The Lord of the Ring(s)

It’s only been a little over a month since we’ve been back in Rwanda and already we have hosted 25 people to the country through HOPE. First was a group of HOPE supporters, next was a group of HOPE staff here to discuss how to make our program better. Finally, we had a film crew from Christian Broadcasting Network to make a mini documentary about Rwanda and our savings program. Although it’s over now, the two and a half weeks of visitors went incredibly well and was a lot of fun. Fortunately, there will be a couple more groups coming in the next two months. The tough part of about hosting so many visitors is that the other work must continue on. At HOPE, Garrett is already into a long stretch of trainings that will last until the end of September. This past week focused on training new Field Coordinators and refreshing the training for our current Field Coordinators. The coordinators are hired by our Church partners to be our primary connection with the various regions in which we have savings groups. When we first arrived this group was 14, and now we are up to 26. It has been an amazing experience to see the way the program has grown and continues to grow. In a country and region of the world where savings is not really valued, we have heard so many stories of lives changed by the simple power of savings groups.

During the busy past month, we both needed to get away for a little while and chose to go Lake Kivu (Rachael’s first time there, Garrett’s third time) with some friends. Lake Kivu is truly a retreat as it is unlike anywhere else in the country. In addition to being a prime coffee growing location, it is picturesquely beautiful and serene, especially during dry season, which we are currently in. 

Since it was a rather hot day, when we drove out to Kivu, the first item on the agenda was to cool off in the lake. After a good swim around the cove that is next to the hotel where we were staying, we settled in for some sun bathing. That’s when Garrett realized that his wedding ring was missing. After a frantic search, the group of six came to the conclusion that it was going to be nothing short of a miracle to find this “needle in a haystack.” As a note of reference, the bottom of the lake drops off rather quickly a few feet from shore. One member of our party though, Dan Klinck, took this as an adventure and a challenge and proceeded to inquire about the availability of snorkel equipment. It wasn't until the next day that some was procured though and unfortunately, it arrived only half an hour before the boat cruise that the group was taking to explore the islands. The short search recovered nothing. This disappointment did not deter us from having a nice time on the islands which included seeing a large amount of fruit bats and a monkey and enjoying a nice lunch. The search resumed the next morning when Garrett decided to take a turn searching for his ring. He started early with Rachael being the lone observer from the beach. After twenty minutes of diving down and coming back up, Garrett spotted something in the sand about 15-20 feet underneath the surface. With Golum-like obsession, he reached into the sand and pulled up his ring. What a recovery! I guess our God is Lord over all, including rings. What was going to be the most devastating loss turned into a joyous moment and a tale to tell. We both feel that this whole ordeal is a powerful symbol that our promise to one another will never be lost (even if someday one of our rings does in fact go missing for good). We owe a lot of thanks to Dan whose acquisition of the snorkel gear made this whole thing possible. Thank you as well to the rest of the group who never lost hope either.

While this above story is a huge praise, we still need a lot of prayer as Rachael heads back to the States this Thursday. We feel this course of action is necessary for the best development of the baby. Unfortunately, it also means several weeks of separation for us. Garrett is planning on heading back at the end of September about nine days before the due date. Please lift us up in prayer and pray that God encourages us both during this time we are apart. Also pray that everything goes smoothly and that we will be able to welcome a healthy child into the world. We couldn't be more excited about the upcoming arrival of our first son!