Road to Rwanda----Christmas Traditions

  I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dicken’s   A Christmas Carol   to my middle school students this December.   However, it did open up many sentiments and thoughts in my own mind as I processed the differences between US and Rwandan Christmas traditions.   As one of the anticipatory set activities before we read A Christmas Carol, I had them discuss (agree/disagree) with a list of statements.   One of the items was the statement: “Christmas traditions are important.”   Almost complete unanimity on their part that they were NOT important.   As I questioned further, I found out that none of them really receive Christmas presents.   These are not at all destitute students.   Most of their parents pay a nice tuition sum for their attendance at our school.   They are middle and upper middle-class children. The more I thought about this, the more my heart was hurt. The next day I told them that this fact brought tears to my eyes.   (Being middle schoolers, their response was “Does that mean you

Road to Rwanda----End of Semester

 God is so good. I was so concerned that I would not be able to get all the end of semester things done because of being gone to the US for those 2 and a half weeks. But I am in better shape than I nearly have ever been going into the last week of school before Christmas break.  School at VVA (Rwanda) has been delightful, sharing A Christmas Story  with the students, and I will be able to enter their final grades on Wednesday.  For Peking Univeristy, which will also end the semester on December 16, rather than the 31st,  I have nearly completed their grades.  Because PKU is closing early,  our assignment schedule was compacted. Rick and I have had one long essay, one short essay, and a portfolio between December 1 and December 16, which means we have each grade 300 items during that 2 weeks.  I am very close to being done.  I am now just costing through the last week of classes, enjoying my students and anticipating Christmas.  I am sure it is due to your prayers.   Sister's memori