Christmas in Kigali

Spending Christmas 2009 away from home was not my first time, nor my second time, it was however the most different and difficult of all three. The most obvious change was the climate, 30 degrees and 88% humidity didn’t have the same “Christmas feeling” as the Canadian North. That being the most different, the most difficult would have to be the absents of  lovely family and friends. Missing turkey dinner is never easy no matter how much I love traveling. So Mom I’m sorry I missed Christmas again, my New Years resolution is to be a better Son! But you know what happens to New Years resolutions by February! Haha.

 Playing Football with the Kids Christmas Eve

One great thing about being here during the holiday season is we have such a wonderful opportunity to put on special programs for the  Kids. The photo above was taken during an event we did on Christmas Eve with about 30 kids from the local neighbourhood. We played some games, did some dramas, and talked about Christmas and what it means to us. Very different from the usual snowboarding and hot tub holidays. Later that night our team celebrated Christmas by swimming in the pool at Hotel Des Mille Collines. This is the same place where 1268 Rwandans were saved during the 1994 Genocide. After seeing first hand where so many people sought refuge from death we went across the street to eat. For about the same price as a McDonald's meal in Switzerland we enjoyed a buffet of amazing African food. 

Little Girl that Attended one of our Ministries

On Christmas Day our group met for a home cooked breakfast in the morning prepared by Katie Hildebrandt. I finally got some eggs! Then we opened little gifts we bought for each other and ate some junk food. It was a very relaxing day where we spent most of the time calling families and writing Christmas emails. I was fortunate enough to have a good internet connection and video call my family via Skype just after they finished turkey dinner. At the moment we are just planning some more teen events for New Years and preparing to get involved with some more ministries within Rwanda.