It's Been a Year!

Today I have been in Rwanda for a full year. And the Lord has been so amazingly faithful every step of the way. How true I have found Lamentations 3: 22-23 to be“The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness.” There was a while upon first arriving at site that most of my job was just doing paperwork in an office. How thankful I am that that has changed!

So what’s happening now? I able to be out of the office and working with children, in a variety of contexts ...

This picture is of me using a stuffed animal to teach teeth brushing during a Community Health Day

I've also been getting to continue my work as a Child Life Specialist in the local hospital! It is a delight to be able to bring play activites into an otherwise rather miserable environment for children...to have tears stop and smiles appear, what a great reason to be here!

SWAA (The Society for Women and AIDS in Africa) is the organization in Rwanda that I am partnered with. This picture is from a camp that we put on for Orphans and Vulnerable Children.

In November I took a trip to Uganda and went bungee jumping and whitewater rafting on the Nile River. It was incredible! But you know, even more incredible than that experince, is the incredible love of our Lord Jesus Christ!

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, not things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separated us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~ Romans 8:38-39

I am so thankful that He brought me to this beautiful continent and that He is continuing to work in and through me as I continue to be available to Him.

"Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will Bring it to pass" ~ 1 Thessalonians 5: 24

So with that, I'm looking forward to this year ahead and all that the Lord is going to do!

A Collection of Christmas Photos (and a few thoughts too)

Welcome to Winter in Rwanda...

...where family, friends and frosty weather are missed, but Christ’s birth is celebrated with fun traditions and a joyful heart.

I made a wreath for my door,

gingerbread houses with friends,

decorated a tree,

and even fashioned a manger scene from corn husks!

I was so thankful to have a Christmassy home here! But even more so, I am so thankful that Christmas is much, much more than just snowflakes and holiday cheer. It’s the celebration of Christ’s birth and life!

How delightful it was to read the Christmas story together with my host family in both Kinyarwanda and English. “Kuk’ uyu munsi Umukiz’abavukiye mu murwa wa Dawidi, uzaba Kristo Umwami.” “For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” ~Luke 2:11
It is such a blessing to know that “you” means each and every one of us. That Christmas, and its message of hope and life in Jesus, is for the whole world. Glory to God in the highest, it is in Him that we find peace!

P.S.~ On January 29th, I will have been in Rwanda for one year. My year-in-review blog update is coming soon.