Full Circle around the Lake!

We made it back to Kampala. One final bus ride of about 8 hours and we've arrived to familiar sights once more. I'm guessing we've traveled at least 6000 kilometers at this point - and we are very excited about the prospect of some rest and seeing family and friends.

The time in Rwanda was very refreshing for the team. Emmanuel's wife Francious and her sister Orane were so kind and hospitable. We had some wonderful times together talking and laughing (we've laughed so much on this trip it's amazing).

Saturday we met with about 100 orphans - or so we were told. When we arrived there were probably about 200 or more kids plus caretakers. We stepped in from a Kigali downpour, and into a steamy school room where all of the kids were waiting eagerly for us. We gave some introductions, took some pictures and video, and then then sun came out. We all went outside and gave balloons and cookies to the pressing crowd. Emmanuel's ministry - ERM - is trying to find sponsors for these kids. It was daunting seeing the crowd and wondering how their needs could be provided for.

One of the clear directions for Lahash coming from this trip is the need for care and support of kids that miss the typical Compassion International window of support. There are many kids that are orphans that don't fit into the category for sponsorship for Compassion. The beautiful thing about this trip (one of the many) is that we've connected a team of experts in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda - who have expertise with Compassion but just need a framework to operate with in order to provide for these kids. I'm really excited about moving into this area of support for these kids from the Rwandan genocide, from AIDS, or from other natural causes. All the dots are there, they just needed to be connected.

On Sunday we visited a little charismatic Rwandan church with three choirs. It seemed as if the whole church was involved in at least one of the choirs. After the service we were served some more delicious Rwandan cuisine. It's so amazing to realize the hospitality of the East African people. With little or no notice they kill the last chicken, rush to the shop to buy some potatoes and sodas, get some tea ready, and serve a feast just out of love and appreciation for the visit. We really didn't deserve the kindness that we were shown.

Monday we took a break and visited Lake Kivu. The beautiful mountain lake is situated between Rwanda and Congo. The water was refreshing and we swam and laughed for most of the afternoon. The lake is just below an active volcano, which was spouting steam high into the sky. We took Emmanuel and Francious kids to the beach, it was a great time for everyone.

Tuesday we drove back up to Uganda. We will be here in town for the next 5 days, and then we are headed back home to the U.S.

The final event here in Uganda will be to meet up with Susan Tabia from the Amazing Grace orphanage and see a gathering of widows that have been asking her for assistance.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers. I personally have been overwhelmed by the support and care that you all have shown. Thank you for praying with us through the trip. It's not quite over, but so far we have been taken care of and I will say blessed by each moment. There have been no major sickness, nothing stolen, and the team is united and we've come out of the trip as great friends. We've seen so much, and many of the days there has been a sick feeling in my stomach as we have seen the sadness, the sickness of humanity, and some of the most desperate people on the planet. But we've also been priveledged to share the moments with the special heroes of Africa. And we've learned from them and our faith has grown and we have seen how much God has blessed the people of the West. And we've seen how our lives can be used right now to bring hope and healing. None of us have any special skills that are worth mentioning. But in emergency situations people don't have to have all the credentials - just the willingness to step up to the challenge.

I just have a couple more posts left here on this blog as we wind up the trip. And I'm so grateful that you've been able to share with us in the journey. We have all seen the reality on the ground here. I hope that in the upcoming months we can join together - both the East African friends reading this and also all the friends in the West. I hope we can join together as communities and share all of the gifts, faith, hope, and education that we have. These problems cannot be tackled without some sacrifice from all of us.

Please be thinking of any of the projects or ministries that you would be willing to partner with. There are urgent needs right now. We have the orphans, widows, and the leper community in Sudan. We have the families, orphans, and prostitutes that need prayer and some financial assistance in Kenya. We have the orphan kids from HIV/AIDS in Tanzania. And we have the 200 or so kids in Rwanda that need sponsored. If you'd like to send a monetary donation at this point for any of these projects, you can send a check to: Dan Holcomb, P.O. Box 442, Trout Lake, WA, 98650. Or you can send a paypal donation to danman@publicpixel.com. Or you can get your family, friends, church community, or school to partner with letters, gifts, and prayer.

When I return to the U.S. we will be finalizing the organization of Lahash, and making sure there is a proper system of support for these faces and stories we've encountered.

Thanks for reading and for your support everyone! May God be with you today. And continue to pray for the team and for the needs that we've highlighted.

- Dan