I've wanted to write since the day I arrived home. Life gets busy way too quick and things are put off... and put off... My mind also had to adjust, to make some sense of the past six months. Sometimes I sit down to write about my trip or go through photos and I get too overwhelmed and emotional. That sounds silly, but it's the honest truth. In any case, forgive me and please read on. There are stories I must tell.
I think I have mentioned the Shimwa preschool run by The River previously. Jackie and James have started this school in an area where parents can’t normally afford to send their children to school. The school has two wonderful teachers. These teachers are volunteers at the moment. They love these kids so much that they teach them without any compensation (but The River hopes to compensate them financially in the near future).
Shimwa teachers
The second semester of Shimwa preschool finished while I was in Rwanda and I was able to attend their last day of classes. The kids all got up one by one and sang English songs to show the parents in attendance what they had learned. They don't speak any English so it was so funny and cute the way they pronounced words - wannn, toooo, treeee, forrre, fyyyeeevve, siggis, and so on. Preschool in Rwanda is quite structured and is different from what we picture as preschool but the kids feel very special and important to be attending. Thanks to a donation from a friend of mine in Canada, we were able to put together a little end of semester treat bag for each child and pay up the rent on the school building for the whole next semester!
Update: Shimwa finished their third semester and begins again in January.
One day that week, Jackie and I went to the market to get some toothpaste for our family. The little market stall where we usually buy supplies was out of the smallest size of toothpaste (travel sized tube). I asked how much for the normal sized tube and it ended up being a better deal than the small so I bought one of those for each of our family kids. They also needed lotion and so, again a better deal, we bought the bigger sized bottles. Jackie told me as we were buying this stuff, "You don’t know how the kids will react to this, it will be so special to them". I didn’t really get why? So, we got home, gathered the family into the living room and had them close their eyes. I set each of their full size body lotion and toothpaste tubes in front of them. On the count of three they opened their eyes. Then come screams of delight, laughter and a bombardment of hugs for me. They have never had their very own full sized toiletries before and were SO thankful to have something all their own. Can you imagine?
As I am reading back in my journal in order to write this, I am overwhelmed. Things that I wrote one sentence about back in July seem to have infinite meaning to me now in this country, completely foreign to most Rwandans, which I call home. I wish I could share each and every moment with you. The boredom, the frustration, the elation, the joy, the tears, the smiles, the incredible blessing of being able to help in some small way, the cultural beauty and difficulties, the 'celebrity' like attention, the incredible hardships some suffer and the shared hope for a better future.
I don’t have any more answers now, probably just more questions. But it is settled in my heart that I am changed. God changed my heart even more in Africa. I don’t know exactly what I'll do with my life or how I will do it. I’m thankful that He knows what the future holds and has a plan for me.
And if I have a prayer this holiday season, it’s that every person on this planet would know the unfailing love of the Father and see the results of His love in a tangible way. That we might gain more perspective and world view, might give a little more and ‘need’ a little less, that we wouldn’t feel guilty with what we have but instead feel so blessed that it overflows and overflows and overflows!
A very Merry Christmas to you!
Shimwa Preschool
Getting toothpaste and lotion
Liam too!
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