June 19...............

June 19 --- It seems impossible that in five days we will be leaving Rwanda. The time here has gone far too quickly.
I awoke this morning about 5:30 after a very good night’s rest. There was no charcoal smoke around my window so I was able to enjoy fresh air and a cool room all night and the mosquito net, that hung from the ceiling, around me kept any unwanted visitors from disturbing my sleep.

Everyone met for breakfast at 7:45 and reported that they too had had another good night’s rest. By 8:45 the team and our supplies were loaded and headed to Butari Prison.

We stopped to purchase a loaf of bread for lunches but there was none in the market yet, Philbert graciously agreed to return to town and pick some up for us after we got settled at the prison. Thankfully we are only ten minutes or so from there.

As we arrived just outside the gate there were women prisoners doing cleanup. They recognized me and begin waving and calling me name, I am ever so happy to see so many smiling faces.
It appears they have gotten a lot the construction done and are doing more inside the prison gate and around the buildings since we were here last year. The grounds are really looking beautiful.

We are told that neither the Warden nor the Deputy Warden is in so we are ushered into the office of the Social Affairs officer. I had hoped that we would see the same woman, Mary, we had met last year but this officer is new. She has her hair braided and is dressed in slacks with a nice striped, long sleeve blouse. It's hard to understand that the third in command at these prisons is the Social Affairs officer. She very carefully went over the signed paperwork that Alfred handed her and then disappeared into some other offices to begin the procedure of having things made ready for us.

We were finally introduced to the warden, one I have never met before. He is small in stature, good looking and although he appears very young, to be the warden for the 8,000 prisoners here, Alfred says he is not. He allowed the team to have their photo taken with him before he left to do other duties. 

The men will be meeting in a large area outside and it was covered with a tin roof so they will have lots of ventilation but we would soon find out how well God had also provided for us.
As Alfred, Pastor Jerome and women's team headed for the women's area the Social Affairs officers asked us to wait a moment I saw about eight women prisoners doing some yard work and asked the guard for permission to speak to them, to which he said yes. They laughed and smiled as we greeted each other but then it was time to enter the women's enclosed area.

On the way to the area where we will be speaking from we pass numerous ladies weaving baskets and then we saw God's provision…… The entire meeting area has mental uprights covered with a tin roof. We will not have to stand out in the hot sun today like we did last year. Thank you Jesus, for providing so well for us.
As the women see me the squeals, laughter, waving and calling my name says that they remember me and I can tell they also remember Kathy as they are greeting her. And although Shelley is new to them they greet her in a most joyful manner.

We enjoyed their singing as we waited for the sound guys, inmates, to arrive with the system and set it up. Once they arrived Alfred left us in the very capable hands of Pastor Jerome as he hooked up our mike and help the sound guys with theirs. All of this gave us a bit of a late start but just the relationship is so important here…….I love it!!!!
Finally all set to go Jerome left us to go join the men’s team. I introduced the team and shared my testimony ending with Eph. 2:8-9. Kathy helped me with the “gift bag” skit and I then gave the invitation. As I observed the first woman to respond and you could “read” on her face how repentant and honest her decision was, more about her later.

Then I spoke to them about forgiving others and themselves….almost every woman responded to the invitation to pray a pray of forgiveness over themselves for what they had done in the past.
It was time for short break with another song from one of the choirs then Kathy did one of her teaching on being “Accepted by God”. She does such a terrific job of sharing the truth of God’s Word in her teachings.
It was 12:30 and time for us to take a lunch break although we just tell the women we are going for a break.

 As I started to leave the woman prisoner I mentioned before came up to us and with tears streaming down her face shared her story in brief. She said how touched she had been by my story and the she had six children and the 6^th one she had put in the dump and it had died. She said that was the reason she was in prison. With my arm around her I spoke briefly to her about the choice she had just made to receive God’s free gift of salvation and her choice to pray the prayer to forgive herself and that she needed to stand firm on God’s promise to her and her good choices now. I asked her if she had a Bible and she said “no”.

As we met with the men we discovered that instead of having 70 Spiritual leaders for the Step-up training they had 140 with 8 or so women.

After out traditional lunch we returned to the women’s area. As soon as they saw us enter they started scurrying to find a place to put their tiny stool, very ready for the afternoon session. Before we actually got to the platform we stopped to watch one group of woman that was doing basket weaving.
I asked Sylvia, our translator, to find the woman I wanted to give a Bible too and ask her to see me before I left.

The choir sang another song, such a great way to start the afternoon Pastor Shelly gave her powerful testimony and the women were drawn to her gentle, sweet spirit, sharing how God had worked in her life, healing her and making her whole. She was a huge blessing to all the women, including me. Many responded to the special invitation she gave.
Then Kathy did a second teaching followed by an invitation to accept others in our lives.
 Having built today on the relationship I started two years ago and last year has made a difference with these women and the way they have responded to what God has given each of us to teach them, of course teaching ourselves first.

I finished the day with my “Why” teaching and object lesson. When we did the exercise every woman responded and gave her “Why” question/questions to Jesus so they could stop looking back at the past and be ready for God’s blessings today. One woman put so many of her “why’s” in the giant bag I had that it made all of us smile. Seeing them choosing to face the future with hope, promise and smile of relief on their faces………thank you Jesus for speaking into each heart!
I finished by briefly talking to them about their value and having them tell their neighbor, “You have great value to me and to God”. It brought much laughter and smiles and then I asked if they would do that every day in my absence. 

I cannot tell them goodbye so I tell them I until I see you again. The women’s leader finished our time with some VERY kind words as to what it meant to them for us to spend the day with them and by thanking us.
The woman who had lost her child found me as we were leaving and as We hugged each other I placed the Bible in her hand. Last year we gave all these women a Bible but I know there are some new prisoners here and I did not want any disturbance with trying to give out a few now. We are leaving 450 Bible sets here today.
The Spiritual Leaders Training was just concluding as we walked to join them. I introduced the women with me and said a few brief words.

It was the first time for Sylvia to translate for us and she did a wonderful job. She recounted later that the prisoner were nothing like she expected......"They are really just like us".

We went to the offices and found the Deputy Warden to be the same one I met last year. He warmly greeted us and took us to the gift shop where we saw, and bought, many beautiful wooden carving and trays.
We arrived back at the guest house in time for a very short rest before dinner at 6. I spent my time catching up this journal.

Dinner tonight was wonderful Mushroom soup & bread….. Fish (fixed with red and green peppers – the best I’ve ever had here), beef, rice, chips, peas and red sauce, and a tray with a variety of fruit.
Everyone is a bit tired so off to our rooms by 7:15. I was glad for the time to finish my journaling and for a hot shower.
I do not have adequate words for God’s provision, grace and blessings over us and our days here. It’s been AMAZING !!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for your continued prayers,

Arlene