Blog day # 133 in a day of my life. RWANDA-SCHOOL- our support from COMMUNITY LUTHERAN CHURCH.

    Yesterday afternoon, we became part of the support group for our mission project in RWANDA, Africa. You see, we as a church , have been sending money, supplies and people to build a school! This has been going on for a long time, and we almost made the decision to go there in 10 days as part of our church group. We have been to Morocco in North Africa, and this would of been exciting. However, vacation time just did not allow it for me. Now that Sherry is retired, I have to use them accordingly.



      The students at the school, several who visited the DC area last year and Sherry was part of the tour guide group that took them all over Washington DC. She has remained friends with them through email and facebook.

  School room instruction. many walk miles to attend.

Part of our work, is construction of the school itself and dorms for the students to stay in.

       You just do not know the joy they express for the help we give.


So, yesterday at the fund raiser, it was broken down into several different events. Going to school was the theme. There was a Math class- a History class and an English class. The later dealt with Rwanda itself as did the History class. There was wine tasting, six different wines from South Africa, a silent auction, and a wine walk- much like the old cake walks of my younger years, this time , bottles of wine were the prizes. You had a report card, and you were graded and sent to the next event. Oh, I failed to mention. ROAD RALLY!!!!!!  YES ROAD RALLY. 19 MILES IN NORTHERN VA. TRAFFIC! WE ARE CRAZY! LOL LOL
   STUDENTS AND CONGREGATION MEET.

WELL, WE DID START, AND WITHIN 100 YARDS, WE WERE PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE AND ARGUING ABOUT WHAT TURN TO TAKE!!!!!   LOL  NOTE: DO THIS WITH A THIRD PARTY OR ANOTHER COUPLE, AND MEN, TAKE YOUR TIME, DO NOT TURN FROM NON TURNING LANES , AND USE TURN SIGNALS!!!!  LOL LOL LOL

IT WAS AN ADVENTURE. FIRST PART WAS A SCAVENGER HUNT. A PAPER CONTAINED 50 OR MORE ITEMS WITH A POINT VALUE. THE TOP THREE ITEMS WERE REQUIRED TO FIND. CHOP STICKS-BIRDSEED AND JUMBLE MARSHMALLOW'S-24 TO A PACK. A FOUNTAIN-REQUIRING OUR PICTURE STANDING IN FRONT OF IT! (NOTE: OUR CHURCH HAS A COURT YARD WITH A FOUNTAIN-ALL WE HAD TO DO WAS FIND SOMEONE TO TAKE THE PICTURE-BINGO-50 POINTS!) NO ONE ELSE THOUGHT OF THIS! HINT-TAP ME ON THE SHOULDER! LOL

              TEACHER WORKSHOP.

BACK TO THE CHURCH- TURN IN OUR ITEMS - 135 POINTS- WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO THE SECOND PART. ALLOCADES TO THE NOODLE SHOP FOR PERMITTING ME TO GET THE CHOP STICKS!

         DELIVERING A SPEECH IN ENGLISH WHICH THE
                                                            WHOLE SCHOOL WROTE.

NOW, ITS FOLLOWING 4 PAGES OF INSTRUCTIONS, THROUGH TRAFFIC AT RUSH HOUR. WHAT ARE WE DOING?  YOU KNOW, THIS IS GETTING FUN. NO WAIT, WHERE IS THAT SIGN, DID WE MAKE A WRONG TURN? YES!
   INSTRUCTORS INSTRUCTING.

WE ARE LOST- GET TO THE RESET POINT, WAIT, SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE THERE BUT WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD. WE ARE GOING WRONG DIRECTION! LOL

YOU MUST HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO THIS!  LOL 
  THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES ARE HELPING TO BUILD.

OKAY- MILES ARE PILING UP- WHERE IS THAT SCHOOL? CAN'T FIND IT' MAKE A TURN, CLUE, SOMEONE IS WATCHING YOU!!  WHO-WHAT-WHERE?????
THERE WERE A LOT OF CARS WATCHING US STOP AND START-TURN AROUND-SLOW DOWN- TURN WRONG WAY. IS THAT WHAT THEY MEAN? NEVER DID FIND THAT ONE!  LOL
  2011- GRAND OPENING DAY-SCHOOL IN BACK GROUND.

STUDENTS DANCING IN TRADITIONAL COSTUMES.

OKAY, WE HAVE TO BE BACK AT 6PM BECAUSE WE ARE IN CHARGE OF THE CLASS ROOMS AND IT IS 5:50 PM. WE HAVE GONE 22.8 MILES, AND IT IS A GOOD 10 MIN'S. BACK!
    PART OF THE STAFF.

WE GET BACK, AND ARE GRADED. (NOTE: NO ONE RECEIVES A GRADE LESS THAN A C- FOR EFFORT!)    GRADE C-. WE TRIED-DIDN'T FINISH AND HAD GONE 4 MILES OVER THE LIMIT! LOL WE ARE BAD- AMAZING RACE?  LOL   I DON'T THINK SO!
     POTTERY MADE BY CHURCH MEMBERS AND STUDENTS TO HELP PAY FOR THE SCHOOL.

NOW, WE GET TO BE INSTRUCTORS! WELL, JUST HAD THEM A BLANK ANSWER SHEET AND THE TYPED QUESTIONS, TELL THEM TO BRING THEM BACK, USE CHEAT CHEAT TO GRADE THEM. NO, THAT IS THE ANSWER-SEE-IT IS WRITTEN DOWN HERE! NO, I DIDN'T DO THIS, I AM THE TEACHER AND I HAVE THE CHEAT CHEAT!!  LOL LOL LOL
   FOR EVERY CHILD WHO ATTENDS-THERE ARE MULTITUDES OF THOSE WHO DO NOT. SAD-BUT TRUE!

    IDEAS AND PRAYERS PLAY A MAJOR PART OF THE SCHOOL- FAITH THAT WE WILL HELP AND THEY WILL HAVE A SCHOOL.

NOW IT IS TIME FOR THE WINE WALK-RELUCTANTLY I GO, ME-ONE OTHER GUY AND 12 WOMEN! SHAKE THOSE HIPS-WAVE THOSE ARMS-RAISE THOSE FEET- I AM DOING THIS FOR A BOTTLE OF WINE? I DO NOT EVEN LIKE WINE! NOW IF IT WERE BEER- I WOULD BE SINGING AND I CAN'T SING-SO IT WOULD BE HOWLING!!!   LOL LOL LOL

  BUILDING TRUST-IN YOUR LORD AND COMPANIONS.

OKAY- THERE ARE 4 PEOPLE LEFT WHO HAVE NOT GONE TO THE WINE TASTING OF 6 OR 7 DIFFERENT SOUTH AFRICAN WINES. BUT SHERRY, I DO NOT LIKE WINE! TOM YOU HAVE TO GO, YOU WILL LIKE IT, AND BESIDE , YOU ARE THE TEACHER!
QUESTION- WHAT DOES TEACHING HAVE TO DO WITH DRINKING WINE?  LOL
  THE SCHOOL ALSO IS STAFFED WITH AMERICAN EDUCATORS FROM AMERICAN CHURCHES.

WINE TASING 101- PLEASE- DO NOT FILL MY GLASS- TASTE IT-ROLL IT-SNIFF IT-LOOK AT IT WITH WHITE BACKGROUND????? LET ME TELL YOU- IT LOOKS THE SAME, SMELLS THE SAME , ROLLS THE SAME AND TASTE THE SAME, HINT, THOSE EMPTY BOTTLES OR JARS IN FRONT OF YOU- GOOD PLACE TO DEPOSIT THE WINE. (NOTE- DO THEY USE THIS NEXT DAY FOR COMMUNION?) LOL LOL


ACTUALLY- I DO LIKE COMMUNION WINE- I ALWAYS ASK SHERRY IF WE CAN BUY THAT SO I CAN DRINK IT. "REALLY TOM!!!"
     STUDENTS LEARN TO FARM GOD'S WAY.

YOU HAVE TO KNOW, MOST OF THE ADULTS WERE KILLED IN THE GENOCIDE, ONLY THE YOUNG REMAINED-NO ONE TO TEACH THEM-WAYS OF LIFE WERE DESTROYED- AND THERE WAS NO MEMORY LEFT. SAD- BUT WE ARE HELPING.

SO THE SILENT AUCTION BEGINS- SOLD-SOLD-SOLD! MONEY RAISED. OH, I FORGOT TO MENTION, WE HAD DINNER, PROVIDED BY THE CHURCH COUNCIL AND ALL OF THE ABOVE FOR $20.00!!!!!!!!! AND THEY STILL RAISED A LOT OF MONEY . GODS POWER AT WORK THROUGH THE CONGREGATION!
  WHAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED-READING!

THE NIGHT WAS DONE- REPORT CARDS PLEASE. SOMEHOW I GRADED OUT TO 6 TH PLACE AND SHERRY 3RD PLACE. THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I PICKED HER!LOL
    THE PEOPLE OF RWANDA NEED OUR HELP. MAYBE NEXT YEAR WE WILL GO. MAYBE WE WILL GO OVER AND WORK WITH THEM. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHERE OUR PATH WITH THE LORD WILL LEAD.


SO THAT WAS OUR SATURDAY EVENING- DRIVING-TEACHING-GRADING-DANCING-TASTING- ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE.

I HAVE ALREADY SUGGESTED- OCTOBER FEST-BEER-BEER-BEER- RAISE YOUR STEIN AND I WILL MEET YOU HALF WAY!  GO IN PEACE-SERVE THE LORD-THE LORD BE WITH YOU!


                            FOR INFO TO HELP: RWANDASCHOOLPROJECT.ORG