Nourishing Rains

**A quick note as the electricity was off and on all day yesterday and then all evening. I am not sure what wireless access I will have over the next 4 days as Dave and I will be joining a team with ZOE Ministry www.zoeministry.org I hope to be able to continue with regular blogs. If not I will write when we return to Urukundo on Monday.

Please pray for safe travels for Robin, Kira, Greg, Kevin and Dan leaving today and arriving in DC Friday morning. Prayers for Pastor Lee as he visits his sister church in Zimbabwe.

The Rains.....Water has been very scarce during the 3 month dry season. It is so precious for many people throughout the world. We have come to appreciate how fortunate we are to have access to water whenever we need it at home.

Can the drought remind us of seasons of drought in our hearts and souls? Times we are apart from God? We are so thankful that God brings nourishing rains to remind us of his power and his love. And that is what he did 2 nights ago. We had heavy downpours several times throughout the evening. The first time in many weeks to have such nourishing rains. The land was nourished and our souls were nourished. And we all were filled with joy!

James 5:18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded it's harvest.

The lush mountain valleys and dry remote areas. The food that is harvested to feed the hungry.

Teen Headed Household

Greg and Dan Petrick reporting...... Great day today working in a teen headed household near Urukundo. The house is occupied by an 18 year old who is in charge of his four younger brothers since their parents died 3 years previously.

We left at 6:30am for a 15 minute ride to the house. Kevin, Dan and I followed our translator, with Kevin driving the truck, on the crazy roads of Rwanda with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. One truck was loaded with tools to install a permanent cement floor. The home was 3 small rooms with dirt floors each about 90 sq feet. The building supplies, bags of cement, sand and bricks had been delivered the day before.

The technique is very different than what we use in the US. The dirt floor is first leveled with picks and axes. This proved a challenging task as the dirt was packed tight from years of boys trampling all over it. Next a level string was installed and we began laying pieces of brick as you would a patio to create the base. Cement with lots of sand was then troweled in and permitted to set a bit. Cement powder was continually sprinkled on the top, along with water and troweled to a smooth finish. On the first day the leveling process was completed as well as the laying of bricks and one room cemented. The second day we would be completing the other two rooms and a hallway.

For me the hardest part was carrying the water from the valley far below to the house in 5 gallon cans. Not only is the altitude an issue requiring numerous stops but, as a male we are often the brunt of much laughter from the local women who are responsible for water delivery. Apparently it is very unusual for an adult male and certainly a white adult male to carry water. We enjoyed their laughter and simply smiled knowing we had brought some joy to their day. Dan focused on the very dark and dusty interior brick laying process while Kevin moved lots of bricks and sand from the outside in and did a little brick laying. Concrete installation was left to the expertise of a local mason.

We will never forget the smell of the small dark interior, the constant audience of neighbors on the hill, chickens in the yard, and the smell of beans on the fire. Most importantly, we will not forget the help of the boys. The ones living in the home weren't the only ones to help. A couple of neighborhood kids would drop in and help for a bit before heading up the road. The sense of community was nothing short of inspiring. Of course we received joy from getting a chance to help out, but the memories are what we will take back with us to our homes and throughout our lives. They have provided us with a gift of appreciation for what we have, which we will continue to cherish.

The Farm

Hello everyone! My name is Kira Hydock, a Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences student from Penn State University. As Carol mentioned in a previous blog post, I have been working with Dave Howell on the agricultural aspects to the Urukundo Foundation. And it has been an exciting mission trip indeed in terms of agricultural projects being accomplished.

Our first day on the job, Dave and I set out with Sam, the farm manager, to identify areas of improvement that could increase the production of the farm. We quickly learned that there were many projects to be tackled. First thing first was to get all the animals water. In the villages, goats are often not given water because they receive enough moisture from the grass. Unfortunately, not all the animals here were on pasture continually, and were therefore lacking water. As of today, all of the rabbits and goats have newly-made water cups or buckets.

Dave and I also wanted to work on improving the manner in which animals were receiving their food. Instead if placing food on the ground where it could quickly be soiled, we envisioned mangers in each animal enclosure. All of the rabbit hutches have been furnished with feeders that will supply a blend of food we comprised with Sam's assistance. The goats also have a wonderfully constructed manger, thanks to the help of Dan, Greg and Kevin. Since the male goat is tied separately from the female goats, Dave and I employed our craft skills in order to weave a feedbag. This bag is similar to that used to hold hay for horses and other livestock in the US.

Dealing with a skin rash on pigs was also on the list of tasks. The dry skin was caused by a lack of mud to roll in and constant exposure to the sun. Thanks to Dave's expertise, we solved this problem cheaply by purchasing a bottle of oil and massaging it onto the pigs with a rag. The pigs will continue to receive this treatment until the rash subsides.

Although there is still much to be done, I am so excited about what the future may hold for the animals here at Urukundo. The accomplishments are not only that of the team that is physically here, but of our supporters back home, including all of you blog readers.

Both Dave and I greatly appreciate the receptiveness of Sam and the other farm hands to our ideas, as well as the help we have received from other members on the team.

Playtime

In between our work projects there are those special moments with the little ones. Joy abounds with their energy, big smiles and curiosity. And they are always looking for a shoulder to ride on or a hand to hold.

These are the fortunate children that have a safe haven and educational opportunities. Forty five among the 1.2 million orphan and vulnerable children of Rwanda.

One Body in Christ

"For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us..." Romans 12:4-6

We are the hands and feet of God serving with the gifts he has given us during our time in Rwanda.

Carol and Robin have been working with 6 teachers and Vincent Niyodusenga in the preschool sharing teacher resources, crafts projects, and books. We are exchanging ideas, providing many tools and encouraging their creativity.

Greg, Dan and Kevin will have two tough days of installing a cement floor at the Remera boys home. They are the teen headed household St. Paul's is supporting annually. They spent today working with Benjamin, a builder for Arlene, his assistant and the Remera boys. None spoke English. Their inspiring story will be on my Blog in a few days.

Kira and Dave are working with Sam, the farm manager to access the feeding, watering and cost effectiveness of the animals. Today they designed and will build feeders for the rabbit hutches. They will also build mangers in the pens for feeding the goats as well as create new watering troughs. They are the first with animal expertise to focus for several days on these much needed projects.

Pastor Lee took a tour of Urukundo then hiked down to the source of the water. His church, Park Forest Village United Methodist Church, was instrumental in the success of the water project serving 300 households.

Each day brings a new adventure. Each day brings many blessings. Each day brings opportunities to realize how fortunate we are to have our families, our church, education, food and water. We sing praises nightly during our devotions of these many gifts. God provides and we are called to provide for our brothers and sisters.

Primary School

Before we left, the team prayerfully agreed to support the building of the first of three classrooms for the Cyakabiri Primary School. The initial money was sent before we arrived to begin the leveling of the ground and laying the foundation. $7,500 of the $12,500 needed has been raised. Thanks to many of you we are building!

Now that we are here, Greg, Kevin and Dan are working beside the men and women workers. Jobs for families. There are even two married couples working together. There are many hired as the wages are $2.00 a day. More than the possible $1.00 a day, if they could even find a job.

Our guys are carrying the bricks and even admit some of the women can carry heavier loads. Work is 8:00am to 12:00 then break for 2 hours and resume from 2:00-4:00. It is backbreaking work in the hot sun. But smiles and much joy is shared when they see the muzungu arrive each day to work with them.

We are so blessed to be a part of this ministry of education.

God Moment

I am often asked how I decide when to go to Rwanda. I have said we NEED to be there when all the kids are there, when all the teens are home from secondary school which is a boarding school. One person asked, "is there something they need from us that we need to be there?" I say, "no it's what we receive from them. It is how they fill our hearts."

This is so similar to what I have received from the children and teens at St. Paul's. The fullness in my heart knowing they are serving in missions with joy.

And the God Moment came during devotions with the team and all the youth this evening. Ornella, a Rwandese, a senior at Ripon College in Wisconsin and the founder of the Hug Movement was visiting Urukundo for several days as her organization recognized Mama Arlene's work.

This evening she had a special message prepared but as she walked toward the gathering she heard the drums. She held her Bible and on her way chose something different. She chose to speak on I Timothy 4:12. She said, "this is the first time I have heard God speak clearly in a long time. The message would be about the youth, not about me." Every voice has a purpose.

I Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

You see we all knew Kira, a PSU and Wesley student on our team, had selected this as her special scripture for the prayer calendar.

I asked Kira to share her thoughts as it spoke to her, "It was an amazing God Moment when Ornella chose this passage as the basis for the message today. The words of the scripture really resonated throughout the duration of the devotion. Here was a group of teenagers leading a very moving devotional to praise our God. I think a lot of Americans view the children of Africa as not having very much, whether in terms of material things or potential. But I want everyone to know that these teenagers have so much to their name. They have loving friends, a wonderful home, Mama Arlene, schooling, the dreams of their future and incredibly large hearts for God. It has been a blessing to meet them and I look forward to continuing to be inspired by them during the rest of our stay here."

Photos of the teens will be added as electricity just went out.

*Deborah and Giselle
*Esperanze and friend
*Watching basketball
*Playing basketball. That's our Dan airborne.
*Tressor 11th grader studying physics