Rafiki Rwanda: Day 6

Today started out with sleeping in which felt great. It is a holiday here so we did not have devotional time with the staff this morning. We had a pretty routine day, reading and playing with the children. I spent the morning teaching my cottage about animals through books and puppets. Mom, somehow, ended up leading a game where she had 2 cottages of girls dancing like different animals. We did hopscotch and soccer in the afternoon, and had a wonderful time after dinner helping them learn the song "All for Jesus, I Surrender" so that they can sing it at the English service at church on Sunday. Imagine teaching 43, 2-7 year olds a song in a language they are just learning! All sitting under a little pavilion at dusk. And they all listened and learned. By the end, the arms were waving and the voices were strong.

Diana and Jeanne racing their scooters!

Some girls hopscotching in the afternoon!

As we sit here talking about our day, we both agree that we are becoming so attached to these children- each one of them has such a loving and giving personality. They feel so blessed to be where they are; with 3 changes of clothes and 2 changes of pajamas, 3 meals a day that consist basically of a starch and a little protein, a bed to sleep in, a bathroom to share with 4 or 5 others, a Mama who gives them strict discipline but loves them dearly, and a school house with desks, some books, and good teachers. They do their chores, play outside, read, eat 3 meals a day with their family, and have devotionals before bed. They thank their Mama's and Auntie's for everything, and they rarely argue with each other. They are truly happy and don't worry about the things that we do. This experience so far has really opened our eyes to how true joy comes from the simple things- having people to love and love us, and our faith.