Surfin' the slopes!

SO, spring break came and went. I was planning on staying at school all week so I could get a lot of good homework done...but that plan got shot down pretty much every time I told someone. The thursday before the break, when I told someone that's what i was probably going to do, along with the shooting down of my brilliant plan came an invitation to go along with them......they were going snowboarding!!! My first question..."how much does it cost?". Their answer, well, we can give you a pretty good deal." My second question...."ok, but, how much will I have to pay?" My friends answer: "well, how much are you able and willing to pay?". After playing that game for a while he finally came up with a possible price for me. I realized he wasnt the one behind the planning and then even later I realized he really had nothing to do with the planning at all and after a while started knowing less than I knew about the trip, lol....thats why he had no straight answer. Anyway, I decided to go! I told them I had to take homework with me though....and i did do some of what I brought....so i'm kinda proud of myself for that. But despite the fact that I got very little done of what I had originally planned, I had a blast and I am really happy that went!! Oh, by the way, we went to Breckenridge, Colorado.

I dont know if you remember, but a while ago I wrote that I had dreamed of skiing, and then randomly thought about it a few times in one day....wel, this was like a dream come true! After three years of missing my family's ski vacation, I could finally go again! ofcourse, it made me more hungry to go back to the resort in France where I know the slopes and the runs...I know where the good jumps are and at what point of the slope you need to get your speed up to make it past that flat stretch...I also really missed skiing with my parents and brothers. We're all really good at keeping up with each other. And I think most of all I think I've missed seeing Jesse get better every year and start zooming right past people.
So, I had an awesome break!!

Now I've been back in the real world...well, that is what a real world is like for a college student...filled with studying, research, writing papers and trying to keep up with non-academic activities such as club, work and preparing for Rwanda and trying to occasionally just socialize with no real agenda.
These last few weeks will be really busy!

This weekend our Rwanda team is having a training weekend out by harding with their program called HUT. Please pray that that goes well and I'll let you know how it went when we get back!

Rwandan Ambassador

Almost a month from now the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, is coming to the States and will make a stop here at OC. I am invited to a lunch in his honor and will get to meet him as the student representative of OC.
About two weeks ago we got our first taste of this visit. The Ambassador of Rwanda to the US, Zac Nsenga, came through as a preperation for president Kagame's visit. He spoke at Quail Springs Church Of Christ Wednesday evening. As he spoke he showed pictures and statistics. He talked about what Rwanda was like before the genocide (both before and after colonization), then during the genocide and then right after the genocide and now. He explained how the country is enthousiastically building it self up again...the whole nation is doing what they can to reach their vision for 2020. They have a document which states what that goal is ("vision 2020") and working hard. You hear the people in Rwanda talk a lot about this vision. STudents learn about it in school and learn how they can help. Each disctrict has its own specified vision within the great vision for the whole country. This vision is real and the people are making it possible for their country to reach its goal.
The next morning those of us who went to Rwanda last summer and those of us going this coming summer were invited to breakfast with Mr. Nsenga. I believe this was much better than anything we're gonna get with the president, because this was such a select group that his speaking to us was very personal....he spoke directly to us. He wasn't just 'speaking to the masses'. AFter he spoke we asked questions. The question was raised "what is the most important and very first we we (or AMericans) can do for your country?". What he said has stuck by me. The greatest thing he wants people to do for the Rwandan people is be interested in their story and genuinely be their friends. I think its amazing, because that is exactly what I saw when we were there last year. I know someone could easily walk away from that experience saying 'they just want our money', because we had those times that the people asked us for money in exchange for their services like showing us a certain building we were looking for, or you could say 'they just want to use our friendship to get into America', because we had plenty of those requests. I prefer to remember the many times when people merely asked for knowledge and not physical help with the intention to use that knowledge to help their country with their own physical strength. ALong with asking for knowledge came true friendship, and along with those questions they asked to help build up their country came their questions about our knowledge of their people and country. They want us to know them, befriend them, and help them.....as their friends.
so I want to encourage you to learn about Rwanda. Maybe even do some research to see if there is a Rwandan refugee near you and make an effort to reach out to them. Above all, pray for them, because they are our friends and many of them are our family in Christ.

If you are interested in the vision 2020 document, let me know.
Check the link to see pictures from the Quail Springs website.

Spring Sing

I've already told you a little about Spring Sing, our school's big club show where every club gets about 5 minutes to do show. Well, that time has finally come! This whole past week has been filled with performances and today we have our last two. My club, Beta Beta Sigma, is doing "school of rock" (for all of you who dont know, there is a movie with that title). We have a blast performing it because its just a ton of fun! I have some pictures of the shows we've already done: