  At age 31, almost 32... this was 

his first time to see an eye doctor in his life.  Was it worth it?  He will be able to see

and the charge for the 45 min. appointment was about $8.00.

Then I started to worry.. How much will these glasses cost?  It sounded like 

he would need really special lenses..  So, once at the optical store we discovered that 

with the frames and lenses, Innocent's vision for his future, would cost $40.00 

and be ready in 3 days!   All i can say is God is good and faithful!!!

 Innocent will soon be able to read all the professor writes on the board. 

You "see" there are no text books here for the students. They must copy all the teacher writes on the board to study from, so without Innocent's glasses 

he wouldn't be able to do that.   

I wonder how many other young people and older people have bad vision and 

are in need of glasses here?

  

It was a day of senses... of touching fabrics & baskets, smelling sweet and sour odors, 

listening to people trying to communicate, tasting new fruits and veggies, and seeing 

clearly for the first time!  What a difference a day makes!

Back at the Children's Home!

On Wednesday, Lionel drove me down to the Urukundo Village to visit the children!  We weren't sure what the day would hold.  I was hoping to see all the kids in school.. but when we got there we found out that all the older kids were home from boarding school and the little ones were out on Easter break!

                      It was a little disappointing at first, but then the day unfolded!

This was a view on our way.  No matter which way you look

there are lush green hills! 

Some of the preschoolers were on a walk to see the baby
pigs when we arrived... so I stayed with them most of the morning.

This is "SoSo".  I know that isn't how you spell his name but that
is how you say it.  We sort of had a connect!  He held my hand
all morning on our walk.

Bruce and I were here 2 weeks ago and since then many new projects
have started and some have made great progress.
THIS is a bio-fuel project.  There will be a pump house dug here
and somehow all the manure on the farm will be changed into gas and then
the cooks will have gas to cook with instead of just charcoal.  Sorry I'm not
very technical about how this works.. these guys were just
working very hard to get it done.

This will be another great asset for the home.

Right behind the banana trees is the framework, well the brick foundation
for the new chicken "coop"...  Pretty nice one, but it will house 200 plus
chickens, both boilers and layers!  
This brickwork had not even started 2 weeks ago!  

This is the new office in the preschool.... This was empty
when we saw it the first time-- now it is wired!

The newly acquired guest house is all spruced up already and the 
interior will be finished next!  

"Mama" Arlene invited me down to her house for coffee but the electricity
was off so we just talked..  At some point Johnny came wondering into the house.
He sat on my lap a long time and i tried to take a picture of us.  He was just
 starred into the camera!  Isn't he cute?

Lunch time!!!   Feeding 50 people every meal is a lot of work!
It was delicious!

These are all the lunch dishes drying in the sun!
Imagine doing this every meal?  And I love this table!!!

This is Kenny!  He always had my other hand!
His English is wonderful and his personality adorable.

This is one of the cooks and her baby... always hanging around with her.

Meet Luki ( pronounced Lucky)....devouring a very
tasty lunch... Rice &  potatoes, beans, tomatoes, cabbage
and onions in a delicious broth. 

After lunch i spent time with the babies and the preschoolers.
This is Diana---She spent 8 days in the hospital a few weeks
ago and there were 4 other babies there with her.  Diana is the
only one that came home.  She is a very special baby at just 3 months! 

 As i was rocking Diana, Soso's this little hand came 

and patted my knee.  So I laid Diane down for her nap and picked

up Soso.  Within minutes he was like this.... I guess he needed 

a gramma today and I needed a grand baby!  All i know is that today 

was anything but a so-so day!  It was wonderful.

This is Claudette.  She came to Mama's when she was 

3, (i believe).  She was blind and couldn't see.  But the Lord

provided an eye Dr to perform surgery and today.. at age 5 she not only sees

but she is walking and developing.  Thanks to the Dr's and God's healing

and the love of all at the home... she is thriving today.  

And to think where she might have been. 

She had been having a hard time sleeping so with Diana and Soso down.. I put her in 

bed, covered her up and sang her Jesus Loves Me while i rubbed her back.  I said a 

little prayer for her and when i finished and looked up this was the face i saw!

Since the camera was in my hand, i snapped her sweet little face. 

Jesus loves me and you, 

this i know --not only because the Bible tells me so....

but because these Little ones totally belong to him 

They might be weak.

But He makes them strong! 

Keep growing and getting stronger, Claudette! 

After the kids were asleep i made my way down to the the Hope House

where another orphanage had joined all the kids here.  The 50 kids 

were from a place up in Northern Rwanda and this home was

set up by Austrians... They were on a field trip... and stopped for a couple hours. 

 At first the 2 groups weren't gellin'

 The leaders of the two homes were telling each other about their places and also

taking some time to brag on some of their students who are doing so well in

their educational pursuits!  (Mama in green)

 This little guy, Claude, I think, was taking it all in --

Well, he was taking all the Coke in anyway! 

Once the dancing began... the 2 groups seemed to be one! 

They were doing the traditional Rwandan Dance and they even

got me up trying to do it.  When I tried to add a picture than someone had 

sent me.... i messed up the second half of the blog.. so i won't try that again. 

But it was fun.  It is such a beautiful and graceful dance. 

Shortly after this, the kids from the other home started on their way toward their home and 

Lionel and I started on our way, too! 

This certainly was not a day that disappointed...

in fact, it might have been an appointed day! 

Arlene put it this way... "Boy, you couldn't have picked a better day to come"!

I agree!

Thank you Lord... for all your little ones!