Monday's Blog: (see below for Sunday's blog)

This morning we piled into the Toyota pick up once again and headed along the dusty, rocky roads into the hills bound for Gakenki, a parish perched high up on the terraces, just below the summit crowned with a deep green tea plantation.  The team had visited this parish last year to see its water harvesting project and was keen to see how it was progressing.  We were pleased to find they had been using the money raised to good effect, using some of the money to build a sturdy concrete platform in their new church.   Construction of this new building is on going and there are substantial heaps of rocks at the rear the building, in readiness to be split and laid on the earth floor.

We received the customary warm welcome from the resident incumbent, Pastor Emanuel and were invited into his home for a second breakfast.  We shared lovely aromatic lemon grass tea and were each presented with plates, filled with fluffy bread rolls from a local bakery and of course more of the ubiquitous boiled eggs!

Having been introduced to the family, in walked another young man, who ably introduced himself as ‘Innocent,’ with a second name in Kinyarwanda meaning ‘Determined.’  He told us that he is praying for his dream to come true for him to live up to his name!  Having listened to his inspirational conversation for only a short while, we were all convinced that he will indeed achieve this dream!  He works in a government office, where he openly shares his faith with his colleagues.  He told us that he finds Pastor Emanuel’s family inspirational and so he enjoys spending time there.  Innocent longs to work for an NGO (Non Government Organization)  because he came from an impoverished family, understands what it means to be starving, and has benefited from an NGO himself.     He impressed us with his profound words when he said, he believes a challenge is not to weaken you but to shape you.   He wants to work for an NGO where he can be inspired by others.

Innocent joined us to wander around the church and to discuss the current church projects.  Twice a week a group at the church come together to teach 47 people to cook and then they share the food, eating together. There is also a basket weaving project, whereby a group of people co operate to weave a mat together, which they then sell.

After our return to the guest house and a lunch of yet more boiled eggs, we proceeded to the Hannah Ministry in Byumba to purchase the baskets made there by the widows, to take back to the UK with us.  As today is a bank holiday, it was lovely to be greeted by a whole load of children just ‘hanging around’ at the Hannah Ministry, where they had been fed their daily meal and were just sitting chilling together.  On seeing Heather, whom they recognised from her previous visit, they rushed to her.  She got out her phone to show them pictures of her family and she was absolutely swamped by an exuberant scrum of children!

Almost as much excitement was later caused by Eleanor amongst the market traders as she wandered into the material section of Byumba market,  intent on buying a swathe of colourful African dress fabric.  Soon both Eleanor and Heather were charmed by some of the plethora of bold designs and wonderful rich coloured cloth for sale.

This evening the 2 grannies, Eleanor and Heather, were once more enchanted by some of the pastors’ children - this time it was Pastor Taddy’s 5 year old twin boys.  We were all invited to dinner at Pastor Sam’s home, where we experienced for the first time a taste of glutenous cassava bread served with cassava leaves.   As we sat eating and chatting together, Pastor Sam’s 5 year old daughter inquisitively stroked Isobel’s hair!

Please pray for the successful conclusion of projects tying up loose ends in Byumba before we depart for Gasabo on Tuesday.

Pastor Sam’s wife Janette and other pastors’ wives who are under various pressures bringing up their children, whilst working full time and supporting their husbands in ministry.