The Climbers at the Summit!

Brett and Kayla on the Summit of Engineer Mountain

Thank you, Granddad

We love you, Granddad!

One year ago today, Brett's dad, passed away. Avery was a man of great personality, passion and love of the Lord. He had an amazing sense of adventure and independence which he passed on to all five of his children. After his passing, we found about 20 hats from his extensive travels from all over the world. We decided these must have been given to him, but we had a blast trying them on and laughing together! All of us decided to take one of Granddaddy's hats and wear them in his honor on our adventures. So today, Brett and Kayla honored you, Granddad. Thank you for the sense of joy and adventure you placed in all of us. We love and miss you today and every day.

Kayla, My Hero

Kayla on the summit of Engineer Mountain

Today, Kayla and Brett worked VERY hard to summit Engineer Mountain! Engineer is just under 13,000 feet and is not an easy climb! We all headed up, but only Brett and Kayla made the summit. I am so proud of her adventurous spirit and bravery! Thankfully, she did not inherit her mother's fear of heights... She built a karin on the top and they quickly headed down to beat a thunderstorm. Thankfully they avoided the lightning, but got absolutely drenched before they returned to the car. Kenna, Carver and I knew the rain was coming and hoofed it back down the mountain to wait for them at the car. So proud of this 10 year old! I know the Lord has incredible things planned for her confidence and love of adventure!

Visit with the West Family

Loved our time with you Carmen!

Carmen, Derek, Cole and Caroline West

Kenna and "Hollywood"

Showing Cole the beaver lodges on the way to Spud Lake

Last week one of my very best friends from college, Carmen Turner West, came with her family to visit us.  Carmen and I were in each others weddings and have many, many memories together.  We had such a great visit!  It was such a treat to pick up right where we left off from the last time we were together.  I LOVE friendships like that!  It is as though no time had passed at all...ok, except our children are much older than the last time we were together!  Carver was thrilled to play with her son, Cole, and my girls LOVED entertaining Miss Caroline.  Brett loved getting to show Derek around the mountains around Silverton after they rode the train.  I just loved all the chances to visit and catch up with Carmen and her world.  What a treat to share where we live with dear friends!  Thank you for coming up, West family!!

Are You Ready for Some Football?!

Carver and Kayla got their pads and helmets yesterday!  They are VERY excited for this season and have already been working out in preparation for a great year.  As soon as they got home, they were on the trampoline tackling each other.  Practice starts August 1st and they are FIRED UP!

Go Team Rwanda!

My friend Fasoul and his homemade soccer ball

In Rwanda, soccer is everywhere and kids will play with anything that they can fabricate into a soccer ball.  Logan, one of the guys with us, loved playing with both the students at the preschool and the street boys on Saturday morning.  The street boys were very fast and the game was INTENSE!  On our drive to Lake Kivu we passed several organized games happening on Sunday afternoon.  The significance of all this soccer became very real for me one night as I sat at the La Palm Hotel sipping a Fanta and waiting for the wi-fi to work...

On the television that night was a show interviewing South African dignitaries as they left a movie all about the 2010 World Cup.  The leaders were leaving the movie in tears!  One after one they shared how watching it all again made them swell with pride.  One leader actually said, "We have successfully rebranded South Africa."  In other words, no longer will they be identified by Apartied, but now as a country who hosted the world with poise, grace and celebration.  Truly, all of Africa celebrated as a continent last summer that for the first time they were found worthy host the cup.  For all people of the world national pride is important!

The street boy game in action

Although Rwanda didn't qualify for the 2010 World Cup and only sent four Olympians to Beijing in 2008, they are passionately working to compete with the best in the world.  We were able to see this first hand...

The Rwandan National Cycling Team

 

 

We stayed in the home of the first ever Rwandan National Cycling Team!  These guys are learning English in order to train more efficiently outside of Rwanda.  They are the real deal!  They left just before we did to travel to Brazil to participate in the Tour do Rio on July 27th.  They were very excited to share that they were the only team from Africa competing!  Their coach is American Jock Boyer.  He was the first American in the 1980s to compete in the Tour de France and his historic Ironhorse win set a record that lasted for 16 years!  He was so proud of his team and the gains they are making to make Rwanda proud. 

You can be part of thier journey and success!  Like Team Rwanda on Facebook, log onto teamrwandacycling.org to get to know the riders or even order some VERY cool cycling gear, or check out the Project Rwanda Coffee Bike at projectrwanda.org. For a country who lost numerous athletes and its entire sports program just 17 years ago in the genocide,  let's help them rebrand Rwanda as a country of world class cyclists!

Go Team Rwanda!!!

The Cultural Village

We created quite a stir!  Such wonderful smiles!

Our group in front of the King's house.  Notice Brett and I are dressed as King and Queen!

Rwanda is a beautiful country!  The volcanoes around Musanze are home to the famed mountain gorillas where Dian Fossey conducted her research in the 1970s and inspired the movie "Gorillas in the Mist."  Because they are endangered, these gorillas may not be legally hunted.  The gorillas can be found in Rwanda and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Wisely, Rwanda has created ways to help the people who would be poaching the animals create a living.  With the surge of ecotourism, people may now go gorilla trekking to see these magnificent creatures in the wild.  Unfortunately with a cost of $500 US per person, we did not go gorilla trekking.  However, we did support the conservation of these incredible creatures through a visit to the cultural village. 

The visit was fantastic!  We were greeting with dancers in their native dress singing and dancing a welcome to us.  The village is designed to represent life in the 15th and 16th century.  After the dancers were finished with their welcome, out terrific guide showed us the King's house (Brett was chosen as King), the medicine man, and how to shoot a bow and arrow.  We finished with more dancing and we were asked to join in the fun.  We were also able to purchase items from a gift area that were made by former poachers.  We even were joined by a delightful couple who were spending the night at the village.  They were from the Japanese tourism board and were learning all about ecotourism options.  Unfortunately, it got dark and we had to head to our guest house.  It was definitely a wonderful visit!

Our Welcome

 

 

 

 

Amazing view of the volcanoes

Airplanes and Airports

International flights are always so fascinating to me.  Our flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was such a delight!  We had people from all over the world on our flight.  It was incredible to learn the stories of the people with whom we were traveling.

Sandy listening to headphones behind Kenna

Sandy was on her way from California to Zambia to visit with her World Vision sponsored child.  This was her second visit to meet with the girl who is now a grown woman helping support her family of three children with skills she received from the World Vision program.  After our flight, Sandy had another flight to Zambia and then a 14 HOUR bus ride to the village of her girl.  She was so excited to enjoy the fellowship of the girl and her family while staying with a local pastor.

 

 

 

Millie visiting with Nahmir

Millie delightful and engaging personality allows her to make friends with everyone!  She spent a lot of time visiting with Nahmir.  He is from Zimbabwe and was on his way home after running his first year of track for TCU.  He was DECKED out in purple TCU gear and was so excited to share about his school.  He shared how difficult the first two months were as he tried to navigate his studies in Mechanical Engineering and his running workouts.  What a fantastic young man!  It made me wonder how many people in the states had him over for dinner or worked to help ease his culture shock...

My new Ethiopian friends

 

 

 

My seatmates were a delightful Ethiopian brother and sister.  From them I learned that the largest concentration of Ethiopian people outside of Ethiopia is in the Washington DC area.  500,000 Ethiopian people live and work in the DC area.  These two were passionately proud of their culture and were going home to see their mother for the first time in twenty years for the sister and two years for the brother.  They were so excited!  The sister repeatedly told me how grateful she was for the United States.  She is an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian and told me she prays everyday for the people of the United States.  She said she was so grateful that here she could have a job and a life.  She personally told me thank you four different times.  Very humbling...

Today I had more humbling experiences on the plane.  Right after we boarded a beautiful young Muslim girl tapped me on the arm.  Along with her brother and mother, she was on the way to meet her father in Minnesota.  She had not seen him in six years and he had never met her brother.  He has been working and saving to bring his family to the United States.  She had never been on a plane before so she had lots of questions.  We both were crying when I welcomed to the USA!  I also received an incredible perspective on African politics from an older gentleman from Zimbabwe on his way to Indiana University. 

On the airplane nations work together kindly and, for a brief moment, we all get along to make the best of our short time in a small place....  Hmmm, makes me wonder why we can't do this more often?!

Kenna

The preschool where we are working is a 45 minute walk from our guest house in Musanze.  It is so much fun to walk with Kenna on the way to the school.  She says hello in Kinyirwandan to EVERYONE we pass!  She loves talking with people she meets on the street, especially the children.  In the van on the way to Musanze from Kigali she waved to EVERYONE out the window.  So sweet!  She is really soaking up this opportunity.  She loves the baby class (2s and 3s) at the preschool and spends most of her time there.  She also really enjoyed talking with people in the adult English class at the preschool.  One of the teachers at the school said she had a gift with little ones and that made her so excited.  Her favorite part of Rwanda is all the babies, and there are LOTS of babies!  All the mothers carry their babies on their backs.  It is really amazing when they carry babies and large loads on their heads.  

Because she is traveling with all teenagers, she has gotten some privileges that she might not normally have.  Nana, you may not want to read this… For example, today she rode a motorcycle taxi ALL BY HERSELF!  In true Willis fashion, she negotiated her own fee with the driver and took off way ahead of the other two teenagers with her.  She said she kept telling her driver “bahora, bahora” (slow down) but he told her no and just kept driving.  So, she decided to relax and enjoy the ride!  She ended up at the wrong hotel and quickly talked with the cook who was getting off his shift to orientate herself with her surroundings.  She saw the other two “muzungus” (white people) walking down the road and caught up with her friends and headed back to the house.  All of this happened while Brett and I were at the market.  We came home and found Kenna reading on her bed and very excited to share her adventure with us!  Very impressive!

She has really been incredible.  She has never complained or whined and has relished this opportunity. Words can’t describe how incredible it has been to share this journey with her.  I have developed a new respect and admiration for Kenna and the gracious and courageous young woman she continues to be.

My New Friend Elsie

Our first night in Rwanda we stayed at a guest house in Kigali.  Our very gracious hostess was quick to accommodate our group of ten and deal with our crazy jet lag.  In the morning, Elsie provided us an excellent breakfast made from veggies from her own garden and eggs that were locally grown as well.  Kayla, I have a new egg recipe for youJ!  After breakfast, our driver was two hours late (the African way) so, Elsie and I began to visit.  When I complemented her English, she began to share with me her story of the genocide.

She lost both parents and is excited to finally bury her father’s bones on August 20^th. She only knows where he is buried because she asked his murderer.  He directed her to a mass grace of 60 people.  She also lost her brother and has helped to raise his daughter ever since.  Her own family escaped to Scotland (where she learned English) to live for 6 and a half years.  She had a two year old and was pregnant at the time they left.  She had two other children born in Scotland.  She said she lived as though she was dead for two years after she arrived.  She was unable to sleep because of the nightmares and was terrified when she was awake.  It was especially difficult for her in the dark winter months.  However, people in Scotland helped get her the support she needed and loved her through the trauma. 

She passionately shared that the only reason she is living is because of Jesus. She said that He gave His life to teach us forgiveness and that is what she chooses to do every day.  Without forgiveness she says she would pass on the hate and death to her children and she refuses to do so.  If she doesn’t forgive she will allow the cycle of hate to continue.  Even as soon as a few weeks ago, the soccer stadium close to her house shot off fireworks after a soccer game.  She and her husband were under their bed in a manner of seconds and crawling to get their children out of their rooms.  She quickly called her best friend, who lost all five children and her husband in the genocide, and they were saying how they would see one another in heaven.  They truly thought “the killers” had returned.  She said they had a good laugh when they realized it was just fireworks!

When she returned to Rwanda, she said there were many widows and orphans just wandering the streets in the same state of mind from which she had been delivered.  She and her husband started a ministry teaching the women how to sew and sell wares that they make.  While sewing, they talk with the women (all widows of the genocide) and the women are finding healing as they share their stories with one another. 

Elsie’s story is astounding.  Listening to her share, I felt very ashamed that the US did nothing to help her and personally apologized.  She quickly took my hand and assured me it was not my fault.  It was a very precious moment.  Her joy is contagious and she is very proud of the new country that has been built in Rwanda.  The people here are beautiful and it is truly remarkable (not a big enough word) how they have chosen to forgive one another and rebuild a new nation. 

You can support the widows group at enhitimana@yahoo.co.uk.  Elsie and her husband sell organic essential oils and their website is www.ikirezi.com.

The Kigali Genocide Memorial

After landing in Kigali, our first place to visit was the Kigali Genocide Memorial.  Very humbling, horrifying and emotional.  The Memorial and gardens are absolutely beautiful.  The grounds overlook the city and are located on a busy street full of life as normal.  The Memorial is incredibly well done and contains photos, artifacts, videos, and personal pictures of the genocide.  Like the Holocaust Museum, there is also an exhibit of other acts of genocide; from Serbia to the Holocaust.  The stories and photos were horrific – especially the room filled with stories and pictures of children murdered in the genocide.  Also at the Memorial are mass graves filled with the remains of 259,000 victims.  It was very emotional for all of us and I sobbed realizing that during the 100 days of the genocide, I was preparing for my wedding and knew absolutely nothing of what was happening in Rwanda.  I truly felt ashamed to be so unaware.  Lesley was very wise to start our trip here.  We all needed this perspective as we began our trip. 

However, what was most remarkable is this country of Rwanda.  This country is thriving.  People have truly rebuilt a strong and growing country within a matter of 17 years.  There are pictures of their President, Paul Kagame, who has made many decisions to carefully unite and restore this country.  When he came into office, he felt strongly that government officials should not be allowed to drive Mercedes in a country where people are starving and got rid of either the cars or the officials – their choice.  He also demanded his citizens build sidewalks and hang outdoor lights throughout the country.  Although people resisted the idea at first, due to cost, they quickly realized his intent when crime was drastically reduced.  They have a new flag and a new anthem that the preschoolers, yes even the 2 year olds, sing every day at the preschool where we are working.  An article from Liberation Day, July 5^th,  said it best when it shared that Rwanda has restored her dignity.  These are truly an incredible people.

PREFER Preschool

For the past two days, we have been working at the PREFER preschool in Kinigi.  It is a 45 minute walk (each way) and the children are amazing!  They are so gracious and welcoming and are really learning well!  We also taught their parents some English yesterday.  The students learn English and in Kinyiwranda.  It is such a joy to work with them!  After work today we headed for the market and I threw caution to the wind and rode back to our house on the back of a motorcycle taxi!  You can also see some of our pictures on the kivutoday.blogspot.com site.  We can't wait to share more pictures and blogs with you.  This is an incredible and beautiful place!  We love you Kayla and Carver!

Our African Adventure

We are having an INCREDIBLE time!  I can't wait to share all about it with you, but our internet is SUPER slow and difficult to find (we are at a hotel right now).  So, please keep praying for us and we will send more pictures and info soon!

Kenna's Heart

We are on the plane to Africa, technically speaking Addis Ababa, Ethiopia flying on Ethiopian Airlines.  From Addis Ababa to Rwanda before then we went from Durango to Denver.  From Denver to Dallas to DC.  Between all of that, we have been flying for a very long time.  In Rwanda we will be going a lot of places.  We will be working with a great preschool.  Going to Africa has been my lifelong dream and now I get to live it.  My dream for Africa started when I was in first grade and discovered that there was a country in Africa called Kenya.  Kenya is just one letter different than Kenna.  This sparked an idea in a young five year old mind.  When I grew up I wanted to move to Africa, mainly Kenya, and be an orphanage mother.  AT the time I wanted to be an orphanage mother because my Aunt and Uncle were in the process of adopting a kid from China.  That plan slowly changed into building an orphanage in Rwanda, be a doctor and go all around Africa telling people about Jesus.  This plan changed because I met the Braners who have two adopted kids from Rwanda, I love biology and I have a heart for kids.  Finally, seven years later, I am living my dream.

Kenna

Sorry we can't upload pictures yet...the internet is REALLY slow!

Rwanda Adventure - Day 1

Our team of 10 is together!  We spent Saturday shuttling to the airport picking up team members and getting to know one another.  We have one student from Colorado, one from Oklahoma and four from Texas.  These students are AMAZING!  They have such great hearts and are very excited for the trip.  One one has never left the country before, so they are all prepared are ready to go.

We spent today in Washington DC before we fly out in the morning.  We visited the National Holocaust Memorial and Museum, enjoyed time on the mall and were very excited about the dress rehearsal for the 4th of July celebration concert.  Some of the musicians performing were Jordin Sparks (former Kivu camper) and Josh Groban!  The Holocaust Museum was incredible.  By far it had the best exhibits of any museum I have ever visited.  Truly thought provoking.  We especially appreciated the exhibit all about the Rwandan genocide.  After leaving there we enjoyed free time on the mall before meeting to go to the eat dinner before the concert.  We found a great little restaurant called the Austin Grill that was totally Austin!  So fun!  While we were eating, however, the sky totally fell!  Torrential rain and high winds left broken branches from trees all over the mall.  Unfortunately that meant no concert (major disappointment) and a very LONG bus ride back to the airport before we could shuttle back to the hotel...  We sure enjoyed bonding as a group and had a nice visit with an Egyptian man on our bus.

Tomorrow we land in Kigali!