Pottery making in Rwanda

The outdoor workshop

I got a recommendation from my friend Jennifer Jukanovich about a pottery making place that she took her kids to for lessons. So, this is what we did today and the kids, except Luke, really liked it.

This is the workshop on the outside of the building.  Notice the man sitting up on a platform. This is the potter's wheel. I think the only one. One rod through the middle with a small wheel on top and a large wheel on bottom. He moves the bottom wheel with his feet and his hands form the pottery piece on the smaller wheel. 

 

Waiting to get started. 

Caleb sat up here to make his pottery piece.  Abigail is further down the picture with the women. 

Caleb began to make a bowl or the beginning of a pot. But, I am not sure what happened. I can only speak a few words of the Kinyarwandan language, and the folks at the pottery place only spoke a few words of English. So, most everything was using hand gestures. A lot of smiling, pointing, laughing, trying again and again. 

Caleb trying out the potter's wheel

Abigail with the ladies making a bowl

Abigail sat down with the ladies and they gave her some clay to begin making something.  She helped to make a bowl with one of the ladies.  Someone made an anteater for her and she liked that, so she made one herself. 

Abigail had fun getting her hands dirty!

Caleb learning from a master

I love this! Hands on learning for Abigail

Women making pottery in front of us

I wish I had a picture for something I will never forget that happened today at the pottery place.  In this picture you see a baby being held by a young girl. I think she must have been a sister of the baby or something, because I kept asking who was the mother to the baby and eventually, I figured it out. She wasn't sitting with the ladies when I took these pictures, but she came and sat with them later and took the baby in her arms. Then after a few minutes, I saw her nursing the baby. I asked how old and I think they said the baby was 6 months old.  My baby Joshua is now 5 months old and was with us today for our visit to this pottery place.

Pots waiting to be painted with a Rwandan hillside
in the background

After being there a while, Joshua was getting hungry, and so I discreetly began to nurse him.  The women knew exactly what I was doing and were so surprised to see me nursing my baby just like they did! Granted, she just did it in front of all around and was not shy about anyone seeing her breast at all. I on the other hand, use a blanket to cover myself and the baby when I nurse in public.

This lady kept making silly faces to make Joshua laugh!

When I finished nursing one breast, the lady pointed and motioned for me to nurse the other side too.  I nodded yes, but stopped to burp Joshua for a moment. Come to think of it, I never saw her burp her baby, I wonder why. Maybe since they carry their babies upright and on their backs most all day the baby gets burped that way. Is that just a western culture thing? I don't know, maybe I should look into that.  The lady in this picture kept making these silly faces to make Joshua laugh. Then she asked about how long the baby sleeps in the baby carrier and I told her it was a baby seat for the car to be safe while driving. I told her it was not for sleeping really, because he has a baby cot at home, this was for the car. I don't think she had ever seen a baby car seat before. 

It was such a neat experience for me. The nursing mother and this mother kept pointing to me and smiling and giving me a "thumbs up". I don't know if they had ever seen a white woman breast feed a baby before or what, but it was apparently a really big deal. I wish I could describe it better, but it was amazing to me. I felt like I bonded with this woman, who I could not speak a single word with, but yet we knew there was something similar in our lives.

We both had a baby almost the same age and we knew that we had something we could give the baby.  It was like I instantly became all of these women's friend. We crossed over some barrier of color and became just two woman with a child.  I really wish I had a picture of the two of use sitting on the dirt floor nursing our babies at the same time, but I don't. It will just be a picture in my mind forever.

Anyways, the crowd that was standing around had pretty much left by now except the women and me and my kids.  Luke began to feel more comfortable and let go of my leg and began looking inside a bunch of the large pots nearby.

Caleb proud of his Star Wars Death Star creation

During this time, Caleb had been working on something of his own. He was making a round shape.  I think Caleb was making a ball, but then I told him once the clay dries and they cook it in the oven it will become hard and break if he tries to kick the ball. So, he changed his game plan to make the Star Wars Death Star instead.  Of course!   There was a Rwandan boy watching him and kept asking if Caleb was making a ball, a "futbal" or soccer ball. He saw the soccer ball on Caleb shirt and kept pointing to that.  I don't think the boy knew what Star Wars was or ever understood what Caleb was making and the best I could do was to say it was a moon, and he pointed to the sky as to understand that word.

Then, Caleb did the same as Luke and started looking around the pots but came back with black paint on his hands. One of the other boys came over to help show Caleb where to go to wash off the paint. I could see Caleb washing his hands several yards away and when he came back, he smelled like gasoline.  I told him he just washed his hands with petrol (or gasoline) the same as for our car and he was really surprised about that!

Finally, after about an hour, we waited for Abigail to finish making a dragon with clay. When she finished we said our "Murakoze's" (thank you) and paid the Mzee (older grey haired man) for our time there. And waved good-bye. It was a fun experience for the kids to try something new and learn about pottery making.  Now, I hope that as we drive by the outdoor flower shops with these large pots for sale they will remember this day and how these pots are made. I on the other hand will have my own sweet memories from today.

Flat Stanley Visits Us in Rwanda

We are so thrilled Flat Stanley came to Rwanda to visit our family!!

If you don't know who Flat Stanley is, then you should read the book about him. Because he is flat, he can travel in envelopes or by email around the world meeting new people and discovering new places.

Our friends, the Johnsons from back in Austin, Texas asked if Flat Stanley could come visit us. And we said sure!   Here is the story of his adventures with us in Rwanda!

Flat Stanley came to visit our home in the Kibagabaga area of the city called Kigali, in the country of Rwanda, located in the middle of the continent of Africa.

First, Flat Stanley went to Abigail’s school called Kigali International Community School or KICS. The mascot is a bird called a kite, kind of like a hawk, but black and white.  

He even got to sit at Abigail’s desk in Grade 1. These are pictures of Stanley in front of the school banner, sitting at Abigail's desk, and of Abigail holding Stanley in her classroom wearing her PE clothes. 

As we left the school, Flat Stanley tried to read the street signs, but couldn't because they were in French. Rwanda has 3 official languages: Kinyarwanda, French, and English.

English only recently became one of the official languages, so most of the signs around town are either in Kinyarwanda or French. 

And that is the same for the spoken language. Most people speak 2 or even 3 languages everyday. It is amazing how Rwandans can switch languages when they talk to different people. 

Next, Stanley got to help plant corn (or maize) just like Rwandans do. Every day for about 2 weeks, many, many people were in the fields around Rwanda tilling up the soil and planting seeds for corn. 

Now, Stanley got to see the baby plants growing in a field. In a few months these plants will be tall and have corn ready to pick and eat. If Stanley lived in Rwanda, this corn would help feed his family. 

One day, Stanley rode on a "moto", short for motorcycle taxi.   Most people in Rwanda don't have cars, so this is a really popular way to get around town. There are so many on the road it sometimes feels like the motos are flies buzzing around your car. 

He went to the International Justice Mission office, where Abigail's daddy works.  Her daddy works with about 18 Rwandans and 4 Americans to help fight for justice for the poor.  The people in the office are mostly lawyers, investigators, and counselors who want to help children.  Here is a picture of Stanley at the gate to the IJM office.








Here is a picture of Stanley looking across the street at the Rwandan flag and a view of some of the city. 

Kigali is the capital of Rwanda and it is up in the mountains so when you look out your window you can see many mountains and all of the buildings and houses on the other mountains.

He liked looking at some of the signs in our city. Here is one sign for a Dry Cleaners business that Flat Stanley liked because it had a picture of a person ironing some pants. 

He was right that many of the signs are painted by hand by someone in the city instead of made by a big printing machine. 

He learned a new word "Umudugudu" which means neighborhood and thought it was fun to say! Once he learned how to say the new word, he wanted to take a picture next to one of the signs near our house. It had a Rwandan flag on the sign too, which Flat Stanley liked. 

Driving to our house Flat Stanley noticed that the main roads in the city are paved, but all of the small roads by peoples houses are still dirt and some of them are really bumpy!!

This is very different from the roads in the USA. It is kinda fun to ride on the bumpy roads, but we told Flat Stanley that during the rainy season we have to use the 4-wheel drive in our car to get to our house through the muddy roads. 

Flat Stanley was really muddy and decided he needed a bath. When he was done, he hung out on the clothes line with all of our other clothes to dry since that is what Rwandans do.  In the background, you can see our water tank that we use at our house. Sometimes the water doesn't come to our house from the city pipes, so we use the water in the water tank to take baths, flush toilets, cook dinner, or wash dishes. 

As he was walking around the yard, he noticed round green things hanging from two different trees in the yard. We told him that one was an avocado tree with lots of avocados on it and that the other was a citron tree with just one citron and some flowers next to it.







Flat Stanley had never heard of a citron, and so we told him that is was like a mix between a lemon and a lime. Someday Flat Stanley will have to come back to Rwanda when the avocado and citron fruits are ready to eat!

The distance between Flat Stanley's home in Austin, Texas and our home in Kigali, Rwanda is about 8,475 miles. whew! That is about 17 hours on an airplane. If Flat Stanley wanted to call back home to Texas, he would be careful when he called because Rwanda is 7 hours ahead of Texas. That means if it is 3pm in the afternoon in Rwanda, then it is only 8am in Texas. So, if he calls any earlier than that he might wake someone up in Texas. 

If Flat Stanley should come back to visit, he should wear shorts and a t-shirt, but bring a rain jacket because the climate here is 60-85 degrees F everyday, but now is rainy season and he might want a rain jacket or he could play in the rain like Abigail did today! 

Some other interesting things about our city of Kigali, Rwanda is that it was voted the "Cleanest City in Africa" a few years ago. The whole country of Rwanda is about the same size as the small state of Maryland.  Rwanda has about 7 million people, which makes it the most dense country in Africa.

Rwanda also has many animals to see in the national parks: zebra, giraffe, elephants, baboons, wart hogs, gorillas, impala. And there are cows and goats around the city that might even walk down your street while you are trying to drive home, so you have to sit and wait until they moo-ve over. Ha Ha! At one of our friend's houses they have turkeys, rabbits, chickens, fish, 2 dogs and 3 cats.  Abigail loves to visit this friend!

Thanks Flat Stanley for visiting us in Kigali, Rwanda!!
Come again!

from Abigail

IJM Rwanda: Justice Secured After Children Who Witnessed Abuse Testify in Court

Justice was secured in a Rwandan courtroom thanks to the brave testimonies of children who witnessed a man assault 12-year-old Cadence.

KIGALI, RWANDA – Late last week, a man was convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison for sexually assaulting 12-year-old Cadence.* The just ruling was rendered a week after two children gave testimonies in a hearing, recounting the abuse they had witnessed.

IJM worked closely with a Rwandan prosecutor to prepare for the criminal trial. IJM Rwanda Senior Consultant Attorney, James Nuwagaba, explained that they "teamed up" to work efficiently and to swiftly secure justice for Cadence. As the judge delivered the conviction, she said that the children's testimonies played an important role in the ruling.

Cadence has started to receive counseling for the trauma she endured. IJM helped the family purchase a goat as a sustainable source of income and will provide continued support.  

*A pseudonym has been used for the protection of this IJM client.


**LEAVE A COMMENT on International Justice Mission's Facebook page to encourage the IJM Rwanda staff of 19 Rwandans and 4 Americans. Click here to leave a comment.

"We for 3 and a bald FOD!"

Learn to do right; seek justice.  Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; Plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17

Remembering what God did
in 2011 with a plaque for the office

To kick off the year of 2011, IJM Rwanda set a goal to assist in ensuring the conviction of two sexual abusers of children. We call these convictions “Perpetrator Accountability.” The reason IJM makes Perpetrator Accountability one of its main targets is because we believe that a justice system that consistently, fairly and effectively punishes those who break the law will deter others from breaking the law. [I am asked from time to time about why IJM only focuses on intervening in cases of sexual assault that have already occurred and why we do not focus more on prevention. My answer is that it is IJM believes that a functioning justice system is the best prevention against injustice, and that our work ensuring that justice systems work for the poor will prevent the greatest number of children from suffering sexual abuse in the long run. So, our casework and work to change the systems in place in Rwanda is prevention work. May it be so!]

One of the little girls who
IJM helped in 2011

So, our 2011 goal for convictions was two. We reached this goal by July. Around that time, one of our American volunteers jokingly wrote on our goals board “If we double our convictions, Lane will shave his head!” I eagerly accepted the challenge, as that would mean two more girls affirmed by the system (and I’ve secretly wanted to shave my head for years anyway). Throughout the remainder of the year, the original IJM Rwanda 2011 motto of “We for 3!” became “We for 3 and a bald FOD!” [FOD = Field Office Director = me]. From time to time when we’d have a breakthrough in a case, one of the Rwandan staff would tape scissors to my door. They really enjoyed the thought of me shaving my head.

Anna with the clippers

Well, on December 29, 2011, we secured our fourth conviction! We are so thankful that God granted justice to these four little girls and that the justice system clearly stated that they matter. To celebrate all God had done in and through us in 2011, IJM Rwanda had a party on January 11, 2012. We ate, drank Fantas [flavored sodas, mandatory at all events here] and prayed and laughed as a staff. Then, the fathers of two of our clients spoke about the events surrounding their daughters’ abuse and how they were thankful to God that IJM was on their side in pursuing justice for their children. They were powerful words.

Then, it was time for me to put up or shut up. The time for the shaving had come. Anna broke out the clippers, I sat in a chair and pulled a sheet over my shoulders . . . and off came my beautiful locks. My intention was to go all the way, to “bic it,” Mr. Clean-style. But, once Anna had gotten down to the shortest clipper setting the staff begged me to stop. It turns out, they had never expected me to shave my head. So, I stopped at the buzz cut. And, with surprise, they said I looked much younger.

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Baby Joshua, so sweet!

Muraho (Hello) from Rwanda! It has been a few months since we have written. Since we last wrote, many things have happened. Let me take a moment to fill you in.

As you know, our 4th child Joshua Lee Mears was born in Texas on November 7th. We enjoyed the rest of the month including Thanksgiving with family and friends while there. And we managed to get lots of doctor's appointments and check-ups for all of us while we were there. Not fun, but something you gotta do.

Anna, Kelley and kids with our airplane
in background

In December, we all came back to our home in Rwanda.  Lane came first to get back to the office.  Then Anna and her sister Kelley travelled with the 4 kids on Christmas Eve and Day back to Rwanda. Abigail even said she saw santa and his reindeer out the airplane window :-).  It was great to have Kelley there to help me travel, plus it was fun to host her for 10 days afterwards.

We loved showing her our life here as well as meeting some of our friends. She enjoyed visiting Mother Theresa's Home of Hope orphanage run by nuns.  Kelley also brought a suitcase full of art supplies to bless a friend, Jennifer Jukanovich, who has a ministry with Rwandan street kids in her neighborhood.

In January, the IJM office had their time of celebration for what God did in 2011. I (Anna) really enjoyed being there to hear two of the fathers stand up and share how much it meant to them that IJM had helped their daughters.  While court cases are in progress, the trauma counselors at IJM meet with the girls to help them deal and heal emotionally from the awful abuse that had happened to them.  I hear that these counseling session really help in the healing process and the staff can see huge leaps in progress for each of the girls.

New family photo with 4 kids now!

Caleb and Abigail started back to school and were very excited to see their friends again. Caleb is playing soccer at school and loves it.  Last week both of the kid's had a Reader's Theater in their classroom and so that was fun for the parent's to come watch.  This week both classes will have a field trip to visit a local Rwandan school as part of a partnership between the schools. I look forward to seeing how this partnership develops.

Anna is continuing with the Ladies Bible study each week as they are doing Beth Moore's study of the book of Revelation. Whew, deep stuff to wrestle with, but good. And I love that it says "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy...and take to heart what is written in it." Revelation 1:3.

In the meantime, life is back to normal and we are getting used to having a newborn in the house again.  Joshua is a good baby and the big kids are really taking to him. Abigail even changes a few diapers, while Luke is eager to fetch a toy for Joshua to play with. I think he likes being a big brother.  While the older kids are at school, Luke and I read books together, play, and work on his alphabet, numbers, and colors.

Lane's new haircut

Some have asked about the weather here in Rwanda. Well, it is usually between 60-85 degrees each day and we are currently in the dry season.  I hear varying reports about when the rainy season will arrive, but I think it will be here sometime in March/April. Seasons like spring, summer, fall, and winter do not exist here. It is either dry season (Dec/Jan/Feb or June/July/Aug) or rainy season (Mar/Apr and Oct/Nov). I hope that helps!

Oh, and thank you to the many of you who sent us Christmas cards to our box here in Rwanda or to our PO box back in Texas. We are still receiving the ones sent to Rwanda and it is such a treat for us. Thank you!!

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support!

Lane and Anna for the Mearskats
Caleb, Abigail, Luke, and baby Joshua

Noonday Collection + International Justice Mission

After the Giving, we are going to keep Giving Give Away! From 1/16-1/20 Enter Every day to win pieces from our collection. PLUS, we are giving towards organizations who share our vision in your name!  International Justice Mission had us at hello.  They are a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. We especially admire the work they do in India where, this past year, they performed their largest rescue mission yet. They literally brought freedom to over 500 men, women, and children in bonded slave labor there. Some of their other 2011 accomplishments are:  More than 1600 children, women and men were rescued from violent oppression, like sex trafficking, forced labor slavery and illegal detention. Nearly 1000 members of Thailand’s hill tribes received citizenship documentation critical to protecting them from trafficking and other violence. More than 100 traffickers, rapists and other criminals were convicted as a result of IJM casework;hundreds more were charged or faced trial. More than 4000 children, women and men were served by IJM aftercare. A dozen bars and brothels were ordered permanently shut down for trafficking crimes. We have some dear friends who work with IJM at their headquarters in DC and on the field. Visiting their Rwandan office this past October gave me a true sense of the work of justice they are doing. Today's winner will receive the lovely fair trade items pictured above plus we will be giving towards IJM's work of freedom in your name! Enter to win!
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Baby Joshua Lee Mears born!

Joshua Lee Mears

Dear Friends and Family, 


Baby Joshua Lee Mears was born on Monday November 7th, 2011 at 7:55am in Frisco, Texas!! 

He weighed 8 lbs 9 oz with light color hair and blue eyes. 


It took us a few days, but we finally decided on the name Joshua Lee Mears. For all of our children we have chosen a Bible name for their first name and a family name for their middle name. 

Daddy and Joshua!

Joshua 1:9 says "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." 

We love the story of Joshua in the Bible and decided this would be a great name for our son. 

We chose Lee for his middle name. Anna's father Colby and her sister Kelley share this middle name, as does Lane's sister Cara, but spelled Leigh. 


We pray for our new son that God would be with him wherever he goes. We also pray for God to watch over and protect him. 

Luke (age 3) and Joshua

Now, that we are together as a family in the same country after a month being apart and now that our new son Joshua is here, we will remain in Dallas with both Lane and Anna's families for the month of November.  We will be enjoying our new baby, time with family, the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays with grandparents and cousins, and then a trip to Austin to see friends.  In December, we will head back to Rwanda and our life there. 

Thanks for all of your prayers and support these past months and leading up to his birth. We have felt so supported by family and friends during this time. 

Enjoy the pics!

Love,

Lane and Anna
Caleb, Abigail, Luke and Joshua

Abigail (age 6) and Joshua

Caleb (age 8) and Joshua

Mommy and baby Joshua!