Our second day at the nursery school went much better than the first. We were very prepared. Yesterday was very full. After the nursery school, we went to Kabuga to see and new ministry that is being started to help the women of the church and the community. We both cried. The women sat in their church made of mud and made traditional Rwandan baskets out of feed sacks and straw. And they sang praises to the Lord the whole time they were working. It blessed us sooooo much. There were also a couple guys making a hat out of banana leaves. We wanted to buy it, but it wasn't finished.
Then last evening we took Esron and Immanuel out to pizza and talked about the problems of hazing in colleges today. We had many laughs and enjoyed good pizza and fellowship.
Today is a National holiday in Rwanda so everything is closed down, so we are taking the day off to catch up on some much needed rest. We hope that you all are enjoying the 4th at home! Happy Independance Day! Love you all, Mel and Kristina
BTW...changing the pronuciation and emphasis on the syllables of an English word does not make it French!!!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Monday, July 2, 2007
Nursery School...African Style!
Muraho! Amakuru? We hope everyone is doing great today! We had a wonderful morning at the Remera Nursery School. We sang, we danced, we taught a Bible lesson, English alphabet, shapes and basically made them laugh at us! It was in my opinion the most exciting morning so far. (Kristina agrees) We again learned the art of "winging it". Good times all around! We look forward to the same tomorrow and a visit with 2 Precious Paidion boys and another trip to Kabuga to visit Pastor Thomas' church.
We have new Muzugu neighbors at the Ligue from the UK, they are very nice and have fun accents. We feel as if we make new friends around every corner. Something about Africa does that to you! Please continue to pray for the week Kristen and I have ahead. We feel as if we have A LOT of work to do and not enough time to do it! But we also know it is all in the Creator's hands! Also..a praise...Kristen and I have stayed remarkably healthy so far...everything is working properly. You vets know what we mean! Thank you for all the prayers, we love you all!
:) Kristina and Melissa
We have new Muzugu neighbors at the Ligue from the UK, they are very nice and have fun accents. We feel as if we make new friends around every corner. Something about Africa does that to you! Please continue to pray for the week Kristen and I have ahead. We feel as if we have A LOT of work to do and not enough time to do it! But we also know it is all in the Creator's hands! Also..a praise...Kristen and I have stayed remarkably healthy so far...everything is working properly. You vets know what we mean! Thank you for all the prayers, we love you all!
:) Kristina and Melissa
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Day 4 Rwanda
Hey guys! We are doing great and loving being here in Kigali. We have finally caught up on our rest and actually slept through the night last night! Here a few highlights of our days so far in Rwanda:
Thursday Kristen and I visited the church in Kabuga. It was incredible! It was such a blessing and a joy to see how the church has grown since we were there last. Pastor Thomas is well and we were able to interview him with the help of Esron.
Friday morning we helped with the DORCAS project. We worked a little and made them laugh a lot! We also met a new friend named Michele' who has a HUGE heart for the street kids and orphans here. We also met some more Canadian Muzungus and some Mennonites from Pennsylvania. Then, Esron took us to Butare, the Educational capital of Rwanda. We visited the history museum, got to sit in the hut of a former king, and see the campus of University of Rwanda. It was great!
Today, we had the pleasure of returning to Esron's church in Remera. We saw many familiar faces and it felt like coming home! We also had the experience of winging a few bible lessons and songs. Kristen was a sheep and I played Daniel. It was quite a rush!
So you can see in the few days we have been here we have been busy! We know that the Lord has has us in his hands and is orchestrating all of these experiences! Thank you all for the continued prayers! We love you!
Mel and Kristina
Thursday Kristen and I visited the church in Kabuga. It was incredible! It was such a blessing and a joy to see how the church has grown since we were there last. Pastor Thomas is well and we were able to interview him with the help of Esron.
Friday morning we helped with the DORCAS project. We worked a little and made them laugh a lot! We also met a new friend named Michele' who has a HUGE heart for the street kids and orphans here. We also met some more Canadian Muzungus and some Mennonites from Pennsylvania. Then, Esron took us to Butare, the Educational capital of Rwanda. We visited the history museum, got to sit in the hut of a former king, and see the campus of University of Rwanda. It was great!
Today, we had the pleasure of returning to Esron's church in Remera. We saw many familiar faces and it felt like coming home! We also had the experience of winging a few bible lessons and songs. Kristen was a sheep and I played Daniel. It was quite a rush!
So you can see in the few days we have been here we have been busy! We know that the Lord has has us in his hands and is orchestrating all of these experiences! Thank you all for the continued prayers! We love you!
Mel and Kristina
Friday, June 29, 2007
We are here!!
Muraho! We are finally here! Jet lag is definitely a factor...other than being a tad sleepy and dirty, everything is great! We love being here and feel as if we have come home (to our home away from home)! We have only made a few minor mistakes..nothing the grace of God cannot cover! Just wanted to give a quick update. Thank you for all the prayers! We love you all!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
On Our Way!
Hey there everyone! Kristen and I are in London! In honor of our dear friend Nicole...here is the first funny story of the trip. It happened as follows:
Kristen and I were standing in line at Gatwick Airport waiting to get a bus ticket to Heathrow Airport.
British Woman (speaking to Kristen): Exuse me...are you in the queue (Q)?
Kristen (bewildered look on her face): I'm sorry?
British Woman (a tad annoyed): Are you in the queue (Q)?
Kristen (really confused now): Uh...um...I have no idea.
Man in front of us (annoyed): The line!
Kristen (feeling sheepish): Oh, yea. Sorry!
Mel: Uncontrolable laughter...almost wet her pants!
Kristen: Big goofy smile at British woman.
British Woman: annoyed "stupid American" half smile at Kristen
Other news, we are doing great and really excited to get there. Please keep us in your prayers. We depart for Nairobi, Kenya at 2:20 U.S. time! We love you!
Kristen and I were standing in line at Gatwick Airport waiting to get a bus ticket to Heathrow Airport.
British Woman (speaking to Kristen): Exuse me...are you in the queue (Q)?
Kristen (bewildered look on her face): I'm sorry?
British Woman (a tad annoyed): Are you in the queue (Q)?
Kristen (really confused now): Uh...um...I have no idea.
Man in front of us (annoyed): The line!
Kristen (feeling sheepish): Oh, yea. Sorry!
Mel: Uncontrolable laughter...almost wet her pants!
Kristen: Big goofy smile at British woman.
British Woman: annoyed "stupid American" half smile at Kristen
Other news, we are doing great and really excited to get there. Please keep us in your prayers. We depart for Nairobi, Kenya at 2:20 U.S. time! We love you!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Count Down to Rwanda
Hey there everyone! We hope you all are doing well! Kristen has had a fun and restful week at Camp 220 and I have had an exciting week in Arizona at the Grand Canyon! I know we both are ready to be in Rwanda. I wanted to thank those of you who have so graciously donated funds for Bibles and school supplies. You are blessing the kids there more than you can know! I look forward to returning with pictures and stories to share with everyone about the trip. Keep praying! We love you all!!
~Melissa & Kristen
~Melissa & Kristen
Saturday, June 9, 2007
'Bout That Time!!
Agggg! We leave for Rwanda in two weeks! I know I speak for Kristen too when I say...we are BEYOND excited! Seeing our dear friend Esron in the States this afternoon only made me more thrilled to be going back to my home away from home, The Land of A Thousand Hills! So things you can pray for...
Travel mercies!
That all our luggage makes it!
That Kristen and I will be spiritually strong as we prepare for the journey ahead.
For our physical health!
and for the beautiful children of God we will be serving, that their hearts and minds will be open and accepting to the gospel!
Thank you all so much for your prayers of support, you are the true missionaries... Kristen and I are merely the hands and feet. You will be in our hearts and on our minds as we travel. We love you!
:) With the peace of God,
Mel
Travel mercies!
That all our luggage makes it!
That Kristen and I will be spiritually strong as we prepare for the journey ahead.
For our physical health!
and for the beautiful children of God we will be serving, that their hearts and minds will be open and accepting to the gospel!
Thank you all so much for your prayers of support, you are the true missionaries... Kristen and I are merely the hands and feet. You will be in our hearts and on our minds as we travel. We love you!
:) With the peace of God,
Mel
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Only 26 days til we depart for the amazing country of Rwanda! Things are coming together nicely. While we are there we will definately meet several churches and individual believers who will be hungry for the Word, but unable to buy bibles for themselves. We will also see schools who cannot afford the school supplies that they need, along with many other unmet needs. Rwandan bibles cost $5 a piece and just a few american dollars can buy many school supplies. If you would like to help with any of these needs you can contact Melissa of Kristen or you can send a check to One27 Ministries and designate what you would like it to go toward in the memo.
One27 Ministries
1812 Southwood Dr.
College Station, TX 77840
Thank you for your support and prayers. Every prayer goes such a long way. Please continue to pray that the Lord will be preparing the way for us and preparing our hearts as well. He is so faithful! God bless you all!
Kristen
One27 Ministries
1812 Southwood Dr.
College Station, TX 77840
Thank you for your support and prayers. Every prayer goes such a long way. Please continue to pray that the Lord will be preparing the way for us and preparing our hearts as well. He is so faithful! God bless you all!
Kristen
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Muraho! Welcome to the official blog site for Melissa and Kristen's mission trip to Rwanda! We wanted to create a place where our friends and family can come to get updates and news while we are in the beautiful continent of Africa. This blog spot will allow you to view our posts before during and after the trip. Most importantly it will be our "lifeline" to everyone back home. We will post everything from journal entries to stories to (most importantly) prayer requests. Please visit us as often as you can. We need your support! You can also reply to our posts if you like (we would LOVE it if you did). We will be leaving on June 25th and return July 13th, 2007. We are beyond excited!
Many people have asked Kristen and I, "So uh..what exactly will you be doing there?" Good question!
Kristen and I will be:
#1 Conducting follow up on previous One27 trips (i.e. sponsored children-how resources are being spent and utilized)
#2 Helping to formalize the child sponsorship program through One27 (scholarships and funds go to school fees, books and school uniforms)
#3 teach bible lessons in a preschool (to get a feel for the daily school routine of children and to understand administrative procedures of Rwandan schools - with the goal to assist in future planning for possible One27 schools)
We would like to ask for each of you to begin praying. We both understand the danger of such a trip and are by no means oblivious to it. However, we both have the peace of God that surpasses all that we can ever understand. I know I speak for both of us when I say, we STRONGLY believe in the mighty power of prayer! Many of you have been on your knees for the trips of the past. I also know that many of you have a place in your heart for the Rwandan people and lift them up daily. We also wanted to bring back the "Starbucks Prayer Reminder"! You veterans know exactly what I'm talking about-but for those of you who don't, here's what we mean. Every time you see the Starbucks symbol (on a napkin, cup, freeway sign, whatever...) say a little (or big!) prayer for us. Not just this trip that Kristen and I will be on, but for the hearts and souls of the beautiful people of Rwanda. Thank you all, you mean more to us than we can express! We hope to hear from you!
~Mel
Many people have asked Kristen and I, "So uh..what exactly will you be doing there?" Good question!
Kristen and I will be:
#1 Conducting follow up on previous One27 trips (i.e. sponsored children-how resources are being spent and utilized)
#2 Helping to formalize the child sponsorship program through One27 (scholarships and funds go to school fees, books and school uniforms)
#3 teach bible lessons in a preschool (to get a feel for the daily school routine of children and to understand administrative procedures of Rwandan schools - with the goal to assist in future planning for possible One27 schools)
We would like to ask for each of you to begin praying. We both understand the danger of such a trip and are by no means oblivious to it. However, we both have the peace of God that surpasses all that we can ever understand. I know I speak for both of us when I say, we STRONGLY believe in the mighty power of prayer! Many of you have been on your knees for the trips of the past. I also know that many of you have a place in your heart for the Rwandan people and lift them up daily. We also wanted to bring back the "Starbucks Prayer Reminder"! You veterans know exactly what I'm talking about-but for those of you who don't, here's what we mean. Every time you see the Starbucks symbol (on a napkin, cup, freeway sign, whatever...) say a little (or big!) prayer for us. Not just this trip that Kristen and I will be on, but for the hearts and souls of the beautiful people of Rwanda. Thank you all, you mean more to us than we can express! We hope to hear from you!
~Mel
Never heard of One27 Ministries Inc.? Check out this website!
"Idini ritunganye kandi ritanduye imbere y 'Imana Data wa twese ni iri: ni ugusura impfubyi n'abapfakazi mu mibabaro yabo, no kwirinda kutanduzwa n'iby'isi."
Yakobo 1:27
"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
James 1:27
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