Our 15 Minutes of fame...

One Saturday on the way to J.Lynn's, Serge made the comment that we might have a film crew in that day but wasn't sure. ARG!

 

So did NOT have my camera face on that day - oh well.

 

Here it is... 

Why Finiyas?

Serge got a call yesterday saying telling us that Finiyas was put in jail.

 

Finiyas? 

He is the last of our former street kids that we would think of to be in jail.

What the heck for?

 

Story was he filled out a form at immigration for a  regional passport and got it filled incorrectly and they arrested him. We now know it wasn't immigration but local leadership that arrested him somehow.

He has three names and last time he used two and this time a different combination, and he got some places mixed up on the form.

 

What I know is this, the forms are complicated at best for anyone to fill out.

 

Finiyas is a guy who has worked hard since 2005 to improve his life. He was the first to get a 'real' job. The first to open a bank account. The first to rent his own home and live on his own. He was the first for many things ... but one thing he did not have was education.

 

I have wrestled for years that he is probably dyslexic and with little to no resource in the country to properly diagnosis him, life moves forward for him as it can. He did decide to go to a 'catch up' school this year in the evening, for which we are helping him to pay for. He is thoroughly enjoying it and seems to be making progress which he is thrilled about.

 

BUT... not enough obviously.

 

My heart breaks.

Last time he applied for this regional passport, someone helped him to fill it out. This time, I am sure he figured that his reading and writing had improved enough to do it on his own. 

Clearly not.

I can't imagine how he's doing... what he's thinking... 

God protect his spirit and his heart.

 

Serge worked the phone most of the day today, along with a  few other people, to try to sort through this mess. We haven't heard that he has been released yet. May it be sooner than later.

 

He was just being proactive in getting a region passport so that he would be ready to travel with his office team when the time came. They had been told they might be traveling to Burundi to see another branch office and he wanted to be ready. 

 

He just wanted to be ready... he was being proactive ... he was doing what he thought he could do.

 

Oh God... give us and the people he works with, wisdom.

 

My heart breaks tonight. The world just isn't fair ...

View from my porch today

As I work from my upstairs office... this is the view.

I just have to smile that God can provide 'home' right in front of my house - in the city!

Not sure they're 'true type' Holsteins but they'll do.

Notice the two little herd boys front and centre ...

More Birthdays to celebrate...

Team life ... celebrating the birthday of Liz (here long-term with her husband Joel from Australia) and Aliza, an intern here for 2 months from Canada.

 

Got most of the team together plus a few extras to celebrate last night.

Happy Birthday Liz and Aliza.
Candles... Rwandan.
Couldn't find 'real' birthday candles!

Wedding'd and Dowry'd Out!!

Today... marks the 14th!!! yes FOURTEENTH Wedding, dowry or civil wedding we have been to in 6 weeks!! 

 

Serge has been Best man twice, I have been Matron once, Isabella has been flower girl twice and I have done 7 wedding cakes.

 

Enough already!!

And that is all close family and friends not to mention the umpteen other invitations we received and didn't even consider!

 

Today was the civil wedding for Solange, our former house girl.

Who knew when she showed up at our gate about 5.5 years ago that we would be at her wedding today.

She came with no experience  but we quickly grew to love her in many ways.

We journeyed with her through an abusive relationship, encouraging her time and time again to leave ... so glad she finally found the strength to do that but what a journey it was.

 

And today, she civilly married a good Christian man - as she says. He's younger than she is but she says he loves her and will do her and her son good.

Serge and I met him, D'amour, today for the first time. He was so warm and appreciative to us. We are blessed. I gave him a stern, big sister warning that if he ever did Solange wrong, he'd have us to deal with! :-)

 

One never knows when you allow someone into your life, where the journey of life will take you together and how you will impact the lives of each other - no matter what the social class, race, etc.

We have another wedding on Saturday... then believe it or not.. no more weddings until July 27th - Solanges!

Beni's 4!!

He's all about anything construction these days...

Was SO excited about his cake

LOVE this picture of Grandma and Beni

Noella

Today was a crazy day.

I was supposed to be at J.Lynn's all day today as it was Jolies' day off but I didn't make it until about 3:45 pm. Glad to have staff that know what they're doing and can manage life.

 

As I sorted through the end of the day, Noella asked if she could see me.

 

All the women have J.Lynns' have stories.... hard life stories.

That is why we exist. To help women whose lives have been hard, and by hard I mean, death, poverty to great to bare on their own, sickness, outcasts of society. Most women have and are dealing with all of the above.

 

The previous manager had told me about Noella. She was a new widow and just needed a job - somewhere to go each day.

 

As I heard Noella's story one of the first days, I cried.

She married young to an Italian NGO worker in her homeland of Congo. He made her come to Rwanda during the aftermath of the genocide in 1994 when it spilled over into Congo. (She told me, 'He saved my life.) She and the kids followed him around the world as he was granted one job after another. They lived in affluence but never taking life for granted. She had lost a brother as an RPF soldier and to this day tears come to her eyes when she talks about him.

 

A few years ago they settled back in Rwanda. Her husband went back to Italy on some business and there he was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. She was a widow at 38 years old with two teenage children and no skill except a high school diploma. How would she provide for her family?

 

As I interviewed her, heard her story, she openly admitted that she had little to give - no computer skills, no degree of any sort - but that she would work hard at whatever I asked her to do. She just needed to belong somewhere and had found that at ABC - now J.Lynn's.

 

A couple things struck me about Noella... she came from the same region as Serge and we share the same birthday.

 

When Serge picked me up that night back in late April, my heart was heavy. I had no idea how to best help her but I knew that she was to be in our lives somehow. I asked Serge if he knew the family. When I mentioned the family name, Serge immediately knew the family - ' Who in Goma doesn't know her family?'

Turns out her older brother was best friends with Serge's oldest brother.

 

Small world.

 

Today.. she sat in my office in tears thanking me. School is out for her 16 year old daughter and she came with her to J.Lynn's yesterday.

It's been 13 months since her husband was killed and the year has been hard. The kids worry for their mom. She worries about them. They wonder if she will find something in life to find joy.

 

She told me today.. 'Thank you for allowing me to work here. Yesterday my daughter saw that I just don't leave the house so they think I am working but that I actually have a job and work. Her heart is at peace for the first time about this. '

 

One never knows.

I still don't know how we can best help her but I do know this. God  has brought her across our path for a reason and we'll stay on the journey together as long as He wants us to.