Thoughts of Rwanda

Friends,

I just finished "A Thousand Hills, Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It" by Stephen Kinzer.  I found the following excerpt powerfully describes the feelings one experiences after spending some time in Rwanda.

"I had been in Rwanda several weeks.  I read dozens of books about the genocide and understood exactly how it unfolded.  But for anyone who becomes deeply engaged in Rwanda, there comes a moment when it's story overwhelms the intellect and the conscious mind.  Floods of grief and pain, sharpened immeasurably by the realization that an outsider's emotions can never approach the agony that enveloped and still envelops most Rwandans, becomes a torrent that, at least momentarily, drowns thought and reason.

It happened to me the morning after I visited Open Hands" (a ministry much like Ndengera) "I was sitting in the shade beside the swimming pool at the Mille Collines, transcribing my notes.  Suddenly, without warning, visions of children who surrounded me the day before, along with nightmarish images of what they and their families had suffered, began surging through me.  When I looked up, trying to regain my balance, I saw a young European women in a bikini sitting at the bar, sipping a drink with a paper umbrella in it.  That disoriented me even further.  I gasped for breath, began to quake, felt tongues of flame shooting through my body, and then collapsed in spasms of tears.  When I finally came back to my senses, I saw other guests staring at me with evident discomfort.

Can it be, I wondered, that they do not know what makes people cry in Rwanda?"

-Chris

Golf

We'd love to have your help now on the next phase of our project. Next up..A well!! As you might imagine, clean water will make a huge difference for the clinic, school and general welfare of our kids. To raise the funds for the well, we are hosting the 2nd Scramble on August 23rd. 2010. You can help us immensely by registering to golf ($80 per golfer, $320 for a foursome), sponsor a hole ($150), a contest ($500) or contact us about being a lead sponsor for the event. This will be a great event and we'd love your help!

- Mindy

Lost Blogs

The internet in Rwanda is spotty. Power failures, computer crashes, late nights and fatigue all combined to make blogging sometimes an adventure. As a result, several of the blogs never went through. These are obviously out of order but I figured I'd post them now anyway....Mindy

Things I've Learned in Rwanda.

You can treat Scabies with a good rub down of permethrin. Scabies hangs out between fingers and toes and they love ankles. They. Yes. Scabies are bugs that burrow into your skin and colonize. I learned you can make a baby smile by rubbing their toes in Rwanda just like in the US and that permethrin is a lot like baby lotion. One treatment does the job and people no longer have the itchy, cracking skin caused by Scabies. I learned that a 39 year old woman can have scabies and that she can stand with dignity and grace while people who don't know her and don't speak her language help spread the goo. I learned that you can hand someone a new skirt and an old t-shirt and make their day. I learned why nurses smile while they are dealing with every possible body fluid. I learned why doctors study and why Jesus spent so much time healing. Great joy in the clinic today. - Mindy

Dirt Tan

So we're all coming home a few shades darker. But the question is....is it dirt or suntan? - Michelle