DAY ONE (The Journey Begins…)

Muraho! Greetings to Rwanda Down Under (aka Oz) from the '09 Rwanda Team. This year, the Impact Trip is blessed to have on board 22 “muzungus”, the largest Rwanda Team we’ve had to date.

Introducing:

Pastor Neil Chisholm (Chiz)
Bridget Hadfield
Marion Bradshaw
Bryce Green
Andrew Bagust
Barbara Ridyard
Linda De Haan
Ryan Joyce
Ingeburg Dell'Antonio
Natasha Adams
Rachel Adams
Elizabeth Black
Kate Black
Sophie Black
Ian Egginton
Samantha Egginton
Jay Chou
Karen Gilbee
David Scaife
Sheryn Binks
Annette Binks
Mel Binks

Our journey began with thirty long hours of travelling from Perth to Johannesburg to Nairobi and finally to Kigali, Rwanda. The journey went pretty smooth in general – everyone stayed together, our slightly overweight baggage was settled by smiling at accommodating airport staff and we made the most of transit time by catching some shut eye whenever we could...on airport benches, at cafes...and for some, even the floor. Upon arriving at Kigali airport, we did encounter one blunder as the baggage of some team mates didn't arrive (refer to following posts for further details on this).

Amidst being very sleep deprived, we were warmly welcomed by team mates who arrived in Rwanda before the main group (Kate and Sophie Black, Sheryn, Annette and Mel Binks and Linda and Ryan), as well as members from African Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE), that is, the main partnering organisation of the Children’s Foundation in Rwanda. Then we were all off in a minibus to make the trek to our guesthouse in Rwamagana (a small district about an hour east of Kigali). It was hugs and handshakes all round as we met more staff from AEE and the Dereva guesthouse before the team kicked back for a well deserved rest.

For those in Rwanda for the first time and those on a return visit, it was truly wonderful to be introduced or reunited with AEE staff who have become part of our extended family in Africa over the years.

Well that about sums it up for our first blog entry…stay tuned for more updates coming soon!

Apologies for the delay in communication, reliable internet access in Rwamagana is a challenge and we’re fast learning the virtue of patience and how to live by Rwanda time!

God bless & Peace out.

Sam & Jay