Africa Gets Football Right
Soccer has been my game since I played on my high school team. And by “played,” I mean sat the bench 95% of the time. There was the one tournament when all of our good players got injured or were sick, so on a fluke I played an entire game and scored 4 goals. Of course, 3 of those goals were meant to be passes and accidentally went into the goal, but they still counted, right?!? That stellar tournament performance was quickly negated a few weeks later when I was put in as 3rd string goalie and let a couple of shots pass right between my legs.
All that to say, I love a good soccer (here, it’s football) game. Some of the Peace House guys and I have made it to 3 games together so far, and the games have not disappointed. While the players are skilled and the games are good, the real action is in the stands. Crazed, American sports fans have got nothing on African football fans. Between the many vuvuzelas, African drums, scary Halloween masks, and giant team flags, it’s major sensory overload. Throw in the 6 teenage boys that I go to the games with, and you’re basically surrounded by pure crazy.
Game 1: Dance Party
Dancing is a huge part of the Rwandan culture, so I should have expected it to be a big part of the football games. Still, I was surprised when the first goal was scored and every single person in the stands, except me, broke out into crazy dancing. It was seriously one enormous dance party for a solid 10 minutes after every goal was scored. Sometimes there was even one after just a good attempt on goal. I am not exaggerating this part…people were sitting up in the trees that surrounded the stadium, and even they were dancing and making the trees shake. After that first game, a DJ led a dance party on the field to celebrate the game being over. Dance, dance, and more dance.
Game 2: Mobs
Our second game was at the big stadium here in Kigali. Because it was between the country’s 2 top ranked teams and rivals, people came out in droves. It was one giant mob at all times. The Peace House boys took on the role of bodyguards for my friend Heather and I, surrounding us on all sides while we were trying to get into the game. Riot police were stationed throughout the stadium and kept a close watch on everyone. As we were walking along the road after the game, trying to catch a ride out of there, a group of several hundred rowdy fans all ran by together, filling up the entire road. We saw public buses rocking back and forth because of the fans leaning out the windows, dancing, yelling, and beating drums. At one point, we stopped on the sidewalk, waiting for the craziness to die down but it never did.
Game 3: Injuries
Rwandan football players are “drama llamas” when it comes to injuries. Even if he barely falls and scrapes a knee, a player will lay on the field and yell until someone finally stops the game for him. Eight players were escorted from the field due to “injuries” during this game, and a stretcher was brought out each time! Three of those times, the player rolled off the stretcher as soon as it hit the sidelines and ran immediately back into the game.
But as You Will
Several weeks ago, the Peace House girls were talking about forgiveness, asking why it’s so hard and why God believes it’s possible for us to let go of our anger and bitterness. Some of the girls seemed very closed to the idea, believing forgiveness may be impossible when you have been wronged in the ways that they have. Beatha was silent during the discussion, and I could see big tears welling up in her eyes. Finally she spoke up, saying that forgiveness is not about whether or not we understand it. And it’s not about whatever unforgivable thing someone did to us. It’s simply about God asking us to do it. Beatha went on to tell of when she had a newborn baby but no place to live. Her few family members said horrible things, refused to help, and left Beatha and her daughter to live on the streets. Her tears during the discussion that day were because of the tension that obedience was creating within her. At the same time that Beatha desperately wanted to obey God by forgiving her family, she also admitted that she was not ready to let go of the anger. She told us it was hurting her to disobey God. Unlike, Beatha I can’t remember that last time I was brokenhearted over my inability to honor God through obedience.
On this Good Friday, the day set aside to reflect on Jesus’ obedience and the forgiveness bestowed on us all because of it, I’m thinking on Beatha’s words. This morning I read in Matthew 26 about Jesus praying in the garden, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” It’s as if in that moment, Jesus gave us a glimpse of his inner turmoil, the same turmoil that Beatha described. Wanting very much to honor God, while at the same time being honest about the difficulty of the task ahead. Jesus chose obedience, and in doing so, made a way for us to be given grace and forgiveness in the midst of our own turmoil.
A New Day
One of my favorite parts of creating things, whether it’s a piece of art, a design for a client, or a new product, is seeing my work used or displayed for the first time. There’s a unique joy that comes with seeing other people interact with and take in what I’ve made. Today, the Peace House ladies discovered that joy for the first time!
Peace House has a booth set up this week at an expo for local organizations and businesses. It’s a great opportunity for the ladies to showcase the new products they’ve been working on. And let me tell you, the girls were so proud of themselves today when it was all set-up. Today was also the first time that the ladies officially used their new co-op and product line name, Ndabona.
Cynthia shared that today was somewhat of a dream come true for her. She’s seen women selling handcrafts at expos many times and has known she has the skills to make similar products. However, she didn't believe anyone would want what she had to offer. She said it was as if God answered a prayer that she hadn’t even prayed yet.
To be honest, I got a little misty-eyed watching my friends interact with customers and stand beside the table full of their hard-work. Not only due to the new products displayed, but also because of the sense of value that exuded from the huge smiles that never left their faces. Today was a new day for these ladies!
Measure Up
You've probably heard the old proverb that says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I recently changed it to “Give a girl a measurement and she makes one thing. Teach a girl to measure and she can make a billion.”
Although it took me a while to figure it out, I eventually realized that most of the Peace House ladies had no idea how to use a ruler or measuring tape. We needed to have measuring camp! First, we tackled the basics of using a tape measure and the difference between length, width, and depth. Next, Heather and I challenged the ladies with a scavenger-hunt-type list of things to measure, including tables, doorways, floor tiles, people, and more.
The funniest moment was when Dorcas, who’s about 6 months pregnant, asked someone to measure her. She claimed she’d be the biggest thing we measured all day.
Lots of Victories
Things have been quite busy at the Peace House during the last few weeks! Some days the teaching and learning together is difficult, while other days seem like a breeze. It’s definitely a one-day-at-a-time situation. The plan changes a lot depending upon which girls pick up on what skills. Every day is definitely a victory though. What's easy is seeing how proud each girl is of herself and her new accomplishments, even if on that particular day it’s just that she remembered to hold the scissors right side up.
Heather getting schooled by Josiane in the ways of the treadle.
A good friend and excellent seamstress, Heather Miles, is here for three weeks, bestowing all of her sewing knowledge on the ladies. We’ve mastered the art of making headbands, and a few of the girls completed their first child-sized quilt together. They’ve also used an iron for the first time and are learning about cutting patterns.
The first quilt-top that Cynthia, Therese, & Josiane completed.
The ladies have somewhat divided themselves into two groups – those who like to sew and those who don’t. Heather has been working with the sewers to improve their skills and take on new projects, like throw pillows and wallets. I’ve been working with the non-sewers on printing fabric with stamps that we made.
Getting their headband skills on.
Printing some fab fabrics....and doing quite well at it. They printed all of the fabric hanging in the top picture of this post within just a few days.
Using patterns for the first time.
We also celebrated International Women's Day with Fanta and Cokes all around. You do it glass bottle style with straws around here. And hot, minus the ice.