Rwanda Sports Camp

 Here are some pics of us doing the sports camp! All the kids loved it and it really is a great way to span the language barrier. Give the kids a ball and all is great!! I absolutely loved how my kids just jumped right in and played with them!

Volleyball

Soccer

The boys right in the mix!

Boys would come wanting to play but didn't have shoes- they loved to sit by Casey and watch her draw

Can't join the volleyball game? Just do a headstand!

Chandler taught them gymnastics- it really ended up being "let's try whatever that girl can do"!

we started every morning with a bible story or songs- this is father Abraham-fun in any language!

Bible story- the good Samaritan--Chandler was the priest who passed up injured Patton:)

we had observers everywhere!

Handstand contest!

One of my favorites of Chandler & Tori! These girls were awesome!!

Volleyball Coach Jeff!

Only the kids who had permission from the school could come to the camp but several kids would come anyway and just watch or like these boys,  brought their banana leaf ball to play with on the sidelines. Patton would go down and play with them on breaks!

Brooke is an awesome soccer player- the boys were really impressed with her!

Caleb is too- Parker loved him and was by his side most of every day!

Beautiful surroundings!

And here is just the best thing a girl could have. We discovered a little store right by the school that had COLD cokes! He handed me a coke with ice in it and took it back thinking I wouldn't want it- I said No I want that one!! He just laughed and laughed and thought I was crazy!

More to come later! Thanks for all your sweet comments- I love sharing these with everyone. Makes me want to go back!!

The Boys from Rwanda!

I can finally add pics to this blog!! I am going to do it in segments so you don't have to look at all 2000 pictures we took!  I'll start with the street boys since they are still constantly on our mind. We miss them!

John Paul

Olivier

Deodonde

Peter

Jado

Yves (he liked the name Ivan so we sometimes called him that)

Jenavier

And just a couple of Parker b/c he just cracked us up!

Everyone agreed this shirt was made for him!

Here we all are at the street boys house- they got to give the house a name and came up with The Peace & Love House- they were so proud of it and loved showing us around

the boys with their dog!

the boys would walk us home and Patton had a secret handshake with all of them!

love this pic of Yves and Chandler

These next pics are of the New Year's Eve party we threw for them. They had a blast!! When Michael Jackson started playing they all busted in to some awesome dancing! Of course I loved it too!:)

Yves lovin some Michael tunes!

Missionary Chris Shelby

Silly String fight was a huge success!

We gave them all presents and it was just precious to see them light up! They were so excited and thankful for everything!

LOVE this!

Couldn't get any better than this!

all the decorations for the big night!

And here are some of the beginning of that night. This was one of the best things we did while we were there. The original 7 boys went back to the street and invited some of their old friends off the street to come. They got to play, take a shower, have their clothes washed and given a new set of clothes too. The 7 helped us hand wash their clothes and hang them up to dry. It was so neat to see them be able to give back- they really were honored to do it.

2 boys after their shower and new clothes

Parker helping to wash

Chandler in the washing mix

they were so proud of their new clothes!

all the clothes hanging up to dry

the 7 jumping right in!

had to dump the water out and get clean water after EACH piece of clothing- they were SO dirty

waiting their turn to shower-

More later but that is all for now! All of these posts will probably be much too long but it's hard to cut back on any!!

Saying Goodbye....

We've had a really tough morning. It is so bittersweet to be leaving. Don't get me wrong- we are ready to come back and be surrounded by you all. We miss our friends and family so much. It really does feel like we've been gone for a month! But this morning we went to the fields one last time to say goodbye to all the kids. I knew we would be sad and probably crying but I didn't expect all the street boys to be crying. Broke our hearts. These kids have been so sweet to us all week and we love them. It is so reassuring to us that we know those 7 will be taken care of and that we can write to them. They just hung on to us and waved until we couldn't see them anymore. Jeanvier (one of our favs!) was so quiet and tears were just streaming down his face. How can we tell him that we will NEVER forget him? How can we let him know that he has been weaved into our hearts? That just doesn't translate well to a street kid that has been abandoned his whole life? But we tried. We are finished packing up and we are at the Crowson's house for a quick lunch and then off to the airport! Just a mere 27 hours until we get home!! 5 hour layover in Addis, 5 hour layover in Frankfurt and 5 kids- fun times!! Seriously the kids have all been awesome! We travel well with the Vaughns! So thankful that they have been here with us and that they are traveling with us. The rest of the group will leave tomorrow. We just thought we needed all day Sunday to recover so we can all be ready for school and work Monday! The kids are missing their friends and cousins!!  We want yall to come with us next time- we talk about that daily!!:) Thank you all for all the prayers- we feel so blessed. There have been many times that Parker is running a million miles an hour down a dirt road and Kelly will say his angels have been surrounding him this trip! Amen!
 See you all soon!!!

Rwanda- Tuesday & Wednesday

Great couple of days here in Rwanda! Yesterday was sports camp, leadership and crafts and then our group split up in 3 groups and went to the missionaries houses and babysat their kids while they went on a date! It was so fun and they loved it. They all got dressed up and were so excited to go out- it was a rare treat for them. Jeff, Chandler and I were at the "girls" house. We just fed them pizza, played for a while and then watched a movie. Parker was at the middle boys house and they did pretty much the same, and then Patton was at the big boys house and they got to play on a Wii (at the Robinson's house) so he was pumped! It was a really fun night! Today was my turn to go on a prayer walk. It was A-MA-ZING! Me, Patton and Brooke went with Murphey Crowson, Carol Maples, and Felix- a Rwandan worker of theirs that has an unbelievable story I'll get to in a minute. We went to a small private Christian school in a very remote area outside of Kigali. (Praise the Lord I didn't get sick because it was a crazy ride) When we got there we met the headmaster and a teacher (who were totally different employees than they had met the last time they were there so it was a little confusing at first because they had no idea who we were or why we were there) But they were open to us and we prayed over them and then they asked if they could pray over us) We went into each classroom and prayed over them- Patton said the most precious prayer, I was so proud of him doing it in front of all those strangers and he was the first one to pray. Then we split up and walked around the "neighborhood" and prayed for the people living there. We went up the mountain and literally went as far as we could go. I felt like we really were at "the ends of the earth". The prayers were precious and it was an experience that I am so glad we had the opportunity to do. The children in the street along the way were a little shy around us at first (I really don't think they had ever seen a white person) until I busted out the dumdums and all was good! One lady I gave a sucker to was so excited and immediately started eating it, but then some of her friends came up and she gave her sucker to them so they could taste how good it was. It was a very humbling moment- she had nothing and yet still gave.
  Ok- Felix's story. He was 12 at the time of the genocide. He was walking to his grandmother's house when the killing began. We he realized what was happening he ran for his life into a swamp in a valley. He eventually met up with another older boy and they lived in the swamp for FOUR months. (about 30 days longer than the genocide- but of course they didn't know it was over) At one point the older boy said he couldn't live like that any longer. So they decided to leave the swamp, find the first person they could and ask them to kill them. The person they found told them the genocide was over and they were free to go home! This was wonderful news to them but he assumed his mom, sister, and two brothers had been killed and probably didn't have a house to go home to.  Amazingly his family had fled to the Hotel Rwanda (the one the movie is based on) and had survived! They all thought he had been killed so it was a wonderful reunion. He said that the movie was VERY accurate. The government here says it is all false because they won't ever say that a Hutu could be a hero but he said that is how it happened. If you haven't seen the movie- rent it! (moms- maybe after we come home so you don't worry about us!!)
  This afternoon we got to go to the Peace and Love house (the home where the street boys now live). I am so glad we got to do this-we have really bonded with these 7 boys and it was great to have them show us around their home. They are really proud of it. On each of the walls around their bunks were all the crafts we've done this week hung up on the wall. So precious.
 And right now we are at the Crowson's house. They invited all of us over for dessert! It is such a treat! They even have ice!! The kids are all playing, the adults are playing a game and we are all using their internet!!:)
 Today I was helping Parker write in his journal and I said "I'm going to write-One of my favorite parts of this trip is....."  and his answer was "hearing the whole story of the street boys today". Break my heart! I am so proud of all the kids- it has been great for us to be here! We so miss everyone and we will be ready to be back but we are already talking about when we can come back! Chandler listed the things we will do when we get back- including (among MANY others) see Grami, Bridge,  and Chick-fil-a (not necessarily in that order!;)) One thing we will for sure need is some SOS pads to scrub the dirt off of all of us (but especially the boys!) Seriously- the dirt just will NOT come off. I don't know if I come out of the shower cleaner or dirtier! Oh and a toilet seat- I really miss those. Again- Thanks for all the prayers- we are so appreciative of them!
  (thank you Mrs. Shantz for taking care of my cheerleaders! I miss those girls!!)

Wonderful Horrible day

Wow- what a day. The hardest by far emotionally, but amazing. Started out going to the orphanage "Home of Hope"- precious time that was filled with tears. I thought of Mark and Chelsea the whole time as I looked at each baby and thought "are you the next Jacobs?" I tried to memorize every face and take it all in. As I touched each one I said the name of Jesus over and over each one and sang Jesus loves you to them. I just wanted them all to hear the name of Jesus and have them know that they are loved. It is the best orphanage in Rwanda but still just SO hard to see. Crib after crib just filled to the brim with crying babies. Some scared to death of you, some begging you to touch them, hold them or sing to them. Broke our hearts. Chandler bonded with a little boy that just loved her and the boys hugged each and every child they could. They also have a wing for adults with special needs (which is unheard of here) and it just broke our hearts. I'll have lots more to share about this at home but it was very impactful.  Then we went out to lunch at a real African restuarant. I'll have lots to share about the food here too! ha
   Then we went  to 2 genocide memorials. It was gut wrenching and so hard to see but so good to see.  Thousands upon thousands of skulls just sitting on shelves. Some clearly children.  One church memorial there was 5,000 bodies found there and the other there were 10,000. It really is so hard to take it in and process. It was one of those things that you were so glad you got to experience and at the same time you wish you could go back to when you didn't know.
 The end of the night was an unexpected treat. The Kimbows, Crowsons and Robinsons had taken care of our kids while we went to the memorials. Then the Kimbrows invited our family over for dinner. She made homemade pizza and it was A-MAZING! The kids had eaten before we got there and David Kimbrow said they ate like they hadn't eaten in a week!:) Then I sat down to eat and was eating the same way! So good! They are hilarious and just really neat people and we were so blessed to spend the evening with them. Since it is such a big group here it is kinda hard to really get to know each missionary so we were very thankful.
  **This didn't go through last night so here is a small update. We had a great time with the boys today and had lots of fun doing crafts. (Barbara- they LOVED the fruit scratch things, thank you!) One of the street boys asked Jeff if he could come home with us on Friday- broke my heart. I think it was Garen's idea for me to bring candy to hand out when we walk everywhere and it has been a HUGE sucess!! They can see us coming for miles and start running up to get another sucker! so sweet.  And tonight I got to talk to Chelsea!! It was amazing to talk to a friend that is right down the street from you in Rwanda!! I got to tell her about the orphanage and she is having a great time on her trip and getting so excited to go to Home of Hope too!! It has been so great for our family to be here. We are learning so much and spending so much time together. Such a blessing! We love you all and miss you! I don't feel like we've here "too long"  but we do miss our friends and family so much!

Sunday in Rwanda

Wonderful refreshing day today! Got to sleep till 7 and have some fellowship time. Then headed to church- amazing experience there! They know how to worship! At one point, people were lifting up their chairs and dancing to the music! We all joked that The Hills better be ready for some chair -lifting!!:)They had an interpreter for us which was so nice. All the street kids were there and my favorite (I know you're not supposed to have favorties!) sat next to me and just smiled or held my hand the whole time. His name is Iyves (like Iyves St. Laurent) but some call him Ivan. He is almost the exact size of Patton but he is 14.  So precious. It was a 2 hour service and all the American kids did great! (and the adults too!)  Then we headed to go out to eat- yea! It was a beautiful restaurant on a hill with awesome views. And it was the first meal that I got almost full!:) I had lasagna- who knew that would be good in Rwanda but it was! Now we are all at the Crowson's for praise and worship night. All the kids are playing in the yard and we are having a great refreshing time. Hope you all had a wonderful new years! Its weird to think of it being that season still when we come back because of the heat here. Love you all! Keep posting- Kelly can read them to me or I'll check when I get back here. Have a great night!
Brittany

More from Rwanda!

Got the chance at another quick update! We are still having a great time- a few bumps in the road but still loving it! (Jeff and Parker have a cough and I got car sick yesterday going to the market-ughhh I'm such a weakling!) anyway- the new year's party last night was awesome! The missionaries went downtown to pick up some more street kids to invite to the party. About 17 of them came.  When they got there they got to take a shower and get a new pair of clothes and while they showered we washed their old clothes (by hand- oh my word, these clothes were filthy! It was really sad) The 7 street boys that have already been rescued and live at the house helped wash the clothes too. It was neat to see them get to give back- they loved it. After the 17 left we threw another party for just the 7. We had decorations, music, and pizza. They had a ball and boy can they dance- Michael Jackson was being played loud!! I loved it!
 I am so thankful that Kelly and her kids are here. My kids have bonded fast with them! The boys have been collecting bottle caps on the road each time we walk from school to home and have collected quite a few. Yesterday when we got to the second session of the day, the 7 boys came running up to Patton and gave him handfuls of bottlecaps! It was so sweet- and they were so excited! All the kids love our kids and they just play together like they are best friends- even though they can't say one word to each other!

Today we got to go on a safari. It was SO incredible! We saw tons of amazing animals- just feet from us. We had a picnic lunch right by a lake in a valley of mountains where we watched hippos and crocodiles. It was breathtaking!

We are so thankful for all you who helped us get here and are praying for us. This is a life changing trip! Please continue the prayers! we can feel them!

I'll try to update again soon! Love you all!
Brittany