Manchester Christian Church is partnering with The Way Home, a non-profit dedicated to helping low-income households obtain and succeed in safe, affordable housing, to provide 300 backpacks for under-resourced students in our community! Don’t forget to bring your filled backpack to MCC this Sunday, Aug 1 or Sunday, Aug 8!!

Backpacks are needed for the following age groups:

Elementary school (K-5) boys & girls
Middle school (6-8) boys & girls
High school (9-12) boys & girls 

Check out the supply list below!

• Brand new backpack (age/sex listed at top of form)
• 1 - package of #2 Pencils 
• 1 - Pencil Sharpener 
• 1 - package of Ballpoint Pens 
• 1 - Yellow Highlighter 
• 1 - package of Markers
• 1 - 12” Ruler
• 1 - Glue Stick
• 1 - One-Subject Spiral Notebook

Please include this supply list in your filled backpack.

Email Linda Hamel at arhamel5@msn.com with questions!

Well, this is it. 18 days sounds like a lot, but for most of us it came and went in a heartbeat. I think the six of us still here are somewhat denying that we’re actually leaving tomorrow.

We started today with one of our favorite people, Amos. He spent a lot of time with us in Kibuye and we didn’t get to say good bye so he stopped by to pray and just be with us for a few minutes. What a special spirit he is and a definite new forever friend.

We then headed out to visit a co-op of deaf women that our transportation coordinator connected us with. These women started up a small business making handbags, aprons, wallets etc. Some of them were also ex-prostitutes who are now out of that lifestyle, going to church and making a real life for them and their families. It made me remember why we do Fair Trade at MCC and put a face to all of that once again.

We then did some last minute shopping with Patrice, had lunch and then headed to the Prayer Palace to watch Pastor Moses in action. He was our interpreter in Kibuye last summer and a few people (including Jeri on our team) couldn’t wait to surprise him at church and see him again. Patrick (another interpreter from last summer) also met us there and interpreted for Pastor Moses. It was so cool to see them in action together again!!

Finally, tonight we all caught a van to Heaven for dinner to spend our last evening with some kindred spirits we have grown to love deeply.  As I looked around at each team member at the dinner table tonight, I was so struck at how much I have grown to truly LOVE each one. It was so neat watching Abby & Emilie giggle with our interpreter Emmanuel (lovingly known as Emmy) like they’ve know each other for years. Abby laughed so hard she was having trouble breathing J Jeri spent some sweet and emotional moments with Pastor Moses and we just picked up where we left off with Patrick! Patrice kept leaning over again and again to whisper “I just love this” with a tear in his eye. I agreed. It was a family sitting around that table tonight and an evening most of us will never forget. We even got to hang out with John Paul, a server at Heaven we have known for years and who continues to take such good care of us whenever we go there. They even had warm blankets hanging on the backs of the chairs for when it got chillier.

It was an emotional ride home as we slowly dropped each one off at their respective houses. Tomorrow Patrice and Emmy will come to the airport to see us off but it was so hard saying goodbye, or ‘see you later’ to the others. The friends we have here in Rwanda are so special and we all can’t wait to get back here and continue PEACE!! It is SO late so I must sign off… thanks to each one who left us some love here on our blog, that meant more than you know! We tried to sit around each night and read your comments and laugh and cry over them too. Love you all! Thanks for your prayers and support, this is a trip I will never, ever forget!!

a fond farewell

Oh so happy to report that our travel group of 12 made it back today, weary but still grinning from ear-to-ear because of the incredible days we had in “The Land of a Thousand Hills”.  In case you missed it, out team has travelled on two itineraries coming and going and the my group arrived back in Manchester in two contingents because of a DC connection that was just too tight to make!  Fortunately for all of us, rescheduled connections to Boston for some and Manchester for others resulted in us all getting to MCC at roughly the same time!  Now, why do you think that worked out so well?  Thank you, Father.

It is sincerely rich to be home but home is in our hearts and our hearts will ache for Rwanda for a very long time.  Hopefully forever. We are all in various states of wonder as we reaclimate to what we are so used to, while considering the other normal that we tasted in Rwanda.  Getting to spend our last two days traveling together reminded me of how tight we all have become.  It was all very real to me when we were at the United ticket desk sorting out our rescheduled flights today and every person and their great gifts just worked together to fill every gap.  With love and hugs we knew that after all we had just witnessed in the churches, homes, on the soccer fields and even on the cow farms, this puny challenge was not going to be any big deal at all.  Thanks team, for your unrelenting support and supernatural love.  It has been my honor to serve hand in hand with you.

So, signing off for Rachel, Rebekah, Lauren, Steph, Michelle, Steph, Jessica, John, Brit, Lisa, Sarah and Lynne.  Thank you for praying with us for the Rwandan brothers, sisters, pastors, CPV/CPS’s, interpreters, leaders, PEACE staff, and for our team.  Your prayers and ours reach our God who pours out his love into our hearts so that we can all together cry out, Abba Father! - and we are so so grateful for you.

Some pics from yesterday and today

Hey guys! Sorry for the update a day late! We were exhausted last night.  Yesterday, my team left Kibuye at around 8:15am to get to Kigali.  When we got here, we went to the Bourbon for lunch.  For all of us, it was the first food that tasted similar to our home’s food since we’ve been here. Delicious!  Later that evening, we met with the other twelve at the restaurant Heaven for our last meal together.  We all had to say some goodbyes to friends that were going back home & some that have been with us these past two weeks and were now leaving.  It was definitely not easy, but it’s just a see you later.

Today the team of 12 left for their journey home.  Be praying for safe travels! They’ll be arriving mid-day on Thursday.  As for the team still here, we woke up at 4 am this morning to go on our safari.  Not going to lie, it was dreadful waking up that early, but extremely worth it.  We saw the most beautiful animals this morning.  The best on my list were the zebras, baboons, hippos and the giraffe we almost didn’t get to see.  As we were headed out, there was a giraffe in the middle of the road.  How cool!  None of us knew it was there until we heard Lisa scream in the front seat.  It was a good cause… I guess. We ended up following the giraffe around and it was literally one of the most beautiful animals I have ever seen.  It was huge, yet moved with such grace.

The safari ended early and we decided to go to the genocide memorial. I knew as soon as we got there that it would not be easy.  While walking through the memorial, I was with someone who has become a dear friend to me on this trip.  He started to tell me his story as we walked together.  I was informed that he had lost two siblings during the genocide and one had been severely and permanently injured.  As he told me more about his experience, I started to get emotional.  It started to become extremely realistic to me that this tragedy really happened and everyone in this country has been deeply affected in one way or another.  It hadn’t been real to me up to this point, for this country is astoundingly beautiful, and so are all the smiling faces we pass everyday.

When the children’s section of the memorial came, the emotions I had are unexplainable.  It was one of the most difficult things seeing pictures of children and reading about their murder.

There was a sign at the end of that section in quotes saying “I didn’t choose to be an orphan.”  So many children have lost their entire families and it wasn’t their fault.  It was when I read that sign when thoughts of “Why God?” and “How could you let this happen?” and “This isn’t fair” came into my mind.  I thought of the verse stating “with God, all things are possible.”  Yet again, I found myself questioning why it happened.

I think the hardest thing for me to accept is realizing that I won’t be able to understand why no matter how hard I try.  It’s a mystery and a challenge to trust that God knows what He is doing.  This experience has really caused all of us to sit back and think.  It’s up to us to promote PEACE and have faith in our amazing and graceful God.

What we saw today was just another reason to keep perservering in God’s global mission.  It’s our responsibility to stand up and make the tough stuff known.  Easy? Absolutely no way.  Worth it? Yes indeed.  It’s time to love like there’s no tomorrow, no matter what the circumstance.  For his glory, not ours.  Fight for the poor, the weak, the broken.  Jesus died for us to live for Him, remember?

On a lighter note, tonight our group will be heading the Bourbon Coffee again for dinner with some friends. Then Pastor Theophile and Patrice are meeting us for dessert!!  After a long day, some laid back time is what we need.  Fellowship is awesome.  Hope you’re all doing well back home.  See you in a few days!

Right now we are sitting in Kigali National Airport waiting to get on our plane. Everybody’s emotions are kind of crazy right now. This morning we all had breakfast and then got together as a big group and had our last meeting in Rwanda. Lets just say that by the end of the meeting, almost everybody was crying. It has been so amazing to get so close to a group of people and to experience crazy life changes together. Last night was probably one of the greatest nights of being here though. We were reunited with Lisa Mazur’s group for dinner at Heaven (the name is exactly how it sounds). Dinner was amazing and we were joined by Patrick (last year’s interpreter), his fiance, Pam and Emmy. Saying goodbye to our new friends was probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Getting so close to these people for two unforgettable weeks and then leaving not knowing when i will see them again breaks my heart. They have promised to keep in touch though :) I am excited to see our relationships continue to grow even just through email and facebook until we see them again. Leaving Rwanda feels very strange. Everybody has become so used to life here. Even I was caught saying “Nitwa Rachel” in my sleep last night. haha :) Leaving our friends and this beautiful country is extremely sad but at the same time we are all very excited to see our friends and family tomorrow. The only word to describe our feelings is bittersweet.

Muraho! The 6 of us that remain in Kibuye have been enjoying our last few hours here… a bittersweet day. We spent last night watching the World Cup with hundreds of our Rwandan friends; an experience I’m sure none of us will forget for a very long time. We said goodbye to our new friends from Saddleback after the game, and enjoyed a quiet night back at the St. Jean Guesthouse. This morning we had a late breakfast and then walked to the St. Jean Church. It is a genocide memorial, but it is also still used for worship on Sundays. It is hard to convey what it was like to be inside that church. Knowing that 11,000 people were killed there tore at my heart. I sat there trying to imagine what it would have been like to be there. The overwhelming terror one would feel, being in a place that is supposed to be so safe and finding it to be the exact opposite. I experienced so many mixed emotions because although there was so much suffering, God has brought redemption. Knowing that people still gather there to worship despite the events of the past is amazing. It was a very special experience to visit that church. Later on, we headed to the trade show and had a blast trying to barter and get the best prices. We spent much of the afternoon packing, and then had dinner at the Bethanie one last time. This “Last Supper” was fantastic, and we had a great time with our interpreter and our driver. Out of all the days we’ve spent here, this last day was one of my favorites. We are all so excited to see family and friends this coming Sunday, so until then – Imana ibahe umugisha! (God bless you all!)