Charles and Juliette's church

Today the sun has been shining brightly with no rain so far.
We had breakfast with Jonathan, Ian and Carol before waving them off in a car which was taking them to see the volcanoes. We then sat and waited for Charles to come and pick us up. He was somewhat delayed by the fact that the middle of Kigali had been closed off for a bicycle race.
Charles eventually arrived and took us to his church by a very circular route to avoid the city centre.
The church meets in a tent in their house, the church is quite small but very enthusiastic with lots of wonderful singing and African melodies. We very much felt the presence of the Spirit their much more than any other church, in which we had been. We were fully engrossed in the worship even though it was in a language we did not understand.
Many people stood up and gave testimonies of what God had done in their lives.
We had both been asked to preach so we spoke on the stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost sons. Mary used some of the reflections from her Godly play presentation and I also expounded the passage.
After the service we were invited to a wonderful African meal of rice, ugali made with maize flower grown in Charles's garden. Together with boiled cassava leaves, African beans and peanut sauce.
Afterwards Charles spoke about many of the problems he faces as a pastor. He was especially concerned about the rising rate of divorce and abandonment in African marriages even in the church.
Eventually we arrived back in Solace and had a welcome cup of tea and rest.

Saturday Short wildlife drive and return to Kigali

Today we had a more leisurely breakfast before setting out on a short drive in the park before our departure back to Kigali.
We spent time with a herd of buffalow who were fastinting to watch.

buffalo with yellow billed ox pecker on his back

 

Bull giving us a stare

The group on their way home with our vehicle

Friday 3 3 17 Game drive

Today we awoke at 6am for a lovely breakfast and set off on a full day of wildlife adventure. Everest knew all the places to look and was very good at spotting animals and birds hidden in the bush.
The terrain was very varied changing from dense bush and woodland to open plains.
It was exciting going around each corner not knowing which animals we would come across next.

Warthogs who were very nervous

There were flocks of these colourful and noisy weaver birds 

outside the hotel they make intricate nests in the trees to attract a mate

Bateleur eagle a medium sized eagle whose favorite

 food was the ring necked doves

 who were very plentiful

There were numerous hers of zebra with beautiful stripe marks

Bush bucks who live in the dense foliage

African bee eater

Giraffe quite difficult to spot when they are camolauged among the acacia trees

African fish eagle by the lake

Hippo practically submerged in the lake

Secretary bird a large mainly terrestrial bird which is related to eagles

 and hunts it's prey on the ground.

Akagera National park

Today we travelled down to to the Akagera game park which is in the Eastern province. The land is much flatter herewith large plains covered with banana plantations and a lot of grazing lands for cattle. Our guide was Charles's cousin Everest. He was certainly a large and larger than life character;
who was very friendly caring and helpful with a wonderful knowledge of all the animals and where to find them.
We travelled in a long wheel base Toyota land cruiser with a roof which could be raised  so we could stand up inside and see the animals.

The group stopping for a break in our journey outside a lovely clean new fruit and vegetable which the government and providing instead of the ramshackle stalls

 We stayed for two nights in a lovely modern hotel in the park itself. In the afternoon we went on a short game drive, and we saw quite a range of animals and birds.

One of many impala we saw

Two young males

One of many zebra

We saw many more animals and birds in a short time and returned to the Lodge for a meal and a good nights sleep.

Journey back to Kigali and the parting of the ways

!st of May
Today we travelled back through the country to Kigali. We came a different route along the lake which was again very pretty. Unfortunately our regular driver, Modest's mother had died so he was unable to drive us but we managed to drop in on him as we set of to greet and pray for him.

View across the lake

More views

The last supper

This was the last night we were all together so heartfelt goodbyes to Andy Jan and Rob 

as they get the 1 am flight back to UK 

Nkombo Island

Today the whole team went to Nkombo island a very overpopulated island in the lake. It has received a lot of help in the last few years so looks much better. It now has electricity and agronomists have helped improved the soil and removed some grubs which were in the soil and ate the roots.
After a colourful ride down the lake in the diocesan boat  down the lake  we arrived on the island and had a very steep walk up to the new school where they hold a feeding clinic twice a week which helps stave off  malnutrition among the children as do the filters which stops the chronic diarrhoea which was so debilitating. You can see a video of the team at the feeding clinic Here

A passing boat on the lake

  

We arrive on the island

The team feeding the children

After this we split up into two groups both visiting TDF projects the micro-finance initiative  with money from some donors from our church. Also we visited homes which had Aquafilters which Rob had initiated on the island.

This TDF widow was buying wood on a tree arranging for it to be cut down

Seasoning the wood and selling it on

Griffaid aquafilter being demonstrated

This lady had used her loan to learn how to do tailoring

and had bought a sewing machine

We went to the pastor's house for a wonderful meal they had provided, then on to the secondary school where Rob serviced and taught the use of their large community Aquafilter.

Our meal at the pastor's house

Rob teaching on the water filter

Then home for a rest after a very hot day.

Kittens and St Matthew

Today the morning started beautifully clear with views over the lake. Then we went, together with Jan,  to Jill Barham school which is next door to the guest house to help reorganise the library. The library had been moved to a new classroom, with a few library shelves and most of the books in boxes. However we set to work to sort out the books putting two of the sets of books on the book shelves. The rest, which were duplicates, were put back in boxes  We also spent some time teaching them how to use the aquafilters which the school had but were not using. We discovered a nest of kittens hidden among the books.
In the afternoon we went to St Matthew's school and did a tour of the school. We were invited into each classroom and asked to introduce ourselves. We were greeted in each by a chant and clapping.
The school does all ages from Juniors at the top to  seniors down a steep slope of the hill.
We presented them with toys for the nursery school pens and pencils footballs and some posters which were all gratefully received.

Senior girls with posters

The school has two cows which supply milk for the nursery school 

and manure for the school garden

The junior school with posters of body parts painted on wall behind

In the evening Mary did her Godly play session the Good Shepherd. We then went for a farewell supper with the Bishop and Ester, Berta and Ephraim, and some Rwandan friends who just turned up. As it was the tenth anniversary of our visits to Rwanda we were all presented with very special presents in the form of colourful Rwandan clothes.  

Party time

Cathedral and Gashonga Church

We awoke to bright skies and the songs of the fishermen on the lake. After a hearty breakfast of eggs and Mandazi the little deep fried doughnut type which are not too sweet.

Then off to the 8am English service which was quite traditionally Anglican their where two groups our own and one from Canada. We all had to stand up and introduce ourselves, say where we were from and a little about ourselves.  An American couple who were out here helped with the music together with our friend Boniface.

Ian Graham one of our team preached a very good sermon on James how we overcome trials and temptations then we had a simple communion service.

The team arriving at the cathedral

After a brief loo stop back at the guest house we were driven down the road towards Bugarama where there are tea and coffee plantations. We arrived at our friend Ephraim’s church where there was already loud exuberant singing going on.

The church is newly constucted with help from people at Southover it had grown alot and they were now sending six evangelists out into the little villages up in the hills which were relatively unchurched,, their task being to plant new churches. 

 The service was very simple with lots of singing and little bits of liturgy. They also acted out a bible story with a sketch and a song which was very effective for them and does not need much translating into different language

I preached on the wise and foolish builders ending with an altar call to which a few people responded and several of us prayed for them as Ephraim led them through a commitment to follow Christ. There was a presentation for everyone from the team who had contributed. Then we were ushered into the back room where we were given a lunch of delicious fruit and bread and offered the ubiquitous Fanta or coffee. Then back on the bus just as it started to rain.

Our planned walk in the afternoon was rained off so we were able to have a quiet time reading and catching up on things.

Our team having lunch in the back room of the church

All the people greeting us as we leave church

Ephraimthanking the team and telling us of his plans for the  future

Umuganda and visit to our Compassion child

Today is the day of community work called Umuganda it is always on the last Saturday of the month, coming together for a common purpose everyone from the President downwards has to join in.
So this morning our team joined with the workers from the guest house to weed the drive.

It was really good to join in with our Rwandan Brothers and sisters 

in their community day.

The team at work

As the day started to warm up we became quite hot and the work was finished about 10.30 and we were all treated to some nutritious porridge which the workers enjoy.

Jean Pierre a pastor from DR Congo arrived and later Nbonga one of the leaders of the Congolese church. We have been meeting them for several years and have built up a friendship. I brought out some medical equipment for their diabetic and hypertension clinics. In the afternoon the group split up some going to Pastor Bertha's where the ladies did some training for teenage girls and Rob measured up the church for a water harvesting system.

We went to visit our Compassion child first going to the centre where they are taught and then going to his house which is way down a long series of mud roads. We went in a tiny Toyota taxi which bumped and banged along the rutted road.

Ian and Mary with their Compassion child Theophyle

Their large family of 8 children and 2 grandchildren 

all living in the little mud house with crumbling walls

There was great joy all round as we talked and prayed together we exchanged gifts and took photographs.

Compassion UK is an organisation which organises sponsorship for poor children all over the world.

There is a centre where they going for feeding and activities on Saturday and they are sponsored through school and the sponsors in the UK are encouraged t. o visit the family.

Then we went back to the guest house to have a meal with Theophyle. He really enjoyed the beef brochettes which I think he would hardly ever eat at home.

Sunset over the lake

Rain in torrents

 We were woken up by the most tremendous electric storm followed by real torrents of rain which turned all the minor roads into rivers of mud. So there was a drastic change in the program today.
The pastors wives still had their training which finished today, and everyone felt that it was really successful.
I was pleasantly surprised, by the arrival of Pastor Ephraim who together with Bertha have adopted Mary and I as their Mummy and Daddy, it has been a pleasure to have partnered with them over the last 8 years.
Ephraim has just been given a new church plant in an un-evangelised area. He had to set about building a church which is now well established, and has now sent out six church plants up in the hills just a single Rwandan evangelist  in a rented house, tasked with starting a house church.
He is full of enthusiasm for the immense task ahead.
Later in the morning we went to a newer hotel by the lake and had a cappuccino coffee and watched a fisherman working hard with a very small catch to show for it. Also down there, there is some wonderful bird life. In the afternoon we went to look around the splendid new annex to the guest house which is only partially open at present. Then off to the clinic to meet Dr Mark a dutch doctor who is over here for several years.    

Boy in a barrel and demonstrating body parts

Today was not dissimilar to yesterday with training still going on and construction of the water harvesting system. Again a group went visiting different micro-finance projects in the diocese. These seemed to be doing well.  

A group of villagers walking to market with large plastic bowels full of pineapples

This is the widow of the house we are attaching rainwater harvesting 

she is feeding her cow which is literally boarded into its stall, so it will not be stolen.

Before her house was built by the team from Blakeney she lived in a little room next to her cow with her goats and rabbits, and three children. She had to cook in the same room on three large stones and use her neighbours toilet.,  

Progress was fairly slow today. We encountered a little bit of a problem in that we had to drill a hole in the side of the barrel at the bottom for the tap which needed a washer and nut putting on inside the barrel. However the hole in the top of the tank was smaller than previous and despite many ingenious attempts to put the nut on all failed finally a small boy from the family was lowered into the tank and was able to screw it on, and came out sweating but happy. He was greeted with loud applause and a bottle of water.

Meanwhile the training for the wives was hygiene demonstration of body parts and female health.

Dot with paper cut outs of her heart lungs and liver

Some of the pastor's wives receiving there gifts from Southover.

Brenda with a translator from world vision demonstrating her model of intestines.

Training pastor's wives, water harvesting and micro-finance visiting

Wednesday 22 2 17
Today there were various activities going on , the pastor's wives arrived for their training. Led by Jeanette and Brenda with Berthe translating. Then a whole group went on the bus, first to pick up various pipes and assorted ironmongery for the water harvesting then on to drop the water harvesting team a mixture of Dutch, British and Rwandans. Then the rest went on to see various micro-finance.

  

Rob up a ladder

The family for whom we are putting in the rain water harvesting.

Mother has three children of her own and two orphans 

she has taken in from the community

Finally home for our time of meeting together for a thought for the day, time toshareour experiences and prayers. 

Followed by another lovely African buffet including Sambasa the little fish they get from lake Kivu

Then a surprise in the form of a birthday cake for Carol together with firework on top.

Survey at Jill Barham and visiting widows

Tuesday 21 2 17

Rob with Peter Headmaster, Basile water engineer, and Rob inspecting a water collection chamber

Mary greeting Bernadette our old friend.

We all woke early for breakfast. The ladies spent the time planning for the training of the pastors wives while the men went of to Jill Barham to inspect the water collecting system. There were a number of  improvements and repairs needed. Peter the headmaster takes a keen interest in the system and works hard to keep it  operating .  A new classroom had been built which replaced one damaged by a falling tree when the road was remade.
Then back for a sandwich lunch then some of us went off to visit Josephine and Bernadette two of the widows for whom we first built houses. Bernadette's  house is now ten years old and the corrugated iron sheets are starting to rust through.