Diane (11) and Jumapili (26) work on verbs. Students participate in a multi-age free English class in donated space. A schoolgirl in her blue uniform is getting water at the community tap. Getting water (sometimes a trip of 1 to 2 kilometers on steep hills) can take children 2 to three hours a day, so access to water nearby can help children stay in school more. A girl is carrying elephant grass to feed the family's cow. Feeding the cow this way cuts down on grazing damage and erosion caused by wandering cows, but it's hard work. A view towards Tanzania from Akagera National Park in eastern Rwanda. In most places, Rwanda is heavily farmed and mountainous. The animals you will see most often in Rwanda are goats, chickens and cows, but in the national park there are other wild animals like zebras and giraffes and elephants. In the rainy season, Rwanda is green and lush. This photo is on the road to Gisenyi, in the northwest. Mount Sabyinyo - one of Rwanda's seven volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, this is the national park where the mountain gorillas live, in northwestern Rwanda, bordering Uganda. Houses in Rwanda are built of mud bricks (like adobe), bricks, concrete or (sometimes) stone. In traditional houses, roofs used to be thatched. These days, they are usually made of tin or terra cotta tiles. Holstein cattle? That's right. Some cattle in Rwanda are native Ankole, some are hybrid (African and European breeds) and some are Holsteins, raised for dairy production. Kigali's west side near Nyabugogo is busy with pedestrians and vehicles. Photos from Walk to School - a 60 mile fundraising event in April 2006 through part of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Pastor Joe Vought of Muhlenburg Lutheran Church in Harrisonburg and my sister Laura joined the walk. The Shenandoah Valley is a place with long history but also a place that is seeing many changes. My great grandfather was a pastor in Stevens City – could he have imagined that his great granddaughter would marry a Rwandan Lutheran pastor? Step by step is how we do everything in life.   We may see our goal far away, but we can’t skip the steps in between. My sisters Alison and Laura both came to walk with me! ALWAYS take time to smell the flowers! Nearly there! One block to go – how exciting to be so close to the goal! Many thanks to God for a safe walk – arriving at Grace Lutheran Church in Winchester.

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