Thanksgiving in Rwanda!

A surprisingly great Thanksgiving.

My housemate Samantha and I decided to take off work to cook all day! Samantha started work on the Pumpkin pie from scratch a few days before and it was turning out lovely. We decided to do a goat roast as opposed to killing a live turkey (sorry Jacki we just didn't have time to do it! But don't worry meat and animal killing is handled in a very organic and natural way than it is in America, trust me!). We thought we would get 4 kgs since we had a 1/2 kg in our fridge and it seemed pretty small. When our cook came back with the 4 kgs we started dying laughing it was bigger than both of my thighs put together, for serious. Here is me with the goat (note: this is HALF of what we got we had to chop it in half I couldn't lift the other half).


So Samantha and I spent all day cooking with Christmas music blasting it was so much fun getting into an "American festive mood," it was even pretty chilly that day which we were thankful for to remind us of home :) I made the stuffing from scratch and it was actually pretty good! I also made mashed potatoes, green beans, and Sam and I both made the goat roast which was actually pretty tasty! We basted it with chicken broth, carrots, potatoes, ginger and a ton of spices and oil and let it soak all day and then the meat was pretty good besides the fact that goat in general is a pretty tough peice of meat. HERE'S THE BEST PART DESSERT: Samantha made pumpkin pie which was amazing and we made whipped cream, our guests brought pumpkin bread, apple crisp and ICE CREAM (VERY rare in Rwanda and very expensive!!). It was the most delicious meal I've had in Rwanda. Our thanksgiving meal with complete with 6 Americans, 1 Brit, 1 Australian, 1 Canadian, and 1 Rwandan (we had to seriously limit our Rwandan friends otherwise it would be a party of 45 people, no joke).

Also, the most Rwandan part of the evening is that we were without electricity cooking all day long (we have gas stove thank goodness). This means we had to cook with headlamps to see the progress of our food in the oven with no thermometer which was hilarious. The lights came back on from 5-6 p.m. and then at 6:15 JUST as we were setting our food on the table to eat our meal the electricity went out again and we all burst out laughing - typical Rwanda. But we lit tons of candles and actually had a very magical feast all night , the ambiance without the lights made for an intimate dinner and we could actaully see the stars through our doors and windows along with the lit hills of the city (the hills that had electricity). ( also due to equator Rwanda is pitch dark at 6)


We got to go around the table and say what we were thankful for which is always my favorite part of Thanksgiving. All the non-Americans got really into it too and it was surprisngly a really emotional and vulnerable time, something that is rare for all of our housemates to share with each other! Then I convinced everyone at the table to sing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" a Weber family Thanksgiving tradition which was really great. Then one of our housemates who is a musician came out with her guitar and played her songs for us. You guys -- this girl is AMAZING we were all blown away by her talent and actually most of us were in tears from her songs. Her name is ASHLEY JONES look her up on iTunes -- her songs I like is "New York is like a boyfriend" "Daughter of" and "Selling out" and "Those Hills" (about Rwanda). She sang us some AMAZING songs about Rwanda since she's been here for 4 months songwriting that are not out on her EP yet. It was amazing b/c all of us are so connected to Rwanda in such a similar but unique different way so we all had this deep understanding of her Rwandan songs that she may not get from her audiences in the future. A really special time.

Anyway keep an eye out for Ashley Jones. She's a great musician. http://www.ashleyjonesmusic.com
This photo is Ashley playing songs for us once the feast was ended and we were in food coma.

A wonderful night of Thanksgiving in Rwanda! Very different and I definitely missed my family big time but I'm learning that the non-American thanksgivings are always the most memorable. I have no idea where I'll be next year for Thanksgiving but I hope it's with my family.

lots of love from Rwanda!! I'm SO thankful for all your support and love and prayers. You are all wonderful friends and family I couldn't ask for more in my relationships.

Rachel

READ!!!

Visit the Living Bricks Campaign to read about who I met yesterday! It was awesome. Reconciliation is possible, although the longer I'm here, the more I realize that forgiveness is a divine process, not human.

http://livingbrickscampaign.org/news-events/news/a-surprise-meeting.php

Also visit the forgiveness wall on the LBC website to read more about stories of reconciliation. Amazing.

- Rachel

Quick Updates

Hi friends and family!

I have to make this quick since I need to go to bed early as I wake up at 5:30 a.m for work every day! I am surprised at how quickly time is flying by before I get to go home for Christmas break. I am getting very busy trying to juggle my three different positions here in Rwanda, but I am trying to guard my personal time to allow myself to soak in my surroundings and rest.

If you can remember, PLEASE pray for me as I prepare my very first grant proposal for Prison Fellowship Rwanda. It is due Nov. 30th. We are submitting a grant to the Hovde Foundation to build a home for a population of street children that PFR serves, equipped with educational/vocational training and also counseling services. I am a little anxious about this since PFR is putting all their eggs in this one proposal basket with me leading the ship.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I am already starting to be jealous of my American friends/family as this is my favorite holiday. My housemates and I are going to celebrate (even the Brit) and we are deciding what to do about the meat ... We can pay 20 bucks to go outside of the city and buy a live turkey and then slaughter it, pluck it, and all of that at my house. Our house boy, Damascene would obviously help us but we're trying to decide if it's worth it since all the birds here are not injected with outrageous growth hormones (Ahem USA) and the downsides of this, while healthier w/o hormones, is a very bony, not very juicy, bird. Also, I just don't know if I can deal with carrying a live turkey home with me carrying it by its legs, knowing I'm about to have it slaughtered.... Kind of sad. I tried to do it in Kenya once when I bought my family a chicken but I named it "Jasmine" and then made my Kenyan family promise not to kill it until after I left b/c I didn't want to kill it since I bought it for my family. I don't think my roommates here would very much appreciate a pet turkey if I refused to kill it.... I'll keep you posted. We just might do a goat roast and buy meat already dead.

I'm really started to become accustomed to life in Kigali. The bus systems aren't as intimidating anymore, my Kinyarwanda is coming along much better, and I'm starting to make real friendships with Rwandans... these people are hard to crack! Much more so than Kenyans, who I have found to be so much more welcoming and open than Rwandans.

I'm growing so much spiritually as I am over here. I am finding that amidst my bouts of loneliness and frustrations with cultural divides, it is causing me to seek truth and satisfaction in my faith. Even though I know that challenges will continue to come my way until I hit June (the biggest one being missing John!), I am confident that this is a refining time for my soul through growth in my faith.

Thanks to all my friends and family for your love and support. I miss everyone so much!

Rachel

P.S. This is me at my desk at the PFR office. Water bottle, cell phone, and planner are at my side, as usual. Plus my rosebud salve is in my bag at my feet. Never forget my staple life items :)

Read!!

Hello friends and family!

Read my blog on the Living Bricks Website, which is the action campaign (housebuilding for genocide perpetrators and victims) for the As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative.

http://livingbrickscampaign.org/topic/news

Read more about Living Bricks Campaign through my little blog and take a peek at our website! We need 47 new homes for the people in our Living Bricks Village so spread the news and donate if possible!!

Love,
Rachel

Claire's Birthday

Claire, a wonderful friend of mine here in Rwanda. She had never celebrated her birthday before this year and I had the opportunity to take her out to a nice Indian restaurant in town. She was blown away and I was able to surprise her b/c the staff at this restaurant turns down all the lights and sings and dances happy birthday to the birthday people! She was in tears she was so happy, it was her first birthday celebration and she had never been to a nice restaurant. At dinner, she told me about some things about her life. Since her father is Hutu and her mother (killed because she was a witness in the Gacaca courts) was Tutsi, Claire has found that she has never fit in anywhere. Men refuse to become romantically involved of either tribe because she is not "pure" blood of either one. She told me stories of old boyfriends who found out her mother was a Tutsi and refused to see her, and similarly was dating a Tutsi who loved her but couldn't continue dating her after some time because she had Hutu family. Previous to learning this information, I would always ask her about her boyfriend who is from Kenya who she loves dearly and is willing to leave her family to go live in Kenya with him. I was challenging her by asking her some questions about him and she finally told me "look, for once in my life, I found someone who will give me love and affection, he is responsible, and most importantly, he loves me for who I am, not what tribe I belong to." I was seriously humbled at that moment and she began to tell me about all the different stories that made me see that 15 years post genocide things are not reconciled here. There is still resentment between groups and in rural areas Hutus and Tutsis don't speak to each other. I never knew the full extent since Rwandans are extremely private and closed people (very different to my Kenyan peeps!) so it's difficult to find the truth about the reconciliation process -- it takes lots and lots of trust to figure out what is really going on under the surface.

I can't believe how far Claire has come. Like I said, Hutu father and Tutsi mom. Claire's father was safe throughout the genocide, but for weeks and weeks Claire and her mother were forced to hide out in the forest, barely surviving. Since Rwanda is such a small country they would often hear the genocidaires nearby and have to run for their lives throughout the forest. After the genocide, Claire's parents got divorced -- very rare and for serious reasons -- and months after the divorce Claire's mother was preparing to testify against genocidaires in Gacaca and was murdered by those who did not want her to testify. I asked Claire how she survived this pain and her answer was simple. She told me that her family was broken and fell apart from the genocide, but she realized God is her Father and that because of his love, she can breathe again, she can live again. He gives her purpose and the ability to move on.

It's amazing -- Pastor Deo (PFR executive director) has brought so many wounded and rejected people together to create the PFR staff -- a beautiful mixture of tribes and background stories, and Pastor Deo just opens up his life for these people, and welcomed them in. Our office has Claire, whose story you now know, Guma, a refugee in Uganda, Three Hutus were were imprisoned each for 9 and/or 7 years, two falsely accused and one an actual killer, two refugees from Congo and one of them was thrown in prison for being a Tutsi, and Pastor Deo who had a complete life turnaround and conversion, and his wife, who used to be Muslim but converted to Christianity. Talk about a melting pot office! Just an example of the unity that actually CAN occur if forgiveness is called upon, if repentance is real, and if everyone is willing to love unconditionally. This group of people in my office are true heroes to me, examples of those who have been through some of life's worst hardships and all found their hope in God. I'm learning a lot.

Me & JMV

This is me and JMV (his name is so long that we have to abbreviate apparently), one of the street children that PFR serves. We are currently collecting data on every child that PFR serves (85 children once per week) in order to offer statistics to partner organizations or potential funders. When he first came into my office for his "interview" with me he started crying because he was scared of the "muzungu (white person)." Once he realized I was nice, he promptly crawled in my lap and refused to leave my side for the rest of the day. I showed him some camera features on my computer and we had a lot of fun together getting silly with the fun features -- there are probably 30 more pictures on my computer from us but I'll just show you these two.