Beautiful Rwanda

I have been in Rwanda now for almost a week and I am just amazed at how beautiful it is. I am certain that my pictures will not do justice to the landscape or the people. When I arrived, it was already dark so I did not get any good pictures on the ride in to the Rafiki Village, but here is the turn in to the road that leads to the Village and the Village gate.

Since that first day, I have gotten to meet most of the children, including the pre-k and kindergarten classes, which I will be teaching. The children are all learning English very well and are very bright. I have not gotten any good shots of school yet so as to not interrupt class, but those are forthcoming.

Annie, the Education Director who I will be taking the place of here, has shown me around Nyamata, the nearest town, and Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. There are many modern conveniences in Kigali, even a 24 hour store where you can find anything from food to patio furniture (the Rwandan version of Wal-Mart). Last night (Saturday) we had dinner at a restaurant in the city named Shokola and it was delicious! This is Kim, a mini-missionary here for the summer, and I enjoying our mango juice at dinner.

We also got to do a bit of shopping yesterday while driving around Kigali and looked at many hand-crafted items. I will have to make this trip again after I move into my new home to find some things to put on the walls. I will be able to move into my home from the guest house on the first of June, a Tuesday. At that point I will be teaching and running the school so there will be much to be done!

Until next time,

Erica

A More Appropriate Title

In a couple of days I will be in Rwanda, making the title of this blog quite a bit more fitting. There is still some final packing to be done but I am mostly ready. It is hard to believe that it is almost here; the time since I found out that I was fully funded has flown even more quickly than expected.

Once I arrive, I will be staying in the guest house in the village for a couple weeks until my new home is vacant. Check out the picture below...

Honestly, I don't think it would bother me to stay in the guest house for a couple of months!

The ROS who are there now have been making preparations for me and have already made me feel welcome. There is much work to be done and the workers are few so I am ready to get in and get about the work of educating the children in the Village about the Lord and his creation.

Please be in prayer! I will be flying out on May 17th at 6:15 am from Roanoke and arriving in Rwanda in the evening of the 18th. Pray that the flight goes smoothly and uninterrupted by volcanic ash. Pray also for an extraordinary amount of retention as I learn about the school and my role in the Village.

God is in the business of working through his people, so allow him to work through your prayers to do great things in Rwanda!