March 03, 2009
Tuesday was another rich, full day.
Dear family and friends,
Tuesday was another rich, full day. We started at the house of a sponsored child. Listen to the very condensed version of this amazing true story. There once was a woman named, Beatrice. Her husband was in prison for killing Tutsis in the genocide. She lived on some land at the top of a beautiful hill but the rains were killing her and her daughter. They lived under a tarp and it was not sufficient shelter to protect them. One day, she heard that World Vision was coming to the village and looking for “the poorest of the poor.” She signed up and the community chose her daughter to be registered to be sponsored. Somebody sponsored the little girl. The support money bought them food and World Vision determined that their most dire need was shelter so they decided to build them a small house. They even hired Beatrice to help build it. With the money that she made, she bought a single chicken. That chicken laid eggs and she fed her family and sold the rest of the eggs. With the money she made, she bought two pigs, who quickly reproduced and she sold them at market. With that money, she bought a cow. She used the milk to feed her family and the manure to fertilize the ground so she could plant a garden. Now, she is organizing a co-op with other women in the village. Isn’t that incredible!
Her husband is home from prison now and she has three more children. I fell in love with her youngest son, who stuck to me like glue through the whole tour. He was fascinated by my fake nails. Just before we drove off, his mother came to the van and, through a translator, asked for my address. I so hope to hear from my little friend again. I may not be sponsoring him but he feels like another one of “mine.”
Next we drove to a group of houses built by World Vision for families affected by and infected with HIV/AIDs. We met, Klarissa, a gentle caregiver who was giving a sponge bath to a young woman and her baby boy. Klarissa was purposely raped during the genocide by a man using his AIDS as a weapon. She told her story and it was almost too hard to hear as she was barely able to finish telling it. At the end of our visit, Luci sang the old Negro spiritual, “Nobody Knows the Trouble I See. Nobody Knows but Jesus.” Somewhere in the middle of the song, Klarissa turned from a prematurely old woman, carrying the weight of the world, to a beautiful, young woman with a trace of joy expressed through a light-filled smile.
We went back to the Karaba ADP for lunch and to meet our friend, Ney Bailey’s sponsored child, Valentine. She was absolutely adorable. She was hungry, too, but she was more interested in posing for the camera. Every time the lens was pointed her direction, she would tilt her head to the side, smile with her bright eyes and dazzle us with her shiny teeth (a hallmark of the Rwandan people.) Ney had sent her gifts but the most treasured was a letter she wrote for her. Polycarpe translated it for her and you could tell that she, and her mother, were very touched. It made Ney’s picture become real as her “sponsor from America.”
Our last official stop was to a World Vision school with almost 1,500 students, either sponsored by World Vision or with a sibling sponsored. The students had prepared a little show for us, complete with lots of native dancing. They even “volunteered” me to dance with them. It was so much fun but it was very apparent that I was an “Uma Zunga” (white person) and have no rhythm. The thing that struck me the most about this visit, other than the obvious incredible work World Vision is doing providing education for so many children, was the commonalities we shared. Yes, they were black and on the other side of the world, and living in little huts…but they were first, and foremost, children. Children just like the little ones I know in America. Giggly, mischievous, affectionate, curious, playful and, in a word, childlike.
I had experienced so much in two short (long) days and had much to say when it came time to do our individual videoed interviews. We set up beside the road and Luci went first, then Marilyn, then me and then Mary. I stood (well, actually, sat) in awe as I listened to these interviews. It is truly amazing how impacted we have all been by this visit.
It was finally time to go back to Kigali so we loaded up the caravan for the three hour drive back to the hotel. I ended up in the car with only Marilyn and we talked nonstop. I must admit, that on a personal level, my conversations and connection with the other woman, including the ones from the World Vision team, have been one of the highlights for me. God did a very sweet knitting together of our hearts, for which I am especially grateful.
It is good to be home now but I’m loving reliving the trip with you and extending the experience a few more days.
I can’t wait to get home-home,
Lisa
| Click on this picture to see more pictures from the day! |
If you are interested in learning more about World Vision and the possibility of changing a child’s life forever, then click here. | ||
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Posted by weblion at 07:15 PM
