Kigali: July 22

July 22

Today I spent the day with Steven. I met Steven in 2007 at the Amahoro conference and I’ve stayed in contact with him. There are a group of friends from the UK and the US who are partnering with him. I’m beginning to see that there are a ton of orphans and widows all over Rwanda. It is interesting how in the Ukraine this summer I saw that so many churches were participating in ministry to those struggling with addictions. Yet here in Rwanda the church (and a 1000 other kinds of non-church related NGO’s) are serving orphans and widows. It is at least the story of HIV/Aids, the Genocide and poverty that creates the struggle here.

Steven invited me to join him and some of the members in his community as they handed out food items. One of the young men wrote down all the names of young people who are in the youth cooperative. Then people waited until their name was called. When their name was called they brought containers to receive oil, rice, sugar, and flour. It wasn’t much but each person got something of everything. Some brought paper bags for the dry goods. Others had only their back packs. Imagine putting flour into your backpack. As the girl who was helping poured the flour into the backpack she frowned. She too even thought this wasn’t the best method. It took a couple of hours for the whole process. The youth were patient as they waited. I played with some of the kids and tried talking to some of the youth. When it was all done we loaded some food into a car for Steven and his family.

I got to see Steven’s home. I remember seeing his home in 2007 and this home is a mansion compared to that house! The kids even have bunk beds instead of sleeping on the floor. Steven and his wife have something like 16 kids--he has “adopted” most of them. I met some of them. Most were at school. I’m not sure how his household works. Steven mentioned during our visit that when the kids reach a certain age they move in with other kids. So some of the young women and young men I met in the village, he said, used to live with him.

Steven pointed out the water that recently “turned on” or was “installed. I’m not sure when this happened but it just boggles my mind to think of a not having running water. Even though I’m here and constantly seeing people carrying yellow jerry cans I still struggle to really comprehend walking hours every day for water. On Tuesday I missed walking to the water hole that Steven’s community uses. The group of American women I’ve joined some this week made that trek to see what walking to the waterhole is like. They said it took about an hour to get there. I can not imagine walking everyday to fetch water from a watering hole. I imagine when those get water in their home it changes their lives drastically.

Later this afternoon Steven introduced me to a friend of his who wanted to share her story with me. She is a survivor of the genocide. She lost her husband and was raped multiple times. Her two kids survived also. Admittedly, it felt a bit awkward to here her story without any sort of relationship. However, she explained that when Steven asked if she would like to get together with me she agreed because she wants people to know what happened. She said that many women she knows do not tell because there is so much shame. What courage it must take to share your story--a story of horrific suffering with people! Her courage really touched me.

Tonight I had a uniquely African experience. This week Philbert and his cousin, Augustine, told Sophie and I about the Rwandan Sauna. It sounded something like the Korean Bathhouse. Philbert asked Sophie and I if we wanted to try it. Sophie is up for everything! Me too. So we went. Let me just say that I’m glad she was with me! We were both glad to have another female companion in this experience.

In my mind I pictured a really nice “western” place much like an upscale hotel. Ha. Julene, let’s be real! It was a nice building but it was still very African. We entered and Sophie and I were given a large green sarong to cover ourselves with. We were directed into a women’s changing area. I was envisioning a locker room behind the curtain with benches, sinks, and shower stalls. Sure I saw the shower stalls in the main room when we walked in but certainly there were women specific showers. Yeah, right. Behind the curtain was a room with pegs on the walls for clothes and slippers on the floor for our feet. It was very simple. We changed and were both feeling nervous and uncomfortable. How does this sarong work? How will we keep it from coming off or falling down? “We can do it.” When we exited the changing room Augustine and Philbert were waiting for us in their own sauna attire. They lead us into the sauna.

Like Sophie reflected the “sauna” was a mix between a steam room and a sauna in the States. It was a large room with two levels of seating along the walls. At the back of the room was the steam maker. There were spices that lay over top of the steam maker. The room was hot and smelled of a potent lemony scent. Honestly it smelled of Pinesol. Sophie and I were the only two Muzungu. There may have been one other women in the sauna. The rest were men. We were the talk of the room. The guys joked that with us in the sauna there was no need for light. Our light skin was light enough. Ha…ha.. On the floor of the sauna a man was giving another man “a wash”. Later Philbert and Augustine would receive “a wash”. I was asked if I wanted one and declined. Yeah, that wouldn’t be fun….guys staring at me “getting a wash”. I’m all for experience but even I have my limit. Apparently one of the men was willing to pay to give us a wash but the man working retorted that it was his job and if anyone were to was the Muzungu it would be him. Yeah, no wash for me!

We went from the intensely hot sauna to the “resting room” and back and forth a few times. I was done after 3 rounds. Those shower stalls in the entrance….well they were for everyone. I found one in a corner that seemed more private. There was a shower curtain! I took a real shower! I haven’t had a real shower in 2 weeks. I’ve bathed every day at Philbert’s (and with warm water, by the way) but he doesn’t have a fully functioning shower head. So tonight I took a shower. The water was cold but at it was a true shower. Oh the niceties of western culture.

We ended our evening with dinner out. All of us were ready for bed after dinner. The sauna experience and a good meal prepared us well for rest. I wish I could sleep in tomorrow morning! I have to meet up with Blake and Lindsay, the Nazarene missionaries, at 6:45am. It has been another full day of experience and adventure!