Congrat's Canada!

Since I left Canada I have missed Thanksgiving, My Mothers Birthday, My Birthday, Christmas, My Sisters Birthday, and New Years. But none of those events have caused such a sense of homesickness as I am feeling right now, missing the Gold Medal game being played in my home province by my home country to break an Olympic Gold Medal record. I woke up at 4:30 this morning wide awake thinking about how excited I was for Crosby and the boys. So too all of my friends that had an opportunity to make it to the 2010 Olympic Games you better have taken tons of photos! With that being said I want to take a look back at my not so exciting week.

Little Baju is just as Stoked as I was to see Canadians Performance on Home Ice!

Last time I talked to you I was still in Burundi. We changed our plans and stayed a few extra weeks because of the huge opportunity to impact lives and really bless the people there. But our good intentions got us in trouble as we tried a number of times to leave the country without success. Military roadblocks, mudslides, heavy rain and car trouble all added to the adventure that became known as "Trying to leave Burundi." But after 48 hours delay we finally arrived back in the capital of Rwanda. That brings us up to today, with not very good news to report for the future. Because of continued heavy rain and mudslides on the road to Uganda my dream of reaching the Smithers Children's Village has been postponed a few years. It comes as a great disappointment to me as so much of my trip to Africa revolved around seeing the kids my town Smithers has given a second chance. But every disappointment we experience in life gives us another opportunity to grow and learn something. There will be plenty more time for reflecting and emotions once my travels are over so lets just wait until then to dive into the mind

of Kevin.

Showing the Africans White Men Can Dance!

But all this being said nothing can change the fact that I only have one last week in Africa. One Week!! I don't know how that snuck up on me but it did and it's here. I was asked last night if I was coming back to Africa and without thinking I said, "of course, I not even ready to leave yet." But after contemplating what I just said I thought well yes I am ready to leave but I know this will not be my last adventure in the amazing continent of Africa. Looking at our plans for the last week I am thinking our time will go by quickly. With only 5 days until I board a plane for Switzerland we have many things to rap-up and bring closer too. We begin team debrief on Tuesday and will begin to process some of the experiences we have gone through in the last 3 months. I am hoping to get a few more good photos and be able to pack all my souvenirs into my backpack, I guess thats one downside of having such great family and friends is I want to bring a gift for everyone but the airlines won't let me exceed 20 kilos!

There is a Crazy Story Here, Read about it Here!

So I am afraid to say this will be my last post from Africa, but I still have 23 days until I arrive in the Great White North so it will not be the last blog update of my travels! Until then keep fit and have fun.

Another Week Come and Gone…

I cannot believe it is already the 20th of February!! Where does the time go? Exactly half a year ago I was putting all my belongings in storage and packing a backpack to travel the world with. I spent some time this week reflecting on how blessed I am. I was standing on a white sand beach looking across Lake Tanganyika at the Congolese mountains looming behind a veil of clouds thinking “Holy crap Kevin, this is what really living feels like.” If I died tomorrow I know my life has made a difference and not just been in vain. I owe this all to the Big Man upstairs, the day I decided to follow God wholeheartedly my life has been difficult, frustrating, exciting, passionate, and full of meaning! The struggles I voiced in my last update are still there, but I read a story this week I want to share with you.

 Making Peanut Butter the Original way, by Pounding Peanuts with a Stick.

A women was attending a small Bible study one night of which the leader taught on Hebrews 12. He compared the hardships we face in life to the fire a goldsmith uses to refine and purify the precious medal. The women was so intrigued with the visual representation of how her own difficult times could be used by God to form and strengthen her that the very next day she visited a local goldsmith. As she observed the man build the fire and stoke the flames she asked him why he needed to use such intense heat to purify the  gold. He replied that by heating the fire to a temperature the gold can just handle will burn away all impurities and imperfections in the medal. The man continued to work as the women observed. A short while later she openly commented on his pain as he watched and constantly checked and rechecked the progress of his work. He again responded by saying he must always give his full attention and effort to the one piece he was working on. The women took comfort in visualizing her Heavenly Father caring so much for her in her times of distress. But before she left the shop the man said one last thing that spoke deeply into the women, he said he knows exactly when the gold is finished because when it is and he can see his own reflection in the metal, all the impurities have been removed.

This story is simple but contains many truths; God never allows us to become overwhelmed by life's difficulties,  he will always be there with us through all the troubles, and he knows when the job is done because he can see His own image reflected in our lives. I hope some of you can find encouragement in this story in some way. In the last few days the uplifting emails and prayers from back home have helped me gain perspective on my life and have given me some of the best days in Africa yet . So thanks again to all my support on the home front.

 

Jose Taking Some Great Photos of the Hippos  (Hippos photos to come)

I had the awesome opportunity to make handmade peanut butter on Tuesday and Wednesday which turned out tasting almost better than Kraft! In the mornings of those days we painted another Children's home with bright and uplifting colours. Between that and the regular ministries we are doing the week flew by. I am still getting excited for the last step of the trip which is a trip to Uganda to visit the Smithers Orphanage there. Please pray for safe travels and that all the logistical issues will be solved. I have to put peanut butter on the list because I will never be able to buy a jar of the nutty goodness from Safeway without thinking of the blisters. I hope and pray all of you readers are having a great February and aren’t missing me too much, I’ll be home soon enough!

Like I said, the Nutty Stuff

You Can Stop Calling the Embassies Mom, I AM ALIVE!!!!!

What an incredible 2 weeks! Get comfortable because this is going to be a short novel of an update. Ok so starting from where we left off, the bus ride to Burundi… I took a bus from Kigali to Bujumbura that turned into an African rollercoaster of a ride. The roads and the crazy driver caused me to be on the verge of ralphing the entire trip. It didn't help when the women in front of me puked all over the place and the smell and sight of vomit made my stomach turn even more. But I arrived in the Heart of Africa with my lunch still inside so that was a bonus. The first thing you see coming into the capital of Burundi is the entire city stretched out along Lake Tanganyika, very beautiful and one of a kind. The heat here is unlike anything I have ever experienced, although having +34 degree weather is nice during the afternoon it's the +29 degree nights I am having trouble with. Humidity is something Canada is better off without! Our main purpose here in Burundi is to work with Childrens Homes (you don't call them Orphanages anymore I found out). We never had the chance in Kigali just to hang out with kids and do what they wanted to do, here we get to meet the kids where they are at. If they want to play soccer we play soccer, if they want to play cards we play cards, that kind of deal.

Turning the Little Kids into Little Tigers

We have about four different ministries we are consistently working with here. The first is a children's home that a lady for the UK founded during the war. She rescued 45 kids from certain death and gave them the opportunity at a full life. One of the boys at the house is an incredible artist. Lucky, I packed all my art supplies on this trip so twice a week he and I just draw in silence and compare sketches. Another project we have underway is doing much needed renovations at a different Children's home. We are painting, fixing, and replacing much of the compound these parentless kids live in. It's great to do some really practical work where we can instantly see the fruits of our labor. We have also spent some mornings teaching English at a pastors house. Pastor Ray and his wife Mary Ann Bale are two Canadians that came 8 years ago to Burundi from Vernon BC. The first time I met them I told them I grew up in Smithers BC and amazingly enough they also spent 5 years in my home town. It is where they came to know the Lord and where they're incredible lives of faith began. Pastor Ray preaches at a church of over 2000 people here in the capital of Burundi. It’s very awesome to have met these people and share some stories of the Great White North. The last major project that is filling are time here is speaking/teaching/playing with some kids from a very poor village. The village is called Sabe village and is more like a refugee camp of people displaced by the war and is by far the worst display of poverty I have seen on this trip. Pictures don't do it justice because you can’t capture the smell and sense of hopelessness in the place. Luckily an amazing couple has been called by God to intervene where the UN won't and start a preschool for all the kids. Among the garbage and feces filled streets is an amazing example of mercy ministries. This is a link to that couples website www.rofh.org.

Tanja showing love to a little girl at Sabe Village

In personal matters the last week has been very difficult. I feel like I hit the metaphorical wall marathon runners talk about, but with only 3 weeks left I do not want to drag my feet to the finish but rather catch my second wind and explode with enthusiasm and energy for the little time I have left on this amazing continent. This is where you come in my readers, thank you for your amazing support over the last months but if you could all rally behind me in prayer for the remainder of my trip that would be very much appreciated. Some things needing prayer are my health and getting accustomed to the weather. Also I  am still short of my financial goal of $4000 for this trip, and lastly pray that I will make the most of my time here as it is nearing the end. I uploaded 20 new photos to FlickR so click the link.

Like I said, pictures can’t do it justice

One thing I heard over and over before I came to Africa was how bad the mosquitoes are and to prepare yourself for all the itching and buzzing. Maybe its because I just spent the previous summer tree planting in the deep woods of central BC but I was not impressed or troubled at all by the great African “mosquitoes problem.” One thing though that has troubled me and makes it on the appreciate more  segment of this Blog the amount of bugs and other critters of the night. This is a shot of the light outside my room at night, all the other lights looked like this one too.

Bus’n to Burundi

Tomorrow bright and early I will embark on my first African Road Trip! I am very excited to get out of the city and travel through the county. In my head I am envisioning it to be almost like a safari, with some hippos, lions and maybe an elephant or two. My camera has full battery and 8 gigs of free memory, let the adventure begin. (I realize I am overly optimistic but after landing in Kigali and not leaving Kigali until now its like I’ll be seeing Africa for real) I have my passport and my Burundian visa ready so hopefully I don’t have any trouble at the boarder. I was thinking out loud the other day how much I want to come back and travel the entire continent! Then someone asked how would I get the money and I said I would do it for my honeymoon. So a forewarning to my future wife, we are backpacking Africa for 6 months Hunny! If you don’t like it you can stay at home. I’m just kidding,  we can backpack South America for 6 months instead if you’d prefer.

And I am way off topic, back to reality Kevin. Ok so lets focus on this past week! Sunday we spoke at two churches and lead a Sunday School program for the kids. Monday we did home visits with HIV infected widows.  Tuesday was a day off and I got a mild case of heat exhaustion playing basket ball in the African sun for two hours – not overly fun. Wednesday was spent wrapping up our time with APREACOM and deciding on sponsoring 3 teens to attend secondary school. Thursday we spoke at a seminar and prepared for our upcoming trip. Today we are speaking again at the seminar and tomorrow heading out.

So now lets look ahead to Burundi. Some of you may ask “Where is Burundi?” or even “What is Burundi?” Well Burundi is a Country located south of Rwanda in Eastern Africa. Don’t laugh, even I didn’t know this country existent before we landed in it for a layover. For the next 2 and a half weeks I will be staying in Bujumbura (pronounced like it sounds) to work with a ministry called SoZo.  I don’t have much else to say as I have not really been in loop of what we are doing there, but as much as the internet permit you will be the first to know.

Click on the Map to open in a full page

So before I sign off for a few weeks I want to express my appreciation to all of you - my readers. This trip has been so powerful in the way its affect my life that I can’t help but be changed deep down. Your encouragements and prayers are helping me stay focused on my goals and desires of this trip. I cannot wait to share all the little stories and pictures with you when I return to Canada. So for all of you that have prayed, given,  sent mail or emails thank you! I love you, God loves you, and I’ll see all you soon enough!

Clean Drinking Water

“The Air Up There”

It feels strange to say that the last week has been very normal, but maybe that’s because our norm has been doing different and impactful things everyday! On Monday the 18th we visited an amazing woman at her home. A widow infected by HIV with 5 of her own children has taken it about herself to adopt 2 more orphans off the street. We were visiting her to encourage and give her food, but she gave us so much more in return. I left her house with the realization that the trouble in my life should never be an excuse from helping others and making a positive difference, just like this woman has taken in the 2 kids.

Wednesday morning we met again with a support group for women trying to get out of prostitution. We heard some very powerful testimonies and were able to share a little of Gods love and buy a few necklaces they had made. The church that runs this group teaches the women how to make jewelry so they can sell it as a means to support their fatherless children. If anyone would like me to bring them home a necklace to support these women please email me so we can communicate that.  kevinhuisman@live.ca

The Women selling me their hand made Jewelry

In other news I was introduced to a pick-up basketball league that plays everyday very close to our base. This is great because whenever I have a little free time I can walk up the street and play some ball. The first time I went was definitely the most surreal moment of my being in Africa. The dirt court, bare rims, and deteriorating backboard was like something straight out of a movie.  Being the only white person there didn’t make the situation any more comfortable for me to play my best. The opening game I traveled, double dribbled, fouled, over & back, and passed to the wrong team 3 times – because I couldn’t tell who was on my team and who wasn’t! I looked and felt like the typical westerner trying to fit in. But once I memorized who was on my team, got a feel for the rugged ball and stiff rims all those years playing high school basketball came back. My team won the next 4 games straight and I was the leading scorer and rebounder. They were so impressed by my strength on the ball they asked if I played rugby! I left that day feeling happy that I could gain the respect of the locals and not just be the foreign guy who is here temporarily to give aid.

Child of a Women involved in Prostitution

Once again I will appreciate cooking food more when I return home. Being able to go to Safeway and pick up a pound of beef well never be taken for granted again. Although I grew up on a farm and have butchered cows before, needing to cut and cook all the meat for 100 kids the morning of is something I never have done before.

Thank You Hammings Bucher Shop!

In Need of a Little Support

Reaching the one month mark of my time working with the people in Rwanda has already given me many life changing experiences and a glimpse of just how poor our world really is. It’s been an incredible adventure thus far and I cannot wait to see what the Lord has planned for the remaining 2 months.  Since we have been here our team of 9 has been able to help and minister to many different types and groups of people. We have done work with orphans, widows, HIV victims, prostitutes, minority tribes  and various churches. As we were speaking with a group of prostitutes in the inner city of Kigali I couldn’t help but think how these women look no different from the rest of the people  I pass by on the street and never think twice about. Why is it so easy to miss or turn a blind eye to the people that are hurting the most? I am so thankful for the compassion these local organizations show for their people everyday.

I now know why people ask me to bring them home a little African kid, I think this one broke my heart!

Looking into the future we have a change in plans as which other countries we will be working in. Originally Tanzania  to the east has now been changed with Burundi to the south. Many factors and prayer came into making this big of a decision, and we as a team are very excited and unified in the decision to go serve the people of this country. I will give more information soon on the ministries and condition of Burundi so check back for an update on that. Also much to my personal interest and the opportunity presented to us we will be heading to the Smithers Children's Village in Uganda late February. This is the village that was built a few years ago by the support from the Smithers and Telkwa citizens and has a population of about 150. The small facility brings much needed health care to the AIDS-orphaned children who live there.

But in order to continue doing my work  here in Eastern Africa I am in great need of financial support. Will you help me by giving? This money will go towards many different worthy causes here in Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda.  If you would like a tax deductible receipt you can send a check to Smithers Evangelical Free Church at Box 804, Smithers, B.C. V0J 2N0 Canada. Please be sure to put Kevin Huisman – YWAM in the memo section.

If you do not need a tax deductible receipt and would like to give via credit card or email transfer you can do that by clicking on the “DONATE” link on the left and follow the instructions to securely give quickly online. Cash funds can be giving to my Mother who will make sure the money gets to where it should be going.

Prayer is always appreciate so please continue to pray for the support I need to for the work I am doing here. Thank you to those that have already given so much! Feel free to email me any questions or comments at kevinhuisman@live.ca. God Bless you and have a great New Year.

Eating Beans goes on the list as I learned how much effort it takes to get them on the table!

Windows, Widows, and Pottery Dancers

I’m back ! Sooner then normal I know but it has been such an incredible week I need to express my feelings on it while its still fresh. The week started with a trip to the outskirts of Rwanda where I got to see the jungle and the REAL Africa for the first time. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera. Because of that I’ve now decide to become a Chinese tourist and take pictures of EVERYTHING! My FLICKR will be seeing the effects of that. I apologies for not having many photos of me, It’s one downside of  being the photographer but I am currently trying to teach some people how to use my SLR.

Isaac handing out food and our Widows Ministry

Tuesday we did home visits to HIV + Widows, one of the ladies had 3 children of which one is also infected. She was at home because they didn’t not have the money to pay for all 3 kids school fees. It cost about $300.00 CAN for a full years tuition. The Organization APRECOM which we do our visits with supports about 100 local kids to get primary education every year. On Wednesday I was asked by the Arise and Shine Pre & Primary School to help set up some newly donated computers they received. I spent most of the day fixing small problems and installing easy and educational programs I downloaded free from the web. (they didn’t have a budget for software) Thursday we set up an event at a local church where we invited 50 needy widows to come and receive some food. We spoke with the group and did some small performances before handing out over 400 kilos of rice, bean, sugar, and cooking oil.  The Church had a worship service after our program and many of the women made a new commitment to Christ. It was very awesome to see God work in the lives of these women.

Friday  gets its own paragraph because it was probably my favorite day so far  in Africa.  In the morning I worked again with the Arise and Shine school showing there teachers how to use a typing and geography program. While I was doing that our team was painting some new bathrooms for the school, I think I got the better end of the deal that day! Then in the afternoon we went to visit the TWA TRIBE at their pottery shop and were able to watch them perform a traditional dance for us. Click below to see a short video David recorded!

Twa Tribal Dance

As for my  “appreciate more” section, I realize today’s isn’t that out of the norm for some people in Canada. I put a Dryer on the list because the I did take for granted the convenience of only needing an hour for my clothes to go from wet to wearable. The first time I hand washed my clothes and left them on the clothesline to dry a sudden downpour of rain (which are very common here) came and rinsed away the clean fragrance and left only the smell of mildew. So think twice when you pull your clothes out of the dryer and it’s got that Bounce Fresh!

Dryer

* Side Note: If anyone knows a way to get some educational Microsoft programs for the school please e-mail me at kevinhuisman@live.ca

Two Thousand and Ten

New experiences seems to be the theme here in Rwanda since Christmas, anything from talking door to door with the locals  to performing skits and testimonies in front of large audiences.  On December 29th we held a special event for all the young people in the community to come play soccer, eat some food, and talk about Jesus. It was difficult to break the language barrier but through a translator we feel a few were  inspired. Before New Years part of our team had an opportunity to go and speak at an APRECOM support group.  About 30 widows that are HIV+ attended. Katie  from our team spoke a message of hope and we were able to pray for each women individually.

Benjamin, Deborah, and Svenja at the Support Group

New Years Eve we were invited to a special church service an hour and a half away from our base. We present some testimonies, dramas and the sermon.  I volunteered to speak for a half hour on the topic of my choice. With my limited public speaking experience I tried my best to convey the message of what it means to have a personal relationship with God. Along with  a few translation mix ups and a huge sigh of relief the audience seemed to receive some encouragement from what I said. It was a great experience for me and I’m looking forward to practice speaking in public again.

On more of the practical ministry side of things we have bought staple food like sugar, rice and beans in bulk. With this we are able to help out some families and widows that struggle with putting food on the table. A scouting trip to a refugee camp on the Tanzania/Rwanda border has shown us a huge opportunity to help and support the people there. We also have some smaller feeding projects and kids programs that we have been and will continue to do with our time here in Kigali (the capital of Rwanda).

Switching gears into the personal, I have a few thought I would like to express about my time here. Although the culture is very different and difficult at times, I have learned and changed so much in the short while I’ve been here. Because my perspective on life has been altered I can’t help but see things differently. I used to take so many things for granted growing up in Canada and I see know that if I continue to do so my life with not be as happy as it should be. I have begun taking photos to help remind me and bring light on so many of the simple yet practical gifts we have. The following is the first many things I want to appreciate more when I return home. 

A Washing Machine

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.

Rwanda, Rwanda

Ever time I get into a city bus or more accurately, into Toyota van, I am overly impressed at how many people can fit. The first day there where 18 people, and I thought that was the max. But yesterday I was amazed again when 22 people fit into a mini bus that in Canada would only hold 7 to 8 people if you squished. So the  stories you hear from people who have traveled south of the equator into developing nations are true. The food is great, the people are friendly, there is so much joy and such a sense of contentment. I’ve heard all of this before but you cannot really grasp what they mean until you yourself are here.

These Little Geckos are all over our Bathroom

The last few days have been busy and full of new things, On Saturday we took a trip to the Genocide Memorial. In 1994 Rwanda went though a dark time with almost 1 million people being killed in under 100 days. The Memorial was dedicated to all those who lost there lives and people that lost loved ones in the Genocide. Overwhelming is the word I would use to describe this place, they don’t beat around the bush and give very cold hard facts. They where not afraid to name names and tell it how it happened. This  thorough way they presented the truth is part of how education is the best prevention of future genocides.

My first time to a Rwandan church was just as overwhelming but only in the best sense of the word. Although is was 3 hours long and in another language it was so plain to see how much the people loved and served God. The service was lead by the youth group that just returned from a missions trip to Uganda. Seeing young people like myself with so little  going to their neighbouring countries to help was a huge inspiration to show how little you need to help someone else.

So far this week we have done some ministries through APRECOM, an organization that works with HIV+ widows and their families. We where able to visit two ladies that both had lost they husbands and where very sick. Hearing their stories and sharing a little about ourselves made such a deep impact on me. We where able to buy both families food and some meat for the Christmas holidays. If you click on the photo below and follow the link I you can see more about his lady and her family.

Myself, Ishmael & Agnes Munangwije  and Svenja Burst

Lastly we have become involved in the street community in Kigal and are planning a Christmas event for the children and another for the youth closer to New Years.  Since we are going to be here for a couple of months we want to really get involved in the  peoples lives and encourage them as much as possible. It may not have the instant rewards of feeding programs but to mentor and teach  Rwandans to help each other will be the most effective way to bring about positive change long term.

Thank you for reading and have a very Merry Christmas!

Here at Last…

You’ve all heard the horror travel stories trying to explain to you just how long the flight was, how incredible bad the food was, and how that stupid airline lost their luggage! So to make it a whole lot less painful for you here are the just the cold hard facts:

• 4 takeoffs and landings
• 4 cars and 1 bus
• 16 checked bags (2 still missing)
• 22 hrs from A to B
• 1 novel read cover to cover
• 5 different airports
• 2 toddlers to keep entertained
• 1 failed takeoff attempt (some guy got on the wrong plane)

Well now that we got that out of the way let me just say what an amazing day of traveling. I could not feel more blessed for the way God brought all of us to Kigali safe and sound. As we flew out of Switzerland the view from the plane was spectacular (See below) and the airline even waited an extra 45 minutes for us to clear customs. There was a little mix up for me to get through because I did not have an arrival stamp in my new passport. This I found out was a 600 CHF  fine and some time filling out paper work in a detainment center. But because I never listened to my mother and God is so great we received the first miracle of out trip! Without any explanation the security guard said “you better hurry if you are to catch your plane.” 3 hours later I was flying over Egypt following the Nile River below to Rwanda.

Flying over the Swiss/Italian Boarder

The first few days here in Kigali were spent trying to ease our way into the culture. Seeing as it was everyone's first time to Africa we spent the first day exploring our new home – the YWAM Rwanda base. And the second day was spent mostly finding our way into the city center to exchange money and buy some necessary supplies. Now I talked to  a lot of people and read many books about life in Africa, but I don’t think anything could have prepared me for this. Being here is such an amazing experience already, the culture and climate is very different from that what I am used to.

We got lucky temperature wise and just missed the rainy season, we are  now in + 30 degree weather.  ( 78 degrees Fahrenheit)  It really caught me off guard and I have made good use of the 4 sweaters I brought as a make-shift pillow. Secondly the public transportation and city life is hectic. It’s so busy and wild but doesn’t have the same “gotta get there” attitude like the west. And most obvious is the lack of running water and the flakey electricity at our base. Although it is difficult at times I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here. It’s funny to think how tree planting and working at the Kids Camp this past year has prepared me for the challenges I am facing on the other side of the world.

I will definitely be keeping this blog updated as much as the electricity permits and I look forward to hearing from you guys.  Hope you enjoy the snow and the cold!

Rwanda for Christ

Well I think its about time we talk about Africa. Its been a crazy journey so far but I don't think the real adventure has even begun. The Republic of Rwanda is a small country in central Africa that is bordered by 4 much larger countries. Called the "Land of a Thousand Hills" Rwanda is a fertile and hilly country with a lot of international attention. In 1994 just under 1 million people were killed by there countrymen in 100 days. This was a tragic and devastating time for the people of Rwanda but the country has been heading forward and not looking back. A 4 year trade agreement between Rwanda and 3 leading countries will bring in 30 million dollars into the countries economy. This is huge for Rwandans because 3 out of every 4 people live below the poverty line of 1.25 US a day. You can't even get a large coffee at Tim Horton's for that amount. Yes, I admit I stole most of that paragraph off of Wikipedia but its very informative website alright!

Flag of Rwanda

Now that you know a little more about where I will be going on my missions trip, I want to tell you what opportunities for ministry and aid are available in Rwanda. For the majority of my 3 months overseas trip our team will being staying in the capital, Kigali and working with street children and orphans. There is also church run hospital and house building projects that need attention. I cannot wait to help the people there and really learn from them. To think of how much we have and still complain is amazing. I know this experience will be life changing and am counting down the days until we leave. Although most of our focus will be on Rwanda and its people, Uganda and Tazinia, both neighboring countries with there own story of disease and starvation are good possibilities to visit. The people of Smithers, B.C. have started a orphanage in Uganda that is in need of a fence being built. There are plenty more needs in Tazinia as well. Our team (a team photo is coming) of 7 has been praying God give us some direction into where and how we are to use are time and money.

Map of Africa

As for life on the YWAM base in Switzerland we are spending the next week studying world views and cross culture living with a speaker coming all the way from China named Ryan Weins. It should be a good week to really think about how we need to behave and act in a country so unlike our own. This weekend most of the class is going to France for an overnight trip while I am staying behind to take Nathan to the airport Sunday afternoon.

A very alarming film about Rwanda during the genocide is Hotel Rwanda and a interesting book written by a Canadian General is Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda.