dancingcells's Xanga

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:49:54 GMT

So apparently its been over 1400 days since my last post.

Her are a couple of pics of recent occurances.( I hope, I don't really remember how to put pics on xanga).

So in a nut shell, I got married, went back to Scotland with my husband, got married again (in Scotland), moved back to Rwanda, got married again, moved to America, had a baby.

So now we are a family of 4.
Theo,
Bri,
Sifa,
Bell.

And we live in Springfield, MO, but don't intend to stay here for long. We are waiting for the time when we are ready to go back to Rwanda.

For now, life is great and God as always is still good.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:22:06 GMT

After spending time in a lot of governement offices and visiting family and friends, Theo and I were presented in his church as an engaged couple. It was so breathtaking, and so absolutely hillarious.

So there was this plan to have us presented in the church. As you can see, me and several other girls were to be dressed in the traditional dress, imishanana, and each of us girls was to have a guy to pair up with. Someone in the church was suposed to say that the YWAMers and the young men's cell group (Theo's cell) had an announcement to make and all of us girls and our guys were suposed to come up to the stage in a mixed order with me in the middle and Theo somewhere off in the congregation. Then the announcer would say that all of the girls needed to find fiances and everyone would pair up and then I would be left alone. Then she would tell the congregation that I needed help finding a fiance and I needed to search the congregation. I would then wonder through the congregation looking for Theo stopping off at a few old men or young boys just to make a good show. When I found Theo, we would approach the stage and then the preacher would take over. We practiced this and everything beforehand just to make sure that it went smoothly.

Well, guess what......................We were in Africa..................and things did not go smoothly.

When she called the people up, a bunch of other random girls came up to the stage smiling and acting like they new what was going on. I tried to get to the center anyway, but they kept pushing me out of the way so I just gave up and stood somewhere off on the side. Then when the cue was given for them to pair up, not all of the guys grabbed girls, but just stood there. Then the announcer asked the congregation if they could see if there was a girl without a guy and well,.............there were like 10 of us.

I was prodded to go searching anyway so I took to the crowd. First I stopped off at the pastor and he laughed and I spotted my next target. Next to the pastor was an old white man. I thought it would be funny to approach the only white man in the church so I approached him and tried to shake his hand but he stared at me blankly. After an awkwardly long time trying to get the confused Muzungu to shake my hand I went on. However, I didn't spot Theo were I thought he would be. We had it worked out beforehand so that I would know where he was, but apparently, Theo and I need to work on our communication skills. I searched for a really long time and tried to solicite help from the photographer who was following me around, but he was only concerned with capturing my distress on video.

Finally I found Theo and we took the stage. Then before I knew what was happening, the stage was rushed by hundreds of people congratulation and embracing us. It was so overpoweringly wonderful. Old women and young men rushed towards us, all with smiles plastered acrossed their faces and some with tears in their eyes. The love and compassion of these people will remain with me forever as will the delightful chaos of living in Africa.

Monday, July 09, 2007

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:02:41 GMT

In Rwanda before we could do anything else, we had to visit A LOT of people. Here are pictures of most of Theo's family and friends. They were all truly wonderful people and I praise God that they are now a part of my life as well.

Here is my new family:

This is Theo's very extended family that live in the village where he was born, Sake.

Theo, his brother Jean Marie, Esperance (the mother of Sifa, Theo's daughter), his brother Shyaka, his brother Ephrem, and his sister Mukashyaka.

Theo's oldest brother and his wife Betti.

My three new sisters: Joselyne (the wife of his brother Jean Marie), Betti (the wife of his brother Ephrem) and Theo's sister Mukashyaka Jeaned'arc.

Ephrem with our very good friends Papa and Mama Kenia.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 07:46:21 GMT

Okay, so

Africa+internet = no pictures on my xanga.

I'll try again later.

Sorry.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 07:18:25 GMT

I am now a happily married woman.

I have many pictures to show of us being presented in the church, Theo's family as well as our wedding, but I'll start with the wedding because I figure that those are the most anticipated photos.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:00:04 GMT

I have discovered two new words to describe me life today:

Peripatetic- of or pertaining to travelling from place to place.

It has become more and more obvious that this is a word beginning to describe my life, escpecially as I attempt to explain my wedding(s) and plans for the next few years. I truly love the travelling part, but it is the relaying to and connecting to people part that I truly struggle with. I have a very strong dislike for the fact that I only get to spend short amounts of time with very important people in my life. I also strongly dislike saying goodbye to people that I deeply love and not knowing if I will ever see them again.

However this love of life peripatetic is not yet stifled. Close, but not yet.

Soon I will be ready to settle. Lately I feel like I long to settle, but I know that I will only get restless again.

The other word that describes my life is really more of a description of me.

Gauche- lacking social polish, tactless, awkward, clumsy.

I am feeling that in suffocating intensity today. I am speaking at my church tonight and tend to feel an overwhelming realization of my gauche every time before I speak before groups. I truly dislike it. Truly.

Most of the time it comes out alright and I don't make a fool of myself, but some of you know of times when that was not the case and there are some places that I shy to show my face again.

I don't know what happens. When I get infront of people, especially when I am speaking to promote and not to teach, I lose all coherancy. I forget my name. I often lose the ability to put together a proper sentence or recal simple words.

If any of you read this in the next 5 hours, please pray for me. I feel like I am walking into my own demise.

I am truly thankful that Theo loves public speaking. Once we are married, all of these opportunities get passed to him. I know that they are necesary, but I also know that I am horrible at it. I know that God helps us and gives us the words to say, but I also know that I am a very gauche woman and sometimes I just end up spewing out things that embarrass me and those associated with me.

Oh Jesus, please help me.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 01:12:47 GMT

God has been speaking to me a lot lately about the things I occupy my time with and whether or not they are drawing me closer to him.

2 statements that I have heard lately have really stuck in my head.

#1 Our actions could never change God's affection for us or attitude towards us. Our actions do, however, change our attitude towards him.

#2 I guy in sunday school said that there were two dogs fighting inside of him. A good dog and an evil dog. To the question "which one will win?" came the reply "the one that I feed."

I have been recently taking survey of my life and wondering what do I do that truly feeds my spirit. Is a morning quiet time really enough? What other things am I letting in? What effect are they having on me?

Create in me a clean heart O God.

Renew a steadfast spirit within me.

I want to be wholly consumed by the spirit of God. I want to walk in the power that God has given us and truly see his will done. Let us cast all doubt and fear aside and find out what truly is possible. I want to see people truly set free. Not just encouraged, but set free. I want to see people healed. I want to see people moving in the spirit of God. I want to see His kingdom come.

What is holding us back? What is holding me back? Is life really that distracting?

I want to know what really is possible. I want to see the impossible. I want to go all the way.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:02:08 GMT

More info:

I will be getting married 3 times and possibly have 4 receptions.

#1 Civil wedding in Rwanda (in Rwanda you have to be married with the government and in the church).

#2 Church wedding in Rwanda

#3 American wedding in Ohio

#4 Reception in Missouri.

And just so you all know........................

#1 will be in about 2 months!!!

When I leave America I will go to Scotland for about 2 weeks and then I will be heading to Rwanda to get married!

Monday, March 19, 2007

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 17:21:41 GMT

Okay, more information:

We met in November when we took the outreach team to Rwanda.

He is Dts staff so we didn't work very closely together, but were together on the base.

Over Christmas, the DTS took a 2 week break and all of the staff and students went home for the holidays. Some of the staff stayed behind to help hold down the base. Theo was one of the ones that stayed behind.

We got to know each other a lot better during that time.

When I first met him, of coarse I thought he was gorgeous, but didn't think much about it.

I really started to like him and fall for him, but I didn't realize how much. I knew that I didn't want to waste my energy on anything that was not from God so I began praying about him. At the same time he was praying and asking God about me, but we didn't communicate anything to each other or flirt or anything. No one would have guessed that we had feelings for each other.

So, one day I decided that I did not want to make a move and take things into my own hands but wanted to put things in God's hands so I told God that if he wanted Theo and I to be together than Theo would have to come to me.

The next day he came to me. He said that he had been praying about me and that he loved me.

From the very beginnning we didn't want to get into a relationship if we didn't think that it was something that God had for us. So we started praying and seeking God for guidance. We prayed with one of his leaders and with my co-leaders (Cherie and Veronica).

We felt that God could give us our answer before I left Rwanda and he did. The day before we left Rwanda we went out together to discuss our relationship and decide what we felt God was saying. Still the only ones that knew about our relationship were Cherie, Veronica and his leader Margret.

Both really felt a peace about our relationship and decided that we did love each other and wanted to be together.

Although we felt a peace we knew that marriage is a big thing and that we needed to wait for God to confirm it for us. After I got back to Scotland we took 10 days out and prayed and fasted for confirmation. God brought the confirmation and we decided to make it official and get engaged.

So, now we are engaged.

I can't even begin to describe how much I love him and how much an answer to prayer he is. The longer we are together the more I descover that he is the answer to all of the things that my heart has longed for. It scares me how perfect he is for me. Its like all the time God really did see the desires that I had and I realize how deeply God really does know me and loves me.

I am so absolutely happy and so is he.

We both know that we could not have done anything to deserve each other but it is only because of God's grace that we have found each other.

That's about it. At least the beginning of it. I'll give more details in another entry.

Any questions?

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 21:28:34 GMT

Okay xanga world...........

I have some news. I've been waiting to post this, but I think its time.

I am engaged!!!!

His name is Makombe Theoneste (Theo pronounced Teo).

Isn't he just sooooooooo handsome.

He is 27 years old.

He is also a missionary with YWAM (DTS staff).

He is Rwandan.

He has a beautiful 6 year old daughter named Clemence.

And he absolutely adores me.