Rwanda

My three brothers, my brother-in-law and I were able to go to Rwanda last week to visit my parents on their mission.  I loved seeing where they have been serving for more than a year now and meet the people they've talked so much about.  We flew in on a Saturday evening and were able to go to the branch in Kigali (the only branch in Rwanda) with my parents the next day. Here we are with some of the church members outside the building. 

Here are the primary children.  Some have stickers on their foreheads for good behaviour during primary.

That evening we went to visit a girl from the branch named Agnes.  Her mother, father, two sisters and two brothers were killed in front of her during the genocide in 1994.  Only her and one sister are left, and her sister has not been the same since witnessing the murder of her family.  Here is Agnes with one of her roommates.  Many orphans from the genocide, now in their 20s, live together all over the country.  Agnes is the one next to me. 

If you're interested in reading more of Agnes' story you can find it at the link below.  I was so moved by her story and her ability to forgive.  She is truly one of the sweetest people I have ever met.

http://www.mormonwomen.com/2011/05/18/to-smile-and-talk-again/


One thing that was fascinating to me was what the people hauled on their heads or bikes.  Few people own cars, especially out in the country, so they have to transport goods other ways.  My parents drive a truck and stop to load people and their goods into the bed of the truck whenever they can.  Often, we would have 10 people in the back!

On Monday, we went to a refugee camp where my parents have been helping get new toilets.  They are also helping to get eye doctors to train a few of the people in eye exams.  The kids in the refugee camp were adorable!  They would run after us and a few even threw up their arms to be picked up.

The view from the camp, like all of Rwanda, was beautiful.

My parents have also been very involved in clean water projects.  Getting water takes up a huge part of daily existence for these people.  They almost always put the water into these plastic containers.  Here are some kids pumping water at a well.  The hard part is getting the containers home after they are full of water and so heavy.

This is one of my parents larger projects.  They find the source of the spring and put cement over it and then pipes.  This keeps people from contaminating the whole spring by bathing and peeing in it.  They can still do that, but at least at the source of the spring they can get clean water!

More water containers.  Everyone helps.

Here's an adorable child from one of the towns we visited.

On one of the days we were able to hike with a guide to see the Mountain Gorillas.  What an amazing experience to have these gorillas only feet from us!  It was about an hour and forty-five min. hike into the gorilla family we were going to visit.  Here is the huge silverback and leader of the family.

This guy is just lounging around.

This baby was only two weeks old!

This baby was a few months old.

The setting for our hike into the volcanic mountains was beautiful as well.

Here is a picture of Kigali on our drive back into the city.

The country isn't all poor.  There are some very nice houses as well.

One morning we went to visit the Genocide museum.  The museum was so well done and the experience heart breaking and sobering.  During the three months of the genocide, one million people were killed.  There were over 300,000 orphans created during the genocide.  They had a room dedicated to all the children murdered, often by neighbors.

Here is a picture of us having brunch at the Hotel Rwanda.  This hotel was the basis for a movie made about the genocide and is a true story about a hotel manager who managed to save thousands of fleeing Tutsis by keeping them at the hotel.

There are beautiful flowers all over Rwanda.

 

One day we were able to do a safari.

One of the days we went to a school high in the mountains where my parents have helped get latrines and a hand washing station put in and have helped with educating on proper hygiene and sanitation.  The kids rarely see white people and were so excited to see us that school was completely disrupted while we were there. 

This is a place where women sew to bring in some money. 

They are making this wall hanging for my parents' branch from a picture my parents showed them.


Getting home was the adventure at the end of the adventure.  We flew 35 min. from Rwanda to Uganda for a short lay over.  When we went to take off, the pilot announced mechanical difficulties.  After sitting on the runway for six hours, until 3:30 a.m., he said we would have to get off the plane and stay in a hotel, but it would be an hour and a half before we could get off because they had to find hotels for all 300 of us to stay in, find transportation to the hotels, and get our bags off the plane.  Once we deplaned we had to go through customs again which took forever.  By the time I got to sleep in my hotel it was 6:00 a.m.  I had literally been up all night.  They told us it wouldn't be until the next evening until they could fly in a technician to look at the plane and since most other flights were full leaving Uganda, it would be hard to get all 300 of us on other flights.  We contacted our parents right away and between them and the travel consultant at my brothers' workplace, we were able to get out the next evening by flying to Kenya, then Amsterdam, then Minneapolis.  On the flight from Minn. to Boise I got terribly sick from what I think was food poisoning in Uganda.  I started throwing up on the flight but was luckily in the first seat and made it to the bathroom each time (after holding up our take-off because I was puking in the bathroom).  Three days and 58 hours later, I finally landed in Boise, only to find out my luggage had been lost.

Other than the trip home, seeing Rwanda was a trip of a lifetime.  The people there are so kind and happy even though they have so little.  It's hard to believe the genocide could have happened there, but they are doing their best to move on and remember it at the same time.  It is one of the safest countries in Africa and I never felt nervous.  I loved seeing all the good my parents are doing over there and so proud of them for sacrificing their time and money to serve.  We'll be glad to have them home again in September, but I know the people they have worked with will miss them terribly.  I could tell my parents are very loved by the people they have served.