One Step Forward....

If it were easy, everyone would do it.

Well, as you can tell, we have finally arrived in Africa. We got to our hotel around 3 am on Sunday morning (about 9pm Saturday night in Fort Myers), and then back up by 9:00 to attend a welcoming and worship service at the school. After that, we ate a lunch prepared by the YFC staff, and then headed off to visit the genocide museum.

Our first evening, we spent strategizing how to prepare for the Vacation Bible School, inflated all the soccer balls, and met with Brad to discuss how to get our containers (holding all of our building supplies) out of customs.

Monday morning, we were up by six, and Dan, Brad, Luca and myself headed off to meet with our clearing agent, shipping agent and customs officials. Long story short, despite being told we would be able to get the first two (of three) containers on Monday morning, we encountered a number of difficulties, and are now hopeful that all three will be released on Tuesday (but we are still waiting for the third, which is in route, but has not passed the Rwandan border).

So, the rest of today has been dedicated to playing soccer with the kids, getting saw horses built, and figuring out how to get connected to the blog.

Lunch was again served at the site - this was a special lunch, including cassava - which looks like a pea stew. As tasty as it looked, I decided to pass so that my fellow travelers could have as much as they wanted. I ate a 100 calorie bag of cheese nips and a couple of handfulls of cashews.

Our hotel is fine. The beds are very firm, but we have all been so tired I am sure no one has had any trouble falling asleep. I laid down last night after dinner to just stretch, and woke up about 2 hours later, still fully dressed with my hands in my pockets. Tim was already in bed and sound asleep.

Hopefully, tomorrow will bring pictures of the containers getting unloaded, and walls starting to get put up. I am sparing you pictures of me playing soccer for two reasons - apparently, my legs are so white that my fellow workers think it is funny, and the Rwandans are afraid of me. Secondly, at 5,000 plus feet, it only takes me about three minutes of running before I have to sit down. I think I am playing soccer, but I think all the pictures will look like I am just sitting.

More tomorrow.

Grace, Claire and Michelle - Dad loves you all. Seeing these kids makes me miss you all. I have decided what I am going to bring home as a gift - cassava!

Michelle - thanks for holding down the fort. I love that you support my crazy ideas. Speaking of crazy ideas....Brad and Kiki are adopting a 2 month old Rwandan girl that was found abandoned in the woods. Her name is Grace. I am thinking perhaps I could be the next Steven Curtis Champan....what do you think!?

Love, Mitch