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
