Today was our first day of ministry. This account will be about the Cyber Café and medical teams. Tomorrows post will be about the construction team.
We got up at 6 to have group devotional time at 6:30. Our passage was Colossians 1: 1-12 talking about Paul’s affection for the church and how he prays for them. We all marveled at his ability to pray for the whole body of Christ, even those he had not yet met. Katie pointed out how important it is for the Church body to pray for each other, even if we have never met.
Breakfast was toast, eggs, tea or coffee, and Rwandan tomatoes. After eating we loaded up into the van and made the ten minute drive to Remera, clutching the seat in front of us for dear life as we plunged down the bumpy hill.
Michelle spent her day fellowshipping with "her people." She always has an entourage wherever she goes. She taught the children some english songs and spent time in homes in the village.
The medical team had an excellent day, they were able to see 68 patients and dispense care to practically everyone he saw.
Registration:
The line:
Katie and Jess worked in one room, fitting people with reading glasses. Their favorite part was picking out frames that matched personalities. After a few tries, one woman picked out some sassy purple frames that absolutely fit her personality.
Looking out at the line:
John and Bob worked in another room administering more extensive eye exams. The room had to be light tight for some of John’s tests, so the team hung black plastic over the windows.
The glasses dispensed here were largely for nearsighted people. Some patients John saw suffered from more allergy induced eye problems. Care for these people meant giving them some antihistamines to ease the troubles.
Bagged glasses arranged by prescription to be handed out:
One of the best part of the medical team’s day was when a load of people from Bugesera came to be fitted with glasses. This is Gary and Marie greeting the group.
We first met the church members of Bugesera a year ago when Jeremy, Gary and Katie Rodgers made the trip to Rwanda and visited the church. They discovered that the church only had one bible for the entire congregation. In February, Gary, Pastor Dan, Marie and her husband distributed bibles to the church, which were gratefully welcomed. The problem arose that some of the congregation couldn’t read their new bibles because of poor eyesight. Today, a dozen people from Bugasera came to see Dr. Rosten and be fitted with reading glasses. It was such a blessing to see how our connection with the Bugasera church has developed.
Gertrude was a woman from Bugasera:
When Gertrude was fitted with her reading glasses, her first reaction was to throw aside the eye chart and pick up her bible to check her vision. She left the exam room and went to find Marie. She told Marie, “You gave me my bible, and now I am able to read it!” This was quite a moving moment for all of us and will become a trip highlight.The children are all so beautiful:
The cyber café team encountered some roadblocks and their first day was a bit frustrating. The network itself worked perfectly. Marie and Brian laid out the laptops and each wireless printed to a remote printer. Everything communicated well.
The network itself was a total success.
The command center:
The problems arose with the electricity itself. The power flow into the cyber café room is not a steady flow, and this is dangerous to the equipment. We are working with an electrician to try to iron out this problem.
Another problem was the internet connection. We were able to connect for a minute, but then the internet failed. After a few hours, many phone calls and some gnashing of teeth, the internet provider sent out a technician to diagnose our problem. I will spare you the technical details, but in the end of the day the internet is working.
Katie got a new hairdo:
Jess taking photos:
The teams headed back to our lodging at ALARM for a nice dinner of rice, potatoes, fish which we mistook for chicken, and bananas. We spent a nice evening chatting around the table and went to bed early.
Most of our jet lag is gone, praise the Lord. John is suffering from lingering bronchitis and he coughs a lot in the morning and evening. Please pray for healing for him. Pray for smoothing of details for the construction team, who is finding their site to be difficult and ultimately will not be able to complete the roof. This is tough to walk away “unfinished.” Pray for joy and patience, as things move slowly in Africa.
Lastly, Bob would like to send a shout out to his family. We are now calling him Dr. Bob and he is our “visual acuity engineer.”
Much love from us all!
