Church at Rukara in the Eastern Provence - Sunday 5th

Sophie, Nathan and Helen decided to sleep-in today. Nathan has been unwell and the others just needed sleep. For the rest of us plus Fred it was up early and off to church in the Eastern Provence, about a 2hour drive.This is a very poor area. The church meets in the building shown down below. It doubles as two classrooms during the week when a cloth partition divides the room.

There were about 60 adults and 30 children jammed into the small building. No guitars, not keyboard, no electricity just a drum and beautiful singing as dancing for Praise and Worship. Like all African services it runs for 3 hours. Cheryl had to give the message - 1hour.

Our driver Donald got pulled over by the police on our way to church. After some discussion they agreed to let him drive us to church and then he'd return and sort out his license and the speeding fine.

Church building and classrooms

View from the church window down to the lake.

Some of the local children who had been at Church

We stopped for lunch on the way back. The place was very much like an Australian Pub Beer Garden. The parents were having a drink and food while the kids played in the garden on swings.

We arrived back at AEE around 4pm, Fred headed home where he had family arriving at 5pm for a baby shower. Cheryl managed to catch up with Tash, a mad Kiwi, who lives in Ethiopia but was in Rwanda for a wedding.

Steve