The air is heavy

Very difficult day.  But I d have some remarkable photos and a video on Fb because I dont know how to add videos from my phone to this blog

We started heading south to the Genocide Memorial museum that is located at the site of the church where 10,800 people were told it was safe to hide and were brutally massacred. The church is riddled with bullet holes and outside the pavement bears the marks of hand grenades. Inside are mounds of deteriorating clothing taken off he dead bodies. Outside theree are mass graves. You can enter the tombs where the caskets of bones and remains can be found.  There ae also bones and skulls whowing the result of machette or bullets or clubbing that have re3cently been found.  Te conservation of these items is not as it should be- as you can see the remains just laying on a blanket.

I found this place almost suffocating and it was hard to feel . Maybe Im on genocie overload?

We then traveled south near the border with Burindi to visit a village which is one of fove such villages made of murderes who have been released from prison ecause they have expressed remorse and have written letters to their victims families. Tjis goverenment sposored program strives to have these people find forgiveness and reconciliation The village opened in 2005 and wih 40 homes now there are 80

We were greeted by a throng of women all colorfully dressed singing a song of welcome. Most of these women ae widows because of the genocide. Hee they are teaching victim forgivenmess The government provided the land but the people have built the simple houses. They hope t teach the world about what they have been able to accomplish here. Two women both named Marie spoke sepertly about their lives and how their husbands and children were brutally hacked or clubbed to death,  each woman introduced the man who commited the murderers. They hend their hands and introduced them.
Marie 1 told how her husband was generous and had actually given 100 cows to neighbors. But this neighbor killed him and threw his children on top of him and they weree killed as well. She claimed that the apology of Filbert and the fact he now has taken over te roles her children and husband would have as far as the crops etc has helped her o find life again.
Listening to Filbert tell ow he ws influened with hate as a child was very powerful yet disturbing. I starred at his hands and wondeered how a boy of 19 could so brutally kill children?
The seond Marie suffered blow to her head with a club with nails on it and left for dead. A Hutu doctor saw her and realized she was not dead and saved her.
Te murderer of her husband and children and the man responsible for her head trauma- Leonard spoke, He was older than Filbert and about 45 when he committed these atrocities which makesme wonder even more. Why? Because we know youngsters are easily manipulated, drawn into the crowd but as we mature we know better so what happened to make a 45 year old man do this?

There is a lot more to the stories that I will type up another day or from home.

Johnson accompanied us today, He is a gentle soul and very soft spoken , he was only 9 when the genocide occured and it becomes raw for him when he mentions his mother. He talked about what is forgiveness and how he felt today having been a victim himself. I willnot go into too  much because it may be his private thoughts but he questons forgiveness much like I do.

Tomorrow we leave at 6 am for a five hour ride to a location that was supposed to be a technical school that turned into a massacre of 50,000 people whose remains are still there

granade holes

door to church 

 recently found

the women - most are widowed

Marie with translator

Filbert - the perpertrator

Marie 2 with Leonard who murdered her husband children and left her for dead

Two worlds

The Have The Have nots

July 28 a day of warmth, gratitude and fun

Aline picked up Judy and me to take us to her home. A lovely middle class home with about 3 bedrooms , she also has a live in baby sitter for her son, On thw way I asked her to re tell her story since in Poland she had little  time. Se was unable to contiue because we arrived at her home but comleted it later on.  She was 9 years old with two sisters, mom and dad. Her father said the family must separate so in case the Hutu forces come they have a better chance of someone surviving.  This was done but they were eventually found, She was sent with her sister and mom to a lins designated for murder as was her dad and her little sister. She tells how she saw her first grade teacher and told her mom that they would be saved because her teacher was there. The teacher ignored Aline and obvously was not going to help them.  When they approached the pit she could hear the muffled sounds of those who were in the pit but not yet dead. She heard the cries ad whimpers of children. This has never left her . What happened next ca only be called a miracle.  It began to rain, in fact pour,  The killers stopped and argued whether to finish their worl or kill them tomorrow. During the bickering Aline and her sister and mom were able to escape. Her father and sister were murdered. There is more to the story bt that is a summary.

In her home I met her son and then her older sister Chantelle, her brother in law , two  small nephews and one 16 year old.  We had intense conversation and they were honest, open and showed us great insight. Judy asked a very profound question which was  Where re the elderly people?
This was so  profound because few people in the ages of 25 and up have grandparents,  There really are few older people. Aline mentioned if you go to a wedding you will notice the absence of older people. There are a few but most ere nurdered 25 years ago,

Aline prepared Rawandan fare and it was delicious.  We drove to the where the group was and joined them on to the central market, What an experience!!!!
VERY  crazy, Close quarters with thousands of vendors trying to get our attention.  I made them laugh by turning the tables and asking them to look at me and  follow me etc.  I bought a few things.Some of the girls had dresses made on the spot. Cost about 10 USD

We were then invited to what was called a bar b q by Keil's friend Alain who happened to be attention college in Saint Cloud Mn. Wheere they met and became friends. Well the house was more like a mansion. 9 bedrooms, a view of the city, and they even had their own chapel in the house. The stark contrast of yesterday and today was almost too much to take in. The Have and the Have Nots BUT in both homes we were welcomed with grace and warmth.  The father Bonaire is the owner of big tea farms, chicken farms and other enterprises. Obviously successful endeavors. The most poignent part of this evening was my conversation with Johnson the young man who has worked with Carl.  He told me he will be getting married soon,  BUT we both observed the opulence and talked about how the servents were virtually `invisible' and that he Johnson felt invisible. We talked about this and I assured him he was far from invisible.

Enjoy the photos

Aline home

Rwandan feast

all of us after the feast

In the market

Market wares

Bar B Q

View from roof top of home

Bonaire, Angelia - our hosts

Their home

Mind Leaps

https://mindleaps.org/our-programs/permanent-centers/rwanda

MINDLEAPS  where to begin?  This program offers dance to the poorest of the poor and to street children who have lost family or for other reasons have ended up homeless wanderng the streets of Rwanda.  Please look at the web site to get a background to this progam that includes family stregnth services that try to heal families, teach families, teach youong people about all aspects of life and encourage them to continue their education. Some children who have graduated frfom the program come back to give back. This is vacation time yet the kids were there, their instructors ( little more than children themselves) were there to teach, to play, to share.  The head master , who is amazing with his ideas and work told us that they have 8 specific items in which the children are assessed:
Teamwork,Motivation,Discipline,Grit, Language, Memorization, Self esteem and creativity,  The head master has a lap top- one of few- that he has detailed asessment grades for all the students and those in several  other Mind leap countries such as Uganda.  He uses the data that helps to support the claim that dance can enhance learning and promote success.  They know that for 500$ a year one child can b e supported for school, food and supplies. Larry- one of our particpants- has supported 4 children and today got to meet one of them- Erik- for the first times. Larry gets updates on Eriks grades. He is 20 years old , looks younger, and is determined o be a mathamatical engineer. He has 14 subject tests coming up soon and still have several years of HIGH SCHOOL to complete. He told me quietly that he lived on the streets for a few years and had it not been for Mind Leaps he would still be there or be dead.  He aslo told Larry that he was now his new son and how much his support has impacted him,
The kids demonstrated their dance prowess and they range from 6 to 20 years of age- the older kids having taken on the teacher roles.  After this we were going on `home visits'  Some of the families have agreed to allow us into their homes.  These families have children in the Mind Leap programs.  We broke into small groups of three and four accompanied by a `guide` to go to the village of Nyamirambo.  A little girl named Anika ( 9 years old) accompanied us. Erik- Larry`s `son' was our guide.  The walk took over 30 minutes the likes of which are too indescribable.  We were told NOT to take photos as we walked and in the home- only outside with the permission of the host.  Anika was shy at first and Erik held her hand A short while after we turned a corner from a paved street and entered into a world I can only describe as the shanty towns of South Africa during apartheid.  The road was dirt, with rocks, huge step downs, gravelly, slippery, often on the edge of a drop and singlefile. I stopped and realized there was no way   I could navigate one of these downhill rocky areas so Anika took my hand and never let go.  When we did have to go single file she looked back at me to see if I was ok.  At some point I needed both Erik and Anika to help me cross wide ravines and steep inclines.  It was not just me- even Kiel and Michelle much younger than I, had moments that needed assistance.  The walk was far more challanging than yesterday`s climb if you can imagine that.
We arrived at the `home` how can I describe this hut made of mud with a sheet as a door way. Anika is the daughter of  Appolina and sister to  Daniel (5 yrs)and this is the family, There was no male present as is the case with most of the households.  We were warmly yet shyly greeted. Inside was a bench, a bed, and a sheet covering up what was probably a make shift toilet. I did not see a refrigerator let alone any electricity. No stove, nothing.  The room was about 10x10  thats it. Some of us have closted that are bigger.
I really never saw such poverty.   During the rainly seasons these dirst roads and mud huts are ften washed away,/yet they do actually pay rent in these ramshakled huts. Appolina said through Erik translation, she ws 30, had no parents- which we assumed were killed during the genocide- she loved looking at all our family pictures, including/photos of snow- which she had never seen.  We were the first visitors she has ever had. It was hard for me to keep it together and not cry and say how grateful we all must be for what we have,

She is happy Anika is part of Mind leaps and her son is too young to go right now.  The huts were very close together and many children regardless of this poverty were playing, smiling and very curious to see these visitors from America. When it was time to leave Appolina said we could take photos - we did so outside the hut.  When it was time to go back, I never expected Anika to once again take my hand, check on me and walk all the way back to Mind Leaps only to have to walk back again.  There are no lights leading the way if it gets dark.. Once we got back with tears and lumps in our throats what greeted us was all the children spontaneously dancing and running up to us to dance with them, It certainly brought joy to my heart and lessened the heavyness of the home visit,  We danced, clapped, held hands and no one wanted to leave.
So in this pit of poverty was the small hand of a little girl who had nothing but her heart to give to me.
Every day Carl asks us to find the good. We get together and find our own good in each day, Today for me it was that small hand

notice the mud hut walls- Apolonia with her children Anika in the black

Our visit to the home

The head of family stregnth at Mind Leaps

Children studying algebra

 one of the dancing students