Greetings from Arlene

Easter was rather unusual here.

This year the same week in April was set aside as the Genocide memorial week and is quite serious. There is to be only mourning.

No celebration is to take place during the week.  No weddings. No parties.  It is such a sad time for Rwandese people. This collides with Easter every four years. At least I think that is how often it happens. Easter jumps around a lot.

For Christians this is the time of great Joy. Christ has risen. I did my best to tell the children that we mourn for the dead and celebrate the living and both are proper. John, one of our staff, said it went well. I had the teaching time in worship and it was up to me to observe the sadness of the genocide and the joy of a risen Christ. Not easy.  The children learned a special song in English, as a gift to me, and sang their special music with the voice of angels, “BECAUSE HE LIVES”. I was impressed. They sang all the verses. Beautiful.

Molly, our long term volunteer of four months was leaving soon and wanted to treat the kids with a special  celebration. So we chose Easter Sunday to also mark our kids doing well at school in their first term of the year.  A special dinner of chicken, cake and Fanta was served. The chicken was delicious. We celebrated Easter and a job well done at school and observed the Genocide memories all together. Quite a day.