Check out the newpaper article in Monday's edition of The Columbian newspaper. 

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/jul/26/rwanda-work-amazes-and-changes-group/

Many of you remember Baraka. He is a boy in our program who was attacked.  He lost his eye, had TB and spent 6 months in treatment.   We raised money topay for his treatment.   What a joy to get to meet Baraka. He is doing much better!

So many have asked, “How was your trip.” Itseems like such a simple question.  Technically speaking, it was a great success.  We accomplished all of our goals; Built 3 ¾ school classrooms; setup and held a medical clinic and saw over 300 patients; turned the keys to the clinic over to a local doctor who has been there daily since we left; gave out 130 goats with more still to be given; walked the property that we purchased for agriculture last January and saw the potatoes and onions growing there; made friends; learned a little of their culture; worshiped at their church; gave  two 5000 literrain-water collection tanks and $600 for agricultural development of the land; gave 6 sewing machines for the sewing students; tools for the graduating mechanics and bought 4 roofs for widows homes who had no roofs. So, in this sense, the trip was great and exceeded my expectations.

But “How was your trip,” is a much more complex question than it appears…How was your trip?  Really, for me, indescribable.  A torrent of complex emotions still floods over me daily, ranging from hope and happiness to relief and contentment, to despair and utter sadness.  The poverty was so great, yet their spirit and will so strong.  Their life is so hard, walking hours daily for food, water and maybe work.  Walking in the most unimaginable dust, living with chronic illnesses of parasites, amoebas and HIV, cooking in their tiny mud homes until the walls and ceilings were covered in black soot (much like their lungs must be).  Yet they would flash a beautiful smile and their eyes would sparkle in an instant upon receiving an empty water bottle or a starburst or even at just the sight of a Muzungu (white traveler).

The medical clinic building is about 2-300 yards from the construction site of the school.  We would walk back and forth on occasion, to check on progress or to find someone we needed.  When you leave the clinic building, you are immediately surrounded by children singing Mazung, Mazung….

We quickly learned that you could hold the hands of up to 10 children at the same time, one for each finger.  (Sometimes they would fight to hold your hand).  Walking across the field with 10 children singing mazung or who let the DAWGS out or asking their names and ages was a lot of fun for me but every now and then, I would stop and reflect that maybe I should not be enjoying this.  They seemed happy.  They smiled and jumped and did back bends and cartwheels.  These children with nothing, played and sang and watched us.  We easily recognized some of the children from photos we have here on our walls.  They were always wearing the same clothes as they had on in the photos, probably the only clothes they had.  They were filthy (although, so was I) there clothes literally rotting off of them, some with worn shoes, some with none.  I couldn’t help but think that the reason they so eagerly and possessively wanted to hold our hands, was that no one normally holds theirs.  I had a strange sense of detachment and guilt.  Looking at their poverty, I thought,“I should be crying not enjoying myself.”Sometimes I thought,“why doesn’t this break my heart……What’s wrong with me?”  Then a vision came to me of my children in those clothes.  Seeing Nicholas and Andrea in the tattered and dirty clothes, in my mind’s eye, was overwhelming.  Then the tears came and my heart broke. I do not understand this at all.  Is this how God sees these children…..Maybe, it’s how God sees us?

I don’t know. All I know, is that my heart broke for those kids and it was right for it to do so.  I hope you all have the opportunity to have your heart break for children such as these.  I believe it is a rare but painful privilege…..

Thank you for making this trip…… this vision…….a reality.  God Bless you, as He has blessed me!

Chris