Life since I’ve been back has been, as usual, sheer craziness!! We never know what we are going to get when we wake up. Never know what each day is going to look like. I have spent the last five days in the laundry room… that’s right… 5 days, 40 loads, 2 washers, 2 dryers, none of which just “work.” If the power surges, one, two or all, cut off, so it takes sitting and watching them to keep them going. The power is so unreliable here, it causes many more problems that just whether you have lights or not! And, since it is still the rainy season… using the clotheslines outside is not really feasible! So, you sit, you watch, and you manage. Why, you ask, doesn’t some of the staff or students do this? Well, think about it. As westerners, we have spent our entire lives watching laundry being done, or DOING it ourselves. It’s not something you think about or analyze; you simply separate, treat (if necessary), wash, and then dry. Here, most Rwandans don’t even know that washers or dryers EXIST, and they surely haven’t seen or operated them. How would they know how to use them? Yes, we have a couple of our staff that can use them, but when it gets to a point that there is so much, it is very difficult to teach them the art of laundry management. Honestly, who would have thought there was an art to laundry management? Well… let me tell you, THERE IS!! Especially when you have SO many sets of sheets and towels, that in this humid climate takes FOREVER to dry!! We have just hired a girl that will do nothing but laundry! I will do my best to teach her, not only proper laundry techniques, but laundry management! We’ll see how it goes. Our experience is, when teaching here, you have to be very picky and VERY patient. We teach, re-teach, re-teach, re-teach, and pray that we are patient, loving and that at some point it sticks. Some things have… others are more of a challenge.
We also hosted our first English Teacher’s Conference. It was actually Musanze’s 15 Sector Education Officers, who will choose which of the district’s English teachers will come and study English here at the MOC. It was a great day. Frances Klink, our Head of English, put a lot of time and planning into this event… and if you remember, we had it scheduled back in the early spring, only to have to cancel because of issues with the district. BUT, she pulled it off yesterday, with the help of Kim Jacobi, and it was quite the success. We are hoping to have the “Head of English” from each of the district’s more than 150 schools studying here within a few weeks. This is the first step in making a larger difference in the community of English speakers! Training the trainers is our motto!!
We are also excitedly waiting for our new Executive Chef and his family to arrive on Wednesday. At this point, we are also still waiting on the container to arrive. It looks like they might arrive on the same day… OF COURSE they are! Honest to goodness, Russell Rainey has been Herculean in his efforts to get the container cleared and here. We are still waiting on clearance from customs (to say that they aren’t exactly the easiest to deal with is the understatement of the century), and then the container itself to reach Musanze. Needless to say, we have been on our knees about the whole situation for over a week now, and are just trying to be as faithful as we can in order to get that thing here and unloaded. Our group from Fellowship arrives on the 16th (YAY!!!), so we will have lots of hands and brains to help!! We just pray that it arrives next week!! If you have a second or two, please pray for that as well!!
The last few photos are of our students learning hands-on construction by remodeling our new Chef’s house here on campus. The great advantage they have is that they have NO experience in construction work so they are learning from scratch the best building skills and techniques in the world. We have proper tools for them to use, which you don’t really find here in Rwanda, and they are so smart so they’re getting really good, really fast! They’re doing a great job… but of course, Russell’s a great teacher. This is the environment in which he thrives! It is these moments that keep him going when dealing with all the government bureaucracy! He loves those kids, and he loves doing and teaching!
Enjoy the photos, and the student profiles!! Onward we go….
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| Teacher's Conference |
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| Teacher's Conference |
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| Lunch Table for the Teachers |
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| Eric & Yusuf working on the bathroom |
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| Patience working on the bedroom |
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| Sharon working on the bedroom |
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| Eric & Patience mixin it up!! |
Issa “Yusuf” Duyandane
Yusuf is 28
years old, and we were impressed with him right from the start. Both of his
parents passed away, leaving him to care for his two sisters, one older and one
younger. He spent his primary school years in Rwanda, but went to Kenya to
attend secondary school, which would explain his good English!
He was actually admitted to the University of
Nairobi, but deferred in order to care for his younger sister. He then had to
defer a second time for the same reason. After that, he lost his scholarship,
no longer giving him the chance to study at the university level. When he
interviewed with us, he was working part time in a local business and part time
in the tourism sector.
Yusuf is an
old soul. He thinks before speaking, but when he does, what he says is usually
quite profound. He is easy going and gets along very well with the other
students. He is always one of the first to volunteer or notice something that
needs to be done!
He was raised in a Muslim home, and as Rwanda
is a mosaic of cultures and religions, we think it quite fitting that one of
our first MOC students is a Muslim boy named, Jesus (Issa is Arabic for Jesus).
Yusuf always leans forward and listens intently, during our daily discussions
about the life and character of Jesus.
When asked
his hopes and dreams, Yusuf said, “My hopes and dreams are to create a tourism
company and employ people who have the ability but less of the privilege. After
getting the tourism company up and running, I hope to also build an
eco-friendly hotel.” We have no doubt that with his hard work ethic, Yusuf will
be one of the leaders of the class of 2019.
Sharon Mutoni
Sharon is 18
years old and is our fourth and final student from the Cornerstone Leadership
Academy. She hails from Kigali and has one sister and two brothers. Both of her
parents have passed away.
Sharon is
outgoing and is one of the more active participants when in class! She is
always willing to help wherever we need her, although, she too, likes being in
the kitchen learning from the chef. She is confident when speaking, and has
good insight. She is usually one of the
first to raise her hand in the classroom to answer a question.
When asked
what her dream was, she said, “I hope to be the Minister of Tourism in Rwanda,
and also a great entrepreneur in the country”.
What a dream that is!
When asked
the one thing she would change INSTANTLY about Rwanda, she said that she wished
people would stop becoming job seekers and start becoming job creators.
Patience Uwamurera
Patience is
20 years old and the third of our recent Cornerstone Leadership Academy picks. She
also scored a perfect 55 on the Rwandan National Exam. She is from the Eastern
Provence and her mother passed away when she was young. Her father re-married
and she has 3 half brothers and 2 half sisters.
Patience is
very smart, although sometimes lacks the confidence to speak up. Just in the
last few days, though, she is speaking with more confidence and assertiveness.
She has a beautiful singing voice and plays the guitar. We are looking forward
to having her sing and play for us at our Sunday morning worship services here
on campus.
When asked
what her dream is, she said, “To be a self-employed business woman in Rwanda,
while also developing my county”.
We are
looking forward to seeing Patience come out of her shell and gaining the
confidence to make her dreams come true!
Olivier Nsabimana
Olivier is
from right down the road in Musanze. He is 22 years old, and was a graduate of
one of the public schools in the Musanze district. While his mother passed
away, he lived with his father, who is 70 years old and retired. He has one
brother and one sister.
Olivier
wasn’t an obvious choice for us, but there was a spark in him that was hard to
miss. While his English skills are probably the weakest of all the students, he
has a determination like none other. HE WANTS TO GET BETTER! He is working in
his free time to improve by working on Rosetta Stone and reading the
dictionary. He has a smile that lights up the room.
Olivier is a
hard worker, and never ceases to amaze us with his willingness to help others
and pitch in where necessary!
He told us
that he LOVES his MOC uniform because it made him feel like “an important
business person from America”!
When asked
what his dreams are for his future, he said, “To further my undergraduate
studies and eventually get enough skills and knowledge to develop my county and
myself”. Others first, that is Olivier!
We are so
please to have Olivier as part of our pioneer class of 2019!!
James Mugabo
James is 18
years old, and is a recent graduate of Cornerstone Leadership Academy. He
scored a perfect 55 on his Rwandan National Exam, so clearly James is a bright
young man. He is the fifth of nine children to his father and mother, both of
whom are still alive and are farmers in the Eastern Provence.
While James
is very quiet, not overly loud or boisterous, you sense in him a very serious,
persistent personality. He takes all that he is taught and sits on it. You can
tell that he is processing EVERYTHING he hears. He is very observant of both
people and things.
When asked
what his dreams for the future are, he said this, “I dream of establishing a
construction company that will help Rwanda and the world in general; to improve
on construction methods. I hope to get the best entrepreneurial skills that
will help me meet my dreams”.
When we
asked him if he could snap his fingers and change any ONE thing about Rwanda
instantly, he said that it would be how Rwandans view truth in work. He
realizes the need for change in this area is important to run a company of integrity.
Jean “Barack”
Habumugisha
Barack is 20
years old, and attended SonRise Secondary School in Musanze. He was voted class
President by his classmates, with 86% of the vote. When we first met Barack, he
told us he like to be called Barack because he was the class President and
likened himself to President Obama. But after visiting with his mother,
realized his Kinyarwanda name, which was also his father’s name, actually
translates into “Barack”.
Barack
certainly does not lack confidence. He is usually the first to raise his hand
in class and even when speaking about something of which he is uncertain, he does
so with a strong voice and presence! He stands out as a natural leader among
the other students.
He is the
youngest of five boys! He father passed away, but his mother is so very proud
of him. Meeting us was the first time she had ever met a Muzungu (a white
person)! She was also quite taken with our washing machines and dryers! Never
imagining such things existed! It is clear after meeting his mom where Barack
gets his bright smile! She lives in a traditional Rwandan mud home over near
the border with the Congo, and is a subsistence farmer.
When asked
his hopes and dreams, this is what he said, “My dream is to create jobs for my
fellow Rwandans. I have a dream of studying Construction Management, which will
help me develop my nation and provide a brighter future for my nation, as well
as make it stronger. The MOC will help me make my dreams come true”.
