2nd Sabbath

It was nice to sleep in. I didn't get up until 5:30 today. But I wanted to visit with my sweet heart over the Skype. A lounging type of morning with fried onions and scrambled eggs plus a whole avocado and a glass of milk.

The milk here is similar in taste to my childhood in Yerington, Nevada where we drank cat milk. The local dairy farmer was a family friend who was not allowed to sell raw milk for human consumption but could sell it for pet consumption. We would take a clean glass gallon jar to him and he would exchange it with a gallon jar of milk which was for consumption by our cats (we didn't own a cat and that would have had to be a lot of cats because we got a gallon every 2 or 3 days). Besides being unpasteurized and non-homogenized, it had all of the fat content and we would let it separate to make home made cream, butter, butter milk and whipped cream. The fat content was close to 20%. In the U.S. what is termed whole milk is only 4%. Low fat is 2% and skimmed is near 1% or less. If you're going to drink water, , , why would you run it through a cow first??? Anyway, , , The Rwandan milk in 500 ml paper containers says, "Full Cream" and it tastes like it..... Man it's good!! Ready to go to church by 8:30.

I walked to the corner to catch the city bus to Kimironko terminus and then walked the last mile to Kibagabaga English Church. I figured I was getting close when I saw four little children wearing their Pathfinder scarves. I don't think they must use the Pathfinder song here because there were only quizzical looks when I started singing it to them. I thought they'd recognize the tune. Crazy Muzungu! They just wanted to touch me. Again I was struck by the stark contrast in the quality of the church structures across the street from each other. But I was able to participate in Sabbath School and worship in a language that I understood. We had a dynamic speaker who preached in Kinyarwandan and was translated into English. Which seemed a bit strange because most of the people understood before the translator translated and sometimes the translator just let it go because everybody had already gotten it. I'm almost done with this cold but I got a coughing fit and had to leave the sanctuary or disrupt the service, so I stood outside and listened because the speaker was so good. Walked back to Kimironko and then a City bus back to my street and home.

I had cabbage salad for lunch and then took a nap until my special Sabbath Treat!! I played the Autoharp for about 45 minutes until my treat was ready!!. 3:30 our time, 9:30 East Coast time, ,I Skyped my buddy Ken Willes who had set up his laptop, a camera and microphone @ the Collegedale Community Church, Collegedale TN. I got to have Sabbath School with my Realife class!!! Live!!! What a treat!!! I muted my microphone while we were singing and I played my autoharp because the time delay would have put my sounds about 0.5 seconds behind theirs. I'm sure the other house guests were wondering what was going on in my room. They set the laptop up on a chair and made my live image full screen. They forgot to bring the Hawaiian shirt though. I sat between Allison and Kelly. Periodically Kelly would turn the camera so I could see who was talking. I tried to look towards the person who was talking. That is when a person on Allison's side would talk I'd look at the wall to my right and when a person on Kelly & Shaloy's side would talk I'd look toward the closet and someone across the room talked I looked at the camera. I was trying to fit in :-) Thanks to my friends back home for going to the effort so that I could be included.... Wow that was nice!

I had gotten on Google Earth a while today to see if I could find our guest house and did. I noticed that around the block (that's really a country block), there appeared to be a park in the middle of a huge roundabout. So before it got dark I went for a walk around the block and found a very very nice park. Until I learn the real name I'm going to call it "Roundabout Park" They have built and are building some beautiful modern buildings around the periphery which must have started after Google Earth took this image. The park was quite nice and I intend to make a regular place to walk to and enjoy.

I got back to the house after dark and made supper. There were three of us (Duvall, Philbert and I) trying to cook on a tiny 4 burner stove but it was all quite friendly and suppers were eventually made (mine was fish and fries, Duvall was making spaghetti for 4 and Philbert was cooking for Ike). I tried to call Dr. Konn about details for tomorrows trip. I'm supposed to meet them before @ 5:00 am and I don't know what to bring, the costs, or really any other details other than the starting time and ultimate destination. Her phone says no service so, , , , what else will I do on a Saturday night?? I catch a moto to the Iris Guest House and start to wander around looking for Muzungus with American accents. I spot a room in the restaurant with about 5 young ladies who sound American. I play dumb and ask them in my worst Southern accent if they might be from America. The ruse doesn't last long because one of them, Shayla is from Albany Georgia and doesn't believe the accent for a moment.

We visited for about 45 minutes while they dribble in one by one. They had spent the morning either @ church or the Kimironko market (their choice) and then met @ 12:30 to go to an orphanage to paint the walls and the kid's faces and entertain the kids. They had called and ordered their food before they left the orphanage, then drove back to the Iris, and most took showers (the reason for the dribbling in, , , as each finished getting cleaned up) and then the food came. Good thing they had called ahead!! That was over 1.5 hours from ordering to on the table!!

Dr. Konn asked if I could get supplies to add to what they have for Sunday's lunches and I go to get 10 cans of tuna, two loaves of bread 2 very large boxes of biscuits (cookies) and deliver it all back to the Iris and then catch a moto home. I think that when Jesus fed the 5,000 it might have been tuna fish, "'cause tuna goes a longggg waaayys, " Back at the guest house I get the other supplies; four large avocados, a bowl some salt a knife and a can opener. We've decided that they will be passing directly past our corner so I'll meet them there @ 5:30 with Philbert who will be getting their wash done while they are at the Akegera game park.