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On the first Saturday of every month we meet with all the families of sponsored children.  That’s 52 children (a few of them are siblings).  Mike & I each go with a translator and use the “divide and conquer” method.  We still easily spend 4 hours there on a Saturday.  On the second Saturday of each month we meet with the unsponsored children, there are currently 33 of them.

This past Saturday was our first time meeting with these families since May (because we left the 1st of June).  As we sat there meeting with families I made a conscious effort to look at each of them and to see them as a whole person.  I didn’t want to just see “the mom of a child in our program”, but a whole person with dreams, hopes, abilities, desires.  I felt the love of God for them as I looked into their faces.

However, it made my whole day emotionally, physically, and mentally draining.  Our program seeks to help the poorest of the poor, so that means that when we meet with the families and ask them how we can pray for them, we hear about how they are struggling to feed their families, how they can’t find work or stable housing, and how they have problems in their bodies.  We can not be their solution, we offer help in the ways that are part of the program, but for the needs that are beyond that they need to look to God as their source and for his help in becoming self-sufficient.

This is hard on me.  I have a very strong mercy personality.  Here is a definition I found for the gift of mercy: “The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to feel genuine empathy and compassion for individuals (both Christian and non-Christian) who suffer from distressing physical, mental, or emotional problems, and to translate that compassion into cheerfully done deeds which reflect Christ’s love and alleviate the suffering.”
This gift is a practical gift. Those with this gift find themselves visiting and assisting those in need, and often feel the pain of the person they are helping within themselves. People with this gift find it extremely difficult not to help those who seem less fortunate than themselves.

I think it is very difficult for someone who is strong in mercy to have to tell people all day long, “I know you’re struggling, and we will pray for God to help you, but I can’t do anything else for you right now.” As we were leaving the office after our 4+ hours spent meeting with families I was reminded of a scripture I had recently read in Numbers 11 about Moses.  He was leading the nation of Israel across the dessert.  The people were crying out for the meat they didn’t have:

¹⁰ Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. ¹¹ He asked the LORD, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? ¹² Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors? ¹³ Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ ¹⁴ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.

That is how I felt.   We need help.  Please pray with us for God to provide someone(s) to come alongside and help us here in Rwanda.  There is so much of our time that is spent in administration, while we would like to focus more of our energies on ministry.  We need an administrator.  Someone who loves God with all their heart, is honest, hard working and faithful.  Someone who loves people, but who understands that it is not always in a person’s best interest to give them a hand-out.

Next Saturday we meet with the families of unsponsored children.  Pray for strength & grace for us.  Pray for all the families in our programs that God would give them favor to find jobs and creativity to find ways to provide for their families.  I heard yesterday the unemployment rate in Kigali is 40%.  It is not easy to find jobs.

We believe our God is greater & bigger.  He is faithful to provide for his children.  When Moses cried out for help, God provided elders and said, “I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.”

We are believing God for this!

God Bless You,
Lisa

It’s been one full week now for our family to be back in Rwanda, and we have already been very busy!  This week all the kids in our sponsorship program are returning to school- that means paying the third trimester school fees for 105 children!  Thankfully we have a college volunteer who helps us with the running around to different banks & schools to pay those fees.  Do you know about the college volunteer sponsorship?  You can read about it here on our website.

We have many new plans and ideas that we want to work on in the upcoming 9+ months that we will be living and working here in Rwanda.  We look forward to sharing them more with you as they develop.  We also appreciate your prayers for God to lead us to invest our time and energies in the areas he wants us to focus on, and for God to make those plans succeed.

Thank you for being a part of this with us!  What an adventure!

God Bless You,

Lisa

Our time in the states is going by so fast. It’s hard to believe we only have a few more Sundays left. Sunday, July 31st we will be at in Calvary Christian Center in Alameda, California.  Then on Sunday, August 7th we will be at Grace Community Church in Woodland, Washington.  Then we have one more Sunday at our home church before we leave on August 15th for Rwanda.  We will be going again for another 9 1/2 months, as we did last year.

Please keep our family in your prayers during this time.  It has been a very busy summer as we try to squeeze in adequate time with family, friends, churches, as well as ministry and family details.  Pray for us to be able to accomplish all we need to, to get ready for our trip & to still enjoy the time we have left in the states.  Also pray for God to use our remaining scheduled speaking events to expand the ministry of Ten Talents, so we can do more for his kingdom.

No matter what your level of involvement with the ministry, whether it’s joining us in prayer, or in financial giving, or in telling others about this ministry, we appreciate you.  This is not just our family, but all of us working together to accomplish God’s will.

God Bless You,

Lisa

Our family is in the USA right now, until August 16th.  We have left capable people in charge of the work in Rwanda so that the children in our program will continue to be helped as before.  We welcome any opportunities to share with churches or other groups during our time in the USA.  If you would like us to share about the work to help the children of Rwanda with your church or group, please contact us.

Our next scheduled service is July 10th at Trinity Life Center in Seattle.  On July 17th Mike will be sharing at our home church, Heritage Church, in Vancouver, Washington.  Please join us if you are able!

It is good to be back with our home church, our friends, and family.  We have missed them all very much in the last 10 months.  This summer is going to go by very quickly, but we hope to accomplish what we need to and make some re-connections as well as new connections.  For God’s glory and to further his kingdom work!

God Bless You,

Lisa

Two of our boys in the Home of Innocence are transitioning back to their families.  Several weeks ago when Mike told them they would be going back home they had a hard time with it.  It’s not that they don’t love their families, but I believe they have grown used to the HoI, and their foster family there.  It is also a bit of an adjustment for them as they will be living farther out, more in the “village” and changing schools.  They are also going from a home with electricity, running water, cement floors, bunk beds, etc. to a home that has mud walls, small spaces, no electricity or running water, and probably mattresses placed on the floor.  However, despite these lack of comforts we are convinced that if a child has a functional family then the child belongs with their family.

The first child to transition back to his family is a lovable little guy, Theonest.

To refresh you, here is the blog entry that tells the story of how Mike personally brought Theonest into the home in April, 2009.  I drove Theonest and his dad to their home on Friday.  As we drove up to the house I was thinking to myself, “This area looks a lot like the Acres of Hope…”  Theonest’s family home is adjacent to a large piece of empty property, so I got out of the car and walked forward.  Now it did look a lot different (the big old tree that used to sit in the middle of the property died), and it is very grown over with vegetation and crops that people are planting there, but I know it was the Acres of Hope– which I found quite amazing!  They may have found that house on purpose because Mike told them they can plant crops on the property there.

The second boy who is going to transition back home is our sweet little Dieudonne.

Dieudonne charmed us from the first time we met him at the feeding program for street children in 2009.  We got him registered and sponsored in our At Risk program but he was still having problems with staying away from home and not going to school.  We brought him into the Home of Innocence in September of 2010.  He has done well since being in the Home of Innocence, and he is doing well enough in school to place him first in his class!

Our hope & prayer for both of these boys is that their time in the Home of Innocence has secured a new and better future for them.  They have experienced stability, love, spiritual nurturing, and responsibility.  Please pray with us for these boys that they would carry these foundations with them and build upon them in their families.  We have had a counselor working with both the boys and the families to help in this transition.  We chose this time because in the month of April the kids are off school and it would be an opportune time to change schools.

All the boys in the Home of Innocence had a lot of fun this week as we had a team from All God’s Children International working on the Home.  The team painted walls, even murals in the boys’ bedrooms (pictures to come)!  They also helped install tether balls for the boys.  The team played games and had crafts and blessed us all.  Then yesterday they went back to the USA, but I’m pretty sure they all left a part of their hearts here in Rwanda!

Thank you for your prayers for each of the children we are working with here, but especially this week for Theonest and Dieudonne.  Change is not an easy thing, but we know that God can help them with all their needs.

God Bless You,

Lisa

April 7th is the anniversary of the 1994 genocide that took place in Rwanda. It is a time when the country remembers things that they would rather forget. When people pause their lives (no one works that day) and consider. For many this is a time of remembering pain and loss.  Will you take a moment to join with me and pray for Rwanda?

Today we pray especially for the country of Rwanda and it’s people. A country that has shown amazing resilience by rebuilding itself miraculously in these last 17 years. A country whose people are strong and determined. And yet, many of them are holding onto painful memories that they hide deep inside. God, we ask you to be the peace that each of these hearts needs. We ask you to direct the hearts of the people of Rwanda to you, and that as they turn to you hope would rise within them. God help them to release their pain and memories to you and to find comfort and healing in your embrace. Help a people who have felt betrayed by friends, neighbors, and even family members to find the strength and unwavering faith that trusts in a God who will never let them down.

God we know that you care especially for the orphan and the widow.  We pray today that each orphan would know that you are their loving & ever-present father.  We ask that each widow would see that you are the husband she lacks & that she can depend on you.

I pray for even the questions that may go unanswered, the “why” and the “how”, that they would trust their unanswerable questions to you God, and know that no matter what their eyes may have seen, you God are able to work all things together for good, because you are good.  And nothing is impossible for you!

Thank you God that “now is the time” for Rwanda.  Now is the time for your Spririt to move.  Now is the time for a harvest of souls.  Now is the time to call your loved ones out of darkness & into light & joy! 

In Jesus Name We Pray,

Amen.

In the Home of Innocence we have two boys who have had heart surgery. To monitor their health these boys are required to visit the hospital every other week to have their blood checked. Visiting the hospital causes them to miss days of school, is an expense, and really a big hassle. We had been told that we could purchase a machine to check their blood at home. We searched for one online and found it priced at over a thousand dollars. We placed the item on our ministry wish list, knowing this was asking a lot, but hoping!

This morning we got an email telling us that one of the team members for the April mission team had found a used (but still working great) machine for only $258!  Wow!  What makes this story even more amazing is that just the day before someone had donated $250 to this team member for her to use for her trip!  How awesome is that!?

We praise God for this provision.  This is going to be a huge blessing to these boys that they no longer have to deal with the hassle of spending a whole day in the hospital every other week, and they do not have to miss out on the important lessons going on in school those days.  It is also a blessing to the volunteers who help us at the home as they do not have to spend the day at the hospital as well.

Just another example of how our God can do anything!

God Bless You,
Lisa

How many times in your life has someone sung the song “Happy Birthday” to you? You may think about how old you are, toss a few extra in, and come up with some kind of number. Now imagine if you had lived your whole life & had never had anyone sing that song to you. Oh sure you’d heard the song on TV and in movies, you knew about it, but had never heard anyone actually sing it to you– to say they wanted to celebrate the birth of YOU. In fact, you aren’t really sure when you were born because no one ever took any notice of it. Someone told you what year you were born in, so every year when the year changed then you know you are a year older. But certainly no one ever sings to you on that day, and no one even utters a “Happy Birthday” wish.

What I have just described is the case for many children in Rwanda, including much of those in the Home of Innocence. It occurred to us recently that it would be fun to throw a birthday party for the boys, so we decided last month we would celebrate the birthday of all the boys born in December, January, and February. Since so many don’t have a birthdate, and January 1st becomes the default, we were celebrating the birthdays of 10 out of 15 boys. Too many names to put on the cake we ordered from the African Bagel Company!

We got to have this birthday party with members of a mission team connected to us through All God’s Children International, and this team graciously offered to pay for the party as well.  We had some balloons left here from a previous team, so we got out chairs and divided everyone, kids & adults alike, into two teams to play “pop the balloon on a chair relay”.  The kids really got a charge out of that, we played another relay game, hide and seek, and then came inside for sambosas and juice.  Then we got to put candles on the cake & sing Happy Birthday to everyone.  We finished up the night by playing a game of “pin the tail on the cow” (donkeys are not common in Rwanda, so I changed the game).  If you want to see more photos of the birthday party they are on the Ten Talents International facebook page.

Celestin ready for his turn at putting a "tail" on the cow picture.

Everyone had a great day with lots of laughs and smiles.  I am so glad we did this, and for many of these kids I am sure this will be a day that they remember for a long time.  Their first birthday party.  The first time anyone sang Happy Birthday to them.  Their first birthday cake.  I look forward to doing this again next month for the kids who were born in March, April, and May.

We have quite a crowd now when we get all our Home of Innocence boys together!

Would you like to come with a team to Rwanda?  We encourage you to contact All God’s Children International as they are putting teams together for Rwanda mission trips and have become a great partner organization with the work going on here in Rwanda.

God Bless You,

Lisa

I would like to share some excerpts from a note Mike wrote.  I think it is a good summary of where we are at right now.

First an update on the 12 Days of Christmas: 2 more items have been purchased, so now we get to give the kids mosquito nets and 11 bags of charcoal (for cooking).  Yeah!  Thank you!  There are still some items left if you are interested please read the post below this one.

On Saturday, January 1st, we held a party for all the sponsored children and their families.  We planned for 125 people, but actually ended up feeding 140 people.  In addition to their meal and soda, we gave each sponsored child a gift: a new outift, including shoes.  Mike also took some time to talk with them and share with them about having a relationship with Jesus.

Mike (with our son Michael Munyaneza interpreting) addresses the attendees

The kids were all delighted with their new clothes, and if you are a sponsor you have probably already received an email with your sponsored child’s new picture.  Want to see more pictures of the party?  Search for “Ten Talents International” on facebook.  On our page there I will add more pictures from the party.

This last Saturday, January 8th, we gave all the sponsored kids 8 exercise books (blank notebooks) and 2 pens for school (after 1st grade they don’t use pencils in school here).  That’s about 400 notebooks and 120 pens!  Next week we will be giving out 50 backpacks.  When you calculate the party along with this and paying for school fees for all of the children (January marks the new school year in Rwanda)- this has been a very expensive month for TTI!  Please keep praying for God to provide for the ministry going on here.

On this same day we also met with all the children who are waiting to be sponsored.  These children come to our offices every month.  We are able to pay their school fees, but that is it.  Many of them have more needs: like notebooks, pens, and backpacks for school, school uniforms, medical care, etc.  Please pray for us to find more sponsors.  It is very difficult to have to see them waiting month after month.  Once they are sponsored we are able to do much more for them.  Right now, we pay their school fees, keep track of them, and we pray for them.  We pray together for God to provide a sponsor for them, as well as for the other needs of the family.  If you scroll down on this blog you can see where I’ve highlighted a few of these waiting children.

Thank you for being a part of what God is doing in Rwanda.  Sometimes there is so much need it can feel overwhelming, but I know that what God requires of us is just our obedience.  We continue to move forward in the work he has called us to do.  More children are being sponsored every month, and we also are bringing more boys into the Home Of Innocence.  These two boys both have had heart surgery similar to Benjamin.  One child is an orphan, the other has family but they are not able to properly care for him.  Pray with us for their transition into the home and for God to use their time in the Home of Innocence as He wills.

God Bless You!

Lisa

P.S.  Here is a picture of the new cushions in the Home of Innocence- no more sitting on wood slats!  Thank you!