Pure Joy......

So… .it’s been a few weeks since my last post… not because there is nothing to tell, but because there is SO much to tell. I’ll try not to go into every minute detail, but suffice it to say, life is full and wondrous, and I can’t remember many times in my life being this content and satisfied.

As always, my days are made most wondrous by my continual awe at God as seen through and in baby Elizabeth. I honestly can’t even describe the joy involved in helping take care of this precious little being every day. I now know what it is to be a grandmother, and it is, as described by those in the know, the best job on the planet… I would hardily concur! She is mighty fond of her CeCe, I can tell you that… I can get her to sleep in record time, and she loves laying on the couch next to me (even if I am not paying attention to her), while I work. Just to look over and see that smile, makes my heart sore. Honestly, the thought of leaving her for 6 weeks when I head back next month is almost more than I can bear, but being back home for the holidays with our friends and family is awfully important to me as well, and so, we attempt to thread the needle that is our life both here in Rwanda and back stateside.

Also in the last couple of weeks, we have rented a car for just a couple of months from friends who weren’t going to be here for several months, to number 1: see if we would use a car if we had access to one, and number 2: get me out and about with a little more success since my ankle injury. It has made getting out and about so much easier. It’s probably a good thing, with my ankle, that I can’t drive here just yet. As most of you know, Russell is a fairly conservative, take it easy, kinda driver… I AM NOT… Yes… the fact that our car is a manual transmission, therefore, I am unable to drive, because of my ankle, is probably a very, VERY good thing… I’m not sure Rwanda is ready for my driving… oh, but soon enough!

As we have ventured out and about a little more lately, we have tried to explore some of the places that have not been accessible to me via walking. The other day, we visited the local deaf school here in Musanze, and oh my goodness, what a treat is was. This school was started by a British man, who had a heart for deaf children. The school has 58 deaf boarding students, as well as 35 "Children Head of Household" day students, who for one reason or another, have found themselves, at their young ages, as heads of their households, having to provide financially (and every other way) for their younger siblings. Here in Rwanda, being deaf has traditionally been associated with being stupid and not capable of learning, much less being a contributing, communicating member of society. Oh, how wrong they have been. We happened to be there on a day that the students were preparing for final exams, so we had the pleasure of watching them go through some of what would be the language part of their testing. At first, they were simply having fun by writing our names on the blackboard. I had to reach WAY back into the very depths of my brain to bring back my very rudimentary sign language skills that I learned 30 some odd years ago in college. And I must say, I did pretty well. As you can see from the pictures, they wrote both my name and Russell’s on the board, along with their own. Next, they read, out loud, from the blackboard, so they are learning speaking skills as well as sign language. These kids are so smart, they actually learn English, French, Kinyarwanda, as well as sign language, SIMULTANEOUSLY! How many of us could do that… I certainly couldn’t… they are smart and funny and LOVE to learn! How refreshing!!

The "Children Head of Household" day students are learning a trade… everything from carpentry, to art, to basket weaving, to gardening and/or sewing skills… something that will allow them to go out, get a job and support their siblings for whom they have responsibility. Again, how many of us can imagine doing that at the age of 15, 16 or 17?

It was such a fun afternoon being with these precious kids and the teachers that are so devoted to helping them, not to be outcasts, but contributing members of society. I am in awe of the difference they are making! We should all strive to such…

All the photos this week are from our afternoon at the deaf school. Just look at the smiles on these kids faces… oh, to have such pure joy! I will say that joy has been a TITCH more difficult to come by in the last couple of days, as we woke up Saturday morning to NO WATER. It appears that one of the major water mains coming into the town broke and the whole town has been without water since. And then ON TOP of that… during an afternoon thunderstorm, lightning hit our house and completely fried our internet modem… so we are back to even slower internet than usual… BUT… since it did rain during said thunderstorm, we had every bucket we could find outside collecting water so we could flush our toilet… oh yeah… we Rainey’s are just regular MacGyver’s… I'm happy to report that by yesterday afternoon the water is back on so we are back in business, when they told us it could possible be a week without… whew!!

Next week, Russell and I will be heading to Cape Town, South Africa for a few days. He has been asked to speak at a Wild at Heart conference there, so we are going down a few days early just to check out another part of the continent. I will head back home, while he stays on to speak at the conference. Next post… I’ll let you know what adventures we find to our south… till then… my prayer is that we all find PURE JOY!!

Heytheresweetpeapumpkinsugarbear......

 

Wow….what a big weekend is was for us here in Musanze….baby Elizabeth’s official baby naming ceremony was Saturday afternoon, and boy oh boy, was it QUITE the cultural experience.

A little background on the Kwita Izina (the Rwandan name for a naming ceremony).  It is usually done when the baby is 8 days old, because it not only represents the giving of the name, but the child being allowed out of the house and into the public eye. Russell and I being gone sort of messed up that 8 day thing for Elizabeth (and her family), but they were insistent on waiting until we got back so that we would be able to be present for the ceremony. It’s also tradition for a Rwandan baby to have a first name, a middle name and a last name, just like our babies in the US, and the father is actually the one that picks the middle and last names.  AND, as you also know, I was asked, even before she was born, to pick one of her names…you all have had a huge heads-up over anyone here in Rwanda….we have been calling her ‘sweet pea” and “pumpkin” and “sugar bear” to avoid saying her name out loud….if we had waited any longer, she was going to think her name was “heytheresweetpeapumpkinsugarbear”.



SOOOO….here we go….we were told it would start at noon…only at eleven to be told…”oh, no…we not start till one, my mother is not even on the bus in Kigali yet….she too slow”. Well….at least we found out before we left home. At one, we show up to most all there….except Christine’s mom…yep…she was MIA, and I’m pretty sure starting without her was not cool. So, we (Anna Reed included, since it was she that helped so much the night Elizabeth was born by driving to get us, and then to Christine’s to get her and took us all to the hospital) sit there and make niceties with 20 people, most of whom don’t speak a LICK of English. We honed our charade playing skills, yet some more, although we were extremely fortunate to have Christine’s aunt, Anna, there, who spoke perfect English. For the baby naming part of the ceremony, she was gracious enough to translate for us.  I’m also fairly certain that the baby naming part of the ceremony is what they traditionally start with, and THEN the eating and drinking portion of the day begins, but since Mama was MIA, we ate first….and a feast it was. It really is amazing how most Rwandan families (Christine included), who have no running water, and cook over a wood fire, are able to prepare such a feast to share with friends and family. They had chairs set up all around the fairly small living room, so it was like having an indoor picnic. We know from Christine cooking for us every day, how well she can cook a traditional Rwandan meal…add her sister, aunt and other family members to help…and let me just tell you…us Southerners ain’t got nothing on the Rwandans….they can flat put on a spread!!! Mama finally made her way to the party half way through our meal, which meant that we were now good to go for the baby naming part of our day!!

Now, the baby naming ceremony is just that….a traditional ceremony in which they place the baby in the middle of the room, with the parents sitting there, and each and every person (including all children) approach the baby and says the name THEY think the child should be named. After everyone in the room has done this, the parents then go off in a room by themselves to powwow over what the baby’s name should be. They pick one of the names presented to them, and then the father will pick the middle and last names. Interesting point here….most Rwandans do not use the same last name within families. The father chooses names he thinks appropriate for the child. So, mother, father, and all children will have different last names…..for you folks who are into genealogy, go on, put a wet rag on your heads so you don’t pass out…this country would be a NIGHTMARE for you!!

Christine had already given us a heads up about the process least we not look like complete fools, so when our turn comes and we both say the name “Elizabeth”….and there were all sorts of beautiful names thrown out there….and after the last person “approached” the baby and parents…mom and dad go to the back room to decide, and after a few, back they come and announce her name is Elizabeth!! Oh…everyone claps and carries on….whew….no more “heytheresweetpeapumpkinsugarbear”!!

 Then the speeches begin, made all the more complicated by the fact that Anna, the aunt, had to translate for Russell, Anna and I after every few sentences. There were prayers and congratulations, but frankly, the most touching came as a complete surprise to Russell, Anna and I, because they were thanking US, for taking Christine and the baby in, as our own family…being there to get her to the hospital, being with her at the hospital and generally being parents and grandparents to her and her kids…this coming from the ACTUAL parents and grandparents, and other family members.  And then Christine gives a precious speech about how much she appreciates being part of our family and how much she loves us!! OK…Kleenex please!! Those of you who know Russell and I know we HATE being in the limelight…what we do, we generally do under the radar, anonymously if possible, so this type of attention was a titch uncomfortable for us, but it was SOOO coming from their hearts, we just felt honored and blessed to be a part of the day, in such a special way, and to be able to call these people family!! Christine then proceeds to give ME a gift, which you can see from the photo is some traditional Rwandan material (pink OF COURSE) so that I can have made a Rwandan dress….something Russell has been trying to get me to do since we moved here and which Christine overheard us talking about one day! Sly fox, that one!!

It was just SUCH an amazing treat to be part of such a day. In the end, Christine’s husband decided the name Elizabeth was the only name she needed other than a last name….and the last name he chose translates to “queen” in Rwandan and is Kamikazi…..yep…pronounced just like it looks and when she told me that, I seriously laughed out loud, which gave her a puzzled look until I explained what Kamikazi meant to us….fairly appropriate, I would say, to go with the name Elizabeth, which in our family is synonymous  with strong-willed and hard headed, but such loving hearts….so we are proud to formally introduce, Elizabeth Kamikazi!! When Russell heard the name, he said “That’s perfect!” with that grin  he gets when he’s imagining trouble. I wonder if I’ll be able to talk one of my kids into naming one of our granddaughters (God willing)…Kamikazi….Brit?? Josh??

In all my wildest dreams, I could have NEVER imagined, not only attending, but being such a integral part of, such a ceremony. What a joy and blessing!!

Enjoy the plethora of photos …a picture really is worth a thousand words!!

The Spread

Russell

Dad's sister

Mom's sister

Mom & her mom

Mom and Dad

Dad

Maternal Grandmother

Big Brother

Big Sister

Paternal Grandmother

Cousin

Long Time, No Blog........

Wow…long time, no blog post. Honestly, I didn’t see any point in posting while we were stateside. Either we were seeing you, or if we weren’t, did you REALLY care to hear what was going on in Arkansas….I mean, really???

I will say our time back was, well….JAM PACKED!!! And I’m not even kidding. I don’t think we stopped longer than two seconds, and I’m not even sure the man sleeping in my bed was Russell since I didn’t usually physically see him get in or out (minds out of the gutter people, minds out of the gutter), as we mostly went in separate directions.  It was too much, really. I don’t like it when we are THAT busy…especially separate from each other, but it seems to be the nature of the beast…..at least for us….

Of course, it didn’t take quite 24 hours to get my fill of sushi AND cheese dip (and NO, not in the same meal), and brushing my teeth in the sink WITH tap water, as well as not having to crawl out from under the mosquito net in the middle of the night and then back in, just to go tee tee, were welcomed conveniences, not to mention driving again…anywhere, anytime, but two things really struck me as differences in Rwanda and the US:

The first was clearly the food…in the US we simply eat too much, unhealthy, food….I lost 22 pounds the first three months we lived here in Rwanda….I gained 6 pounds in 6 weeks back in the US….so CLEARLY, I am no more capable of most that keeping myself from SHOVELIN it in, but it is good to be back to more normal eating habits….and already 4 of the 6 are gone.

Secondly, life here is just not as CRAZY…in the US, we go a hundred miles an hour on a hundred different things….here, its takes what seems like FOREVER to change even one thing….I’m not sure either is the way to go, but it is interesting to go back and forth between the two such wildly different worlds, and how quickly we seem to adapt to whichever world we are in!

I did see the orthopedic surgeon as soon as I got back to take a look at my ankle and after trying this, that AND the other (including two different steroid injections), it seems that surgery is going to be necessary. He said, “Boy, you really did a number on this ankle”. Hmmmm….and you went to medical school WHERE, exactly…. Doogie – cause I’m not joking when I say this guy looked 12 years old!!! I’m sure he really IS young, not that I am just getting OLD, so EVERYONE seems young.  I was insistent on coming back as scheduled, so with some coaxing (like he really had a choice), he agreed to wait until Dec. to operate. So, now I get to have ankle surgery, help plan (and attend on Dec. 18th) a small, immediate family only, wedding….yes, Brit and Kelly got engaged while we were back and we are honored to welcome him into the family, although I’m certain he has NO idea what he is getting himself into), and then Christmas….in that order….what is it I was just saying about keeping up with a crazy schedule?????

Oh, and on life here in Rwanda…..as you can see…Miss Sugar Bear herself grew like a WEED while we were gone. She has actually more than doubled her weight in 8 weeks, so she’s obviously eating well. Christine is bringing her to work with her every day, so I get to play ‘CeCe’. This ‘grandmother’ gig is pretty awesome….fun with them during the day, then off they go at night…SCORE!!!  It has been great getting back connected with all our staff….I’m not sure who missed who more. When we walked through our front door at 10 PM the night we got home, the table was set, roses from our garden on the table, and Christine had made us a pizza….it was precious!! I should have taken a picture, but at that point, I could only find my way to the bed, MY bed….and boy was it nice to get there!!!

The garden is coming along as well….we now have started “Musanze Basil”…we have a SEA of it, and they don’t even know what it is or how to cook with it….I’m like, “throw it in everything you cook, it will make it better”, but thus far, Christine isn’t convinced. We are working on that. The tomatoes just now have some fruit, as does the zucchini, and the Italian parsley is growing great guns too. We have planted sugar snap peas, green beans, celery, onions, three types of lettuce, butternut squash, cauliflower and radishes just since we have been back….and here’s the thing…I have NO idea what I am doing in a garden. Sure, I can grow basil in a pot and ONE year out of twenty got three cherry tomatoes off a plant in Wyoming, but a master gardener I am not….so the fact that we are now growing all the things listed above is a little funny to me….but, so far, so good…I think good weather and good soil help….and our sweet Beatrice (with whom I can barely communicate) to keep it all in check…we are perfecting the art of hand signals!! Next time you play charades, I’ll assure you, you want ME on your team….oh…. I got this….WAHTEVER it is!!

So…it’s good to be back to our Rwandan home, and that really is what it feels like….HOME!! As much as I miss everyone back in the states, I do love how settled we feel here now, and how I can’t wait to dig in to the plans we have for this country, but my part will have to wait a little longer since I am still in my walking cast with strict orders from Dr. Doogie to stay off my ankle as much as possible until the surgery….does this guy KNOW ME??? Actually, I am being a good girl and taking solace in the fact that I get to be with this precious baby every day….what a blessing!!!

Till next time….hugs from our little corner of the world!!

Welcome to the World Baby Girl........

Well, let me tell you….the last 24 hours have seen quite the excitement around the Rainey house.

First off, Tim Lundy arrived Tuesday night for a week (we all fly back together to the states on Tuesday), and it’s been great having him here. He is preaching this week at a crusade here hosted by Bishop John, but there has been enough down time for him so that we have enjoyed being able to visit. Tim hauled over two more trunks for us, filled mostly with tool type things, but he brought some stuff for me that turned out to be perfect timing. He brought a walking cast/boot for my ankle, and a ton of stuff for Christine’s new baby….ya know…all the Johnson & Johnson baby bath/lotion products, plus paci’s and some blankets and clothes (thanks Brit and Lori). All kinds of things!! And none too soon!!

Last night at around 10, we got THE call from Christine that she was in labor. She had apparently started having contractions at 7, and by 10 was ready to head to the hospital. Now….we don’t have a car, and getting a taxi here at 10 at night is impossible, so we called trusty Anna Reed, who ran over with her car and picked us up, then we all went over to Christine’s and got her. Her next door neighbors agreed to watch the two older kids, so off we trek to the hospital. So, I was familiar….after the man-trap/bike incident… with the hospital drill….ok…just a TITCH different in the maternity ward. And this is how it all went down…..we walk in and about 20 women gathered around point in the general direction we should go…ok…Christine and her muzungu posse….we head around the corner, where there are two chairs…we find the woman who looked to be in charge, and she just had a titch of an attitude….I’m just sayin…At this point, Russell is standing around with the 20 woman outside the little room…and we decide fairly quickly, this ain’t no place for a man…he was the only one and a muzungu at that…so he and Anna left and left Christine and I to the task at hand.

The “attitude chick”, then points us in the general direction of a room with four beds (photo included), and there is one bed not taken (also photo included). Here’s where it starts to get interesting for me….the bed has NOTHING on it…just a mattress..no sheets, no pillows, no NOTHIN…fortunately, Christine had an extra piece of material which we laid over the mattress. All the other beds were taken with three other women in various stages of labor and they all had posse’s as well…I mean…poor Christine had only me… in one of the other beds, we had a woman that looked to be 55 if she looked a day….and of course not ONE other person beside Christine and I spoke English, so I couldn’t understand all the conversations, but let’s just say some things don’t need words…this poor woman was S.U.F.F.E.R.I.N.G…..and I guess so…I kept thinking what it would be like , at my age, to be in labor again….heebie jeebie’s is what came to mind just THINKING bout THAT. The other woman sat on a stool the whole time and would stand up every time she had a contraction…she was fairly quiet compared to memaw and then the other woman was just crying, and crying and CRYING…and I was thinking….man, she must be in six kinds of pain, but then Christine told me, based on conversations in the room, that her baby had actually died and they were just waiting for her to deliver….OK…kill me NOW!! It was horrible….watching that poor woman labor, knowing the situation. …and this is where we stayed for the next 4 hours….did even ONE person check on us….that would be a NADDA!!!  And people…if you don’t bring it, you don’t have it…they give you NOTHING, but a bed in which to have the baby and a “nurse” to deliver it.

But, my job was to be there to support Christine, and she did a GREAT job…she labored HARD for four hours, and when it was time, she knew, and we walked….barely….back over to the room with “attitude chick” and they took Christine back to another room where there were about 8 beds…and they made me stay outside that room….WHHHATTT!!! Yep…it was like the old days where the family waits outside the delivery room….I was a NERVOUS WRECK!! But it didn’t take but about 2 minutes and we heard baby Elizabeth crying….I must say at this point Nurse Cratchet came out and told me it was a “female” and actually warmed up a little, and because I was the crazy Muzungu running around with my camera, they actually let me back to see Christine and the baby (not the norm from what I could gather), so I was able to get photos. You can see how beautiful she is. She was officially born at 2:43 AM and weighed in at 6 lbs. 6 oz. We got Christine to her room (and by “room”, I mean a big room with 12 beds – similar in situation to the labor “room” – and all full) about 20 minutes after the delivery (Russell came back over when they took her back), and we came on home. I think I got into bed about 4, but didn’t get to sleep until close to 4:30…..of course, if there are no taxi’s at 10, there SURE aren’t any at 4 AM, so I had to WALK home in the walking cast – a good test run for our trips through the airports next week, but holy cow, was ankle hurting by the time I got home!! But…amazing what adrenaline does for pain…should try that more often :)

I am SOOOO very thankful that Elizabeth arrived before our departure next Tuesday. Christine’s aunt was coming today, and her husband will be here tomorrow, and her sister, Chantal on Saturday, so she is set for the next few days, although Russell popped up bright and early this morning and took her a whole smorgasbord of food and water, and Beatrice, our gardener was already there with milk for her, from her cow, so we are all trying to love on her until her “real” family gets here.  Since we are leaving next week, she will get a nice long break (VERY unusual here)…they usually go back to work within a few days because if they don’t work, they don’t get paid, but of course, she is on paid maternity leave from the Rainey household….and when she does come back to work, she will bring the baby with her every day….so, we will get to spoil that little girl silly with love!!

As we get ready to come back to the states for some time there, and I look back at my journey over the last three months here in Rwanda….how I went from despair, to resolution, to now, having family here too….to come back to, when we do…the way I see it, God has blessed me with grandbabies on this side of the big pond now…so that when OUR kids make us grandparents, I’ll never NOT have grandbabies now, whether we are here or there….God is good, and I am blessed!! Welcome to the world baby girl!!

Cast Off....Cast On....and We Ain't Talkin Bout Knitin.....

Ok…so TWO weeks from today, we leave Rwanda for our first trip back home!! SCORE!! Actually, as excited as I am to get back to see friends and family…..and let’s be real…sushi, cheese dip, WATERMELON,  Izzy’s and some good old BBQ, I really have gotten into quite a good place here. In fact, EVERYONE needs to be praying as HARD AS YOU CAN that Christine has that baby just a few days early. I honestly can’t hardly stand the thought that I won’t be with her when baby Elizabeth is born.  Because if I’m not here, she will be alone….THAT, breaks my heart!!  She and I have developed such a close, almost mother/daughter, relationship…actually, she is just a year older than Brit, so there you have it! I am going to miss her soooo much when we are gone….along with the rest of our staff, but especially her!! I am also happy to report that our night guard, Kiza, and his wife, Chantal, are expecting their second baby in January...man...babies galore :)

Now…when I had my cast put on, the doctor said to keep the cast on 2-3 weeks. Well, yesterday was two weeks exactly, so over to the hospital we haul to have this sucker cut on off. Ya know….it was feeling pretty good….and Lord knows I was ready to be done. So…they pull out the trusty cast cutteroffer  and go to it (see photo, to which I want to add a disclaimer  - REALLY dude REALLY…you have make me smile when some Rwandan dude has a saw on my leg) (Oh…and I also want you to note that my signature Strawberry Margarita nail polish is back on the toes I could get to…I’m mean really…a girl’s gotta do, what a girls gotta do). Oh, oh, but it gets better….”Rwandan dude with saw” actually got  through the fiberglass quite well, but there is this material they put under a fiberglass cast that needs to be cut through with scissors…ummmm…yeah…novel  idea…having a pair of scissors in a HOSPITAL…so, NOOOO, can't find any scissors…so he comes back with a razor blade…no joke…a razor blade and starts cutting…at which point I start TEARING at this stuff like there is no tomorrow…I think he got the point rather quickly to keep the razor blade away from MOI!! So, we get the cast off and gotta say, after two weeks, I was, frankly, expecting the swelling to be mostly gone…foot to look pretty good…not so much there either…it was still swelled pretty good and black and blue…and holy cow, did it ever hurt. At this point I also want to point out that the cutest boy in the world, having had a cast or two in his day, did try to warn me that the minute they took the thing off, I would say, “Put it back on”. Did I believe him…of course not…well, let me just say, I do now. We were also fairly strategic in that we had “Rwandan dude with saw” cut down both sides of the cast so that if my ankle wasn’t quite ready for freedom, we could simply put it back on and ace bandage it closed. I tried to gut it out a few hours, but clearly, it was a no go, cause as I type, I have that cast back on my leg…I think I’ll give it a few more days and see how we do. The nice thing about this though, is that I was able to take it off this morning to take my shower and not have to be some sort of contortionist just to get clean and keep my cast dry! So…we’ll see what the next week or so holds. After my shower I did try moving my ankle a little…cause really, the LAST thing I want is to be on crutches on the plane RIDES home!! OY VEY!!

I also posted some photos of our garden…the zucchini (the biggest), cantaloupe and watermelon are doing well, as are the tomaters and basil….my girls and I are having MORE fun with this garden. I can’t even tell you!!

We are a little worried about Pete…didn’t hear him all day today. Not that I’m complaining, but on that note, I did see the BIGGEST bird I have ever seen…like a Velociraptor….NO KIDDING…SOOO…either Pete was "what's for dinner" over there, or the biggest bird in the world got him!! I’ll keep you posted. Fifi is also still at it every single night as well, and well, we have added a new animal to our menagerie….just call us Dr. and Mrs. Doolittle….a cat, which has been hanging out and meowing ALL the time. He/She? sticks pretty close to the compost, so I have aptly named it Nom Nom….as in… this food is so good.…nomnomnomnom….we figure if it eats out of the compost…fine….even better…goes after the combo squirrel/rat (or squrats, as I like to call them) things we have here…then stay as long as you like Nom Nom!!

Lastly…please continue to keep the Wardlaw and Parkinson families in your prayers, also, for us, as we get through a BUSY next two weeks (and only three good legs between us), and try to get ready to leave.  Till next week…TTFN!!!

Wow Wow Wubbzy....

Well….I am a week past the dreaded bike wreck…and the cast on the ‘ol leg….gotta say…this is the first time I have ever had a cast – yep...first time…I’m not diggin it so much. There’s a shock!!!

The first few days, I only  had one elbow type crutch….so I did a lot of hopping around…but Russell had to go down to Kigali for a meeting, so he went over to King Faisal Hospital (the largest in Kigali) and got me a real live pair of crutches….woo hoo!! NOW….it’s still sketchy getting around…NO surface here is even, so even with crutches, venturing farther than my front porch isn’t cool….and you’re just gonna have to take my word for it…I’m stubborn…I usually find these things out the hard way…fortunately, it wasn’t too hard….and for the record, everyone here is taking really, really good care of me.

But…all and all, the ankle is coming along…I am being a super good girl so that, hopefully, next week, I can get this sucker off…it still swells when I have it down, so I keep it up as much as possible…and wow wow wubbzy , you can’t believe the other bruises that have shown up all over my body…I have one on my left leg (where the bike actually fell ON me) that is seriously the size of a softball….not to mention the plethora of smaller ones….I  (and my bike) did a number on myself…FOR SURE!!!

I would seriously like to be a fly on the wall listening to all the Rwandan kids that were witness to the “accident” and its aftermath….I mean, don’t you just KNOW they are talking about how that Muzungu lady just appeared to fall over OFF the bridge into the man-trap and proceed to cry and wail and writhe in pain….they were probably thinking…those Muzungu’s are such babies…get up…shake it off, lady…I mean really....you just FELL OVER while on that shiny new bike…you are not worthy….No really….I’m pretty sure that’s what they are saying!! I can’t wait to get this cast off and ride that road again…just to show THEM!!  Get back on the horse, as it were!!

So…leg in cast…not getting out at all….so no, out and about in Musanze stories?... ha, that’s the beauty of this place…you don’t really have to venture far to have “Life in Africa” stories….

We have decided that  there must be something wrong with Pete…I mean what rooster seriously crows ALL DAY, EVERY DAY….now I’ll grant you, I’m not a rooster expert…if any of you are…please, put in your 2 cents worth…I really do want to know if I’m just being hard on little Petey….now add to little Petey, the DOG…yes, you heard right, DOG, that has started barking, oh, bout midnight every night for hours on end. For the most part, Rwandans don’t really have dogs...you only see them in a “guard” dog situation and unless you are about to get eaten by one, you shouldn’t really hear them bark…so imagine our surprise when we started hearing a dog barking at all hours of the night…at first I thought maybe it was my pain meds…ya know…”working” …but no…the dog went on long after the pain meds quit “working”….we have yet to investigate, but no doubt, between Pete and the dog, which I have named Fifi  (I mean if you are going to ruin my sleep, you are getting a little French poodle name, big boy)…that Ambien is coming in handy….I’m just sayin….

Me and my cohorts in crime, Christine and Beatrice, did get the tomatoes (all three types) and basil (both types) in the ground this morning….actually, Beatrice did all the work, Christine, helped, and I sat, leg up in chair, directing…I’ve decided I’m a very good director. I also had to have Ronald to translate because they were giving me a list of seeds (in Kinyarwanda) I needed to bring back with me when we come back in Sept….let’s just say, it’s going to be a VERY good month for Burpee this month…but between the food and flowers…oh my…the taste and beauty that will come from our home!!!  We are still pampering the parsley and oregano in their cups, but hope those are ready to go in the ground later this week!!  What I can say, is that 99 days out of 100 here are “Cheryl Rainey days”, which is a phrase coined by my bestest friend, Kathleen, and it represents 70-75 degree days, and 50 degree nights, with NO humidity. I can’t argue with the cutest boy in the world on this point…lots of others, but not this one!!

Yesterday, being the 4th was bittersweet for us here…I think this is only the second time in my life, I have not been on US soil on the 4th of July….gotta say…it was weird…they did have a big shindig down in Kigali at the US Embassy on Saturday, but with leg, cannot travel, so we missed the festivities. We do hope though, that y'all had a safe and fun 4th with family and friends…and lots of ice cold watermelon….yummy!!

And I also want to take this opportunity to ask for a couple of prayer requests:

First, for my friend, David Wardlaw, and his family. They lost their oldest son, Win, who was 20, in an accident 10 days ago, and I can only imagine how hard a loss like that must be. They have been in our prayers every single day, and would appreciate you keeping them in yours, as they navigate to a new “normal” of life without Win.

Secondly, for Betsy Parkinson.  Her mom and dad, Bill and Ann Parkinson, are our dear friends, and Bill was one of the three greats that started Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock over 30 years ago. Betsy was in a car accident on Lookout Road in LR last week, and was quite severely injured. Bill and Ann happened to be in Mexico on vacation, so it took them a little while to get back to her. THAT, we can relate to. Betsy is doing much better, but does have a long road to recovery ahead. We know what the power of prayer can do, from our experience with Brittany and her accident, almost 4 years ago, and we are praying for the same, successful outcome for Betsy…full recovery, and strength!! So, prayers for her, and her family, would also be appreciated.

Lastly, today, being July 5th, would have been our Gauki’s 94th birthday. She was a woman of character and determination. She was so much more than an aunt…she was another mother and grandmother, too…to all four of us kids and the rest of her nieces and nephews!! She also served her country during WWII. She passed away just 4 months ago, and her loss is still hard to comprehend. Not a beautiful sight goes by that I don’t think to myself, “Gauki would LOVE this.” She would have loved the beauty of Rwanda, just as she loved Jackson Hole, the lake, the beach, my sister’s farm or simply sitting by the pool, surrounded by family, watching all us kids (and our kids) swim and have a good old time. She appreciated beauty in the simplest of things, and I hope I do the same! I have included, this week, a few pictures for Gauki… to show the beauty of Rwanda and its people.

Don’t miss the chance to tell those you love that you do…and enjoy the little things…for it is the little things that make up the big ones. Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you and thank God for such!! Till next week…we love you all!!