Road to Rwanda---Christmas '24

  God’s richest blessings this Christmas Dear Friends, Family, and Dearly Loved, Merry Christmas!!   We have been blessed beyond measure this year!! Mainly because we have continued to be able to work and live here in the beautiful country of Rwanda and teach at Virunga Valley Academy-----look it up on your social media!   And in praying about our Christmas letter I feel like, rather than writing about our family…which overall is doing very well….I want to talk about the struggles faced by this country in which we live. First, I want you to know that Rwanda is listed as the safest country in Africa, the most densely populated country in Africa, and our town is one of the best places to see highland Silverback mountain gorillas.   We live very comfortably on our social security check. Every day (with consideration for the clouds and mist) we see the 5 incredible volcanoes that surround our town of Musanze. However, the struggles are also real.   We were j...

Road to Rwanda (via Indonesia memories)

  Do you remember our post during the time we were in Papua, Indonesia about the miraculous response to the preaching of the gospel in a remote village area? This was after years of preparation and  70+ individuals accepted the gosple message within a matter of a few days.  Well, this is an update that MAF is posting.  Praise the Lord To read the previous posts about the Dem people look here: https://asiabeatitudes.blogspot.com/2021/04/road-to-indonesia-dem-people.html Road to Indonesia---The Dem People https://asiabeatitudes.blogspot.com/2021/04/road-to-indonesia-spreading-gospel.html Road to Indonesia---Spreading the Gospel https://asiabeatitudes.blogspot.com/2021/09/road-to-indonesia-gospel-ii.html#:~:text=Road%20to%20Indonesia%2D%2D%2DGospel%20II Road to Indonesia---Gospel (Read back through some of our previous posts...you will enjoy them.)

Road to Rwanda---Created Equal

  “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness” .   I suspect that you are not going to like this post and are also going to be surprised (shocked). Yesterday in my AP World History class, I read the above beginning to the US Declaration of Independence.  I was just hurrying through it, assuming they had heard it many times (and I am SURE they have heard it before in many contexts, but obviously had not stopped to really "hear" it.) I was part way through, when one of the girls asked me to stop.  They could see the words written on the overhead.The phrase she was questioning was that we believe "all men are created equal".  She asked me to tell them again where this was written? I told them.  She said, "Isn't that ironic?" and the whole class burst out laughing.  I stopped, absolutely stun...

Road to Rwanda--Our Home

  A Google picture of the gate to our home in Musanze, Rwanda. There are 7 apartments inside the gate. It isn't locked, but does have a guard that opens the gate for cars and generally cares for us. We are very blessed to have such nice living arrangements about a mile from the school. I take a motocycle taxi to school every morning, and then walk (down hill) every afternoon. It is a good life. Like Comment Share

Road to Rwanda---Tying up Threads

 So many threads to try to give updates on: The Rwanda church continues to deal with extensive closings.  Although there are some buildings still available for worship, there is a significant number which are not opened, and very little projection that they will open again soon.  The Church, as a body of believers, continues to follow Jesus. Paul's mother-in-law continues in the rehabilitation facility, dealing with the aftermath of her Father's Day accident.  She asks for prayer as the pain meds are less effective. It is still unclear as to what future interventions will be needed.  She perseveres in Jesus. Paul's father-in-law's appentectomy is postponed to an indefinite date. The trees cut down in the forest beside our school is complete, but there has been no movement to implement the planned big vehicle parking area.  The State Department is evidently investigating and that is good.   Mpox (monkeypox) does not necessarily seem to be spreading...

Road to Rwanda---Grandbabies

 We deeply love and are so very proud of all five of our grandkids.  They are each unique kids with so many gifts.....just as their parents and aunties (our 4 children) are. Because we live the life that we do, our time with them is limited, but we do see them for an intense week or more at least once a year, when we live in their houses.  None of them have ever been to our house, unless you count our RV's. I soothe myself with the knowledge that there are grandparents who don't get even as much time as we do with their grandkids.  The Lord's words promise us that there will be rewards that we don't understand for the time we have sacrificed away from family. Not to single out one grandbaby, but Sophie's mommy posted this on FB, and I decided I wanted to share it. THIS is what being a missionary is all about:  As a Christian mom raising teenagers... I just want to share how proud I am of Sophie being a light to her classroom. She has connected with the girls in ...