I Found My Rwandan Family

Normally, we do not post 2 blogs in one day and this was Liz's day to blog.  But, today was a very special day for me and my best day since I arrived.

Nyarukiza, President of the Ruhuha cooperative stood to thank us for coming and gave me my Kinyarwanda name, which is Nyarukundo, which means "beloved".  The group clapped loudly and I left a piece of my heart here.  As a super bonus, we watched a guy make Sambusas (little triangles of chapati bread stuffed with ground beef, cooked onions, and other yummy stuff.  I had 2 and they were piping hot off the grill!  I thought this was my gift from God for the day, but God surprised me with another!

Today was the hottest day yet and after all the excitement and food, I was feeling very tired.  But, from the moment we pulled in for our afternoon meeting, I felt a connection to this group.  As is often the case, the rest of the team was greeting old friends while I was meeting strangers.  But this time, I did not feel like the outsider and it just got better as the afternoon passed.  I felt such warmth and genuine love from so many in this group.  

I was especially touched by Darcia's story.  She is a 27 year old, the oldest of 6 children.  Her mother died and her father left.  So, now Darcia is raising her siblings, the youngest of which is 12.  Additionally, she was married and has a 2 year old but is now divorced.  I had to wonder if her husband left because she cares for her siblings.  I had an opportunity to have a personal conversation with her with help from one of our translators.  I gave her my condolences on the loss of her mother and told her that she was an honorable woman for taking care of her siblings and I would pray for God to bless her.  We had a long embrace and neither of us wanted to let go.  I think both of us had teary eyes as we said goodbye.

I am still tired yet refreshed deep in my Spirit.