Stephanie's Special Spectacular Spectacles

24th June

Today was a very special day for one member of the team. Midsummer’s day marks the birthday of Stephanie and so the day began with much hilarity as we all donned pairs of glasses that we will later be giving to Pastors in Byumba as we ate our breakfast. Alfonsine, who prepares our meals, wore a pair and in so doing realised that she needed some to aid her reading and therefore received her own birthday gift! Throughout the day Stephanie received cards and presents, including flowers from the Bishop’s garden, and ended the day with a massive chocolate cake! 

After a humorous breakfast, we headed to a service at Shyogwe Cathedral, where we took part in a 3 hour service that did not seem to be long at all due it being very enjoyable. The service was full of beautiful choirs, who put our singing to shame when later on we attempted to sing ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord’ for them!  Pastor Emmanuel led the service, with Andy delivering a sermon based on the story of Gideon, and Stephanie and Heather giving testimonies; we were very involved in the service and were made to feel very welcome by everyone we met (except by the colony of large fruit bats in the tree next to the building).

We walked around the area nearby with Pastor Emmanuel and had a look at a coffee plantation before we headed to the Bible school for lunch. Emmanuel’s wife Beatrice had prepared a stylish meal for us that was set out on the plate like Masterchef! We sipped on Fanta and Coke whilst we were introduced to the leadership team of the church and then headed off to visit the Teacher Training College that was nearby.

The T.T.C. trains 370 pupils who all board there and who are mostly between the ages of 16 and 21. We saw a contrast between them and British young people as they were busy revising of their own accord on a Sunday! It is clear that education is incredibly valued and that those that were being trained recognised it as a privilege. After a bumpy journey back to the guesthouse, the rest of the evening was then spent sorting the next two days regarding  teaching seminars as well as visiting the clinic in Shyogwe. We are looking forward to see what God has in store for us tomorrow as we realise a day can bring many twists and turns when doing His work!