Dear friends and family,


I have been struggling with what to write on my blog to update you all on our lives here.  We spend most of our time teaching and often I don't know what is appropriate to share.  I know I can't share specifics about my students, so sometimes I find that I just don't say anything at all.  This has been the case as of late.


However, this weekend there was more excitement!  You may be thinking "Kerry, you two live in Rwanda!  It has got to be exciting."  In many ways, you are right.  We get to witness God working here on a daily basis!  That is truly awesome.  But, we still have the routines and such that simply aren't so thrilling to read about on  

blog such as this.


Okay, back to the weekend!  The pictures to the right are of the gorgeous Lake Kivu.  Our staff went on a retreat this weekend to a beautiful city in Rwanda called Kibuye.  The first photo shows the view from our room- breathtaking!  The next showcases some of the islands we could see from the mainland.  It was calm and refreshing to be away from the bustling city of Kigali.  During our time we were able to have fellowship as a staff.  We really enjoyed this because during the day we hardly get to interact with any teachers above third grade.  It was refreshing to eat with others and get to know the newer members of staff.  I love hearing how people came to Kigali and what they're learning by being here!  We also  had the opportunity to go off by  

 ourselves and spend some alone time with God.  We focused on the current struggles in our lives and read Scripture to encourage us in our ways to overcome these obstacles.  I have been wrestling with selfishness- putting myself before my friends, family, students, husband, and most importantly, God.  Usually when I think of being selfish, I consider being greedy of my time, energy, and efforts.  I realize that I am caring more for myself and less for others.  Obviously this is not how Jesus lived!!  The Bible tells us so much about selfishness, clearly illustrating that we                   


need to strive against thoughts and actions that are attached to it.  Philippians 2 address: "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.  do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."  It is clearly written for us, but much harder to live out.  A couple weeks ago in Bible study we were discussing overcoming obstacles and someone said, "To be able to grow you need to pass through temptations."  These come in many forms, but selfishness is one of those!  During our discussion with our staff it was clear that although everyone was encountering different struggles, each person was dealing with something. I urge you to identify what this is in your own life so that you may offer it to Christ and ask him to help you overcome.

 Besides meals and time with God, we also had the chance to take a boat over to Bat Island.  We were able to hike to the top of the large hill (in Michigan we'd call it a mountain) and take in the awesome views of the islands of Lake Kivu and even the Congo far in the distance.  On the right are some little goats who were scurrying around the island.  They were so cute!  After the hike, Douglas and many others took a swim in the gorgeous lake.

Bats on Bat Island!  This picture is for my brother, Aaron!

We made it to the top!

Our boat ride back!

Later in the day we went to the church that was associated with our hotel/hostel.  It is called St. Jeans and is a memorial church for the genocide.  In front they have a small cemetery that was gated and locked.  In the window under the cross there were skulls of victims.  Sad, harsh realities of the events of 1994.  Amazing how the worst of times can create such beautiful memorials.

 

On our way back from the church these pretty little landscape was poking through the trees!

Although the escape from our everyday environment was restful, reflective, and enjoyable, we were happy to get back.  On Saturday night we went out to eat at an Indian restaurant with our friends to celebrate the birthday of a teacher at our school.  Afterwards we went to another restaurant called Heaven to see some traditional African drummers and dancers!  This particular group is special because they are a group of guys, orphaned from the genocide, who have remained together all these years.  They found family in one another.  A year ago, my roommate, Kelly, got involved with their group

through "Peace through Music."  At that time they were beginning to take Rwandan drumming and dancing lessons and they were looking for an English tutor.  Since then Kelly has been meeting with them twice a week teaching them not only English, but also helping them manage their finances, and get gigs so they could perform and begin to have an income.  She was very excited to introduce them last night.  They are wearing the traditional Rwandan costumes.  To the right are umushana (which women also traditionally wear to weddings) and below they 

are wearing the long white wigs made of straw and bells on their ankles.  The show was outside on a deck, so as they stomped and danced it shook the floor.  It made us feel like a part of it!  They ended by having a sing-a-long to John Lennon's "Imagine" to show off their English skills.  It was great!


Overall, we had an awesome weekend!  Douglas and I have been married for 2 months now and we're learning more and more each day.


Thanks for reading!  Have a beautiful week!  

Cutest Class Ever... Again!

It may just so happen that I have the cutest class every single year.  

They love reading inside this box!!

Two kindergarten girls have been wearing matching shirts the past couple of Mondays.  
Today one of them didn't wear the right shirt.

Girl 1:  Why aren't you wearing your shirt?
Girl 2: (in most sassy voice) Well, one, this shirt is new.  Number two, my mom didn't wash it. Number three, I feel really awkward now.

Dear Summer, You FLEW!!

A year ago I packed my bags and faithfully stepped onto a plane to come to a continent where I knew of one person- my mom’s cousin Carol, who lives in Ethiopia.  However, that one connection wasn’t making me feel any more comfortable about moving to the most densely populated country in Africa.  This year, although very sad to leave my family, I walked through security with my new husband, ready to embark on a new adventure in a familiar place.  Ah!  What a relief!  I am so thankful that God gave me Douglas to continue this journey.

We had an amazing summer, but it was definitely crazy!  We are grateful that we were able to spend time with family and friends, getting to know many people who we had only heard stories about.  I feel like we saw many people, but mainly for short amounts of time.  By the time we had to leave to come back, my heart was aching for more time.  It’s a funny thing, having two countries to call home.  I wasn’t quite ready to go, but once we were in the air I was anxious to get back to Kigali.  Bittersweet.

School has started and my new students are lovely.  All but one went to KICS last year so they have the routine and are really excited to learn.  It is completely different than last year- not just because of my experience, but in general my children are calmer and quieter.  I do miss my little kidlets from last year so it’s a treat that I still get to see them daily.  It does make me smile when they talk about how they miss first grade.  It’s wonderful to be back with a year of knowledge, mistakes, and practice.

SIDENOTE: Douglas is correcting papers right now and in the “name” part of the page, some kid wrote “Jesus.” So funny.

A few weeks ago I uploaded about ten pictures from summer, including times in Indiana, Michigan, camping, and my cousin Rachel’s wedding.  Sadly, somewhere in the process, something went wrong and nothing worked.  Now I’m trying for a few photos and hoping for the best.

I can't turn this, but these are my little cousins Evan and Anderson at the Aquatic Park in East Lansing!

Visiting Kelsey at work and playing Glo Golf

Camping with our friends in Michigan :)

If you're interested in seeing wedding photos from our wedding go here:

Our Wedding Photos!

Hope that works!!

With love,
Kerry :)