Summary of the past 2 months in Rwanda..

I have missed blogging so much but have literally not had a second to do it in the past 2 months! How sad. Sorry` to all of you who have been kept out of the loop. Because it would be impossible to tell you all of the wonderful, insane, challenging adventures I've had since the last blog, here's a summary:

° Uganda - I went to Kampala, Uganda 1.5 months ago with my friend and roommate, Caroline. We took a 10 hours bus ride through the green winding hills of the countryside. When we finally arrived, I remembered how different Kampala is from Kigali - immensely crowded, dirty, enormous, and more poor. Since the last time I visited there nearly 1.5 years ago, I forgot how angry I got seeing children with physical deformities beg on the streets and babies around 6 months old sitting completely alone in the middle of the busy sidewalk with their hands molded into the begging position. It's insane. However, while there, I got to visit Hudson, the boy my dad and I have been sponsoring for nearly 7 years now. He is the only boy in that region who has gotten to see his sponsor twice - he felt really special. I was really surprised at how big he's gotten! Going to Kampala was good for us, overall, to get away for the weekend and to realize things we appreciate about living in Kigali.



° Making Friends - The past month I have met some incredible people and become closer friends with my roomies Caroline and Jo. We've had our share of fun and disgusting times together (maggots jumping across our kitchen, lounging in our blow-up pool, going to parties, going on a mini-safari and our car breaking down in the complete middle of nowhere while monkeys walked around us etc). It's really great to have friends here and I'm so grateful that they're in my life. I'm also becoming good friends with a group of guys and girls from Uganda who all live together about 10 minutes from our house. Hanging out with people who understand your culture, speak the same language, and who are genuinely fun people has been a breath of fresh air for me. For a few months, I was having a really difficult time living here and was really quite miserable, but things have definitely turned around.





° Boys in school - The boys all started school in February and are LOVING it. They can be found studying late into the night and are constantly asking questions or for help with their homework. We are immensely proud of the hard work they are doing. AND, 3 of the boys have been reported by their teachers as having the highest marks in their classes! It has been extremely encouraging to us to see the progress in each child, given that one year ago, more than half of our kids couldn't read or write.



° Muhawe - We have taken in a 20th child into our residential program. Muhawe is an 8 year old boy who was living on the streets and occassionally came to HFL to bathe, wash his clothes, and get a meal. When he came to HFL 1.5 months ago with a severe case of malaria, we took him to the hospital, got medication, and let him recover at HFL. After his recovery, we noticed how much he was changing as a result of being in HFL and researched his family situation. His mother was killed when he was a baby, while strapped to her back. His widowed father is extremely poor and literally doesn't have anything at home to offer to his son. Believed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and unable to live with relatives, Muhawe went to the streets. Muwahe came to HFL timid and fragile, but has unfolded the past few weeks into a gentle, kind, silly boy who now has a smile on his face and wants to hold your hand every second. We are happy to have him in our program and happy that someone has volunteered to financially and personally sponsor him.

° One year anniversary celebration - We happily celebrated HFL's one year anniversary a few weeks ago with the boys and the community members who have helped this past year. It was a great time to remember together all the things that have happened this year and to ask God for another successful coming year. Thank you for your partnership with us this past year to transform street boy's lives. Remarkable work has been done and we couldn't be happier. The boys also received their first set of letters from their penpals from the States .. wow, I don't know if I've ever seen kids so happy. It was chaos - kids running around the living room, waving their letters and photos in the air, trying to pronounce their penpals name to all the other kids at the top of their lungs, all the while dancing with enormous grins on their faces. They had tons of questions and have started a competition in school to see which kid is going to be able to tell their penpal that they received the highest scores on their exams :)



° Hovde Foundation: Lastly, and maybe the biggest news of all, is that HFL is receiving a grant from The Hovde Foundation (www.hovdefoundation.org)! This is a huge answer to prayer for each staff, for our supporters, and for the children themselves who have been praying for land and a house for nearly a year. The Hovde Foundation is partnering with us over the next 2 years to help us obtain our own land, construct housing, and develop a farm that will produce all our fruits and vegetables and help us create self-sufficiency. We could not be more excited!!!

° Coming home - I have a plane ticket back to Seattle for July 29th! I am so excited to be able to come back home... however, because we are partnering with the Hovde Foundation to expand our facilities in Rwanda, I will be returning in the fall to Rwanda for the next 1.5 - 2 years. This changes many of my plans of moving home, getting a job, and going to grad school but I feel that it is where I need to be. While I know living here for 1-2 more years is going to be full of challenges, I look around me and see God moving heavily in HFL and building a wonderful community here around me. Its bittersweet I guess..

° The next few months are crazy - This week initiates 2 weeks of mourning for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It will be a week of hardship, memories, and pain for most of Rwanda. Additionally, our older boys will be attending a memorial in our community and learning about the genocide. Pray for them as a few have been directly impacted by the genocide by one of their parents being killed, or their parent currently being in jail for perpretrating during the genocide. We're throwing a benefit party at our house this weekend, and Javier and Brandon are coming up from Burundi to hang out with us. I'm stoked to see some familiar faces :) The second week of holidays here, Caroline and I are going to Burundi to get away for a week and relax on the beach. Then, a member of the Hovde Foundation is coming for a week to work out details of our project, then a friend from Uganda is visiting for a week, then Hilliary is coming! Wow.

° Scooty Scooty Scooty! - My parents got me a scooter :) I am so happy to cruise around Kigali on it. Instead of a 2.5 hour commute to HFL every day filled with an hours worth of walking and 4 buses, I now only commute 1 hour each day. Thank you mom and dad!! My life is going to be so much easier..



Welp, that's all for now. Thank you for your continued prayers and support of me living in Rwanda and of all our team is doing in Hope For Life. None of this would be possible without you..

I apologize for the lack of blogs lately!

(boys are silly everywhere in the world.)

"Lovers are hard to come by. And I think that’s what our world is desperately in need of – lovers, people who are building deep, genuine relationships with fellow strugglers along the way, and who actually know the faces of the people behind the issues they are concerned about. We are trying to raise up an army not simply of street activists but of lovers – a community of people who have fallen desperately in love with God and with suffering people, and who allow those relationships to disturb and transform them” (296).

Last month, I got the opportunity to pursue friendships with the street boys of Kabuga and take their pictures. (Our staff are already in relationship with them, but I hadn’t met them.) A few of the boys followed me to HFL and all our boys were eagerly asking, “Are they coming here? Are they staying?” I sadly, had to shake my head no and explain that we don’t have enough money. The comparison between our boys and the street boys as they stand next to each other is so stark. If you looked at the kids of HFL, you’d have no idea of their past. The street kids seemed to have a lot of fun having their picture taken and showing me the places where they spend their days. Afterwards, I pulled out bananas and most of them tried to lie about getting one after they hid it in their jacket. Despite their lies, and their constant sniffing of glue from a dirty and broken bottle, I can’t help but love them. My prayer is that in these acts of the staff being in relationship with them, they would not just see the love and care we have for them, but that they’d realize it’s an expression of how their eternal Daddy feels about them too. As I left, they thanked me for taking their pictures and for letting them show me where they sleep. Under their hard exteriors, their drug addictions, and beneath the layers of dirt that cover their skin, I think they long for their story to be told and for someone to care.


(Muhamwe - his mother was murdered when Muhamwe was a baby helplessly strapped to his mother's back. He begs to be accepted into HFL but unfotunately, we don't currently have enough money.)

The thing that sticks out to me the most was walking to the place where they sleep on a little mat tucked in between wild bushes. The smile on their faces as I took pictures documenting their sad reality was a crisp juxtaposition. Their shoeless feet are daily exposed to heaps of trash, mounds of dirt, broken glass and bent nails that line the trail that leads to and from the market. I remembered reading a book in high school about children in Mexico who lived in a dump and I was never able to really imagine what it was like. I am now able to picture that reality. As we walked past, other children were scavenging for usable nails amidst the glass and trash to earn money. When we reached the market, we rounded a corner and found 2 kids extremely high on glue. I sometimes wonder what I would do if this was my reality.. If I was a 12 year old living on the streets, I'm sure that in all honesty, I would start taking drugs, stealing, and drinking too..


(4 children sleep here each night.)

“When we look through the eyes of Jesus, we see new things in people. In the murderers, we see our own hatred. In the addicts, we see our own addictions. In the saints, we catch glimpses of our own holiness. We can see our own brokenness, our own violence, our own ability to destroy, and we can see our own sacredness, our own capacity to love and forgive. When we realize that we are both wretched and beautiful, we are freed up to see others the same way” (264).



Play For Hope, a Christian sports ministry organization, partnered with Hope For Life this week and came to run a soccer clinic with our kids and our friends on the streets. Despite the intense heat, the children had smiles on their faces nearly the entire time they ran up and down the field, dribbled between cones, and practiced passing and shooting goals. The energy of the street boys was noticeably lacking compared to the HFL boys and smiles didn't light up their faces nearly as frequently as our boys. They had a blast though getting the opportunity to act their age for a few hours and be the children that they are. For more information, visit www.playforhope.org






I told my testimony a few weeks ago to all the kids and they were so surprised that I’d faced some similar issues to them as a teenager. When I was finished, they began raising their hands asking questions and saying what they had learned. Veterne said, “Through your story, I see that God can use my past to do good for other people.” David hopefully stated, “I’m going to keep praying for my parents and not give up.” Paul thoughtfully commented, “I thought that everything in America was peaceful all the time and that there were no problems. Now I know that the only way there can be peace is with God.”

The next day, I came to Hope For Life and found several of the children fasting – many for the first time. When I asked them why they felt that they wanted to fast they replied, “We are praying for America and for your family.” ... WOW.


(their personal carriage - our friend who is a market worker who frequently visits HFL to pray and get advice.)

The boys excitedly and nervously started school YESTERDAY! The eldest is in primary 6 and all the small ones are in primary 1. Please be praying for the success of our boys and that they would not get discouraged in their studies or by the fact that the students in their classes are all younger than them.


(eating breakfast on the first day of school!)

I also want to remind you about our NEW CONNECTION PROGRAM! Hilliary and I are so excited to introduce it to you. Your chance is finally here to connect with one of the boys at HFL on a personal level – to learn more about his family history, his interests, his dreams, and to begin communicating directly with him via emails. No financial participation is required to participate. Simply email Hilliary Anderson at anthill00@hotmail.com and tell her you’d like to get involved. It is our sincere hope that through Hope For Life, it’s not just Children and staff in Rwanda who are being transformed, but also that our donors in America would be encouraged and transformed. We believe that when barriers that separate the rich and the poor are broken down and they become genuine friends, that the world will be changed.



“Pity may represent little more than the impersonal concern which prompts the mailing of a check, but true sympathy is the personal concern which demands the giving of one’s soul.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough; money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere (including America) you go.” – Mother Teresa



Lastly, several of you have been asking about sending things here. The best way to do so is to ship through the United States Postal Service (not to be confused with UPS). You can buy a flat rate box and ship 20 lbs here for $54. You should also be able to send letters for cheaper. Here’s my address:

Hope For Life Ministry
PO BOX 44 Kigali-Rwanda
C/O Megan Swanson

Belief is only the beginning...

Sunday I heard the testimony of a man who used to live in refugee camps and on the streets as a kid. As a mere child his poverty and his status as an orphan led him to become a thief, a murderer, a prisoner, a gang leader. One day while the boy was a houseboy for an elderly Rwandan Christian couple, he decided to steal their DVD player and ran away. Later that day, he saw the old man running after him and assumed he was coming to beat him and take back his stolen possessions. Naturally, the young boy ran and soon drew the attention of the police who shot him and beat him up nearly to death. When the old man finally caught up to the young thief, he was so upset that the boy was bleeding and beat up that he carried him back to his house and personally nursed him back to health. When the boy finally came around, the old man explained that he had followed him only because he wanted to convince the boy to come back or to give him money to take so he could provide for himself on the streets.

In that instant, the young boy's life was forever changed.

Today the young man is a 20 year old lover of Jesus who is still finishing high school. When he's not in school, he fixes shoes and with his earnings, he houses and provides for 40 street kids in his humble dwelling each night. Why does he do it? His answer is simple: because that day so many years ago, he was given what he didn’t deserve – grace and love. Now, he spends his life giving the same gift to other boys in his community.

It is by these acts that the world is changed and the Kingdom of God is made known. It’s by love in action. This kind of change doesn't come about from a Christian who worships in church on Sunday and remains unaffected and uninvolved in the needs of the world; not by someone who hoards his or her things but sees them as tools of the Kingdom. Transformation comes by living and enacting the Gospel; not just by reading it and thinking that doing the things it says are for other people.

Be a part of it.

“For us, belief is only the beginning. What really matters is how we live, how what we believe gets fleshed out…” (Claiborne, 148).

Christmas and my heavy heart

12. 25. 09



Christmas: If it were possible to smile for an entire day, I probably would have come close on Christmas day.



Christmas Eve was spent at home, learning how to make American Christmas decorations including paper snowflakes, paper chains, and popcorn strands. The electricity flickered continuously between dim and none but that didn’t halter our fun. After staying up late watching TV, we got up at 4:30am Christmas morning to prepare for the coming day of baptisms and celebration. Everyone joyfully got ready and then we loaded the kids 2 by 2 onto bicycles and sped off through the dirt roads to the church. Their laughter could be heard all along the road that morning.





The baptism was a time of great celebration and joy. The onlookers surrounded the pool where the nearly 150 Rwandans were baptized, their joyful singing ringing through the church, while a plethora of “Hallelujuahs” added to the beautiful noise.
Afterwards, we rented a bus and headed to town. The boys sang at the top of their lungs and beat on the sides of the bus the entire 45 minute ride to town. As we neared, we found out that 4 of the boys had never been to Kigali before and they were wide eyed as we pulled in. Christmas afternoon was spent walking around, hand in hand, looking at the town and eating small candies.




Our final destination was Josiane’s house where the boys filled the small living room and thoroughly enjoyed a feast of roasted goat, rice, peas, French fries and soda. While we let the feeling of being stuffed linger in our bellies, we went around giving testimonies of gratefulness for how our lives have changed.



I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas gift than to celebrate the boy’s baptism with them.


12. 28. 09

My heart is heavy tonight with many things I saw or talked about today – the abandoned building that I was instantaneously drawn to today in Kabuga that the street boys live in, my mind’s image of hundreds of children starving and naked in prison, the children of the villages who have literally nothing, and the Rwandan churches abundant hesitancy to care for the poor around her with action. My heart is sad for our world.

This morning I was walking to church in Kabuga and passed by an old, crumbling, seemingly abandoned building. As I continued walking past it, I saw that there was tattered clothing draped over the entrances of 2 small rooms where trash, dirt and mounds of dirty clothing covered the floor. It dawned on me then that someone might actually live there and I was instantaneously drawn to the place, filled with a sorrowful curiosity to know the story of those who slept there and to become friends with them. I found out later from Tonto that the crumbling building is where the street children sleep – I should have guessed. My prayer is for an open door to go back there and make friends with these kids who live in a place I will never be able to come to grips with.

Oh, my heart hurts just thinking about all this. Meanwhile churches spend thousands of dollars buying new carpet and better sounding instruments when each day 30,000 CHILDREN in our world take their last breathe because they don’t have enough to eat. These are real children, with real faces and they’ve become my friends. They have precious little fingernails, twinkling eyes, unique stories, hopes, and fears. The Christians of the early church said that if a child starves while a Christian has extra food, then the Christian is guilty of murder. Basil the Great said, “When someone strips a man of his clothes, we call him a thief. And one who might clothe the naked and does not – should he not be given the same name? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat in your wardrobe belongs to the naked; the shoes you let rot belong to the barefoot; the money in your vaults belongs to the destitute.”

Today I talked with Tonto and Mama Sissy about tithing and money as she was having a difficult time with her church who is frustrated with her that she tithes by giving her money to Hope For Life instead of the church. She said they’re starting to talk bad and this grieves me greatly. We continued talking and Tonto said that he refuses to give his money to the church because they don’t take care of the poor with it. How can he give them his money to improve the church building when there are children, the real church, in his neighborhood who are literally starving?

Within me, I feel rage, deep sadness, but also the ever close presence of greed in my own life tempting me to spend my money and thoughts on wanting nicer clothes or a new pair of shoes when I already have more than enough. Why should I be afforded such luxuries when the vast majority of our world, of flesh that is the same as yours and mine, only dream of such things?

I asked Josiane if she was going to visit Pascal in prison tonight, and it started a conversation about life for the children in jail. I closed my eyes as my insides cringed hearing the reality of it – hundreds of children naked or close to it, crying out to anyone who passes for food and to get them out, sleeping on the dirt floor. They are surrounded by grown men who are imprisoned for crimes of theft and murder, meanwhile their crime is living on the street and stealing food in order to survive because their parents and their society has failed to provide for them. How is their plight not our responsibility? How can we live in such abundant, luxurious excess while CHILDREN all over the world are suffering more than we could ever imagine for ourselves? I can’t wrap my head around it at all. And I hope that I never will be able to make sense of it. It never should.

Meanwhile, police also reserve the right to arrest citizens who wear plastic flip flops and mothers who sell fruit on the streets with their crying babies strapped to their backs under the hot, blazing sun. Since when did punishing people for being trapped in a system of poverty and oppression become a viable solution?

People of the world, arise, your brothers and sisters are crying out for you.

Church, how I fear your future if you don’t open your eyes and your hands to the needs of our world (Matthew 25: 31-46).

Love and hope,
Megan

Christmas week in Rwanda

Becoming Rwandan: Each day, the older boys of HFL grab potato sacks and head out the gates towards the valley that lies behind HFL to pick plants for the rabbits to eat. A few days ago, I decided (to their delight) to go with them. We walked down a big hill and the sight of the valley nearly took my breath away. The valley was filled with corn fields as far as the eye could see, while small houses lined the hills beyond and a small river ran through the sea of green. We sang songs about God while the boys taught me how to find and pick the right plants for the rabbits to eat. After we finished filling our sacks, we put them on our backs and trekked back up the hill. The boys got a kick out of the sweaty muzungu (white girl) working alongside of them in the fields and so did the rest of the community who saw. The kids are so eager to work hard here and do so willingly and without complaining. They’ve also taught me how to wash clothes, how to clean the house, and how to take care of the rabbits. They tell me I’m becoming Rwandan.





Roadtrip to the Western Provience: A few days ago, Josiane’s church put on a crusade in the Western province of Rwanda. I was reluctant to go, but was glad I went on the mini-roadtrip with them as it was one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve seen – rolling hills of continuous green, Rwandans walking the roads with huge loads on their heads, the shining waters of Lake Kivu, trees of many kinds lining the roads, a lush waterfall … I could hardly believe it was real. We sat at Lake Kivu eating lunch and taking pictures of the boats tolling slowly past us, of the islands in the distance and of each other. It was a great day.






Josiane and her husband Oscar, my friends and "Rwandan parents"

A monumental day at HFL: We got home from the crusade and received a phone call from Tonto (the male caretaker who lives at HFL). Josiane started screaming with delight and I ran to her to find out the news. Turns out that Sunday was a monumental day at HFL. Each Sunday HFL puts on a small prayer service and in the middle of it, Paul (one of the oldest and most mature boys), stood up and said he had something on his heart that he needed to talk about. He began speaking about getting ready to be baptized and needing to confess that he lied to HFL staff about his background. He was always too scared to tell staff the truth for fear that we’d kick him out but he boldly stated with tears streaming down his face, “Now I can tell you the truth because I know Jesus. And I know that He is always with me and that He is going to take care of me wherever I am, even if I’m on the streets again.” He proceeded to tell staff that he’s not Rwandan, and that he came from Burundi in search of a better life. He thought we wouldn’t love him if we knew that he lied and if we knew that he wasn’t even Rwandan and he was ready to be kicked out. Instead, he received the tears, hugs, and affirmation of forgiveness and love from staff. Paul’s bold confession initiated a night of confession from every single boy..

David began sobbing and stood up confessing that he lied about many things because he thought that if we knew the truth about his family and about his past that we wouldn’t accept him into HFL. He originally told staff that he was an orphan but he said he has a big family, and that his real name is Veterin. He apologized many times saying that he wanted to be right before God and with us. After telling the story of his real background, which included immense poverty and abuse, he expressed the desire to reconcile with his family.

Child after child stood confessing that they had lied about their families and their past. Their confessions included stories of horrendous emotional and physical abuse, vivid plots to get revenge and kill their families, past behaviors of fighting, drinking, wanting to kill people, and having sex (even the little ones). The night was a confirmation of God’s presence in each heart at HFL and that this is truly His work. A lot of healing still needs to occur in each child but we are convinced that the good work that has been started will not stop.

“Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I confess and give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.’” (Luke 19:8-10)


Putting up the Antenna.

Christmas: Yesterday was a very joyous day as the boy’s received their Christmas gift of a TV. They were so surprised and had a grand celebration that included jumping up and down, screaming, dancing, drumming, praising, and singing songs of thanks to God. I told them that the TV is a gift from the people in America who love them and are proud of them. A few of them stood and gave mini-speeches expressing their thanks. Yves said he’s been praying for a TV for months. Paul said that God sees the generosity of all the people in America and will have rewards waiting in heaven for them when they get there. They stayed up until 10 pm last night watching a movie about Santa. For many, it was probably their first movie. Thank you to all who gave a gift to Hope For Life specifically for Christmas. You have brought deep joy to these kids.


Celebrating getting the TV!

Tomorrow (Christmas Eve Day), we are making Christmas decorations together all day. Baby is making a traditional Rwandan Christmas tree out of banana tree branches. Friday morning we will go together to the baptism, will go to town to walk around and eat treats, and then will come to Josiane’s house for a Christmas/baptism celebration meal. Merry Christmas to all!


Baby making the traditional Rwandan Christmas tree. His creativity continues to amaze me.


The goat we're eating for Christmas.


Emmanuel trying to be helpful but getting distracted because he wants his picture taken =)

Finally... Photos!

Emmanuel the male caretaker and baby Emmanuel after scoring a goal. Emmanuel is great with the kids and their love for him is obvious. The boys call him "Tonto" which is a term of endearment and respect similar to the word uncle.


Josiane's kids/my "Rwandan sisters" enjoying my head light. They follow me around the house EVERYWHERE - even to my bed and to the bathroom!



Stretching with the boys.


Pastor Oscar (Josiane's husband & my "Rwandan dad") building a cage for the chickens. He a wonderful man and I am grateful to know him. Everyday he checks the fridge and buys me anything that is out. His hospitality is humbling.


Stretching before a game of soccer.



the boys being goofy in the courtyard.



Paul and his rabbits. Each boy has a cage for their "family" of rabbits and each day they walk to fetch them grass and clean their cages. Paul has emerged as the leader among the boys and has earned the nickname "boss boss" which he is proud to bear.


Nsabiri and Veterine at the soccer field.

"Few people are interested in a religion that has nothing to say to the world and offers them only life after death, when what people are really wondering is whether there is life before death." (Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution)


Habimana and his rabbit.


The 3 newest members of Hope For Life, Veterine (front), his brother Daniel (right) and their best friend John (left). They are all very happy to be at HFL and are eagerly awaiting going to school in January.

"What the world needs is people who believe so much in another world that they cannot help but begin enacting it now" (Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution).


Sweet Baby Emmanuel. He is super goofy, loves to laugh, and takes off his clothes everywhere he goes because he hates wearing them. He is very good at learning English and is the leader of his age group in English class. HFL staff recently visited his mom who literally lives in the dump at a nearby city and she is in very bad conditions. His father is seriously ill and is in the hospital. We have been consistently talking with Emmanuel about his emotions and although He is sad, he loves to pray for his family.


Some of the students taking a break from English class at HFL.

PS. MY PLAN IS TO TRY AND GET ON THE INTERNET EVERY SATURDAY 630AM-830AM WASHINGTON TIME. If you wanna chat on Skype, get on then!

Chickens & New Clothes

Yesterday, the money from the quilt raffle was put into action as HFL staff decided to start a chicken income generating project. They cleared the land yesterday and bought all the materials to build the cages in the backyard of HFL. With these chickens, the boys will have an increased supply of protein in their diet from the eggs and meat that the chickens provide as now, they only receive meat 2 times per month and the rest of their protein is supplied from beans. This project will also lower our monthly food costs, allowing the money that is saved to be spent on other expenses. Thank you to all who participated in the quilt raffle!

Yesterday, the boys also all got new clothes in preparation for their coming baptism on Christmas day. A mere $9 bought each child underwear, jeans or slacks, a nice dress shirt and a jacket and a put a glowing smile on each of their faces. Some were saying, “ I never thought I would have a shirt like this!” Upon receiving their clothes, they all immediately stripped off their clothes on the spot and proudly put on their new ones, dancing around the house in them. I took lots of video of their joy =)