Abandoned at Birth...

Dear Friends, 

These are true stories from Rwanda....

Baby G is a little baby girl who was abandoned in a field not too far from our house at 5 days old! Security guards found her in the field crying and brought her to the neighborhood leader. A missionary family at our church took her in to feed her and care for her until a home could be found.  She has been with this family for several months now and is growing and developing while they are waiting for a family for her. She was literally rescued from death that night when the security guard heard her little cries in the field. Thank you Lord!

Baby M is a little baby boy who was abandoned at a local hospital this summer! The doctors kept him there for 5 weeks hoping his family would return. However, after 5 weeks and no family to claim him, the hospital allowed this same missionary family to foster him until a home could be found for him as well. 

So now, this missionary family is fostering 2 Rwandan children in addition to caring for their own 4 children. Brett and Keli are those missionaries and they are personal friends of ours. I admire them so much for taking in these little babies and caring for them. They have accepted these 2 babies into their home to care and love them as long as needed. They are wonderful parents and their older children are helping as well. But, they need our help!! It is a lot to care for 2 foster babies. They need lots of attention and care. Baby M needs extra physical therapy, love, and attention due to help his delayed development from being in the hospital alone for so long.

I kept wondering how I can help, so I asked. We can pray for Brett & Keli. We can pray for Baby M's development that no serious medical conditions are found. And we can pray for 2 loving families to adopt Baby G and Baby M. There are also practical ways that we can help. Both babies need formula and diapers, and lots of them! Lane and I have already done this and if you are interested, you can donate online to the Shreck family on their ministry website. Just click on their family picture at the bottom of the webpage. When you complete the form, in the field for your phone number, just write "Baby G & Baby M" and it will go directly to helping the babies.

https://rocfoundation.worldsecuresystems.com/Donate

Also, I am happy to buy the diapers & formula for you and personally deliver them to the babies if you want to do that directly with me. Just email me at (annamears01@yahoo.com) and we can talk details.

Think about it, pray about it, and if you are interested please do what you can. Thank you for reading this and considering if and how you can help these two abandoned babies! God is watching out for these little ones and I want to help however I can. 

God bless, 
Anna & Lane

The New Times talks to IJM Rwanda

Friends, 

IJM Rwanda is in The New Times, a local Rwandan newspaper. Check out the article!

Anna and Lane

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15105&v=239&t=International

International Justice Mission : Building for sustainable access to justice

Accessing justice is a right that every citizen of the world should enjoy without much ado. But usually, the most vulnerable, the poor and the marginalized are kept away from enjoying the fundamentals of justice. In Rwanda, the nascent justice system requires much support to ensure expeditious justice delivery and for all.

The IJM has provided a platform for such interventions. THE NEW TIMES’ THOMAS KAGERA talks to IJM RWANDA Field Office Director LANE MEARS to have an insight of how the Mission intervenes to secure justice for all.

International Justice Mission (IJM) is an American-based Non Government Organisation formed in 1997 by Gary Haugen, an American prosecutor who had a passion for Jesus and care for the oppressed. The mission of IJM is to ensure justice, rescue and work on restoration of individuals’ self esteem. IJM has 15 field offices in ten countries; Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, India, Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Guatemala and Bolivia.
As an organization that nurtures Christian values, it believes that some individuals cannot secure justice on their own so the IJM intervenes on their behalf. The major evils that the Mission fights are human trafficking, land, sexual assault and slavery grabbing.

In 2007, IJM opened shop in Rwanda to contribute to the improvement of lives through the legal interventions. The country has come a long way since the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, but the justice system is still a young sector where IJM stepped in to support and collaborate with the government in its development.

Supporting the land reform policies

The IJM in its first 3 years in Rwanda greatly contributed to the promotion of land rights by aligning with what government objectives are. The IJM drafted a law manual for the National Land Center that highlighted the rights of the land owners. The manual has been distributed to the district land offices throughout the country.

Through the advocacy programme, IJM has helped in solving 136 land disputes and trained more than 156 local leaders (including Abunzi) on how resolve land disputes and given advice to about 150 people on land-related issues.

Helping victims access justice

For the last one and a half years, IJM has been representing sexually assaulted children. More than 30 children have been assisted through trauma counseling and treatment. Since January 2011, 13 IJM clients’ cases have resulted in a conviction of te child rapist.

In October 2011 trained 25 prosecutors and judges with skills of handling sexual assault cases. Some 1000 local leaders in Kicukiro, Nyarugenge and Gasabo were also trained in handling such cases. IJM supports the Prosecution Authority in DNA testing in those cases that involve sexual violence.

Capacity Building

Sustainability is a key component in the IJM programmes. This explains why IJM works with MINIJUST, Prosecution Authority to train the professionals—prosecutors—to create capacity that ensures consistent access to justice,  but also the local leaders in how to effectively respond to sexual assault cases. They are empowered with skills and knowledge how to interact with the affected child, collect information, how to work with the police among others. IJM has also worked with such NGOs as ; Lawyers of Hope, Haguruka, social workers and trauma counselors.

Through the justice journey Programme, IJM also works with churches to engage them in justice issues in their communities. On two occasions, IJM has helped victims that were being abused by family members to be placed in boarding schools.

How IJM works on sexual assault cases

IJM usually gets referrals from local leaders, churches, NGOs, and individuals. After reporting the case to police, then a team of social workers makes an assessment to establish the emotional, legal and medical needs of the victim. The child is encouraged to tell the story. A legal consultant is then retained to provide the services until the case is concluded.

If the family from which the victim comes is identified to be in need of finances, then an income generating project may be started for them or sponsorship for the school-going children. The poorest are the most vulnerable to the assault crimes so IJM intervenes by breaking the cycle through education, jumpstarting the skills and income.

Challenges and way forward

IJM would like to do much more in Capacity Building, sponsoring the victims and get more in the loop for counseling but the resources at times limit what can be offered at a particular time. But IJM staff, on the whole, are impressed with the path the country is treading. There is still work to be done, but at least access to justice has significantly improved over the years. IJM commends the government of Rwanda and the Justice sector for their efforts.

Mears Dessert Event in Austin

Dear Friends, 

You are invited! We are coming to Austin in 3 weeks and we would love to see as many of you as possible! On Sunday July 1st, we will serve desserts, share stories and pictures of our life in Rwanda. Come to the coffee shop at Hope in the City church in south Austin on Sunday, July 1st starting at 6:30pm. Families & kids are welcome. 

Please RSVP with this link if you can come so we know how many desserts to serve and number of kids for childcare too!

http://www.facebook.com/events/324195067659125/

thanks, 

Lane & Anna

Life Lessons from Rwanda #2

A recent visit to see an IJM client. Though the client isn't
in this picture, these are children from her village. 

Continuing on with the three life lessons Lane has learned while living here in Rwanda. Here is the second lesson that he shared at his Wednesday morning guy's group. 

Lesson #2 - Comparison is death; be content to be yourself. 

Working with IJM and moving in the expatriate community here, I am constantly around very impressive people. People with great intelligence, impressive abilities, winsome personalities, and notable success in their careers. I often find myself comparing myself with them, almost involuntarily. Such comparisons are a losing game all around, as they inevitably result in either (a) pride, when the one comparing decides that he is better than the one he’s comparing himself to; or (b) envy or self-pity, when the one comparing finds himself lacking as a result of the comparison. Pride and envy/self-pity are relationship killers and can’t help but divert our focus from God and others to ourselves. And, when our focus is constantly on ourselves, we devolve into isolation and extreme selfishness. There is another way. God has made each of us with a Divine Design, on purpose and for a purpose. We are most alive and effective when we know how we are made (know ourselves), are content with this, and live our lives out of this. When we try to be like someone else, we go against our nature and we rob others of who God designed us to be. Be content to be yourself. And know that there are people right now who are looking up to you, even as you look up to others. Guide them honestly by being yourself.

Recent Praises, Thank You Lord!

- IJM has helped secure 7 convictions of abusers of children this year so far. The goal is 10 for the year!

- Next week, on Wednesday June 13, there will be graduation of several clients who have completed the 4-6 month counseling program to help them heal from the trauma they have experienced.

- God has provided a car for our family while in the States for 7 weeks this summer. 

- God has provided a home for us to stay in while in Austin for 5 days. 

Please Pray for:

- Two trials to defend children who have been abused, one today and one tomorrow. Please pray for the case to be heard as scheduled and that God would work through the IJM lawyers working on the cases. 

- Pray for a judgment hearing that will be held on Friday to determine the verdict in another case of child sexual assault.

- Pray for Lane as he wraps up lots of details in the office before leaving on furlough for one month. 

- A good renter for our home in Austin, Texas. Let me know if you know anyone interested in a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom house in south Austin. 

thanks, 

Lane and Anna

Life Lessons from Rwanda #1

Life Lessons from Rwanda

On Wednesday mornings I meet with a group of guys. It’s a Bible study but we spend as much time talking about life, family, and living in Africa, and encouraging each other to live as godly men. Recently, one of our number who’s moving back to the U.S. challenged each of us to come up with 3 life lessons that have shaped or impacted us. It’s a challenging exercise, but worth the effort – I encourage you to try it. Here was the first one I shared.

Lesson #1 - When circumstances are out of your control, you are forced to decide for yourself whether or not God is trustworthy. 
I am an American lawyer. For years I have taken great comfort in the fact that I have the ability to know and apply the law. I am good at it. I like it. Because I can know the law, and the law is predictable, knowable and the final word, I feel a semblance of control and comfort. It’s my happy place, if you will. I am a lawyer – this makes sense. However, of late I have had a great sense of being out of control here because the law (a) is not as knowable and (b) does not always mean what it says. This is hugely unsettling for me. This makes me nervous, anxious, and panicky at times. It is a desperate place where I lack control or even any understanding of where to find that familiar control. It’s been interesting to see my almost involuntary response to this “out-of-control-ness”: losing my cool with authorities (not a good idea), pressing small issues of legal interpretation to an unnecessary degree and with too much vigor, difficulty sleeping and an inability to leave work at work. What’s hit me lately is that where I am is very much where God would want to have me: in a place where I can no longer trust in my abilities but where I am forced to wrestle with whether or not I trust Him in the midst of my circumstances. This is not a fun place to be but it can be a place of tremendous growth in faith. In the Gospel of Mark chapter 4, Jesus and his disciples were on a boat in a storm on Lake Galilee. Jesus slept; his disciples panicked. They asked Jesus if he cared if they drowned in the storm (translation: we’re out of control, we’re dead, you’re sleeping and you don’t care). Jesus responded by calming the storm with a word and saying: “You of little faith. Why were you so afraid?” (translation: I’ve had the power to save you the whole time and I would never have let the storm consume you; why did you not believe?). It is hard to be in the storm, totally out of control, and to trust in God whom you cannot see. But that is the essence of faith: to trust in God’s power and goodness when you are forced to make that decision. I am not there yet, but this season is one where I am growing in faith, whether I wanted the test or not.

Cooking in Africa...a journey for me

yes, I have totally felt this after moving to Africa. Many new foods, pots & pans I was not used to, not my spices I was used to, a different store, cooking from scratch for 3 meals a day x 7 days a week, no drive-thru or take-out or delivery, not having my cookbooks, etc, etc. I understand!! I was telling a friend that I went through phases with cooking after I moved to Africa. 

Phase 1 - (0-3 months) 

Buy anything I recognized the label in the store no matter the price. Ok, for a while, but got expensive and repetitive after a while.  It felt like it was fun, we were living an adventure and trying new things, but felt like a temporary solution

Phase 2 - (3-6 mo) 

Get bold and try downloading recipes online since I didn't have my old cookbooks. Pick out 3 recipes, go to the store and can't find 2-3 items on each recipe. Come home with no complete recipe. Try to make it anyway without the missing ingredient. Frustrating, defeating. 

Phase 3 - (6-12 mo) 

Got a cookbook by american missionary women living in Africa which had recipes I was familiar with but with local ingredients. Took one recipe at a time, slowly, trying and feeling successful with the result. Little by little, felt more comfortable with what I could buy and find and make at home. 

Phase 4 - (second year) Cooking from Scratch, Really

Moving to Rwanda! It felt like I was start over again when we moved to Rwanda in Dec 2010, but I felt a little more prepared this time, after what I experienced in Kenya. This time was different because I was able to bring some of my cookbooks from home and many of my pots, pans, kitchen utensils, etc. and I had a bigger kitchen. So, I felt a little more ready to face the challenge, until I found out that everything had to be made from scratch herein Rwanda. There was very little if any prepared foods, things like a can of cream of chicken soup for casseroles or a dessert recipe that starts with a box of yellow cake mix or a dinner meal that calls for a bag of frozen vegetables or a soup recipe that is a can of corn, a can of beans,  a can of whatever. Can't do any of those recipes! I realized how much I didn't know how to cook. I mean I cooked meals, nice meals actually, I thought for my growing family for 10 years, but now I was paralyzed because all of my cooking relied on some element of prepared food from the grocery store. Now, everything was from scratch. 

If you live in the United States, bring a cake to a party and someone says "Oh, did you make that yourself?", and you say "yes". That means you opened a box, added 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of oil, and 1/4 cup of water and cooked it in your dish, in your oven. You did not buy it from the bakery section at the store and you are a super mom for baking your own cake. Here in Africa, if you make a cake from scratch it means something different. It means you put flour, 125g butter, caster sugar, eggs, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), cocoa powder, buttermilk (or milk and yoghurt), and vanilla essence mixed together in your oven at 175 degrees Celcius to make the "Super Easy Chocolate Cake" recipe from your "Cooking in Kigali" cookbook compiled by ex-pat (American, British, Canadian, German, etc) women. 

whew! This whole process has been very frustrating, but eventually it has gotten better as I have slowly tried different things and became more confident of my cooking. Now, the other ex-pat ladies and I try to share recipes with each other, since we are all in the same boat. And we even find ourselves sharing where we found certain food items. For example, you might find yourself having an entire conversation about where to find mozzarella cheese in the city. Or you text your friends from a store when you find maple syrup. It really is hysterical! And maybe I should talk about buying food from street vendors, I mean a guy walks up to your car with a bucket of strawberries and you are actually thrilled to see him and buy the strawberries! Maybe that topic should be another blog post....

I Love African Fabrics!

Oh, I think I have fallen in love with the fabrics here in East Africa!  There are so many bright, fun colors. And the way the colors are paired together with the different patterns, I think it really shows about the culture of an area.

Kitenge - Rwanda

Here are two samples I bought today for a skirt for my sister. A close up and then distance shot of each. Lots of bright fun colors and some crazy patterns too! Some of the patterns will have a picture of a shoe, a purse, apples, or whatever. 

The three pictures at the bottom are from a local coffee shop wall that used tons of different fabrics from the market to make a wall of color. Each piece is wrapped around a wooden baton and attached to the wall. Very dramatic. I had Lane and Abigail pick out their favorite fabrics on the wall. 

Khanga - Tanzania or Mombasa, Kenya 

Rectangle piece of fabric with a 6 inch border around the edges. Used to make women's dresses. I loved to use them for tablecloths and still do. They come in al colors! The unique thing about these fabrics is that they all have a quote at the bottom of the fabric.  There were also khangas with the U.S. President Obama's picture on the whole fabric since his father is Kenyan.

Khanga - which comes from the old Bantu (Kiswahili) verb ku-kanga to wrap or close. www.wikipedia.com

An East African khanga is a rectangle of pure cotton cloth with a border all around it and printed in bold designs and bright colors. It is as long as a person’s outstretched arm and wide enough to cover from neck to knee, or from waist to toe. Khangas are often bought in pairs and are usually worn in a most attractive and useful way. Most traditional outfits require a matched or unmatched pair. Women also use khangas to cover other clothes and to carry their young children on their backs. Khangas are also used as tablecloths and decorative wall hangings.

Khangas use a variety of African sayings, idioms, proverbs, slogans, expressions, idioms and riddles in Swahili and English. These sayings must be understood in their cultural and social contexts. It is important to understand that many of the sayings are intended to be a commentary on the lives of East African women and their complex relationships. Many of the sayings are messages (hidden/coded or otherwise) that women communicate to each other. Usually the saying is printed on the bottom middle of the cloth. More recent East African khangas also contain informational and educational messages.

"Asante sana kwa wema ulionitendea." means "Thank you for your good deeds to me."

"Apendaye halipizi." means "The one who loves does not take revenge."

"Yataka moyo." means "[Marriage] needs patience."

"Yote ni matawi shina ni mimi." means "All are branches. I am the root." (Meaning: The legally married woman is the root. The rest of the women/wives are branches to the man.)

"Zawadi ni zawadi." means "A gift is a gift."

Source: http://www.deproverbio.com/display.php?a=3&r=106

Kikoy - Kenya 

From the Kenya coastal areas. More pastel or lighter shades of colors. Solid color with small stripes in the fabric. Often a fringed or braided edge on 2 sides. Used as a shawl or wrap, but also sewn into clothes. 

Maasai Fabric - Kenya

Red plaid fabric used by Maasai tribe who live in the Mara area of Kenya. They wrap this fabric around them to designate their tribe from other tribes. It is worn by the Maasai warriors and the cow and goat herders in the fields.

“Let’s hope that God will talk to them through our mouths”

In the past two months, I (Lane) have had occasion to have many meetings with people to discuss difficult things, such as: Meetings with a branch of the Rwandan government to negotiate a memorandum of understanding; meetings with another branch of the government to resolve issues with our organization’s registration; etc. But, prior to one recent, difficult meeting, one of my Rwandan staff, in response to my request for corporate prayer, stated: “Let’s hope that God will talk to them through our mouths.”

That struck me as profound, and as something I deeply wanted not only for the next meeting but for all my interactions with people. How cool and impactful would that be for people to feel blessed, challenged, edified, loved, rebuked in love, wiser, etc., after each interaction with us. It reminds me of a Jim Elliot quote: “Lord, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.” Let it be.

Anyway, a month or so later IJM Rwanda had one of those days that causes great celebration. 

First, on Friday, March 30, a Rwandan judge convicted a man who had raped an IJM client named Dahlia* and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. We celebrate because the system has clearly stated that Dahlia matters, and we celebrate that, in spite of numerous issues in this case though very well could have prevented it from even going to trial, God brought justice for Dahlia in a Rwandan court. IJM Rwanda has now assisted in securing four convictions of child abusers in 2012 against a goal of 10 for the year.

Second, after many months of prayer and work to secure our re-registration as an international non-governmental organization (INGO), on Friday we secured our registration certificate! I’ve never given birth but this six-month process of trying to get re-registered is as close as I’ll ever want to come to being with child for 9 months and giving birth. Thank you for all of your prayers in getting to this point.

----

Greetings from Kigali! April is the annual memorial or mourning time from the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. The genocide started on April 6, 1994, when the then President of Rwanda’s plane was shot down. 

Every year, the entire country spends a week in mourning and remembrance of what happened in an effort to make sure it never happens again. 

As you think of it, please pray for the people and leaders of Rwanda as they continue to heal and move forward after such a desperate tragedy.

Joshua - 5 months old

 On the home front, Joshua is now five-months old and is beginning to pull himself around on the floor as well as showing off his first two new little teeth.

 

Caleb and Abigail had a new experience this week. Due to the Memorial Week, the kid's school is off for break the entire week. So, we decided to take some field trips around the city. 

One of those outings was to a place called Dancing Pots, where the kids got a first hand try at making pottery. Check out my blog post here for more about that experience and more pictures!

IJM's Global Prayer Gathering starts Friday!

Click here to watch GPG session live online.  Join hundreds of IJM supporters gathered in Washington, D.C., and thousands more from around the world. 

Click here to download the GPG 2012 Prayer Journal with specific prayer requests from each field office (including Lane's office in Rwanda!!)

IJM's Global Prayer Gathering 2012

We gather with a singular purpose – to engage in the work of justice through the work of prayer.

Through storytelling, worship and reflection, we will celebrate God’s faithfulness throughout the past 15 years of IJM’s work…and we will ask for his continued intervention to bring rescue and restoration to those who are still being oppressed.

Throughout the weekend, IJM staff from Africa, Latin America, India and Southeast Asia will share the miracles of God’s intervention and care they have seen on the frontlines. We will hear of the urgent challenges in their field offices and cities. We will pray together corporately and also have the opportunity to rotate among country rooms during breakout sessions of focused prayer for IJM needs around the world. Several survivors who have been served by IJM will share their own stories with us.

We will be led in musical worship by Sara Groves, Sharon Irving and others.

Excerpt from the GPG 2012 Prayer Journal

Kigali, Rwanda 

Casework Focus: Child Sexual Assault 

Director: Lane Mears 

Office Established: 2008

PRAISE

• Praise God for granting IJM Rwanda success in its first year of focusing exclusively on combating sexual assault against children. In 2011, IJM Rwanda was able to secure its first four convictions against child abusers, and more than 50 children have been receiving aftercare services from IJM counselors.

• Praise God for granting IJM Rwanda the opportunity to train Rwandan judges and prosecutors on how to investigate and prosecute cases of child sexual assault. Nearly one out of every five judges and prosecutors in the entire nation participated in IJM’s first training last year.

PRAY

• Ask God to allow IJM Rwanda to build a trustworthy working relationship with the Rwandan National Police. This critical partnership will enable IJM to more consistently and productively work alongside the police to protect Rwandan children from sexual violence and ensure that rapists are held accountable under the law.

• Pray that three safe houses will open in or near Kigali City, where children who have been sexually abused can live when their own homes are not safe. Ideally, at least one of these safe houses would be government-run and have enough beds for all of IJM’s clients.

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.