September 2013

September brings an end to summer, as well as the dry season in Rwanda. The dust is starting to settle as Hilliary adjusts to life back in Seattle and Torey makes Rwanda home. All of our boys have headed back to their final trimester of school for the year. We at Hope For Life have also said goodbye to two wonderful volunteers: Elizabeth Primus and Caroline Barker.

 

Caroline spending time with the boys

The selfless service and devotion of our volunteers to various projects at HFLM continually evolves our programs and keeps the organization growing. Along with aiding in various administrative tasks, Caroline invested in our staff, teaching and providing tools to strengthen our teamwork mentality and keep our family strong. We continue to be grateful for her help, as she will further invest into developing our staff while she is back in the States.    

 

Elizabeth holding up the picture Pacifique drew for her family

 

Elizabeth returned to HFLM this summer to teach about the importance of clean water, aid in sustainability projects, and invest into the education of the boys. She loved working with the boys in her free time and created a math craze around the house. She would use charcoal to line the property with endless square roots, multiplication and geometry problems. The boys were so eager to answer them and made it a competition to quickly finish them. Because of this, the math problems became known as, “quicklies”, and once Elizabeth was home you could hear the boys rushing to ask for more. We already miss her presence at the home and are praying for her as she contemplates returning to take a position teaching at a nearby vocational school.

Djuhudi getting ready for his baptism celebration. What a stud!

 

This past Sunday we celebrated a very exciting baptism. Djuhudi comes from a Muslim background and is the first of his family to know Jesus. As Djuhudi now sings in the choir at his church, they all came to HFL to celebrate. Chantal shared her excitement: “I can’t believe where Djuhudi is today. When he first came to HFL, he was critically ill and no one expected him to survive. We thank God for who is he is today. His skin has healed, his hair is back and it makes me cry when I look at him.”

Pacifique, David, church member, and Baby, singing up front

 

It was such a joy to watch three of our staff, and four of our boys sing together with the choir at the celebration. Our home was packed with people from the community and on the last song, the whole house joined in dancing and singing, smiling alongside their brother. It was a beauty to behold.

 

We are so grateful for the ongoing support Hope For Life has had in this season of transition. With incredible volunteers and the wonderful community surrounding Hope For Life, blessings have been overflowing. Please continue to keep our home in your prayers as we bring new boys in this next month.

August 2013

 

Veterne, Hilliary, Daniel, Idrissa, and Pascal

For founder Hilliary Anderson, it is a time of transition. She has returned this month to the States and Torey de Rozario has taken the Executive Director position in Rwanda. Tears were shed as Hilliary told the boys goodbye, uncertain of when she will return to Rwanda again. “It is incredibly hard to leave. I have been with these boys for the last 5 years. It broke my heart as they shared how I am their mother and how hard it will be to not have mom with them. Thankfully, we had the closure we need and trust that it is God’s will that I return to the US.” Hilliary will continue working for their interests in the US, as she fundraises, offers administrative support and advocates for Hope for Life.

 
 


Hilliary, staff, and 18 boys on their field trip to Pacific Rim



 

For a special treat before leaving, Hilliary took all 14 boys residing at the HFLM center and 4 reintegrated boys who live near HFLM, to downtown Kigali to watch the movie Pacific Rim in 3D. It was a perfect “dude flick”, packed with action and aliens. This was the first time any of the boys had ever seen a movie in a theater, and the 3D movie provided even more surprise. The boys gasped as characters popped out of the screen. Breaking movie etiquette, they gleefully chatted amongst themselves about how cool the movie was. Throughout the movie the boys could be seen putting out their hands trying to touch the images that were developing before their faces, and lifting up their 3D glasses to make sure there were no aliens in the room. It was especially a thriller for 9 year old Puppy, who cuddled up to and squeezed onto volunteer Caroline’s hand throughout most of the movie.


 



Idrissa enjoying his new life at HFLM



 

This last month we brought two more boys to HFLM: 12 year old Pascal and 13 year old Idrissa. Pascal and Idrissa were retrieved from the transit center (essentially a juvenile detention center for street children until they are placed into an organization). They shared with us how harsh the transition center conditions were; they only had one meal a day and upon arriving at HFLM, they suffered from malnutrition. After facing many hardships in their lives, they are excited to be at HFLM and about the prospect of attending school. Idrissa shared his dream of becoming an automotive engineer and Pascal his desire to become a community leader.

 

Only a few days after praying with Pascal, we were happy
to see he was feeling well enough to play soccer

We thank all of you who have prayed for Pascal. He had developed severe malaria and the treatment he was prescribed was ineffective. We were worried that he might die because of the severity of the malaria. One night his fever was so high that he lay in his bed nearly unconscious. Hilliary gathered HFLM staff and prayed over him, and also encouraged Pascal to pray with them (this was the first time he had prayed in his life). We were relieved the next day to see a dramatic improvement in his health, and a few days later he was well enough to go with the rest of the boys to the movie. We ask for your continued prayer for his complete healing.

 

It has been amazing watching God continue to move in HFLM. We had the opportunity to share the gospel with both Pascal and Idrissa, who informed us they had never accepted Christ into their hearts. After sharing what God did for them, they were eager to commit their lives to Jesus. Thank you for all of your support that has made this work possible.

 

July 2013

 

Hope you had a happy 4^th of July! Rwanda also shares the Independence Day of the USA. The children have enjoyed having two days off of school to celebrate Rwanda’s Independence and Liberation Day.

 

 
Since Hilliary’s arrival two weeks ago, she has enjoyed spending time with the staff and boys, as she prepares for Torey’s arrival and transition into Executive Director. She recently told the boys for the first time that Torey would be coming back for one to two years. The smiles of joy on their faces were priceless as they all began cheering and clapping exuberantly. The day continued in joy, when Hilliary brought out legos and Playdough.  Playdough is a novelty for the boys and even the oldest proudly showed off their cookie cutting skills. It is so good to see the boys just being kids, since most missed that opportunity in their childhood.

 

 

Upon arriving at HFLM, the three boys who were baptized in May were quick to share their celebration with Hilliary (the pastor and choir came to HFLM to celebrate the baptisms). In the backdrop, God was moving in Djuhudi’s heart, who after the celebration declared that he also wanted to be baptized because he believes that Jesus is Lord and died for his sins. This was a big decision for Djuhudi who comes from a Muslim family. He explained that he could be beaten for his decision to follow Christ, if discovered. It has been remarkable seeing Djuhudi continue to transform after making this decision. He has begun singing in the church choir and told Chantal that he wants to be at peace with everyone and to follow God. This change of heart is evident in his kindness towards the other boys and staff at HFLM.

 

Hilliary shared, “I never thought the day would come that I would watch a movie in 3D at a theater in Rwanda. As I sat with oversized tinted glasses, I imagined how thrilled the HFLM boys would be to experience a movie at a theater for the first time. Their eyes would literally pop out of their heads (well, maybe not literally).” It would be such an exciting adventure for the boys to see a 3D movie in town. If you would like to donate to help make it possible, let Hilliary know at andersonhfl@gmail.com. But, SHHH it’s a surprise!

Thank you all for your support and prayers! The boys continue to do well, and all but one of the boys who have been reintegrated are thriving with their families. Puppy, who was reintegrated in December, returned to the streets due to lack of care, so we have taken him back to live at HFLM. He is happy to be back at HFLM, and we hope to keep working with his mother and Aunt to see if reintegration in the future will be possible.  Continue to join us in prayer for Puppy, the boys who have been reintegrated, for those remaining at HFLM, and for Torey’s leadership transition.