Off To Rwanda!!!

We are leaving in an hour and a half for the airport. First we fly to London Heathrow then to Kenya, then to Kigali in Rwanda!!! Its so exciting!! it almost feels not real! We are going to have brunch here in a minute. I cannot wait to get to the heat and get my hair braided! And do ministry off course as well!
Anyway I will try to keep this updated!! Thanks everyone for your prayers! God Bless!!
cherie signing off

Rwanda

I sent out my newsletters a week ago, so I hope most of you have them. Well in 10 days I am heading to Rwanda. It is so crazy to think about it. It is coming up fast. We had a guy, Ed, come give us a bit of an orientation about Rwanda. He lived there for a couple years. Well it was so intense hearing about it. Well for anyone that doesnt know a genocide took place there in 1994. It was the Hutu tribe trying to kill off the Tutsi tribe. The entire world sat back as it happened. Ed had been living in Uganda when it happened and they met Tusti refugees and he said the stories were unimaginable. He only told us one and I was almost bawling. A lady had a baby and the Hutu men took the baby and chopped of its arms then handed the baby back and said 'Now he will never hold a weapon'. That was just one story. Ed told us about some of the women at the YWAM base there. Oh my word, their stories are amazing. Everyone is affected by it still. When we go we will be helping with many different programs. Teaching the widows skills so they can earn a living for their kids. Many of them have aids. There is just so much need there. We are going, but we are going with Gods love. We are not going as westerners with our noses turned up. We are going there and we are going to serve them. Whatever we can do to serve them.
We watched Hotel Rwanda last night. I had never seen it. Ive never had such sorrow in my life. Watching it with the view of we will be there in 10 days was extremely hard. I was so ashamed of my country. After the movie was over the room of 12 people was completely silent.

Im really excited to be there. I hope this post hasnt been too harsh. At the same moment Ed told us there is a lot of reconciliation happening there. God is doing good work and there is forgiveness all around. Its really amazing to hear.

Alone Time

The students have been gone now for a week and a half. It is really quite sad, being alone in this giant house. I do have two other girls living here and an outreach team is here but still! Ive realized more and more how extraverted I really am! I find when no one is around I start to feel sick, like the flu. But when people are around I dont notice it. How odd eh! When I was back home I could do a full day of 10 hours working, get home shattered (or as they say here knackered) but then pick of the phone ready to do something with friends. Just ask my mom and dad they can verify it! They call me the social butterfly. I just love people, as Myers Briggs puts extraversion, I get my engery from being around other people. And personally the more people the better:) Not too many though. About 6 or 7 is a perfect number. This current school has the perfect amount of crazy extraverts for me to hang out, so life can seem wonderful just by hanging out!
I have a really sad story I need to share... about two weeks ago I was taking a picture of this great sign I made for my neice, Sarah Maes, 2nd birthday... well I was placing it on something and doing a timer. not the greatest idea when you are dead tired. I went to pick it up and knocked it off the ledge and it fell face down with the lens open on the ground. I cringed so hard. So it will not close, and it will nto fully open. It is stuck in the middle. It tried to close but there is somethin in its way I guess. Im planning on taking it to a shop so see if they can fix it but Im sure it will cost more than it is worth. Which is not cool, I have had so much inspiration to take pictures and I cant. We have these giant mushrooms in our backyard and the leaves are all around them and it is so beautiful but no, I have nothing to take a picture with! Although now that I dont have a camera I have been noticing some really sweet cameras, my eye is now open to see them!
Last night Terran and Naomi came and took me out for dinner! it was really sweet to see them. It has been a really long time, I think close to 3 or 4 years since I have seen them. Good to catch up on stuff!
Anyway, I must be off. God Bless all!

Ben Lomond

Yesterday we did a hill climb up in the Scottish Highlands. It was the most gorgeous day. I could not believe how blessed we were. It was a good hike. Hard of course but enjoyable with company. Today I am definitly sore, but honestly the beauty of it all was worth the pain today:)
So here are some pictures:)

This is higher up on the path, Krista is walkin behind me, you can see Loch Lomond way in the back.

This was our 3 stop, amazing how far you can go in such a small time, it feels any way! We were so close to the top here but didnt even know it!

CWDTS September 2006 on the top of Ben Lomond. Ok so the peoples names... back row left to right...Dan D, Tim, Amy, Kenton, behind in red is Matthew, the Daniel and Sean... front row left to right is Krista, Tonya, me, Sarah, Veronica and John... yaya

Quenching my thirst at the top... Loch Lomond behind me... and the Scottish Highlands...

Chilling at the top... my great hiking boots have done me well:)

CWDTS September 2006

Well it has started. Another 5 months. BRING IT ON! Yes the students have arrived and are now into their second week of school... I dont have tons of pictures... but here are some good ones I thought you might all like. By the way, they are a blast, I am doing good. Besides a wee cold.

Random Update:)

Well it is a year since I came back to staff. And two years since my I came for my dts. Time flies eh. The novelty has worn off a wee bit. It doesnt suddenly hit me that I am actually living in Scotland. But that is okay. Currently we are doing airport pick ups. This is one of my favorite times of the school. The first meeting, and on a side note there are TWO Starbucks in the airport.... which is a bonus. Im really excited for this school to start, its gonna be good!
On another note a couple days ago Gary, John, Veronica and myself headed out to Loch Lomond to find a hill to climb. I had been getting in shape by walkin up the stairs two at a time, I dont think it helped much:) It was a beautiful cloudy/rainy day. We went up a path and only realized 2 hours in that it was a hill path, it was a one valley walk. But we had gotten a few hills in so it was good.
Today we had amazing weather, it was sunny! When I woke up this morning the clouds were out and there was no sun, but by mid morning the sun was fighting to see Paisley and it won. The clouds usually win, but not this time! It was wonderful and beautiful. I really do love Scotland.

Myself, Veronica, John and Gary at the end:) We finally saw the van!

John and Veronica walking up the hill:)

This just couldnt be passed up to take a picture off, yes it is a slug on a turd

Behind is the Munroe we normally climb with the students called The Cobbler. You cant see the peak we climb to because of the clouds.

Here I am alone at Stanely House. This giant house all to myself. I cant help but sing All By Myself at the top of my lungs. The neighbors must love me(especially since I cant sing on tune:)! But it is great. For the past 8 months I have had an idea in my mind. It has finally come kinda of finally done, so here it is, the quaint street Stanely House is at the top of... in four varieing seasons...

A long time coming

im sorry im sorry! i know I havent written forever! I have just been lacking inspiration! I dont know what to write anymore! haha.
Things are good, life is good, people are good. But life is busy. Two of our teams here left yesterday for outreach. Kenya and Morocco. I cannot believe it, last time i wrote was the day the students started the school and now they are on the last leg! Ack. They are really great people though! Crazy for sure. They have even created their own accent as a school. Although it is really only 6 out of nine that acutally use it. But when they use it, they use it. Hmm now how can i describe, well it is not american or canadian... it leans toward Russian, but with a latino twist. Very intruiging indeed! But yes.
Well here are some pictures of the teams... i miss them already:<

This is the Kenya team...

And this is the Morocco team...

Time again for yet another school to start. Dang it is just so busy! We have a week of meetings, then the students begin to arrive.

Well I would like to leave you with this....

Just because I think it is beautiful! Its the Paisley Abbey in the background.

Another Chapter Begins

This last week has been great. On tuesday I got to go out with my parents and Jamie for my birthday. Although the plate I ordered wasnt that great I still had fun. Then I opened gifts which were all wonderful! And got to eat my chocolate bar cake....hmmmm. Then after I headed to College and Career with some friends. It was great, at the end they all prayed for me. Then on Wednesday I had a birthday dinner with all of my friends at Red Robin. Three tried to buy me dinner but then my boss ended up paying for it! After we headed to a friends and watched movies. It was a good last night in Abbotsford.

I was so thankful my flight only flew out at 540pm! I had all day to do last minute things. But i was pretty much ready. Jamie came and said goodbye, and I drove his scooter a bit. Then Mom and I headed to Vancouver. We stopped at a Starbucks for an hour. That was really nice. I dont like saying goodbye. Its not cool anymore.

Now I am back in Scotland. It feels good to be back. I had a wonderful sleep on 15 hours last night, in my amazing double bed with a fluffy duvet. Oh its was beautiful. My flights werent the greatest, both delayed, so tons of waiting. I came into a house filled with students although it still feels empty. I guess that is just what happens in such a big house! Everyone is quite wary of each other since they just met, interesting to watch thats for sure.

The sun is out at the moment in Scotland, althought to me the weather is still chilly. But beautiful. I believe I will go out and take pictures, because my camera is finally fixed!

Almost over

Really my vacation is almost over. I have been in Canada for the past 4 and a half weeks now. Ive loved every second. I tend to be really busy, then not so busy. Then really busy again. I got a chance to go to Vancouver Island to go to an after wedding and see some friends! That was a blast! I also went with my parenst to Princeton to see my brother and his family! So great to see them too. Ive also been working. I actually really like that. I love people so the bits I work are really good. Im not over worked so I enjoy it more. Im a people pleaser, so the job fits perfectly! The weather has been beautiful! So hot and sunny. I love it. Although I hurt my finger the other day. I jammed it playing football...american football. I caught the ball with my finger straight into it. I think it is sprained, It is quite gross actually! Today I can bend it a bit!

I am really excited to go back to Scotland though too. When I get back a new school with be starting and its gonna be a flurry of activity! yay! But this time away has definitly been a blessing as well.
Alright now to leave you with some pictures!!! My camera had broken in December and I finally got it fixed, wow it feels so goood to have an awesome camera again!

A Canadian Goose! Yes beautiful!

This is at Manning Park. Man these lil critters love my camera! it was really funny

My wonderful darling neice Sarah Mae. Oh isnt she just so adorable!

Half of the family in princeton!

This is my trip to the island, Patrick, Jeremy and I found a bear! It was a cool bear. So we decided to take pictures with hit.

Kelsi, Kev n myself hanging out:)

This is a group of us at Whiterock. It was beautiful. And even though it was cloudy I got a burn. Gorgeous. Eating fish n chips... hehe

well i hope you enjoyed! cheers!

Fun with the Stewarts!

Oh wow this has to be fast! I have sooo much to do! I just downloaded all my pictures from the past 4 days to show all of you! I had an awesome time with all the Stewarts. It was great to see them all again! We went to Dundee, Perth, and St Andrews, they were busy days! We even got a 5 course scottish dinner! it wasnt too terrible! hahah no it was really great. We even Ceilidh danced after which was awesome! So filling though, the food i mean! Every day was a busy day. Thankfully the sun stayed out for most of hte time. My trip back into Paisley it rained. Too bad. And i had to walk. But oh well! hahah ok enjoy the pics

This is a peacock at Scone Palace near Perth, there were lots of them! Such beautiful creatures. This one was showing off...

This is baby sheep season! oh they are soo cute, we drove past them a few times and finally stopped to get pictures, so adorable!

Dundee, they have penguins! hahah.... they are fake.... except im real

This is where the boat Discovery that was stuck in the antarctic was built, Dundee. Brad and Chris walkin up the steps

this was supposed to be only Heidi and I since the first one she had closed her eyes!

well it wont let me do anymore pics... so soon! love you all!!

Beautiful Days

Well the last couple days have actually been quite wonderful. The house is filling again. John and Julie got back from visitin home in North America. I did an outreach night with Bri at Elim Church. It was for women, a dinner with food from all around the world. Represented by the people who attend the church! So we had Ghana, Switzerland, Turkey, North America and of course Scotland. Which was made up of Neeps, Tattis and Haggis! For North America we had to make the puddins which in American means desserts! I made Naniamo bars as well as Orange jello salad and Chocolate Chip Cookies. Bri made apple pie, Buckeyes and another lady made pumpkin pie and brownies! They all were a huge success! Especially the Naniamo bars! It was great! A lady even asked for the recipe! Well we were sitting with this one girl who was related to the pastor and Bri and I were telling her about our missions trips. It kinda hit me then. I take all my travelling for granted! So i decided to share some stories

It is so weird because going back to Morocco for the second time, I had this confidence. My French isnt that great but it was enough to get me by. Buying stuff was so easy. In Marrakech you walk out into the Medina and immediatly are bombarded by men offereing stuff to you, as well as women coming up and grabbing your hands. You have to be so focussed on your destination. If you give the slightest acknowledgement to them they jump all over it and, with most tourists, will end up getting money! Some are snake charmers, others are with monkies and some funky looking guys just dressed up. It is so draining going out in a day! You focus so hard not to get taken over!
There was this boy in Essaouira, I had seen him the first year I was there. He was handicapped, I think only physically. He was in a wheelchair and had a tilted head and his hands were curled. But he would sell paintings. This year after a day of prayer I decided to buy a painting from him. They were draw with his mom, but i bet someone must have helped him. He actually spoke quite good english, he had a lock box on his lil table on his wheelchair wher eyou put the money... you had to have exact change. It was really crazy!

Spain was really cool. Santiago De Compostella was my favorite city. We would go to this park close by and sit and watch people. The park was filled with old men! It was so intruiging! They would walk arm in arm, like in groups of five chattering away! It was so beautiful.

Different cultures are so interesting. I thank God I get to expierence a few.

Love you all!

The airport! yay! dad kept drinkin my coffee he was soo tired! hahah 

Eating scones:) 

Dad n I in Starbucks:) dads looking at maps, of course! I finally got my north, and south down to pat! The road here are not in a cross pattern, they are squigly everywhere, so it is terribly hard to keep your bearings everywhere, but im getting there! 

Glasgow... the west endish area... far from the city center, road the tube for the first time in Glasgow! wow is it old! 

The dinner I cooked for mom and Dad... the great chef i have become! haha 

Mom taught me to crochet... hahah my next project... make a blanket! thatll pass the time! 

Mom and Dad in the Great Hall at Stirling Castle... neat eh!