finally home

One day last June I was standing in a field of freshly cleared banana trees. Enclosed by banana trees and tall grasses, Rwandan melodies rose into the air -- simple, pure, joyous, held together with steady, rythmic clapping.

We were celebrating. We were celebrating God's goodness, His intervention in the lives of these kids who once lived alone on the street...and alongside them, I was celebrating God's intervention in my life. What I've been rescued from seems no less miraculous, though hard to relegate to a sentence or two.

There in Kayonza, Rwanda, we dedicated the ground and building that would soon be built for these young men through a donation made by my late aunt's trust fund.

When I saw them, the boys were living in a makeshift room -- an empty classroom, that had been crammed with three-tiered bunk beds. Some had added their own personal touches with letters or drawings that had been taped upon the painted brick walls. It looked much neater than I would have expected from a room inhabited by a bunch of 10-17 year old boys.

And then, one day, the room was returned to a classroom as the boys dismantled their beds and moved everything nearly a half a football field away to the Umucyo (oo-MOO-chyoh) Home. Kinyarwandan for 'light', Umucyo Home will serve as a place of hope and truth, while bearing a subtle reference to the woman whose life brought blessing to these young men -- my late aunt's name, Elaine, means 'light'.

A central gathering area is flanked by sleeping areas for 24 on each side. The central area also has laundry and shower facilities. Toilets will be located in a separate outdoor facility. Until recently, the Africa New Life campus in Kayonza did not have a viable sanitation system. Through fundraising efforts, most of the cost of installing one has been raised and construction on the project has now begun. And to think, when completed, most of the kids here will use a flush toilet for the first time in their lives!

The 16 young men in the Umucyo Home are sponsored, but the sponsorship does not currently cover the administrative costs of running the home. After about a year of seeking a sponsor to cover the remaining amount needed -- about $11,000/year for this group of boys --  the Grace Foundation in Florida has agreed to fund part of the costs. When the home is full with 48 boys, about $33,000 will be needed.

Just moments after viewing these pictures, I got a message from one of my Rwandan friends, a young man who lived on the street and was sponsored by Africa New Life. He lived in the Kanombe Home -- where these young men lived before they were forced from their home by exorbitant rent increases. My friend is now headed to university and has the same dreams and potential -- perhaps more -- of any other person his age in Rwanda. His love for God is great and has been an example and encouragement to my own life.

So I look at the pictures of these young boys and I see what my friend has become and I am filled with joy. God is good.