In case you missed it...

Just in case you couldn't make it Sunday we would love to have you at our Neighbor's Together ladies morning. I'm sharing on my experience and trip on Tuesday, September 27th.

And also coming up but not penciled into our calendar is an open house sometime before Christmas!

July 10th East Petersburg Mennonite Church

For those of you who have been asking I will be sharing more from my trip on Sunday July 10th at East Petersburg Mennonite Church. The service begins at 10am. Hope to see you there!

Jewelry Making

We have a great group of ladies that are interested in sewing and/or jewelry making. We set up a Wednesday meeting to go over logistics and were hoping maybe 12-14 ladies would show up. Wondering about their commitment when they all have families and children to take care of and are traveling by foot, we were not sure how many would be able to make our first meeting. As they began to pour in we started counting and had 25 interested ladies from the church! Overwhelmed and needing to start somewhere we encouraged those who could not read or write to take a current class being held at the church before enrolling in the sewing class or jewelry class. 

There was a teacher from the church found right away and the ladies had been given a small amount of money to buy supplies and get started on their jewelry making. 

Appolinare (Val's hubby and pastor at PEFA) translated as I spoke to the women making jewelry about particular styles and lengths.

The beadwork is simply beautiful! They are off to a great start.

Well I'm back! Sewing class has begun!

I have so much to share with you I'm not exactly sure where to start! I had a wonderful time in Rwanda. Beautiful scenery, beautiful people, and a great deal of hope. It was so touching seeing the women gather together so eager to learn something new. It took the full 2 weeks of "Rwandan" time to get this project underway.

One of our first tasks was to secure the location and rental of the shop. Though it was a bit more monthly cost than we were expecting I was pleasantly surprised at the size and overall look of it. When you pass by mud brick homes your mind starts to wonder what we are getting into. ;-) Here is a peek of the inside and outside of the shop. With one fairly large room and a smaller supply/office space it was perfect!

We were quite the curiosity of the village and aways had little ones (and some adults!) trying to peer into the windows and doors...

Next order of business was picking up the sewing machines. In my "american" mind we were going to pick up six nice, new, little treadle sewing machines. They were new and nicely packed into 10 boxes!  We rented a large truck to haul them back to the shop which we may not have needed for the boxes but made good use of the rental and picked up a table too.

There is the truck...and to the right...our sewing machines...

So then of course came an extra not expected step...assembly!

I would've had loved to have Phil there to help with putting them together.

But armed with a screwdriver this gentleman did the best he could.

Although the actual stand seemed cheap and basic the machine it's self was heavy iron and looked ready to do some major sewing!

We then went on to do more shopping for supplies at the market in Kigali. Pictures cannot do this place justice! Isles and isles of fabric well over our heads. Each little section was run by someone different and we were pulled in many directions to "come see" each shop. We finally decided on some fair prices and found some beautiful prints!

The next shopping day we were off to another market that had more "hardware" ducas (shops). They were a sight to be seen and we nothing like our home depots! Clean up on isle 10!

A charcoal stove to heat the charcoal irons.

The woman on the left is ironing with a charcoal iron like we purchased. The top part flips up so that it can be filled with hot charcoal. 

With the majority of the shopping done we met with a sewing teacher which we instantly loved and new she would be a great inspiration for the ladies learning to sew. They are starting with the basics and enjoying every moment of it. 

More pictures soon!

Final week in the states!

Well it's here. When I booked my ticket I clearly remember thinking that the trip was so far away. Well it's not anymore! I leave the states on Memorial day from DC.

I cannot wait to get this project started! I'm clearly aware that "Rwanda time" is nothing like our time here in America. So I'm realizing that this is going to be quite a lot of work and even more waiting to get things in order and purchased. So I'm really glad I have 2 weeks and I'm happy that Valerie and Appolinaire have begun the research so we have a plan of action while I'm there. Securing the location and buying the sewing machines are first on the agenda then off to shop for supplies.

I'm also very excited that some of the women wish to learn jewelry making. For those who know me know that this is close to my heart. I'm excited to see what beads and items are available there. And again I think I'll have something to learn about how Rwandans to things. And it will be an adjustment to our lives, where everything is available to us and fast! 

I think the pace and simplicity will be refreshing.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to post while I'm in Rwanda. I believe it takes along time to upload large files such as photos etc. But no worries. When I get back I'll have plenty to share and even more pictures. So stay tuned!

Yum!

Just wanted to share a few photos from the BBQ fundraiser! 

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this possible.

We raised over double the money that I had hoped! Yay!

The Hands For Hope project that has begun with a simple idea between two sisters has been confirmed time and time again. There has not been a single stumbling block and every door has been opened and God has shown up in so many ways. I had been dragging my feet, hesitant in leaving my family behind, and just not listening to God's call in my life. I'm just one of those people that God has to be blunt with when he wants me to follow. Someone once told me it's "just a good mix of faith and staying grounded". Most recently my sister had a dream that once again confirmed what we are doing. I wanted to share it with you...

 Woman's Hands

Having Hope

I would love to thank each one of you personally for helping out or just eating the BBQ chicken on Saturday. It was such a success! We pretty much sold everything that we grilled and had a wonderful turn out. So thank you! With that said I will be able to take more than double the funds to Rwanda with me next month! That means more sewing machines and more fabric. I'm so excited to follow this through and even more excited to see Hands For Hope come to life.

Seventeen years ago "hope" was not in many of the Rwanda people vocabulary. Today is the anniversary of the beginning of the devastating and deadly genocide where one million Rwandans lost their lives at the hands of their peers, friends and neighbors. It lasted 100 days. 100 days where the world closed their eyes. 100 days of horror. If you haven't seen Hotel Rwanda you should and you may get a peek at what went on.

So on this anniversary take a moment and pray for the Hope and healing of the Rwandan people. I can't wait to be among them, share hugs and help them yearn for hope.

Chicken BBQ Fundraiser - April 2nd

You can be a part of this project too!

We will be selling chicken BBQ meals on April 2nd.
Pick up is at East Petersburg Mennonite Church from 11-? (limited supplies)
To be guaranteed a meal contact me, Angela at decubellifamily@gmail.com and I'll see that you get tickets. Tickets are $8.00 and include 1/2 chicken, baked potato, roll, applesauce, cookie and drink.

:) BBQ is by Peters' chicken BBQ (petersbbq.blogspot.com)

Up coming June visit...

Hi everyone! And welcome to our Hands For Hope blog! I'm Ang (the sister of Val who is a missionary that lives in Rwanda) and after much prayer and even more importantly answered prayers, I'm making a trip, my first, to Rwanda in June. Here at home things have been crazy with all the planning. Flights and other arrangements and of course shots! One may be scared by the list of vaccinations needed and the rather long needles but I think I'm getting used to it. I actually leave May 30th but with two flights of several hours it will take about a day to actually get there! I'm so excited to see Val after over a year and a half and meet the rest of her family. I'm even more excited to "dig my hands in" and do something to help these wonderful people my sister fell in love with.
Our plans at this point for the Hands For Hope project is to raise as much money as possible to help with expenses. I'm hoping that we will be able to buy several sewing machines in Rwanda, supplies and also secure a place for the little sewing "shop". The women also have interest in jewelry making and for anyone who knows me knows this is right up my alley! I'm anxious to see what fun beads and gems they have available to them. We are looking forward to helping these ladies develop a sense of confidence and security of being able to provide much needed necessities to their families. Like in Vals letter, we are not looking for this to be a "handout" project but something that the ladies can learn, do and take ownership of.
This may be some what of a "slow" or boring blog because there won't be posts daily, weekly or maybe not even monthly depending on the stage of the project. But it will be a great spot to keep in touch with what is going on. You can expect many pictures to come in  June/July of my trip and hopefully soon after we get them working, pictures of their handmade products. You may even have the chance to buy some of them! So keep us checking us out or make sure you are getting our emails.

~Angela

A note from Val

"Maybe it is because I am about to become a mother myself in a few months, or maybe it is just God working in my heart, either way, I have been so touched by the women at our new church. Many of them are mothers with small children and some are widows. Life is so hard for them, living in the rural with no electric, no good water source and trying to work the land to provide for their families. My heart has been so touched also by the way they accept me as one of them and are so patient with my attempts to communicate with the in Kinyarwanda.

I am very excited because God is opening the doors for helping to bring hope to these precious women. My sister is coming to visit in June! I am beyond excited to see her again but I am also very excited because God has placed it in her heart to help the women here as well!

We are making plans to help the women start a project we are calling "Hands For Hope." In summary, we will be working to buy a few sewing machines and materials so that the women can begin to learn how to sew and also learn how to make jewelry. This is a great way to give them something practical that they can do to earn some money for themselves and their families. It also gives them dignity because it is not just accepting a handout, but having the chance to work for some extra income."