We definitely had the best New Year's ever here! We celebrated with the "street boys" here in Rwanda. The missionaries here started a "street boy" program a few months ago, where they have taken in 6 boys that were previously living on the streets and have opened up a home that they are now living in with 2 caretakers. These boys had no food, no water, no families. These 6 boys are remarkable! They have become so close and dear to our hearts this last week. New year's eve we welcomed 19 other street boys who are still living on the streets in to the house and we gave them showers, washed their clothes, and gave them a new set of clothes, toothbrushes and soap. The missionaries vision is to hopefully be able to take in all of those street boys as well. If you or anyone else that you know would like to help sponsor a street boy so that we can get them off the streets, back in school and to create a disciple of christ out of them you can contact me at jenna.snider@mavs.uta.edu.
We had a great New Year's day we spent it taking a real African Safari and it was amazing! There will definitely be pictures to come!
Today, we attended an African church and it was an incredible experience! They are all so filled with the Holy Spirit. I can say that I have never witnessed such awesome worship!
Time is short, but we have another wonderful week ahead of us. Tomorrow we are going to visit an orphanage, shop at the market and visit the genocide memorials. Keep us in your prayers as we visit the memorial, we heard it truly is a life changing experience.
Tuesday we start back up the camp, and I can not wait to see those precious children again!
Love you all and keep lifting us all up to the Lord!
Jenna & Caleb
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Updates from Rwanda
We are here!!!!
Our flights went great, amazingly enough everyone in our groups luggage arrived in Rwanda. (which we hear is a miracle) The Catholic guesthouse we are staying at in Kigali is just amazing and exceeded all of our expectations. The food is fabulous, we haven't even needed to pull out any of our snacks! It is crazy because it is so much easier to get your hands on a coca cola or a fanta than it is water! Clean water is so scarce! In the states water is free, here coke is almost free!
The sports camp is going well, other than all of us white people being burnt to a crisp! It has been very interesting trying to teach all of the kids "American Football." I think they are starting to get the hang of it now. We have the sports camp in the morning from 8 to 12. Which usually doesn't start till 8:30 because we are learning African time means you are on time as long as you are within the hour. So if you set a meeting at 8 you are still on time if you show up at 8:59. How convenient.... haha. Then from 12-2pm is lunch and nap time, and believe me we need nap time after being in the heat playing sports all morning. At 2 we meet at the school here and do a service project, pull weeds, pick up trash, laid brick, etc. After the service project we have a lesson on leadership and then we have crafts till 5.The kids are really enjoying crafts.
We have also figured out that all the kids LOVE cameras! They constantly want to have their picture taken and look at themselves on the screen. They also love taking pictures of us!
Mizungu, not sure on the spelling, means white man, rich man, or foreigner here in Rwanda. It is so funny because every time we walk down the road the people here are always yelling it out. As if to alert the whole neighborhood.
We are having the BEST time, God is working in not only the children but in us as well. This has been such a humbling experience for all of us. God is so great! Kigali is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. To see it you just know that God has made it. No man could ever make such a beautiful place. There are no pictures that can do it justice either!
There are so many stories and so much more that we could say but we are short on time, we love you all and thank you for all the prayers! Keep them up!
Specific prayer request:
Pray for the permanent missionaries here and the work they are doing.
The kids we are working with
For the health of our team, there are alot of allergies, headaches, fatigue going around.
and that God continues to shine through us everyday, and that the message of Christ is spread throughout Rwanda.
Love you all!
Jenna & Caleb
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas Y'all!!!
We hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Christmas! We had an awesome time seeing all of our family. God has truly blessed us in so many ways.
We have had such a busy last couple of days, we had our little Christmas in Arlington on Christmas eve eve, woke up Christmas eve drove to Greenville had Christmas with Caleb's family, then drove to Rockwall and had Christmas with my family this morning. As soon as that was over we booked it back over to the airport. Our flight went really well, as some of you know I am not the best flyer but I didn't get nervous one bit! Praying tomorrow will be the same!! We also met 2 different groups of Christians traveling to Ethiopia and Rwanda....it's amazing to see God's mighty hand at work around the world. We are now in DC & we have a lay over till noon tomorrow. The airlines hooked us up with a nice little suite here at the Hyatt! We wanted to go sight seeing but since its Christmas the shuttles are all shut down, the big highlight tonight was going out to eat at the local TGI Fridays... which looked just like the one in Arlington... lol but the food was great.
There is some snow on the ground which was good to see...maybe tomorrow we will see snow flurries before we head out. Tomorrow will be a solid day of travel...be praying for all of our luggage to arrive as well as all the supplies we will be carrying with us. We don't know how much access to internet we will have once we get to Rwanda, but hopefully we will get the opportunity to blog some about our days over there.
Signing off on a wonderful & awesome Christmas 2010!!!
Love,
Jenna & Caleb
We have had such a busy last couple of days, we had our little Christmas in Arlington on Christmas eve eve, woke up Christmas eve drove to Greenville had Christmas with Caleb's family, then drove to Rockwall and had Christmas with my family this morning. As soon as that was over we booked it back over to the airport. Our flight went really well, as some of you know I am not the best flyer but I didn't get nervous one bit! Praying tomorrow will be the same!! We also met 2 different groups of Christians traveling to Ethiopia and Rwanda....it's amazing to see God's mighty hand at work around the world. We are now in DC & we have a lay over till noon tomorrow. The airlines hooked us up with a nice little suite here at the Hyatt! We wanted to go sight seeing but since its Christmas the shuttles are all shut down, the big highlight tonight was going out to eat at the local TGI Fridays... which looked just like the one in Arlington... lol but the food was great.
There is some snow on the ground which was good to see...maybe tomorrow we will see snow flurries before we head out. Tomorrow will be a solid day of travel...be praying for all of our luggage to arrive as well as all the supplies we will be carrying with us. We don't know how much access to internet we will have once we get to Rwanda, but hopefully we will get the opportunity to blog some about our days over there.
Signing off on a wonderful & awesome Christmas 2010!!!
Love,
Jenna & Caleb
Monday, December 20, 2010
5 Days till Departure
These last few weeks for me have been so busy that I haven't even had time to think with all of my projects, finals, work and all the Christmas festivities. Today was the first day that I have really had to myself to think and get things done around the house. During this it hit me I will be in Africa next week, while I am super excited about this I still can't help but feel so anxious, I have been so emotional today and I know that this is only the beginning. I am sure these next few weeks will be some of the most emotional moments of my life.
We had a White Elephant gift exchange tonight with our small group from church, we were each suppose to bring a $10 dollar gift. While this was going on I couldn't help but think how much "junk" we get and give throughout out the the holidays that either gets trashed or shoved in one of our many closets? Meanwhile there are so many kids in Africa who have nothing. Caleb and I bought bubbles last night for every child that will be going through this camp we are putting on. Yes, BUBBLES. Those bubbles that were $1 for a 5 pack will bring more joy to those children than some of the most expensive gifts you can buy for a child here in America. This is just so gut wrenching to me. I couldn't help but feel so guilty. Even now just thinking about it brings me to tears.
Lately I have been having the hardest time truly casting all my worries on him. Even though he commands us to in 1 Peter 5:6-7 he says: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
I desperately need prayers for this. I am afraid of the unknown. I am naturally a "What if?" person, so naturally traveling for almost 2 days stopping at 4 different airports is freaking me out just a little. I know that God is watching over us and will take care of us. I also know he has such mighty plans for us while we are there that I am going to come back and wonder why I was so crazy to stay up all night worrying about this trip.
Please continue to keep us, our group, the missionairies living over there, and the children we will be working with in your prayers.
Specific things to pray for would be:
*Getting everything packed
*Everyones luggage arriving on time and in the right place
*Safe Travels
*That we will bless the missionaries while we are there
*That we will touch so many of these children as well as their parents, and that they have open hearts.
Thank you all for the prayers and the support. There is no way we could ever thank yall enough or ever let you know how much it truly means to us!
-Jenna
We had a White Elephant gift exchange tonight with our small group from church, we were each suppose to bring a $10 dollar gift. While this was going on I couldn't help but think how much "junk" we get and give throughout out the the holidays that either gets trashed or shoved in one of our many closets? Meanwhile there are so many kids in Africa who have nothing. Caleb and I bought bubbles last night for every child that will be going through this camp we are putting on. Yes, BUBBLES. Those bubbles that were $1 for a 5 pack will bring more joy to those children than some of the most expensive gifts you can buy for a child here in America. This is just so gut wrenching to me. I couldn't help but feel so guilty. Even now just thinking about it brings me to tears.
Lately I have been having the hardest time truly casting all my worries on him. Even though he commands us to in 1 Peter 5:6-7 he says: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
I desperately need prayers for this. I am afraid of the unknown. I am naturally a "What if?" person, so naturally traveling for almost 2 days stopping at 4 different airports is freaking me out just a little. I know that God is watching over us and will take care of us. I also know he has such mighty plans for us while we are there that I am going to come back and wonder why I was so crazy to stay up all night worrying about this trip.
Please continue to keep us, our group, the missionairies living over there, and the children we will be working with in your prayers.
Specific things to pray for would be:
*Getting everything packed
*Everyones luggage arriving on time and in the right place
*Safe Travels
*That we will bless the missionaries while we are there
*That we will touch so many of these children as well as their parents, and that they have open hearts.
Thank you all for the prayers and the support. There is no way we could ever thank yall enough or ever let you know how much it truly means to us!
-Jenna
Monday, December 6, 2010
A Spirit Led Moment
"The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9
But the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9
Two weeks ago I called the county nurse from the CDC website; I originally wanted to book our shots in Arlington. After the nurse looked at her schedule, she told me that she would not be able to see us in Arlington...so that meant we would have to drive to Southlake. After putting the shot date on the calendar, I went about my day and told Jenna what I had scheduled.
Thursday, Jenna and I went to Southlake town square to get our Yellow Fever vaccine. After an hour of being scared by potential diseases we could contract, I think Jenna and I wanted to get every shot on the list. Thankfully we left with our Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A, and Polio shots. When we were leaving town square we randomly saw a family that Jenna used to nanny for. After talking with the family about our trip, we told them we were excited to serve and that the price of the trip had recently increased by a substantial amount due to Airline rates and other uncontrollable circumstances. As we were talking...something Spirit led happened right there before our eyes. The lady pulled out her checkbook...and wrote us a check for the exact amount of the increase!
Some people might say...wow you guys are really lucky that you saw the family. I think we have to look past what other people pass on as luck and realize that God is in control. That the God of the Universe looks after his people and God knew what He was doing all along. The entire time of preparing for this trip, God has provided and all the Glory must go to Him. So if you read this and things aren't going your way...don't worry God has a plan. As humans we can try to plan for things, but when you let God direct your steps...you might end up going a different direction.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Keep Praying
A lot has happened since the last time we have blogged. We have officially booked our flight to Rwanda. After many months of dealing with travel agents and different dates...we finally booked a Christmas day flight. It will be so exciting to travel the country during the holidays.
We want to thank everyone who supported us in preparing for the trip. God has provided in so many ways since the beginning of this. It is awesome to see how doors open when you put all your faith in Him. He is in control and it is so comforting to know that.
We will be working with 40 boys and girls in Rwanda. We will be putting on this camp for two weeks Tuesday-Friday. Our days will be packed with bible lessons, soccer training, leadership training, crafts, games, and lots and lots of fun!! We will also be doing prayer walking on the weekends. In addition to this we will also be trying to help out the missionaries there in anyway we can.
Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for the trip. Pray that we are a blessing to the missionaries in Rwanda, that our bags travel with us (and not go to the wrong place.), that He will protect us from any sort of illness, and that we love on every person that we come in contact with. Help us learn from these children just as much as they learn from us.
We know this will truly be a life changing experience and we cannot wait to see how God works in our lives through this awesome opportunity.
Love you all!
Jenna & Caleb
We want to thank everyone who supported us in preparing for the trip. God has provided in so many ways since the beginning of this. It is awesome to see how doors open when you put all your faith in Him. He is in control and it is so comforting to know that.
We will be working with 40 boys and girls in Rwanda. We will be putting on this camp for two weeks Tuesday-Friday. Our days will be packed with bible lessons, soccer training, leadership training, crafts, games, and lots and lots of fun!! We will also be doing prayer walking on the weekends. In addition to this we will also be trying to help out the missionaries there in anyway we can.
Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for the trip. Pray that we are a blessing to the missionaries in Rwanda, that our bags travel with us (and not go to the wrong place.), that He will protect us from any sort of illness, and that we love on every person that we come in contact with. Help us learn from these children just as much as they learn from us.
We know this will truly be a life changing experience and we cannot wait to see how God works in our lives through this awesome opportunity.
Love you all!
Jenna & Caleb
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
What does the Spirit do? His works are ineffable in majesty, and innumerable in quantity. How can we even ponder what extends beyond the ages? What did He do before creation began? How great are the graces He showered on creation? What power will He wield in the age to come? He existed; He pre-existed; He co-existed with the Father and the Son before the ages. Even if you can imagine anything beyond the ages, you will discover that the Spirit is even further beyond.
-St. Basil the Great-
These past few weeks have been a blessing, Jenna and I have been spending time daily with the Creator in order to prepare our hearts for the people of Rwanda. This Saturday, our mission team from the church will be having a car wash at Arlington Orthopedic Associates from 9:30 am - 1:00 pm. So if you will be in the area or know someone who will...look for us on Cooper St. and please stop by to get your car washed!!
Also, if you would like to order a 'Hope for Rwanda' T-shirt to help support our mission trip, just find Jenna or myself on Facebook and let us know!! Have a great Wednesday and continue to pray for the hearts in Rwanda and for our mission team as we plan and prepare to serve the Kingdom of God.
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