Remembering

Listening to the news about a hosepipe ban which started in the south of England this week, I'm reminded that Katie and her Tearfund friends experience daily powercuts in addition to times when there is no water.   This is a challenge for girls used to showering whenever they want but is daily life and normal for residents of Giterama!

Katie's birthday meal on April 2nd was celebrated with the other Tearfund girls and RDIS staff and included speeches.  Earlier in the day the girls were taken to a western style supermarket in Kigali!

Tomorrow (April 7th) is the start of Rwanda's annual period of mourning and remembrance.  This is a time of remembering the Rwandan genocide of 1994 when over 800, 000 men, women and children were killed by fellow countrymen.  Each year people gather to remember and reflect on what took place.  They visit memorial and burial sites and try to support those still deeply hurt and traumatised by the events of 1994.
During this time of mourning, people usually work only in the mornings and daily life is focussed on recalling the past while trying to come to terms with the effects of the past on the present.  Katie and her friends will probably spend most of their time in the RDIS compound but may be invited to attend a memorial gathering.  Church tomorrow will be a solemn time of reflection.  It's important that the Team (some of whom were born in the year of the genocide) are sensitive about the deep feelings of Rwandan people.  The genocide is an event which none of the girls remember and which is completely beyond their experience.

Communication continues to be tricky.  Although the Team have occasional use of a laptop in the evenings, obviously they share their computer time and it's not easy to both check your messages and have time to email or blog.  That's if there's power!  Katie receives emails and facebook etc but the laptop's webrowser seems to be incompatible with hotmail, so she can't send emails.  Last week Katie was to have an interview with the organisation she hopes to work with in the autumn (CAP) on her mobile but for some reason it didn't happen.  It was frustrating as she was unable to contact the organisation  the UK.

The other communication problem is the lack of common language.  It's hard to get close to people when you can't speak to them.  Sometimes, even with the help of a translator, there is still a barrier to understanding.

Could you think about or pray about the following?  Katie would appreciate this.

• that the people of Rwanda would be comforted during the time of mourning and be able to begin to move forward.  This is still a raw, extremely painful time for many Rwandan citizens. 
• that the Kinrwandan lessons would go well.  Katie is finding the lessons very difficult and is frustrated knowing that the way to get to know people is to speak their language.
• that somehow the phone interview with CAP would go ahead smoothly and without hitches this week.
• that there would be meaningful, useful work or activities for the Tearfund Team to do.  The girls would love to make a positive difference to the lives of their Rwandan hosts.