July 8th

July 8^th - Well, although the alarm did not go off again this morning the pigs squealing and the rooster crowing did so I was up by 6:50. A read my Bible and allowed the hot milk they brought me with my tea to cool in my bowl so I could have my granola for breakfast.

Yesterday after I had posted to the blog I went back and read what I had posted....it made me laugh. I have a "speak program" that types what I say into it. I appears to have a mind of it's own at times as when I was speaking about Pastor Herman giving us a tour of his school rooms I said "tin roof" but the Dragon program typed "10 roof". I will try and check the typing better next time.

I got dressed in my "business attire (two piece black suit with white trim)" that Alfred said I should get and bring for all my business meetings with government officials. Today we are going to meet with the Commissioner General of Prisons who they tell me is a woman so I have chosen a lovely scarf and broach to take her as a gift along with one of the Bibles.

I  had purchased two magnetic IRM logo signs for the gates at the IRM office in Rwanda but also decided to use them here........on the doors of our rental car. Pastor Aaron and I out them on and Alfred says we really look professional now.

It is Monday morning and the traffic is horrendous to say the least. So our drive to downtown doesn't just take minutes but an hour and on the way Pastor Herman called Alfred and told him that he was stuck in traffic and was going to be about an hour late for our meeting.

With the "extra" time we now had Alfred decided he would stop and see what could be done about getting a new Sim card for my phone so that it would work here. He also needed to get minutes for the modem so that I could be on the Internet in the evening getting the blog updated. He was told that he needed cash but since he had none that he had changed into Schillings yet he told Pastor Aaron and I to stay with the van and he would take a motorbike further into town to get some money exchanged as well as getting some money exchanged for me.

As we were waiting, waiting, waiting everywhere I looked I noticed  people walking by and I wish that I had had some scarves to hand out but I was thankful that I put some tracks in my backpack this morning so I said to Pastor Aaron "Would you like to start a riot?" as I pulled the track out of my backpack. His broad smile told me he agreed and we got out of the van and begin to hand out the track while Favor slept in the backseat. It seemed like no time at all we had handed out over 300 tracks.

After getting the modem we were finally off to meet with Pastor Herman and Ann, his wife, at the Commissioner General’s office.

When we arrived at the Commissioner General’s office we found that she was in another meeting and we were asked to wait which we did for about an hour. Finally she emerged and seemed stern but pleasant which would be typical of a woman in her high position. Pastor Herman engaged her in the opening conversation and then she mentioned a few things to me and after a few moments she began to smile while the conversation went on. Goodness was I glad to hear her say things about the spiritual needs of the prisoners. We were probably in there talking with her for about 20 min. when Pastor Herman stood to say his goodbyes indicating it was the end of the meeting I asked if it would be possible for me to have my picture taken with her and she graciously consented.

But then I just knew that the Holy Spirit had placed in my head and my heart that I had to initiate a step in this new relationship myself, praying all the time that it would be a step that would cause me as well as IRM to find favor with this Commissioner General. So I asked her if it would be possible for me to speak with her privately as I had an issue that I would like to discuss with her but that I would like the man to leave. The men laughed and begin to leave as I could see the kind of questioning look on her face as to what I might want to talk to her about. I explained to her the conversation I had with Warden Datvia concerning the needs specific to women prisoners. I told her that I had developed a pattern using photographs with English and Kinyarwanda translations and that I had also made samples that I was taking to give to Warden Datvia this trip. She explained that they also had the same need in the Ugandan prisons so I told her that if God brought me back to Uganda next year that I was making a commitment to her that I would have the pattern translated into Lugandan and make some samples that I would bring to her. The smiles and laughter I got from this woman told me that I had indeed found favor with her and I know that this is only the beginning of a very good relationship.

As we all walked towards the café to have lunch I told Pastor Herman how Pastor Aaron and I had been handing out tracts while we had waited for Alfred in the morning and I reminded him that the tracts had his name and contact number on the back and he said "Oh, that's why I got a call from a man this morning wanting to meet with me and have prayer with him and discuss his upcoming wedding." I couldn't wait to get to the café to tell Pastor Aaron that God was already using the tracts for people to make contact with both him and Pastor Herman.

Then we all headed to a buffet lunch that was very good and after we had eaten I gave the pastors their bottles of Anointing Oil from Israel.

We followed lunch by sitting around the table and having a planning meeting for the next week and a half and then before Pastor Herman and Ann left he called a friend who he said was a Christian that ran a print shop to come and meet us and discuss the printing needs that we had.

The man arrived with his computer and indeed was a very nice man and gave us a very good price on all the printing we needed for here along with the posters and handouts that we needed for Bishop Alexis's village crusade in Rwanda. We will make another trek to town tomorrow to pick everything up.

Then Alfred had to go to a doctor's office to have the x-rays taken that are required so that he can get his visa for Australia. Pastor Aaron and I waited in the van and when he finally arrived in fact was 5:30. He was going to have to drive in the rush hour traffic that he had hoped to avoid. I mentioned before about the condition of traffic and driving here so I will not you to it again.

Before arriving where I am staying we stopped at a market and purchased a thermos, dry milk, cereal and bread. When we arrived back at my room Alfred checked my phone and reset the local time here so we will see if the alarm goes off in the morning.

I decided to get my journal caught up to date and was sitting here doing just that when I heard a knock at the door, it was the yard man explaining that he, and the young man with him, had brought a wooden rack for me to hang my clothes on. He must've seen my cloths hanging on the frame that holds the mosquito net when he brought my morning tea as I had not said anything to him.

God enabled us to get a lot accomplished today and I watched Him work in the event of the day providing opportunities as ONLY he can. 

Well it is midnight, time for a shower and then off to bed as tomorrow is another busy day.

Arlene