Note: Today is #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving back to the causes you care about. When you support Hope Haven Rwanda today you will help us continue to build into the lives of Rwandan families!
I’ll never forget watching “Singin’ in the Rain” as a young man working at at Hartstone Camp in the mountains of Mendocino County, California. I still get the tune virus from Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds whenever I see a downpour!
There is something very refreshing about rain. This week’s video features a short drive through our neighborhood during a rainstorm. Hopefully you can enjoy a minute of reflection as you watch it and pray for our community.
The ancient Prophet Joel said we should rejoice in the rain as a reminder of God’s faithfulness: “Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains” (Joel 2:23). Our God is faithful!
The average rainfall is more than 40 inches a year in Rwanda, compared with 16 inches in Colorado Springs. Rwanda’s longest rainy season is in the Spring, with April as the wettest month. Another shorter rainy season typically happens in October and November.
This November, rainy season is fully underway in Kigali. Unfortunately, it arrived too late this year for us get the highest yields from corn and beans in our fields, but we are grateful for the moisture now.
We are also grateful that we were able to complete a majority of the foundation work on the new building before the rain arrived. Things are moving fast at Hope Haven Rwanda!
Believe it or not, our construction teams are already building the second floor of the academic building.
On one particularly long day recently, more than 300 laborers worked for 16 hours straight to pour concrete for 35% of the second level of the academic building. Using three two-bag concrete mixers and hundreds of bags of cement, they mixed, transported, and poured a giant slab. Each stage involves aggregate, concrete, stone, steel bars, and a lot of hard work.
We have been blown away by the progress of our construction teams on the foundations for our new campus. Our prayers were answered and we were able to get the foundation work completed before the rainy season began!
In a country where nearly 75% of children drop out of school between 6th and 12th grade, it is impossible to understate the importance of secondary education. Thank you so much for being part of meeting this critical need. Hundreds of young Rwandan leaders will emerge from the halls of this new campus!
With God’s help, we’ll keep “buildin’ in the rain!” Will you join us and do something amazing?