Cheryl Rainey: October 2010

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!!

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!!