By Emily
Gustavus Trip Participant
On Monday, our entire team (both Gustavus and City Hill) spent the entire day at the PEFA orphanage. Basically, it was awesome! We cleaned and cleaned and cleaned until every corner was spotless… well maybe not spotless, but as close as you can get in Rwanda. When we got there some of us washed children and clothes while others played with the children. It was so great to see the kids being entertained at every moment! I smiled so big every time I heard giggles or saw the huge white smiles of the orphans. Even though none of the kids know enough English to tell you how much they appreciate you, their joyful response was more than enough to know. For the rest of the day we blasted though every room in the orphanage. Our team got through red dust, dirt and grime, along with about 100 bed bugs and 2 dead mice. As for me, I took out broken glass from many windows. That was quite an adventure, especially since my tools were one pocket knife, a pliers and some duct tape (but I must admit that any problem can be solved with the use of a little, or a lot, of duct tape). I’m not even sure that I can describe how the Lord has moved through this place! No, it is not spotless and yes there are still many bugs of sorts and broken glass, but the women who work there are learning how to keep things hygienic and the children are being taken care of in a healthier manner than we can ever remember. The buildings are becoming safer every time that we are there and that is a truth that cannot be hidden. Our mission when we first entered PEFA was to serve, and yesterday was a fantastic example. Also as an extra event added onto our day, Karen and Cindi took one of the mama’s to the bank in order to get health insurance. Their insurance here costs about 3000 RWF (which is less than 5 US dollars). However, none of the Mama’s could afford the small fee because 3000 RWF is a lot for them. Now that they have insurance, they can finally go into the doctor for an ordinary check up or for more serious ailments. Which also means that they will be able to take better care of the orphans because they will be able to be around more often and sick less often. That entire day was an account of many miracles in a very short amount of time. God is so big and has found favour on PEFA.
Blessings to all in the States!