At 10.30pm in the midst of writing yesterday's blog we received the disturbing news that we were due to head off on a 7 hour journey into the wilds at a cruel 4.30am this morning!  Fortunately this seemed to have got lost in translation and we actually departed at a genteel 10.30am after securing a vehicle with a broken window (hastily repaired with a chunk of wood - somewhat obscuring Eleanor's view of the upland panorama!)

We were heading off into the countryside along some horrendous, dusty, corrugated roads congested with bikes laden with bananas, people carrying all and sundry on their heads.  Stuffed to capacity, the pick up truck struggled up the gradients and Andy negotiated the hairpin bends with terrifying skill - performing 3 (or more) point turns above a sheer drop as Heather and Isobel winced from their cosy pole position. squashed onto the front seat.

Our mission was to visit two isolated parishes, set in beautiful terraced hillsides where daily life continues to be a struggle. We received the same warm welcome in both parishes, where the pastors and their families shared abundantly of the little they had.

As if the trusty Toyota was not straining enough, 'passers by' frequently jumped aboard only to drop off (literally) as we continued along the bumpy road.   Eleanor, Alan and Pastor Placide were somewhat dismayed to find another pastor being shoe-horned into join them on the back seat, as he wished for a lift down into the valley far below to take a wedding ceremony.  From their groans there was a substantial degree of discomfort and this reached a crescendo soon after we'd delivered Pastor Onesime to his destination and Pastor Placide's cramp caused him to spring from the vehicle and have his leg massaged back into life by Alan, in the presence of an ever increasing road side audience!

Give thanks - for Pastor Onesime's recovery from a motor bike accident 4 days ago; for seeing that our visits make a difference to the parishes, letting them know that we care.

Please pray for the challenge of providing education for the children in these beautiful yet remote locations;  the responsibility on the shoulders of the pastors for coordinating and encouraging their church leading teams; safety of transport for the church leaders in their rural parishes.

It has been another interesting day for us as a team. A day of the unexpected and unplanned as well as  a day of learning and sharing with our brothers and sisters here in Rwanda. Here are few snippets.

Interrupted and missed meal times - but porridge comes to the rescue.
Team's resilience was tested by the fluid nature of the day's programme, but we're still smiling!
Covering the cathedral benches with banana fibre cards as they were recounted and recoded. An annual event as part of our visits.
Distributing hand-knitted cardigans to pastor's new-born babies. Smiling wives and bemused babies.
Managing to finish off the interviews with all the pastors. Relief all round and much to pray for.
A realisation of how much we take everyday things for granted and the respect we have for our brothers and sisters here who keep going under very trying circumstances.
Important and helpful teaching for husbands and wives.


Please pray for:
Pastors and wives as they return to their parishes, that they will have been encoursged and strengthened as a result fo their time with us here.
The plans for new buildings and site developments.
The many pastors and wives and their families who struggle with everyday challenges - food, water, education and employment.

Give thanks for:
The many new believers who have been baptised in the last year.
For the increase in numbers attending church services.
A growing commitment within congregations to serve the Lord.

We launched into the day with a hearty breakfast of chicken soup with omlettes in good time to greet the pastors and their wives and families arriving for the conference. A burst of harmonious Rwandan a capella singing launched the first session which was taken by Andy who began to trace the Kingdom of God throughout the Scriptures ably translated by Pastor Elson.

After lunch Alan and Eleanor, aka the Scottish couple, shared from their personal experience on marriage and ministry. Being newcomers, they boldly suggested they could break into groups for discussion with the result that the room emptied and they went to the ends of the campus, which meant it took some time to round everyone up to continue! Eleanor spoke from the heart about the challenges and struggles of being a vicar's wife which resonated with many of those listening.
During the breaks Andy, with Isobel's help as debutante camera person, managed to do seven interviews with pastors whose parishes are part of our 'Support A Parish' programme.

Supper was fish and chips, African-style, accompanied by a further instalment of Eleanor's Budgie Tales.

Matters for prayer and praise.

• For a good second day at the conference 
• Help with sorting out Ubushuti Cards
• Practical needs of pastors, many of whom need to build a family house
• Thanks for growing congregations and many new church buildings

Thanks for your prayers.
Alan, Eleanor, Isobel, Heather and Andy.

Wednesday's blog. An interesting day. It started with us trying to get our phones sorted with the necessary SIM cards.  Pastor Placide took us to a local trader who had his 'desk' located under a sun umbrella. The initial problem was that the trader was not under the umbrella but once he was told he had some customers he soon appeared from up the road. He fixed us up with the cards and we went on our way happy - except that three of the cards needed to be cut down to micro size to fit the phones we have. This needed to be done in the town centre, so we would have to wait until later. We moved on to visit the new diocesan school.

King Solomom Academy is located on the edge of the town next to the sports stadium. For the 68 children and three teachers the accomodation is somewhat sparse. There are just three classrooms (Patience, Goodness and Kindness) and a very basic set of toilets. Other than this there are three more half built classrooms (Love, Joy, Peace?) a staff room (Self-control?) and an office (Gentleness?) which should be finished by November. If they are, then the school will get full accreditation from the government. The diocese is not short on a vision for the site. They would like to have a primary school, a secondary school and a university located on the large site in the next few years.

From the school we visited Hannah Ministry to see what baskets they have for us to bring back. It was good to see the centre active again and they had been working hard in readiness for our visit. From there we went down into the town to get the phone cards cut to micro size and then walked back up to the diocesan centre. Over our evening meal we were treated to the hidden world of budgie breeding by Eleanor - from them being born the size of a finger nail to the intricate art of budgie foot washing. We even heard about the time Alan locked Eleanor in the aviary - but more about that another time! Suffice it to say that she did get out - eventually - and following these insights, our lives will never be the same. Bed beckoned and we gave in.

We are here! After 18 hours of travel we arrived at the Scripture Union guest house in Kigali. On the way we had a damaged case, an hour of sitting on a plane waiting to take off and a long wait for getting our entry visas. But it was all worth it to be welcomed by a beaming Pastor Samuel who had come to the airport to meet us. After a good night's sleep we went to the Genocide Memorial Centre in Kigali, a difficult but important experience, and then travelled up to the diocese of Byumba with our good friend Revd Juvenal. We've had a warm welcome from Bishop Emmanuel and his senior staff and enjoyed an evening meal together.

So here are some first impressions from the team. "Beautiful landscape of terraced hillsides."  "Surprising speed of housing and road development within a year." "Hustle and bustle of the city streets in sharp contrast to the absolute silence when confronted by the harrowing images of the genocide in the Memorial Centre."

Tomorrow we visit a school and two local projects.

Thank for you prayers.

Alan, Eleanor, Isobel, Heather and Andy.

We are here! After 18 hours of travel we arrived at the Scripture Union guest house in Kigali. On the way we had a damaged case, an hour of sitting on a plane waiting to take off and a long wait for getting our entry visas. But it was all worth it to be welcomed by a beaming Pastor Samuel who had come to the airport to meet us. After a good night's sleep we went to the Genocide Memorial Centre in Kigali, a difficult but important experience, and then travelled up to the diocese of Byumba with our good friend Revd Juvenal. We've had a warm welcome from Bishop Emmanuel and his senior staff and enjoyed an evening meal together.

So here are some first impressions from the team. "Beautiful landscape of terraced hillsides."  "Surprising speed of housing and road development within a year." "Hustle and bustle of the city streets in sharp contrast to the absolute silence when confronted by the harrowing images of the genocide in the Memorial Centre."

Tomorrow we visit a school and two local projects.

Thank for you prayers.

Alan, Eleanor, Isobel, Heather and Andy.

Almost time to go! Monday at 0610 is when the DT Team will be flying out of Birmingham airport and off to Rwanda. Please pray for all the packing and checking that needs to be done.

The packing includes loads of small gifts (pens, pencils, rubbers, bouncy balls, knitted baby clothes etc) that have been donated to us. From one Tamworth church, literally a boot full! These relatively small gifts will give much joy to our brothers and sisters and the children there in Rwanda. They serve as an encouragement and underline the fact that they are not forgotten. We've also had some personal letters and gifts from SAP patterns for their pastors and parishes. Again a very tangible expression of love and support. So thank you to all who have given in these ways.

We've also been encouraged by the response to sponsor pastors and wives. Most pastors and wives are now sponsored but if you want to help, then you can do so via our web-site - www.damascustrust.org.  Please join us in praying for all those who will be attending the conferences as well as us as a team as we lead the sessions. Alan, Eleanor and Andy will be providing the Bible teaching between them. The itinerary is in the current Prayer Diary.

We will look to update this blog on a daily basis whenever possible (internet connection and time permitting) so do keep in touch and it would be lovely to get any comment from you!

Eleanor, Alan, Isobel, Heather and Andy