I woke up at my normal USA time of 6:20 this morning. Quick delightful shower before walking downstairs to breakfast.i was pleasantly surprised to see a huge buffet style breakfast and an omelet cook. I definitely needed a hardy breakfast! Fifteen of us met our Rwandian guide Epiphanie. She oversees all of ZOE Ministries in Rwanda. She is beyond fascinating! She explained that our schedule had slightly changed for today. She explained that the last Saturday of the month is a national clean up day and businesses are closed. So therefore today is going to be our first village day so we can see the ZOE kids working their prospective trades. We gathered on the van and traveled to our first stop about an hour away. We passed fields of sugar cane, coffee, soy bean, potato crops, rice fields and banana orchards. School kids on bikes and foot were everywhere. The village was Rwamiko-Gicumbi. The sponsored group was Umucyo. We met two girls who have been working in the ZOE program for two years. They had a roadside market selling avocados, potato and bananas. They were 17 and 16 years of age and each had two younger siblings they were supporting. We next visited a retail shop and met three girls ages 18, 17 and 16. Each of them were also head of the households caring for their younger siblibings and also ailing parents. One of the girl’s mom was blind, the other mother suffered from severe mental illness. Their seamstress business is flourishing! I bought a beautiful table cloth for 6000 Rwandan Francs ($7.69 US.) We packed up at drove about 2000ft in elevation to visit with the second sponsored group called Twizere. There were 69 kids that represented the Potato Group Project. We interacted with them and watched as they harvested and planted their crops. We were invited to a home visit. Odell is a 17 year girl who is over the household of her three siblings (17, 13 and 9.) their mother died 14 years ago and their father passed away 2 years ago. He is buried behind their small stable. They live without electricity or running water. The water well is 2 miles away. The only furniture they possess is a single sized bed that is shared by Odell and her youngest brother. Banana leaves and oil heat water. Through ZOE they have been able to sell vegetables and earn enough profit to buy a cow. They now eat three meals a day (porridge.) I used their outhouse which was nothing more than a drafty Adobe like structure with a small hole in the dirt floor. The inside was infested with mosquitos and flies. We then gathered at the nearby community center and all 69 ZOE kids presented us with songs and dance. We were honored with gifts ranging from aprons and hand bags to computer bags and stoles. These kids honored us with gifts they made! I cried tears of joy as I thanked and hugged each child. I am inspired by them because they are living examples of how God works and fulfills HIS promise. They are believers. I learned a huge lesson about hope and love today! We parted ways with tears of joy and cultural Rwandan songs. I had three kids hold on to me. Perhaps they didn’t want me to go and they were sad. But I am choosing to believe they were giving me a gift of hope and everlasting spirit! God bless them all!