Since we got a bit of a late start updating the blog, I'd like to just go back and overview some of the things we've done so far. Our first morning after travel we started our day with a worship/prayer team session around 6:30 before eating a great breakfast and heading off to the Alpha Center School to play with the kids and help in any way we could. The school was tucked up into a dirt-packed side rode that slanted almost straight up. Getting a bus up there with the uneven terrain and awkward pot holes was quite an experience but our bus driver has proven himself trustworthy many times over. When we arrived we were greeted by a beautiful woman wearing a bright green and yellow dress, wearing matching brown and white traditional African jewelry, and huge smile on her face. Pastor Winnie gave us a quick tour of the school before letting us go on our own (basically we had free reign to do whatever we wanted with the kids which was both exciting and a bit nerve-wracking...but mostly exciting). They are also in the process of building a multi-purpose classroom so the guys (except Jacob) headed off to work on that while the rest of us stayed behind and split into two teams to work with different age groups. There were about 60 kids between the ages of 1-7, so we decided to tackle the youngest one first while we still had the most energy . We sang songs, danced, colored, and played with these beautiful kids for hours. They accepted us with open arms and boundless energy. You couldn't stand a minute without getting a tug on your hand, or a playful smile begging you to come and join a game...or make one up on the spot! We had lunch at Pastor Winnie's house before leaving to make a quick pit-stop at New Hope Homes which is the program we are partnering with over here. Mrs. Mbanda began New Hope Homes two years ago with one home and it now has three different homes which brings in orphans, feeds them, puts clothes on their back, and sends them to school. None of us were exactly sure what to expect when we pulled up to the first home, but it was about to become the absolute biggest blessing to each of us. We met the mother's and aunties of the homes who are the primary care-takers of the children, as well as Tory who will be a senior at Oklahoma University in the Fall and has dedicated her summer to waking up and spending each day with these children for the whole summer. When we walked into the second home, there were 12 chairs set up for us to sit in while we watched the children put on a short performance to welcome us to their home. Their smiles lit up the room and we were smiling right back to receive it. After hanging out with everyone a bit longer, we took off for our last destination of the day...a gathering at the E.A.R church in the projects of Rwanda where poverty is ramp id. Our bus was put to the test (again)as we went trudging along through a narrow, unpaved road next to a market with people walking so close to the bus, we could stick our hand out the window and grab their arms. At one point our bus had to stop in the middle of a square surrounded by small shelters, and we were immediately surrounded by an audience of people staring into our bus, waving, talking, and laughing at us. I would best describe it as being a movie star mixed with an animal at a zoo. Soon we were surrounded on all sides, but somehow we managed to move along and squeeze our way to the church which was tucked back behind the shelters. We walked into what looked like an empty warehouse filled with wooden benches for pews, and a Rwandan flag along the entire front of the church against the wall. We listened as a group of about 13 sang and danced along with a bongo drum that stood no less than four feet tall. The drummer wore one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen, and the joy that radiated from his eyes was more beautiful than any piece of clothe or jewelry that could be bought. People slowly streamed in and finally the Pastor, a tall, confident, and handsome man, walked in to shake our hands and welcome us to his church. His suit-jacket held a pin that connected the Rwandan flag with that of the U.S.A. We performed a skit and sang some songs for them before sitting down to listen to a very simple, but extremely powerful message. The verse we focused on was John 13:34 which says 'A new commandment I give to you...love each other as I have loved you'. It lasted a little more than an hour and we loaded up the bus one more time that day before heading home to another wonderful meal cooked by Stratone and Vincent and then crawled into bed to wake up and start another blessed, spirit filled day...
. We sang songs, danced, colored, and played with these beautiful kids for hours. They accepted us with open arms and boundless energy. You couldn't stand a minute without getting a tug on your hand, or a playful smile begging you to come and join a game...or make one up on the spot! We had lunch at Pastor Winnie's house before leaving to make a quick pit-stop at New Hope Homes which is the program we are partnering with over here. Mrs. Mbanda began New Hope Homes two years ago with one home and it now has three different homes which brings in orphans, feeds them, puts clothes on their back, and sends them to school. 
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