1st full day in Kigali (see information on Kigali below.) The trip here was a long process. The first leg, is a seven hour flight to London. We arrived in London 10:15 a.m. and departed at 9 pm. We became very familiar with the glitz and glamour of the many Duty Free shops that populate the terminal. The consumer culture is alive and well in airports.
We flew overnight (again) to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We began preparing for the time shift with meals being served in the middle of the night on both of the flights. By arrival our digestive systems were fully confused. While the terminal in Addis Ababa is a fairly new structure there is no doubt that you have now entered a different part of the world. Part of the evidence comes from the presence of Muslim prayer rooms in the airport terminals. There is something to be learned from their devotion to a religious system and the discipline they exhibit.
Kigali is a city that has experienced a major infusion of interest and investment from various nations and organizations. This is evidenced by the many white SUV’s bearing the logos of various organizations. Doug and Deanna, through their involvement with MCC, work with partner organizations in Kigali. One of these is the Friends Peace House (FPH). The FPH is the organization that coordinated the distribution of the supplies that were purchased from the funds that Cornerstone and others donated through our Rwanda Refugee Project.
The situation of the refugees is very disturbing. Many of them have been in exile in Tanzania for a long time, and were suddenly forced to leave their few possessions and re-settle in Rwanda. Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa, which makes the challenge of re-settlement even more difficult.
We are including some information on the Friends Peace House. It is good to know that we are a part of the Kingdom of God, and that he is able to use various parts of the Family to do His work.
Continue to pray for the opportunity to declare the Peace and Hope that is ours in Christ as we follow the distribution of the material goods with times of meeting for encouragement and teaching.
The Friends Peace House was founded in December 2000 by the Evangelical Friends Church of Rwanda. It currently has approximately twenty employees, twenty programmes, and is active in all five provinces of Rwanda. FPH celebrated its fifth anniversary during 2005. FPH has three primary goals: 1) to build a sustainable and durable peace in Rwanda; 2) to restore the relationships that were destroyed during the 1994 war and genocide to ensure peaceful coexistence; and 3) to reintegrate and rehabilitate the people who were harmed by the tragic events of this county’s past. The vision of FPH is a unified Rwandan society that has a vibrant culture of peace, which respects human rights, and which improves the living standards of all its members.
4 comments:
Great to see you made it there safe and sound! I've been watching the clock and thinking that your day may be winding up soon, and that hopefully you would be able to post something. I showed Nicki (she's here at church because Eden had no power today...school cancelled) this blog and the photo. I said, here's a picture of your dad, and she said..."he looks the same"!
Anyways...blessings and strength to you all!
Carole
Hi there, glad to see this blog is working well. When I didn't hear from you for a couple of days, I was wondering. Have a great trip. I will be watching for regular posts.
Good morning all - glad to see you arrived safely - have added the picture to today's announcements! Technology continues to amaze me. All the best!
Audrey
You two guys look pettry good from this side of the world...remember people are praying for you today...take care....mary anne
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