A- A is for Abigail, my teammate, sweet sister that is full of so much love and is a master at her aero press coffee
B- B is for bucket showers that we do to get semi clean.
C- C is for CC flower of Rwanda. This is the name of the plant our African Dad named after me. I replanted it, and it is looking a little sad.
D- D is for dancing… the Kigali way, in front of all of church… every Sunday
E- E is for Eddy, my Rwandan friend that I am working along side that has the biggest smile and knows a few words in English
F- F is for Fiona, my sweet host sister that works so hard to serve us. She gets up early to sweep the house, does our laundry, and never complains
G- G is for gardening, which also means planting grass that has been pulled up out of the ground in heaping piles, in order to replant in an orderly fashion.
H- H is for hope… something this country has built itself on over the last 20 years… since the Rwandan Genocide… hope for a peaceful today and tomorrow from here on after.
I- I is for Inocent.. our Pastor who takes his tea promptly at 9AM every morning, who understands that Momma Africa is the boss. Who ensures we do not get blisters on our hands, and has the utmost regard for our health and safety. Who comes up with nicknames for us all, and is quite the jokester. He also always screams my name.
J- J is for joy.. the joy that illuminates from the smiling faces of all of the children here as they yell “muzungu” (white person) as we walk down the streets
K- K is for Kigali, a city of smiling faces, of many nations, of lights, of laughter, of love and service, of generosity, of humanity, of humility, of the Miracle House
L- L is for laughter, laughing until we cried when Pastor Innocence says, “My chair is dancing.” and the word “lovely” that my little Rwandan brother Prince uses to describe anything he finds..well.. “lovely”
M- M is for Morgan, my teammate that I stand outside and brush my teeth with every night.
N- N is for Nicole, my rockstar teammate that will break out Taekwondo at any time of the day…. also she is from Scottsdale, Arizona.
O- O is for open doors…. the door to our house is always open with sweet kids coming in and out
P- P is for “Peggy” aka Paige, our fearless team leader that goes on runs with me every night. She also loves Unicorns and chocolate.
Q- Q is for quiet.. which can be found inside of the church, for a few brief moments before there are smiling faces peeking above the window calling our names asking us to play.
R- R is for Rachel, my teammate from Chicago, Illinois. We always get super competitive when playing cards. But we make up at the end…. don’t worry. And we have also been roomates for 4 months.
S- S is for Sarah Beth, my super bubbly teammate. You can catch her always laughing and stealing the dance floor. She will always split the last French Fry with me at dinner.
T- T for team time, which has included Heads Up, listening prayers, words from God, Shanghai, and check ins
U- U is for underwear, that we wash ourselves and dry on a blue rope between two trees…or strategically placed on shrubbery in front of our home.
V- for Vanencia..or Momma Africa.. who is a powerhouse speaker with the lightest touch. Who sits with us on our beds late at night telling stories with the same passion and poise as when she sits behind her desk at church. Who mothered three boys and founded a school program at the church, which empowers mothers and children to receive education before entering primary school
W- W is for water… water in a blue jug for drinking and water in a yellow jug for showering the “African way”
X- X is for {e}xxxxxxxciting things are always happening here in Rwanda.
Y- Y is for yellow pineapple. We get to eat yummy fresh yellow pineapple after every single meal
Z- Z is for Zoo…. our house is full of so many people. Sometimes it is like a zoo, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Blessings,
Catie Collins
