Here is a video I took a while back of one of the savings group making the soap they sell to support their families. They said they earn about 50 dollars per month from selling this soap and split the earnings amongst the group members.

Howdy,

Before I launch into a brief account of happenings here I want to again extend a sincere “thank you” to everyone on the other end of this email/blog entry. Your prayers, financial support, and encouraging messages are why I’m here and what enable me to keep on with the Lord’s work here in Kigali.

Since my last update I have split the majority of my time between tying up loose ends with my research data and assisting with a pastor training in a remote region of Rwanda called Cyangugu. I was able to report to these Anglican pastors of how the savings groups they were learning to promote in their communities had been powerfully impacting the lives of their fellow countrymen(women) in the region that I’ve been doing research. It was a true blessing to hear of their desire to help their church and community members beyond just praying for them. With these savings groups they see a tool to teach them about God’s love for them as well as to help them provide for themselves and their families.

In Cyangugu, which is on the southern border of Rwanda and Congo, I had the privilege of seeing the sun rise over fishermen bringing in their boats on Lake Kivu, and set on the majestic congolese mountains on the opposite side of the lake. I also heard the tragic tale of eastern Congo from many of the pastors at the training. This region has seen war and suffering for generations and is currently one of the messiest places on the planet. As it has been explained to me, significantly more people have died in Eastern Congo than in Darfur over the same period of time. This place certainly needs to be in our prayers.

I’m almost done with my research. Tomorrow I’m meeting with Urwego (a bank for the poor here in Rwanda) clients and then I’ll begin the tedious task of analyzing my notes to develop a final report. Next week I’ll attempt to complete the report and develop a presentation of my report for the Archbishop and many other staff of the Anglican Church.

That pretty much outlines the work I have remaining here. I find myself ready to be done and at the same time not ready to return to the world of Wal-Mart and Starbucks. There is a very therapeutic element to being forced to live slowly like I often am here.

Now for some prayer requests:

1. Pray that my time interviewing the Urwego clients would be fruitful and that they would be open in their sharing with me.
2. Pray for guidance as I try to determine what to include in my final report. I have a mountain of data to sift through and right now I feel overwhelmed by what I want to say while not sure what I should say
3. Pray that the reality of the gospel would penetrate my heart, my actions, my relationships, my attitudes, and bring me rely on the Lord for my strength and sustenance.
4. Pray for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as for the people of Zimbabwe. Pray for peace in these places as well as the spreading of the good news of the Kingdom of God.
5. Pray for the friends and family of my classmate Ben Entwistle. Ben tragically died of a sort of heart infection while in transit to get treatment. His passing is a reminder to us all that our days are numbered and I am encouraged the think about that as I live.

Thanks for your prayers, and as I’ve said before, please feel free to let me know how I can be praying for you.

Now for a top ten list:

The top ten reasons to not get a hair cut in Rwanda.

10. Jesus probably didn’t get his hair cut here.

9. 99% of hair salons have nothing slightly resembling scissors. They almost exclusively use clippers here.

8. When you ask, “do you want to know what kind of cut I want?” the barber will say “we will discuss” and then proceed with the cutting. (no discussion)

7. There is no word in Kinyarwanda for “a trim.”

6. I have very big ears.

5. 99.9% of Rwandan males have very very very short hair.

4. The barber won’t give you his name. When I asked my barber what his name was he said my name is “Dabarba.” (or the barber). I don’t trust a barber who won’t tell you his name.

3. There was no visible sanitation process for the hair cutting utensils.

2. The first thing “Dabarba” said when he was starting to cut my hair was, “Your hair is very nice, I can cut this hair very very nice. You will like.”

1. In Rwandan culture it is looked highly upon when you appear younger. Needless to say, a 21 year old looking about 13 has got to be an exception…..

I’d like to close with a verse of scripture that has been a real encouragement to me recently. Blessings to you all.

Hebrews 4:14-16

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

peace,

will

Amakuru friends and family (how are you?)

You’ve probably noticed that it has taken quite a long time for me to crank out this update. There are many reasons for this occurrence, but the biggest of these is the fact that I have been extremely busy for the last two weeks or so. In addition to this, my limited internet access and the fact that I’m really slow at doing everything have made me wait until now to sit down and fill you all in.

Here’s what the last two weeks have looked like for me. Out of 10 weekdays I spent 7 out in the village meeting with different Anglican savings and loan groups. I wish I could tell you about each one, but that would take too long and this update is going to be long enough as it is. Each day as I heard the stories of these rural farmers my heart was broken to hear of their struggle to survive and to provide a better life for their children. At the same time however, I was also blown away to hear of their faith and how they had seen God providing for them through the savings group that enabled them to survive when times have been tough. All of the groups I went to meet with were in the same region of what I believe is known as the poorest district in Rwanda, and its called Bugasera District. I met with a wide variety of groups, some that meet once a month and save 100 Frw (about 20 cents) per member per month, and one group met every week and saved around 1500 Frw (about 3 dollars) each week. The one thing that was consistent throughout all of the groups I met with and the individuals whose home’s I visited is that their savings group had made a serious impact on their lives, both spiritually and physically. For most of them, their groups didn’t receive outside capital for loans, meaning that they used only their own savings to give loans to members from the community pot and to invest in their own livelihoods. School fees are now being paid, homes are being built, treatments are being paid for, ARV drugs are being purchased (HIV+ treatments), families are eating during times of drought, and people are learning what it looks like to love their neighbor. What might be the most affecting thing about most of these groups is their testimonies of how the group has encouraged them and helped them to not feel alone. They pray for each other and study the scriptures together, and they feel a sort of collective responsibility for each of the group. One lady broke her hand, and her fellow group members (all women in this group) committed to coming and helping in her garden together as long as it took for the woman’s hand to heal. Another lady was a widow from the genocide and she had no house when she came back from the refugee camp. The government provided a tin roof, but it was the group members who showed up and paid for and constructed a decent house for this lady and her three children. That, to me, is such a testimony to the Lord working through these savings groups. These people have little to no disposable income, yet they are willing to use what they have to help each other. They are not family, but act as if they were raised in the same home. What an example to us in the west, where we have so much more than we need and yet so often find our income almost entirely spent on ourselves. I have certainly been convicted by what I’ve seen here.

The most powerful story that I’ve heard while being out in Bugasera these last two weeks is of the HIV positive group that I met with in an area called Rwinume. This group is one of the ones that saves very very little, and to be honest, they don’t function very much as a savings group. That has not stopped the group from really affecting change in each members life, however. One by one, each member told me of how the mere fact that they have a group and that they share what they have together has changed their outlook on life. They, and I quote, “know now that God doesn’t hate them because of they HIV positive,” and that “just because their earthly flesh is dying we know that we have an eternal life in heaven.” Many of them expressed that before they joined the group they felt alone and would just stay in the house, but now they have friends and feel free to walk around and live their lives. The different group members help each other when they are sick, encourage other HIV positive community members to start their own groups, go to town together to get their treatments, and even help out in each other’s gardens when they are too sick to work themselves.

This is the story of only one of the five groups that I was privileged to interview and visit, but each time I met a new group I heard how they Lord is using these groups to spread His love and care for his children, and it is has been a huge blessing and privilege. All of these things have showed me the value of these savings groups in such a place, and given me a heart to see more people have such groups to bring them closer to God, to each other, to themselves, and even to their harsh natural environment.

I am now in the process of arranging to meet with some different groups. These are micro-credit groups involved with an MFI called Urwego. An MFI is like a bank for lower income clients and in Bugasera District they practice a type of group lending methodology. This looks like a group of people each receiving a loan (without collateral) but as a group being responsible to guarantee the loans of other members if they cannot pay. Urwego is a Christian MFI and is actually 1/3 owned by HOPE International, my host organization. I have been blessed to have been given permission to meet with some of their clients and will do this in about one week. My research will seek to compare the Anglican groups to the Urwego groups as far as impact is concerned and I will give a report to both of these organizations that will hopefully provide them with helpful feedback and information.

Also, I’m having a lot of fun here. One of my roommates returned from the states, and he has been a great companion for me here. I’ve made other friends that live near my house, and have had plenty of things to occupy the little free time I find myself with.

Now for some prayer requests:

1. Pray that I would remain in the Lord and in his word.
2. Pray that I might have the opportunity to share the gospel with someone. I’ve been really convicted of not sharing my faith with others and taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves.
3. Pray for the research that I am doing. Things are starting to wind down and it is about time to start working on my big final report and presentation.
4. Pray for the training in Cyangugu (a far away district) that I will be helping with. We will be training Anglican pastors on a biblical view of poverty and microfinance, as well as how to start savings groups in their churches.
5. Pray for the Anglican Church of Rwanda as the leaders have just returned from a very important Anglican conference in Jerusalem and now have to figure out how to proceed. Pray that they would stay committed to the authority of the Scriptures and be willing to do whatever they must to stay true to the Faith.

And I think I have a pretty good top 10 list for you all:

Top Ten Taxi Decorations I have seen with my own eyes:

*the taxis here are all usually covered with strange stickers and paintings)

**if you don’t have a working knowledge of hip-hop music, some of these may mean absolutely nothing to you. Rwandan cab drivers seem to have a bit of a love affair with western rap music…..

10. Chez Jesus (on the front window, and in French means Jesus’s House)

9. Jay-Zed (not Jay-Z, but supposed to Jay-Z)

8. strange looking wasps that represent the national soccer team here (called amavubi)

7. a variation on 50 cent written 50 Sent on many of the taxis here.

6. OBAMAmania is here in Rwanda as well and there are many of his stickers plastered all over the place and the taxis are no exception.

5. “You’ll never walk alone” plastered over one taxi in bright red with the Liverpool football club insignia accompanying it. This reminds me of when Chelsea beat Liverpool earlier this year and it was awesome.

4. T-Pain but spelled in the francophone fashion, “T-Pen.” I laugh out loud every time I see this one.

3. They have the “puma” logo but it is a cheap imitation and looks more like a frog than the puma logo. This one is everywhere and on many taxis.

2. Sorry for the incessant pop/trash culture references, but #2 is a Fergie van. Not only does it say “fergalicious” it also has lots of diamonds and “glamorous” all over it.

1. Rick Ross. There is a big big bus covered in red paint with an an actual picture of Rick Ross, who is a mediocre U.S. rapper. The car is covered with his name, with $ signs and the words “cash money millionaire” spread all over it. I’d say it is Rwanda’s answer to the Cadillac Escalade.

(again sorry for the old folks who don’t have any idea about this top ten list. I’ll try to have a more audience appropriate one next time)

Thanks to you all for your prayers and communiqués.

I love you all and would love to know how I can be in prayer for any of you.

Sorry I don’t have an update prepared, but I did think I would put up a little informational post explaining what these “savings groups” I keep talking about actually are. Here is the response I gave to the above question when asked it by my Aunt.

Q. What are savings groups?

A.Savings groups are basically a tool for helping people that are in very unstable environments and/or extremely poor environments to be able to access lump sums of money. These lump sums are often the difference between life and death, education or ignorance, and eating vs. starvation for people that have very little income. It’s hard for very poor people to save money, so even when they have a decent (relatively) income they find that they can’t survive. There are several types of savings groups. One is called a Rosca. The way this works is that you have a group of people who meet every week and bring a set amount of money to put into the pot. Each week, one of the group members gets to take the whole pot and use it for whatever they might need it for. Medical expenses, school fees, business capital….whatever. They keep meeting until everyone has had their turn getting the pot. Another common form of savings group is called the Asca. These are the kind I’m studying here. They are groups that meet and save and put a set amount into the pot each week. The difference is, though, that they don’t give out the pot each week. Instead they save it and group members can take loans out from the pot. The group decides whether or not to give the loan and as well the interest rate they will charge. They don’t have to have collateral, usually, but the social pressure and the fact that they have been putting money into this group will almost always ensure that they repay their loan. At the end of a set period of time they take the money that is in the pot, which is the savings + the interest and give it back equally to each member. In this method, they can even earn interest (though small) on their savings. The cool thing about savings groups is that they target the poorest of the poor (you can have a savings group anywhere with any amount of money) and they don’t require outside capital or oversight. They are very empowering, and for the local church they can be a serious tool for preaching the gospel to their community members. Here in Rwanda at the group meetings they pray for each other, have an emergency fund for the group members, and do reconciliation activities for continued post-genocide reconciliation. Really cool stuff. The stories of how these groups have ministered here will make a believer out of anyone, I’m quite certain.

William Walton Kendall can be reached here:

Will Kendall
Anglican Church of RwandA
Kigali Diocese
P.O. Box 62
Kigali
Rwanda

Mail is much appreciated (as I haven’t been able to receive any as of yet). Even better, if you write me I’ll write you back. Guaranteed.

This morning I attended church at the Cathedral for the first time. Even though I work there every day, it was quite a new experience attending a service there. They have an english service at 8:15 am and though it was empty at the beginning, the church was crowded by the end. Though it was quite a different church experience than the one I became used to in the western territory of Uganda far from electricity and english, it was encouraging to worship among such a diverse congregation.

It is always an adjustment for me to not be sitting under my pastor at school, Randy Nabors, or my dad at home. Both of them have consistently preached the gospel in a clear and affecting manner to me, and it takes me a while to get used to hearing others preach the Word. Nonetheless, I was blessed to hear the story of David and Goliath and how we must look to Christ as we battle the giants in our life. Quite a compelling message when the biggest giant in this place is the 1994 genocide of approx. a million people.

Friday night, in lieu of pursuing relationships or following my roomate around, I stayed home and started to read a book I’ve been trying to read for about two years. I sat down at 4:00 pm and didn’t stop until it was finished. It was amazing to get to read, for pleasure, and not have to do anything else. (the book was “the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay” by Michael Chabon, and I highly recommend it)

Saturday I spent meeting with the HOPE staff and then I hosted my friend Emmanuel over for dinner. I cooked up some rice and sausage and we played my favorite Ugandan card game. He grew up in Uganda so he knows the game very well.

Tomorrow is the big day for me. I will spend this afternoon praying and preparing to go out to the village for my first time. If all goes as planned, I will be in Rwinume village meeting with about 11 savings group leaders to interview them about their experiences with the groups they are in charge of. I’m very excited to get out of Kigali and see what Rwandans call “the real Rwanda.”

Recently I’ve found myself coming back to a passage in James. In James 4:7-8 we are reminded to “submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come Near to You. Wash your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. In Oswald Chambers devotional book he points to this verse and says that we must “abide in the Lord” if we want him to abide in us. This has really challenged me to be abiding in his word and in his counsel. Anyways, that is something that has really resonated with me here and now and I hope it may encourage you as it has me.

now for some pictures:

My translator, Diana (on the left) and Chantal my colleague (on the right)

crazy storm clouds over my house

and a video:

thats all for now, folks…

will

Mwaramutse! (good morning)

Instead of saying something meaningless and slightly amusing I’m going to dive in to my report and prayer requests. Here we go:

This week I have considered my hump week. Even though I have much more than half of my time left here in Kigali this week has proven to be the one where I have finally gotten past some limitations on my research and can now move full speed ahead (I hope!). In case you didn’t catch my latest blog entry, I have received the full endorsement of the Archbishop concerning my research of the Anglican Church’s savings led microfinance programs. This is a huge answer to prayer, and on top of it all, he encouraged me to ask the hard questions and to tell the people that he said I should ask these hard questions. This is a great sign that the people at the diocese want me to provide both positive and negative feedback to help them better offer services to their current and future savings groups members.

That was good news #1. Good news #2 is that on Thursday I brought in two pastors from two separate parishes in the village, and we were able to meet for the whole day and discuss me coming to their villages to conduct research of the many savings groups that they are involved with. We have tentatively scheduled the next two weeks to be the time that I will travel to each parish and meet with group leaders and a few entire savings groups to get helpful feedback via focus groups and individual interviews. The pastors were incredibly positive and helpful in the time we spent talking about the coming weeks.

I want to make it clear that I do not attest the previous two good news items to luck or chance or the aligning of the stars, and especially not to my own hard work. I see the happenings of this week as a testimony to the Lord answering prayer. Thank you for asking God to help me move forward in my work here, and thanks for your continued prayers for my safety and sanctification. Please don’t stop now that this first obstacle has been surpassed.

Here are some new prayer requests (I’m going to be careful what I ask for from now on, because of how clearly the Lord has been answering prayer).

1. Please pray for me as I travel to Rwinume Parish and meet with group leaders on Monday to discuss meeting with some of their savings groups. This could go really well or really poorly. Going well would look like me being able to choose two groups to study in depth for the following week, and these groups being able to meet so I can interview them. Going poorly would mean that I have to find a new place to study, which would make the time I have to actually meet with savings group decrease substantially.
2. Please pray for my heart. I’ve had a hard time being content here this week, and I’m not sure why. Pray that I would find my contentment in Jesus and nowhere else.
3. Pray that I might develop some meaningful relationships with some of the staff here at the Diocese office. There are some wonderful Christians here that I would love to get to know and spend time with.
4. Pray for my continued health. I have not yet been the least bit sick, and I would like it to stay that way.
5. Pray for my relationship with Margaret. (In case some of you aren’t aware, I’ve been dating one Margaret Drew for over 2 years). It is not at all easy to be far away from each other without a decent means of communication. Pray that I would be able to love her well from far away, and that the Lord would prosper us individually and collectively through this experience.

Thanks again for your prayers and financial support. I’m continually made aware of how the Lord is preparing me and growing me here and I’m so grateful to all of you for helping me to be able to come to Rwanda this summer.

Now for the much anticipated (and possibly hated) top-ten list.

The top ten things that come to mind right now about my time in Rwanda:

10. I get to use my hopeless French to semi-communicate with Chantal, the lady who I share an office with.

9. She and many others here call me Willie.

8. Learning Kinyarwanda. It’s a fun language to stumble around with.

7. Food? There is lots of rice, chips (fries), and beef. I savor all three of these things, often.

6. Going to 100% Rwandan restaurants with my translator for lunch. We’ve probably gone to about 6 different ones around Kigali, and I am always the only white dude around.

5. Morning quiet times on my front porch. I have a wonderful view of the valley, strange birds chirping around and occasionally a good sunrise.

4. Getting to see the local church here and their attempts to serve the poor and marginalized. They set a very good example for the Church back in the states. We could learn a lot from their commitment to loving their communities, and especially from their commitment to caring for women and orphans.

3. Getting to know the Rwanda HOPE staff. It is a privilege to learn and serve with these kingdom servants who have dedicated their lives to the often difficult work of loving their neighbor.

2. Hearing the testimonies of different pastors about how the savings groups in their churches have brought reconciliation to those who have every reason to hate one another. The savings groups here are so much more than just that, they are prayer groups, support groups, and the Lord is using them across Rwanda.

1. Being here. I feel at home. There is a feeling that I’ve had each time I’ve been in E. Africa, in both the village and the city, that I don’t get anywhere else. I think it has a lot to do with the necessity of relying on God all of the time here, and with how much you see His hand at work in everything around you.

Thanks again, and I love hearing from you,

Will Kendall
HOPE International
Rwanda Intern
www.willkendall.wordpress.com

It’s official: I have been tentatively approved to conduct my study of the PEAR savings-led microfinance program here in the Kigali diocese of the Anglican Church of Rwanda (thats a mouthful, huh!).  After communicating with the Archbishop that I was doing this research almost exclusively to aid them in their work, he was more than happy to have me continue on with my research. So, starting this week I have begun to prepare questions and provide a guide to all of the different research tools that I hope to utilize while studying different savings groups.

I have at this point narrowed my focus to two parishes that both have a large concentration of groups located under the jurisdiction of the pastor of that parish. Since getting the thumbs up I have not wasted any time getting. With the help of two of the Anglican/Hope staff I have arranged for the two pastors (one from each parish) to travel here tomorrow so we can spend some time getting to know eachother before I go out to the village for my research. I hope to learn a little bit about their parishes and about the history of the different groups that I will potentially be studying. If all goes as planned tomorrow, and please pray that it does, I will set up a tentative schedule for the next two or three weeks with these pastors for me to go and study some of the groups that they are involved with. I’ve been scrambling to develop some summary materials for them and to have my translator, Diana, prepare them in Kinyarwanda. Hopefully this will aid in explaining what I would like to be allowed to do when meeting with the members of the savings groups both collectively and individually.

Thanks to all for your prayers and support, it is continually very clear to me that the Lord is making a way for my work here. More to come later, with pictures I hope…

(sent in email form on Thursday, May 5)

Muraho (hello in kinyarwanda),

I write to you this week one week older, wiser, and more acclimated to life in the capital city of this tiny east African country that I now call home. A week seems so long, yet so short, and I feel like I have nothing to share and everything to share at the same time. So instead of waxing poetic I will share what is on my heart, what I have been seeing, and how I desperately need your prayers.

Last Friday we (the HOPE Rwanda team and myself) completed the training of Anglican clergy and sent them back to their respective homes. Not only was this training eye-opening and inspiring to me personally, it seems to have made an impact on these leaders. Please pray for them as they go out to preach a message of hope and restoration through both word AND deed to their parishioners using their new training to start savings groups in their communities.

The early week was spent partly resting and recreationing (not a word?) with the HOPE staff. I will briefly introduce you to them:

Malu Garcia: Malu is a former Chalmers Center (at covenant college) employees, a filipono, a mother of three, husband to Pastor Benji (one really cool dude), and an expert trainer and practitioner in savings-led microfinance. She is committed to be here for one year to train Rwandans in the Anglican Church to train others in microfinance. She has told me that I am a member of her family for the summer, and has really followed through on this claim.

Emmanuel Karegyesa: Emmanuel, or Eman for short, is the development officer for the entire Anglican Church. He is on loan to HOPE full time to take over the promoting of savings groups here in Rwanda once Malu has returned to her home. A recent graduate of Uganda Christian University, he has truly been a good friend to me here and shares the struggle of a long-distance relationship with me as well. (this is quite a camaraderie-builder I must admit).

Uwimana Marie Jeanne: This amazing women survived the genocide (though her husband did not) and has battled to provide for her family and is/was the head of the women’s development program for the Anglican Church. Her testimony is great, and being a teacher has made her a effective (and respect-instilling) trainer.

With these dear souls and Malu’s family we spent ½ of a day at a nearby game reserve seeing some animals and praying for the summer and the work before us all.
As far as my research is concerned, I expected to begin my interviews on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, due to some lovely bureaucratic issues, I have still not received official approval from the diocese to begin my research. Until I receive the go ahead from them, it will be very disrespectful for me to begin interviewing leaders and members. Please pray that before you’ve even finished reading this email I might receive word of approval. I am trying not be frustrated or condescending, so you can pray for that also, that God would protect my heart from thoughts of condemnation.

I have enjoyed getting to spend time with my roommates and their friends around town. Loneliness has not been an issue at all and this is certainly a testimony to your prayers.

Now for some prayer requests:

1. That the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ would continue to pervade my thoughts and attitudes. That I would hunger for His word and truth in my life.
2. That I might receive immediate approval and support from the Anglican Church to move forward with my research.
3. That the people of Rwanda might experience true healing and restoration. (this week I have learned more about the rough edges of current Rwandan culture, and it has caused me to yearn for the Gospel to bring true healing and reconciliation between the different peoples here)
4. That I would be able, in the next week, to develop a tentative schedule for my trips and interviews around the diocese. I have to coordinate with different pastors all around and will certainly need the Lord to do a mighty work for details to start coming together in such a short time.
5. That the Rwandan government would allow the new vehicle that HOPE International purchased for their savings-lead program to be tax-exempt. They have most recently said that we must pay a $20,000 tax which we definitely don’t have.

Thanks for your prayers. I cannot express to you how much it means to me for you to lift up these requests to our Father who hears them all.

Now for a new top 10 list: (except only five for this week).

Top Five Things I Have Heard in Rwanda:

5. Crazy mixes of African and American pop music being sung along to during my rides in the bus to and from town. Chris Martin being sung with an African accent is brilliant!

4. The choir at my church singing old maranatha praise songs. Also brilliant, and encouraging as well.

3. Walking around the big market in town and seeing vendor dude with big ol’ sunglasses on bouncing his head up and down to “my love” by Justin Timberlake. I gave him a serious “whats up” when I walked by. We had a real connection.

2. Hearing mice in the roof of this hut we were in in Akangera (the game park). They were squeeking ever so loudly and I was really freaked out seeing as how my head was not too far from the thatch of the roof.

1. This dude Fidele, at the training last week, telling me the details of the woman I must bring him back from America. It would likely outrage any reasonable female, but regardless it was hysterical.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now folks. Thanks for hanging in there with me and keep praying!

Also, if any of you know someone that is not receiving these updates but would like to, please send me their address.

Greetings all.

Sorry that I have only just now added to my previous post. I have had trouble finding a good internet connection, but I think now I have found one fairly near to my home. I took a video of my trip to kigali today on the moto-taxi. This is my main means of transport around the city, and it is quite exhilarating. It costs between 60 cents and $1.50 for me to get anywhere around town. I don’t take the muzungu (white person) price which helps, but it still adds up.

Today I finally was able to take some steps towards getting a better idea of what my research is going to focus on a develop what I hope are feasible goals. Tomorrow is my first interview!! I am going to meet with Marie Jeanne who is the head of the womens development programs of the Anglican Church. She has promoted 30 savings groups in and around Kigali, as well as 70 micro-loan groups. I look forward to the privilege of hearing her story (she is a genocide survivor and a widow) and how God has been using the savings and micro-credit groups for his Kingdom here in Kigali. Please pray that we can communicate well with one another and that our time together will help me in forming my final research question as well as provide me with an idea of what I’ll be doing for the next eight weeks as far as scheduling is concerned.

In other news, I went the Kimironko market today by myself and bargained for some new shoes, since my church/office shoes didn’t make it to Kigali. They are pretty sweet italian moccasins and I got them for around 12 bucks.

My house and roomate situation is wonderful. Myal, one of my roomates, has been showing me around Kigali and introducing me to his friends. There is a neat community here and the city is easy to get around and extremely fun to explore.

Yesterday I went with the HOPE staff for a day retreat to a park about two hours away. I saw my first wild giraffes, as well as a monstrous African elephant. We spent some time together studying God’s word and praying for the work that is before us.

Now I will give you a glimpse of my life here in picture form. I have more at my flickr site, which you can access through my blog.

this is my house. and the view is not done justice by this photo.

me on the porch. so you know i’m alive and well, really.

my porch. it rocks.

this elephant is huge!!!

we were basically walking with these big guys.
I’m out for now, but please don’t stop praying that God would work in my heart and in this place.

Thanks for your support and for your encouraging emails.

Until next time.

will