Hi all,
I know I am quite a bit behind on my posts as Facebook has emerged as the core thing I have been updating after my laptop with posts was stolen.
I continue to go to Rwanda 3x a year to be with the the kids and we are currently preparing for our Christmas needs.
Thank you to all of you who are helping with our school funds, our operational costs and the various needs throughout the year.
We couldn't do the without you.
Donations welcome at newhopehomes.org
I can promise you that the funds will be well stewarded.
New Hope Homes, Rwanda
Join us as we hold hands to create a bright future for orphaned and abandoned children in Rwanda by creating homes filled with hope. New Hope Homes, Rwanda. If you can read only one post. Read the one marked Thursday 4.20 from the 06 Archive and you will begin to understand. Our website is newhopehomes.org
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Friday, August 08, 2014
Harvin's post
Thursday August 7, 2014
Hello, Harvin here.
It’s actually August 8th right now. I am sitting here early
this morning, recapping yesterday’s events, sipping coffee (still SO thankful
for Donna’s gift of a percolator coffee maker for me), listening to the home of
28 kids begin to arise: Sleepy voices in
Kinyarwanda drifting in from upstairs.
Auntie Grace sweeping up the few remnants of the popcorn dance party we
missed last night. Our cook Manuel setting out the cups of porridge that will
fuel our morning. The sense of calm
before the storm of activity that 28 kids descending on the day will bring.
I have so missed this. It’s good to be back.
Yesterday started about the same as today, the house slowly
waking up, etc. Or at least I assume it
did. I wasn’t awake to experience
it. I finally whipped my jet lag and
slept through the night, sleeping in till 8 for the first time. So yesterday I arose to porridge on the
table, a pot of coffee already brewed for me, a couple dozen hugs greeting my
sleepy eyes. Except for the water
running out before I could fill half a bucket for my cold shower the night
before, I’d say it’s like my own little perfect Rwandan B&B. I really do have a wonderful life here.
During breakfast Franny was double checking all our list of
sponsors vs. thank you notes, and discovered despite our best efforts the night
before we had missed a few. That’s ok. Give these kids a paint set or a bunch
of crayons and markers, and many are often content with sitting and coloring
together. So we split up as a family.
Some of us chose to go to the field to play soccer again, some chose to stay
and color and finish the few remaining thank you notes. I chose soccer.
By the time we arrived at the field we had collected our
opposing team. It works that way. A few
Muzungos with a legitimate soccer ball walking down a rutted path to a field
draws a crowd. A side note on the field today; only one goal was usable. The other had a crowd of kids and parents
around it, with a local physician weighing the kids by putting them in a
harness and scale suspended by the other goal post. Think of a fish scale for kids. So many unfamiliar things happen here that
you just have to soak it all in and laugh.
We adjusted and put out rocks for a goal on that side and started the
game.
I was pressed into playing goalie. My defenders were Grace, Anna, and
Prince. Isaac took his normal position
as striker, Eli and Fabiola playing midfield.
We were set to take on the locals.
They scored on us right away. Given many of our kids stayed behind, today we
were even more outnumbered so I asked one of the opposing ringers to join our
team instead to even it out. From there
on it was a pretty even match. Fabiola
ended up our lead scorer despite getting kicked in the shin and limping off the
field for a short rest before returning once the tide turned against us (tough
girl that one). Isaac’s ball handling
skills were on display again. Grace and
Anna and Prince did an admirable job running towards whoever had the ball in
our end and employing that age old defensive strategy of giggling and causing
general chaos amongst the sea of kids aligned against us. Final score New Hope Homes 6, Rwandan locals
4. We all shook hands and started home
just in time for lunch.
Lunch today was a special treat. Each time Donna visits, she takes the kids
that perform the best in school (ranked 1,2, or 3) for an outing to recognize
their hard work. Today it was back to
Volcano pizza with Grace, Chanel, Desame, and Sala. And Donna and I had an alternative
mission. There is always so much to do
here that can distract from time with the kids, general errands that need
doing, etc. and as Ely so aptly described in his blog, things can take a long
time here to do anything. Culturally
time moves slower, but Donna and I were on a mission to show Eli and Franny
just what two type A executives with a hyper organization skills, a good
attitude, and sense of humor could accomplish in 3 hours even here. Eli and Frany don’t believe we can get so
much done in so little time.
Final tally? In 3.5
hours we were able to drop off Donna’s dresser to get drawers made, pick up
water, make two stops at Tigo (think Rwandan Verizon) to get my phone working,
drop off three pairs of jeans that were too long to be hemmed, buy water,
exchange money, buy a small table for the spare room or kitchen, get a couple
extra keys made, buy some plastic buckets for the bathroom for bathing, and
have a relaxing lunch celebrating the kid’s accomplishments in school. Now in American this might sound like a normal
Saturday afternoon To Do list, but trust me in TIA (this is Africa) this was a
miracle of accomplishment in such a short amount of time.
And now for a little color….
1. Our
money changer in Musanze works out of one room shop, carries all his Rwandan
Francs around in a large paper bag, and will meet you anywhere in town. He’s totally legit, very honest, gives a good
exchange rate, etc, but every time I find myself in the back aisle of a grocery
store with a man dealing thousands of dollars out of a paper bag I can’t help
feeling like I’m part of some elicit deal.
Part of the color of our lives here.
TIA
2. Lunch
was awesome. The kids were super
excited, and hungry. How their little
bodies were able to pack in a single pizza each defies the laws of
physics. Then again, if I tasted pizza
for the first time I’d probably overeat as well.
3. We
have a bet on whether or not we will ever see Donna’s dresser again after
dropping it off at a rather sketchy looking roadside wood working / lumber
yard. This was plan B since the original
carpenter never finished the work. TIA
4. Watching
Eli carry the small table through the market on his head, to the stares of the
locals and having him fend off the endless offers to carry it for him (for a
small price no doubt) was hilarious. TIA
5. And
trust me, getting a key made in Musanze is not like walking into your local
hardware store. TIA
We returned to New Hope Homes and put our new buckets to
good use by re-introducing them to the concept of bobbing for apples. Eli was good enough to demonstrate the
concept – and got rather wet to the laughter of the kids, who then lined up to
try their hand, um, er, face at it. Lots
jeering, all successful at spearing an apple with their teeth, even Ms. Donna
and Franny, after a good soaking each and lots of laughter, were able to
wrangle their apples up.
And then it, as it often does, turned into impromptu
fun. We all hung out in the yard for a
good hour, practicing headstands with each other, wheelbarrow races, kids
carrying kids on their backs backwards like backpacks (too funny) and just
general good times till dusk drove us inside.
The plan was to watch another movie after dinner, but of
course for that you need electricity and as sometimes happens, we were without
power. No problem. My phone had power and disco music down
loaded. Flashlights, when shaken
properly, make excellent strobe lights.
The coals of Manuel’s cooking fire were still hot enough to pop
popcorn. All the ingredients needed for a Disco Popcorn
Dance party - 28 kids dancing to 70’s music by the light of flashlights - so
much fun.
After the little kids went to bed, Franny, to the joy of the
older kids, substituted her phone’s hip modern playlist for mine, and the girls
put on a demonstration of Beyonce’s All the Single Girls. That turned into a boy vs. girls dance off
(which the boys lost of course) and then the lights came back on and it evolved
into a rather fun and funny fashion show, with all the girls (and the very good
sport Eli) dressing up in Rwandan dresses and parading down the made up runway
of the hall. Seeing my nephew Eli both laughing
with and being laughed at for his willingness to play along made this uncle
very proud.
And then lights out so soon after lights just came on. Donna and I retired to our usual nighttime
roost at the top of the stairs of the boy’s side (the only place we’ve found to
get good data reception in the house) to recap our day together and return all
those work emails that had started filling our inbox a few hours earlier,
ending one more long, fulfilling, and fun day at New Hope Homes.
Eli's post
Wednesday August 6, 2014
Greetings. This is Ely here, Harvin’s nephew. I am 16, traveling to Rwanda for my first time, and am
guest blogging our day here.
We started this wild day with a beautiful sunrise hike to
the top of a “mountain” just a quarter of a mile away from New Hope Homes. The
little ones were unable to come with us on our valiant quest to the top of the
mountain which I was a little disappointed about, but after an hour long hike I
knew why. The mountain was rather steep, narrow and had many curves which the
little ones would not be able to handle. However, Donna was able to make it to
the top and back down with her bad knee because she cherishes the smiles of the
kids from New Hope Homes and wanted to be at the top to take photos of them. On
our way up we saw many brick buildings that had at most 1 or 2 rooms. It was
very sad seeing how these families lived and I wished I could do something for
them all. Upon reaching the summit we found raspberry/strawberry looking things
which were splendid. We stayed up top for awhile just sitting in silence
listening to the kids and enjoying the scenery. After many photos and laughs we
headed back down and halfway I saw one of the most amazing things ever. A woman
had 4 bricks at least 10 pounds on her head walking down the mountain. We got
Nshimeye our artist/professional photographer to snap a photo.
When we got
back home we eat their porridge and then I played with a group of the little
ones on the trampoline, which we all find very fun. After awhile Donna, Harvin,
Franny and I went to a pizza restaurant called Volcano Pizza with Norbert and
his family. Now when people go to a restaurant in America they expect to be
there for two hours at most. However, that is not the case in Rwanda. We ate a
3 or more hour lunch because we felt very obligated to continue conversing with
our guests and it is rather rude to rush your departure in Rwanda. Don’t take
this the wrong way though. We all love Norbert and it was a pleasure to meet
his family for the first time (especially Norbert’s cute baby nephew). After
our lunch we drove over to the church and began our new expedition.
Our group
of four was in a van on the backside of the church at sundown with people
walking by counting out 700,000 Rwandan francs and a few US hundred dollar
bills for Norbert’s flight back to America. This was no easy task. Every franc
was a 2,000 bill (about $3) because Donna wanted to finally dispose of them
after years of being forced to exchange money for small bills and gathering
more and more. We started just counting them out and more often than not losing
track of what number we were on, causing us to start all over again. Then out of
the blue Harvin came up with a brilliant idea to count out 10 francs and fold
the tenth around the other 9 to hold them. After we finished our counting we
walked into the dark church with literally ‘a block of francs’. We had a little
confusion of where to go but finally made it to Milly, a very nice lady who had
actually quit her high paying job at Compassion in Kigali to come and be
Bishop’s assistant in the church. Then we drove to get gas and air for the van,
but there was a complication that we have been dealing with a lot. Very few
here know English well, so Harvin did some odd gestures and they soon figured
it out.
Then it
came, the most chaotic moment all week…
Thank you notes. I thought it would be done very soon and we could move
on, but I was very wrong. Many of the beloved little ones wrote on already
finished thank you notes and they needed to redo them. Others needed help with
sponsor names and spelling. However, the effort of all the kids was wonderful.
They all wanted to do the best they could and return what they could to their
sponsors.
I have
personally seen all the joyful faces when they open their backpacks to see what
they get for the year. Whether it be school fees, clothes, or some other form
of support for these kids I would like to thank you for all you have done. It
really means a lot to the kids.
Eli
Franny's post
Tuesday August 5, 2014
Hello, this is Franny here.
I have been sponsoring Sala and Mwami with my friend Alice for 3 years.
This is my first trip to Rwanda and New Hope Homes and I’m loving it. I am guest blogging for Donna today – hope
you enjoy.
We went to town and picked the moto up with a new back tire.
Harvin, Eli, and Franny got measurements taken for new clothes. The kids helped
Franny pick out fabric and a style for a new dress. Then we went to the
Mother’s Union store and got gifts for our families. We also bought a mattress
for the matriarch of the small village on the hill.
After getting home from town, everyone went to the football
field. It was so nice. We had match between the kids of New Hope Homes and some
local kids. There was a huge group of 53 people watching by the end. We all took lots of pictures. Auntie Grace
organized a few games for all the spectators. It was amazing to see Auntie
Gracie playing football. It was sooooooo nice! Then we walked back home.
Then we left for another adventure: giving the matriarch of
the small village on the hill her mattress. Nshimiye carried the mattress the
whole way there! We greeted her and she welcomed us very warmly. Going into her
house, in place of stairs, are rocks. There is no light in her house, only
light coming from the doorway and a small window. Seeing her so happy and
joyful over a mattress (something I tend to take for granted) really put things
into perspective. Then we brought the mattress inside and we helped to prepare
it. Her bed before we brought her new mattress was boulders and hay. We put bed
sheets and a blanket and a pillow on the bed. Then we knelt on the ground and
she prayed for us. Seeing a person living with so little, but still so joyful
really made us grateful for what we have. Esther translated for us and she did
such a good job! Then the old lady accompanied us to the teacher’s house. We
greeted the teacher and gave her a picture of her and her daughter. We walked
back home and a bunch of local kids walked with us.
When we arrived home we were greeted by the Littles in their
pajamas. After reaching home, we played for a few minutes and then we ate
dinner. Then we finished Frozen! Frozen was soooooooooooo nice! We loved the
music!
Then we helped Harvin cook meat. We cut it up, boiled it,
and then grilled it. We are still working on grilling it! We just finished our
night with a dance party! Goodnight, that is the end of the story! Tomorrow we
will climb the hill!
Lots of Love,
Franny, Esther, and Marie Rose
Let the adventure begin – by Donna
Let the adventure begin – by Donna
9 supply bags, 4 volunteers and the hearts of so many people
go with us as we set on for another trip to Rwanda.
Havin – back again! His 5th trip. But, it’s been a year so he is wondering how
the kids of grown.
Eli – Harvin’s 17 year old nephew. His 1st trip outside of
the U.S. Wow, way to sing up for an extended haul for your 1st
adventure.
Franny – A 17 year old friend of a neighbor and ours who
have been raising money to help Sala and Mwami with their school fees and
annual needs.
The trip was a bit more complicated in that Harvin and I
wanted to attend a friends wedding in Chicago Friday night. This meant we
needed to find a way to get all 9 bags to Chicago so we didn’t have to pay
double fees. Eli’s mom and dad to the
rescue. They drove Eli and all 9 bags to Chicago in the bed of their covered
pick up truck.
Saturday AM we were off!
Franny connected with us in Chicago and away we went.
The trip is basically 2 – 8.5 hour flights, plus a 4 hour
layover and then a 2.5 hour drive to our home in Musanze.
Arriving in Kigali, Harvin was especially happy with the
surprise I had planned. Norbert, his brother Albert, Albert’s fiancĂ©, Halima
and their friend Wilson all met us at the airport. Halima was holding the New Hope Homes
sign. It was such a joy for him to meet
Halima who will be the next student from Sonrise School in Rwanda to attend St.
Olaf College in Mn. Both Norbert and
Halima will be traveling back with us.
Our good friend Kevin from KLM joined us for a coke and Fanta before we
set out on our drive.
Eli and Franny were troopers taking the windy road to our
home in pitch black in style. All good.
As we pulled off the road to get to our house, Harvin said,
“I sure miss arriving home when the kids were still awake”. It was 11:30 PM so we knew there was no hope
that it could be true.
Instead however, were we surprised. The first sign was a
piece of paper in the door greeting us. It was however, not taped to the door,
it appeared to be moving in a hand. Next,
while the lights were off, we heard lots and lots of giggling. As I opened the door they scattered and then
Harvin said “I see you. I see you” to which they came running with a small box
of flower petals and threw them up in the air over each of us. It was so sweet.
There were also welcome signs for us and
a portrait of me by Nshiyme.
The big kids helped get our supply bags into storage and
gave good night kisses. It was just what these weary bodies needed to end the
journey.
Franny is sleeping in the top bunk in one of the girls room
and Eli is in a bed in Harvin’s room.
This morning we were greeting by the songs of the little
girls. Their favorite songs are by our
friend Sophie from Australia who made a recording when she was here in Rwanda.
After morning porridge.
Franny, Eli, Harvin and I headed to the market to get some pineapples
and bananas. Harvin and Eli took the
scooter while I drove Franny and some of the big kids. It was a great chance to show Franny and Eli
a different kind of market from which they are used to in the States. We entered the gates to see all of the
stands with people everywhere.
Everything is negotatied and we are proud that we now get local prices
vs Muzongo (white people) prices.
Pineapples are about 70 cents each with a small bunch of small bananas a
bit less. We also bought the kids their
favorite treat – apples! One apple is
the same cost as whole pineapple. The kids simply love them. Harvin’s mom sent
along the money to give the kids this treat.
We will share them tomorrow.
In route to pick up water, Harvin and Eli had a flat on the
scooter. It was perfect that we also had the van with us.
In Africa, everything takes some extra time so simply replacing the tube
on the inside of the tire requires 2-3 stops. Lots of people studying it.
Identifying that we had also bent the rim on the tire thus causing the
flat. After waiting for about an hour as
people assessed the situation, we decided to leave the scooter in town as a new
tube would come via bus this afternoon.
Back at home the kids had lunch and then we played on the
trampoline, goofed around in the yard playing a combo of hide n seek/tag. Mama Chantal came for a nice visit and then
we sent Lionel back to school. He is in P6 so he must study for his national
exams – a critical rite of passage in the country.
We had to run to town to upload a video that I needed to
send and get our computer working a bit better.
This trip meant Franny and Eli had a chance to make their 1st
purchases. Some of the big kids escorted
them to get water, recharge minutes for the phone and Harvin’s favorite hot
sauce. We of course were a bit cruel and
had them go back for each of these one at time…kinda like a scavenger hunt to
they could get their bearings. They did
AWESOME.
Dinner was followed by watching the 1st hour of
FROZEN. Thanks Christian for sending it with me. They can’t wait to see the
end.
The big kids get 30 minutes extra to stay awake after the
little kids go to sleep so we decided to try a new game. Guesstures! It was too
funny. The kids have never played charades
before so it was great humor for them to try to get the concept. The 1st match ended in a tie.
Tomorrow will be a rematch.
Soooo, day one is complete. Weary traveling souls filled
with abundant peace and joy for being here with the kids and family of New Hope
Homes. Life is indeed very simple here,
very sweet and abundantly blessed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)