I thought it would be good for everyone to have an idea of what happened from the Team’s perspective. I couldn’t say it any better myself:
Jake: I don’t know where the camera is. Today I decided that for me taking pictures could potentially be a distraction. And I just wanted an opportunity to not think about anything but being with the people. Of course, being with the people means playing soccer. That is what I seem to do. But it is always different because as I run up and down a dirty field with my nice American shoes it is crazy for me to think about these guys playing barefoot. But they seem very excited about me playing with them and also bringing a soccer ball. In the midst of my play today I decided to take a journey to the school not knowing that I was going to be walking next to the highway. In front of me, I saw what I would say is my highlight for the day; Angela had three or four girls on either side of her laughing, joking, talking and hanging on every English word she would speak. It is great to see my wife care for these people and to bring them joy. They were so excited that we would just take time to walk with them to school. There are many other things that happened today, sitting in on interviews, learning to play handball, sweating as we walked up a mountain to Vianney’s house and chasing the little children who were afraid to see the big white man walking through the village. But the fact remains that there are more needs here than we have resources to provide.
Angela: Are you kidding me? Giggle giggle... I find myself asking that after every thing I see, after every conversation we have, and after every experience. I don’t know, I guess when we were interviewing an orphan boy of 25 years, I couldn’t imagine having to watch my family die in front of me and then having to take care of the rest of my brothers and sisters. Could I do that? That was the sad part of the day. The good thing is that GFR is taking care of him and he can take care of his family now. And then I just want to say that my high of the day was talking to some school girls and trying to communicate with each other. Then they asked if I would come to school with them, I said yes and they put their arms around me and off we went. It was like I was a part of them, like we had known each other for so long. It gave me encouragement and it keeps me going. It lightens the burden and you thank God that He gives joy.
Brian: First of all there was a conversation that primarily Tim and Ndugu were having in the car on the way back to the airport to retrieve our luggage, and hearing Ndugu’s passion for what all of us either aspire for or already are as far as a Christian is absolutely right on target. This is my first experience being out of the
Tim: All right, not that I didn’t feel this way before but after today I can totally feel God’s hand in everything about GFR. And it is almost even a physical feeling. I can feel it that he is in this thing. I can feel it in painful things that happen and joyful things too because there is always both in everyday. I think it started today with the letter from Joseph, our cook. He wrote us saying that he is HIV positive and to just have had a meeting last night with the WEACT organization for AIDS, and now we are faced with the reality of someone serving our food was like God tapping me on my shoulder and saying this is part of your mission. And then to go into the village and sit in the church and hear the joy in the voices about how lives have been changed. And have a Muzee put his arm around me while he smiled and laughed, I could feel the joy in the moment. And even with the soccer games and the fun – God is there every step of the way. At the airport, you heard that story from Brian and it was just one more place God showed up in the challenges and the solutions to the challenges. Bottom line, God is all over this thing.
Ben: Wow, who would have thought playing Frisbee with 50 precious Rwandan kids could be so fun??? While Melody was interviewing the first few families, I played Frisbee with kids. We laughed. They learned how to throw, and they taught me how to push the wheelie toy (it took me 15 trys) Then I joined the sponsored family interviews. Wow, God is really doing an incredible thing here. I heard a widow say that without GFR her and her 8 children would have surely died! This ministry is not just about getting clothes on these people, but actually saving lives. The deeper we go into the mountains where the people have been forgotten, the more real the needs are obvious. Life and death. I saw another not for profit slogan today…it said “We believe in LIFE BEFORE DEATH.” Powerful words.
As a team building exercise, we all went up to the top of a mountain where our Case Worker Vienne and his wonderful family lives…1 hour walk and 1 hour drive….WAY UP THERE. He was overjoyed for us to see his home and all his neighbors saw us loving on him and his family. It was truly a team building exercise!
Cyprien: Today I was very happy because we went through today without any difficulty or accidents. And then we were able to meet with some families even without a lot of planning ahead. I also heard some interviews. I was happy to hear about some of the things the families have achieved so far. There are so many things that are interesting and I was laughing a lot with Angela. For example, the family that didn’t know how many children they had! We asked this man how many children he had. He said, “maybe I have two, maybe four.” And then I said, “Maybe 7.5”! And then I also enjoyed the soccer game. And at the school the children were so happy. And I much enjoyed the climb to Vianney’s house up the mountain even though it was very tiring. I was happy to see Vianney’s family again. And then the way we helped a woman named Felicity with a sick child. We paid for her medical insurance and prayed for her. And then the fun driving down the mountain, and the Rwandese children asking, “Are these white men human beings”?! Also, I was not expecting to get any transport from Gaseke, but I hitch hiked a sugar cane truck. And the truck took me to Kabuye where they keep the petrol gas. From there I took a motor bike taxi home. And I am so glad to share this meal with you. That’s all. I want to thank the whole team.
Kim: I wish my dad could have hiked up the mountain with me. My dad used to take us hiking in
Ndugu: I can say even if you went home today, the kid saying, “Are these people human beings” got me to think, because there are so many things that separate us. We are from a totally different life and world. There are so many things separate us and we are so different. But you did something good for that kid (by giving him a stuffed animal) and that love can bring us together and make us one and we are the same. It got me to think of the Good Samaritan. Who is my brother? It is the one who stopped and helped. It was the one who acted. And all of the sudden, this kid has never seen a white person – he was thinking it was a ghost but because of handing him something, that love shows him we are one and the same. He could have been having nightmares about ghosts, and one act of love can change everything. How much can love do, if it is really expressed in a very simple way. And then the kid was celebrating and following us. He didn’t even know what the toy was and he still celebrated. There are so many ghosts out there, but love was there today. There is no formula or equation for that. I wish you could hear how he said it. It was a great day for me.
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