Guess who's back

Hello from Albertville, it has been a while!
Yep, you better believe it, I'm making a comeback! After 2 years I thought it was about time to get back in the writing game and fill you all in on my life- that is assuming there's more than one person reading this. Those of you who take any interest in my life will know that I've just finished my second year at Bath University studying French and Italian. So why the sudden urge to write a blog? Well as a language student I get the privilege of taking a year out of my studies to go live and 'work' abroad- another gap yah basically, hurrah!
Doing two languages means splitting the year to make sure you have enough time in each country to brush up the lingo. So what am I doing? At the moment I'm au pairing in Albertville, France, a smallish town in the middle of the Alps where the Winter Olympics were held in 1992. Then mid-September I will be going to Italy to live in Alba, a town just south of Turin in the North East of Italy and will be working as a language assistant in a school. This finishes at the end of May next year when I'll hopefully return to France and maybe do an internship/volunteer work for 3-4 months over the summer. Et voila- a rough outline of my year ahead, exciting right?!
I've been in Albertville for a week now and only have 5 days left- I was meant to be staying for longer but due to the family wanting to go on holiday the week after, its been cut a little short. I'm staying with a lovely family and look after a 2 year old and an 8 month old during the week when the parents work. I flew into Geneva not really knowing what to expect at all, I'd had little contact with the family and had been so busy before the trip that I hadn't had any time to create any expectations. One thing is for sure, this place is beautiful!

Bedroom window view

Despite hearing from others that au pairing is difficult, I hadn't got any idea how difficult! It has been very tiring looking after 2 little ones and its difficult to know when its okay to relax! But, I'm not here for long so I can't really complain and instead of boring you with everyday details there are a few moments that have stood out to me as funny or just a bit odd..

• When the family picked me up at the airport they didn't seem to know the way home and we drove around Geneva in circles with them both apologising to me because they didn't know where they were going. After 40 minutes the wife suggests that the sat nav might be a good idea and so its turned on and we drive home. Why it took that long I'm not sure but I found it amusing. 
• I had been told that before we went out in the sun I should give the children their hats, the first time we went out and I accidentally asked the dad for the sons tie instead of hat.. his look was priceless. 
• After a tiring week I had the day off on Saturday. I hadn't done any research on Albertville and just decided to wing it and wander into the town. I managed to stumble upon a medieval festival that was taking place and even found a viewpoint in the hills to see over the valley, I do love a good view. I then just stumbled upon the cinema right when a film was about to start and decided to just go with it. All in all a successful day! 

Getting creative

Safety first

Olympic Park

On our morning walk/cycle

When I became the sticker book

Despite believing that I'd be able to wander the surrounding hills I soon realised that it would take a long time to even get to the hills, we're talking hours. So I asked if they had a bike that I'd be able to use to which they responded with a 'bien sûr!' The following evening the sky was beautiful and I decided to go for a cylce before dinner - we don't eat until about 10pm so I have to keep myself distracted from my hunger! It proved to be slightly more problematic than I'd expected to find a suitable bike and I left the house with a half deflated tyre, a broken handle bar and a seat that wasn't fastened so would swivel any time I turned, the bike was also way too big for me although this was only a problem for stopping and starting. Suffice to say I didn't make it to the hills and just rode into the town centre.

After lunch the children have siestas for about an hour and a half and the dad is usually at home at this point so I get the chance to explore a little.. However the only thing close enough to walk to is a shopping centre with a couple of cafés and McDonalds! I've tried them all and since its Monday tomorrow I will be beginning my rotation again.

They do a great banana and peanut butter milkshake 

So despite it being quite a difficult week it has also been fun and oh yeah I've been able to speak French! I'm obviously not able to speak with the children very much, although despite thinking it would feel strange I do chat to them in French! I also chat with the parents over dinner about our days etc and so far it seems to be going well. 

Hope this hasn't been too long and that you all feel well informed about what I've been doing. For those of you who pray I'd appreciate prayer for finding accommodation in Italy - its early days and I don't need to worry about it yet but it would be good to get the ball rolling soon! 

Peace and love!

Em x

A new chapter.

I wanted to write a final blog, to summarise and to close up my gap year adventures. I may continue to blog as and when I find things to blog about, because I do enjoy it, but this will probably be it for a while. I find blogging helpful to process and reflect and its also a great way to journal and I will be able to look back and remember things that I may otherwise forget. 

Since being back home I've met up with friends, been to church, celebrated my brothers birthday and most of all been asking myself, 'Did I really just go away for 6 months?' In one way, it seems like nothing has changed and yet, there are new people at church, my friends have new friends and Coke bottles now have names on them! I love my independence, so being home and being able to make decisions for myself, go places by myself and have alone time, has been lovely. I have, however, missed the YWAM bubble, the people I lived with for almost 6 months and the beauty of the countries we visited. In Burtigny, Switzerland, I found a bench that I often went to with a panoramic view of the whole valley, you could see Lac Leman, Geneva, the fountain in Geneva and on a clear day, Mont Blanc. It was beautiful. I would go there for quiet time, time to think away from the busyness of the base and just to sit in awe of God's creation. Back home I don't have that & I miss it. I think, though, that God is teaching me something and it is possibly that, I need to remember he is the same here & in Burtigny. No matter where I am. Yes, I could sit and marvel at the valleys of Switzerland in total peace and feel so close to God, but here in Worcester, in the crowds and the noise, God is the same. He is as close to me as he was in Switzerland or Africa, I just need to remember that & not treat Him differently. I know that will sound completely crazy if you don't believe in God.

'Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.'

Deuteronomy 31:5

Our last week in Switzerland was definitely not easy. We debriefed our time away as a team and that in itself was quite challenging. Going back over the struggles and facing up to things that had happened, was challenging. But I know that it was needed and God worked through all of us. DTS definitely wasn't over until graduation.. in fact, it has only just begun. It was also hard, knowing that it was the last time our group would ever be together in that context. Knowing that it would never be the same again was hard. But again, God worked in all of us and I know personally he taught me a lot about saying goodbye and moving on from things. We had some great times as a group in the last week, playing crazy games that made us look like maniacs, but were absolutely hilarious! Visiting the city of Lausanne, on Lac Leman, spending ridiculous amounts on ice cream and reflecting back on the last 6 months together. 

Goodbyes are never easy, but its exciting to think we are now spread all over the world, experiencing new things, meeting new people and learning more and more about God everyday. I know there are some people I may not see again, which is sad, but I've learnt to be realistic. I would love to see them all again one day, but we'll see what is in store! 

So what next? For me, I'm preparing to go to Bath University in September to study French and Italian. I'm looking forward to something new, although I think entering back into full time studying may come as a shock to the system! Until September I am spending time with my family at home, visiting family in Scotland, visiting friends, doing a beach mission in Cornwall, going to Momentum and continuing to process the last 6 months.

Since I was unable to load any photos whilst in Africa, here is a selection of the 2,400 I took on outreach, enjoy!

YWAM base in Bujumura, Burundi 

Lake Tanganyika, Bujumbura

The map Aubrey & I painted

National Park, Bujumbura 

Helping in a primary school in Bujumbura

Bujumbura

Geny's beach.. our second home.

Aubrey & I on the beach

Bujumbura

National Park

The beautiful Hanielle, youngest member of our team

The sky was so beautiful 

Kigali, Rwanda

Cleaning up after painting on the YWAM base in Kigali

Genocide memorial, Kigali

I do not miss my mosquito net!

Loved the motorbike taxis in Kigali

We got to play with some amazing children

The village, Bukora, Rwanda

Bukora, Rwanda 

On our walk through the wilderness

Rwanda

She was scared of me, until she realised skin colour doesn't matter! 

Waterfall on the border of Rwanda & Tanzania

Our feet in Tanzania! 

Our house in Bukora

When we got to go on Safari! 

We woke up at 5 to see the sunrise

Graduation!

Visit to Lausanne

Thank you so much for all those of you who have supported me over the last 6 months and longer. I appreciated the emails and updates from home so much! Thank you for the prayers of those of you who pray.

Love Em x

'Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home so they can come back and love it for all new reasons.' Donald Miller

Since we're leaving Africa tonight, and I'm already packed, I thought it was about time I wrote an update on the past month!! Apologies for the lateness but time just runs away here and before you know it, you're going home! So I'll try to summarise the past month as best I can & when I'm back in Switzerland I will post some photos.
In Kigali we've been able to experience more ministries, which has been amazing. A woman called Hope has set up a ministry called Hagari Ministries, which supports ex-prostitutes, street women and women in difficulty to care for their children and their families. By finding sponsors they are able to send their children to school, be part of a tutor programme, literacy classes and the children also get fed once a week at the house. We were able to visit when they had the children's programme. We did a Bible story- I acted out the story of Noah while Aubrey narrated, we sung songs and played some games. I loved being surrounded by children with so much joy and yet so little material possessions! It really puts things into perspective for you. We were also able to visit the support group for the mum's and one of the team was able to share a testimony which really touched one of the ladies in particular, so it was amazing to see God at work.
We were able to visit an orphanage, with mainly teenagers, where they explained to us that to help improve their confidence, they liked to act & dance. And so they showed us a few of their dramas and dances. Although we couldn't understand what they were saying, some of them were hilarious and they had us all cracking up.
We also spent 2 days in the school on the compound of the base and were able to help out in the classes. On the first day Aubrey and I helped in P1 and on the second I helped in P4. I enjoyed them both, but I actually got a chance to help teach the children in P4 and loved seeing their response when they understood something!
We had another birthday in the team during our time here, our leader Claire. We decided, since she's so good at surprising us, that we'd need to surprise her! So, we told her that we were going to minister to a group of youth and we planned it with her in the morning and I have to say, we acted pretty well. We then drove to a hotel and surprised her by spending the morning sat by a pool side and chilling out. We then went into town and had a lovely meal out and in the evening had a surprise party and cake. She loved it and we were pleased we could surprise her.

For 2 weeks we were also able to visit a remote village, in the East of Rwanda, called Bukora. We went there to help serve and we stayed with a man called Celestin-ywamer and a few others. It was an incredible few weeks and I definitely learnt so much. Although we had no electricity, no running water and we shared a house with bats, I loved the simple lifestyle. Taking a shower in an outside block with a curtain as a door that blew with the wind was definitely stressful at times, trying to hold onto the curtain was not the easiest thing! Whilst there we helped serve practically by; helping a church make bricks which involved moving mud with our hands, we also moved bricks, sand and cow poo. We spent a lot of our time playing with children, we visited a clinic and prayed for the sick.
The nearest town was Kiyanzi, which we visited a few times, twice on foot. It took Celestin around 45 minutes to walk up the hill/mountain everyday. The first time we walked it took us about 2 hours and the second just over 1 hour, so there was a definite improvement, but we were amazed at how he managed to do it everyday so quickly!
We had some surprises whilst being there too. On our day off we visited the border of Tanzania and we were able to see a beautiful waterfall which separates the 2 countries and we were even allowed to cross the bridge and set a foot onto the other side. The other great surprise was being able to visit the National Park. Unfortunately we drove to an entrance which was closed and had to back track on ourselves, meaning it took us about 8 hours to drive to the park, but it was definitely worth it! We saw Zebras, Giraffes, Antelope, Buffalo, Monkeys, Baboons, a Crocodile and I saw the head of a Hippo! One of my dreams before coming here was to go on a safari and it definitely came true.

Since being back in Kigali we have visited Hope's ministry a few more times and been able to serve the children food, which I enjoyed. We've also harvested beans (although I wasn't feeling good so sat out!) and have been door-to-door. I also managed to be sick last week, with only 9 days left in Africa! I was pretty gutted I hadn't gone the whole hog, but hey ho!
On Monday we began to debrief our time here and we had yet another surprise. We were told in the morning to pack our bags for an over night stay and we drove to a hotel not far from here for the rest of the day and until this afternoon. It was a lovely hotel and we were all able to have the first hot showers since leaving Switzerland! We spoke about the positive bits of outreach and the bits where we've struggled. We also spoke about how we think we've changed and were able to encourage one another as a team. It is amazing to think about where I was at the beginning of this time and where I am now and although there has been no drastic changes (at least I don't think there has!), I've definitely grown in a lot of areas. I'm looking forward to being home and actually seeing how much this last 6 months has really impacted my life.
The rest of the week we spent doing last minute shopping and exploring. We leave Kigali tonight around 9pm and will arrive in Switzerland tomorrow morning with a stop in Brussels. I'm looking forward to seeing the other half of our DTS family but will miss this place.
Thank you for all your support and the prayers of those who pray! I love you all and can't wait to see you very soon. I may also look slightly different...!
Emma x

Motorbikes, hills, bagels, crazy rainstorms & scary taxi rides. Hello Rwanda!

Hello from Rwanda!! 
Our last week in Burundi was awesome. A highlight of mine was being able to go to an international school, where they spoke English, and help out for a few days. I spent most of the time in the reception class, ages 4-5, which I loved. I also got to help in the art class and really enjoyed that too. The children were awesome and I was amazed to see the different nations represented in just one class, including a few children with english parents! I helped out with crafts, maths, learning the word 'add' and I also got to read them some stories. I was asked to pick a book to read on the second morning we were there, by this time I was pretty comfortable sitting infront of them and leading the session. So, I picked Pinochio and was enjoying telling the story, I got to the part of Pinocchio being kidnapped when the teacher comes up to me and whispers that I need to finish now. I definitely wasn't expecting that! I couldn't leave them hanging, thinking Pinochio was still kidnapped! So I flicked to the end of the story and all of a sudden, 'YEY PINOCCHIO IS SAVED!' And the children all cheered. Think I managed to get away with that, until they actually read the story, they won't know I missed out so much.

So, apart from loving the school experience, we also got to go and do some more church services & we finally, on our last day in Burundi, did some well needed souvenier shopping! We also had a fun night at the base, with the new DTS students and staff, where everyone was required to dress crazy. Some of the outfits were hilarious! I went for the standard, these colours don't match at all, that will do!

So on the 30th we left Bujumbura & set of on our 6 hour trip back to Rwanda. This time we managed to get a much bigger bus, so there was plenty of leg room, not that I need much anyway! The bus journey was pleasant and we arrived at the base early evening. The past week and a half have been great. We've been able to get to know other teams that are staying at the base, which has been cool. 
We've been able to explore around the base & in the city, we discovered a lovely cafe in the centre which does an amazing hot chocolate, we had the opportunity to visit the Genocide memorial, an amazing & heartbreaking experience at the same time. The same day we visited a group of widows who had lost their husbands due to HIV or in the genocide. We visiting the African Bagel Co-Op, a cafe that makes amazing Bagels & Doughnuts! We also got to take motorbike taxi's from town and to several places, I was pretty nervous to begin with and told my driver to go slow, to which he simply replied 'jump on!' I ended up loving the ride and wanted to do it straight again after! Driving through the city is amazing as there are so many hills which give amazing views over Kigali. We had an interesting ride to church up a steep hill in a taxi that looked like it might fall apart at any moment, and when it wouldn't start again we ended up walking the rest of the way! Aubrey and I got to do the sunday school with a big group of children, we told the story of Noah's Ark & I mimed, they found my animal impressions pretty amusing. We also did a house visit to a woman with HIV and got to encourage her & pray for her. We helped out on the base by painting one of the staff houses & today we're meeting with some youth. So all in all its been a great week and a bit so far in this beautiful country! 

We're leaving Kigali on the 20th and heading to a village for a few weeks to live with locals and experience village life. We then return on the 3rd and stay another 2 weeks in Kigali before heading back to Switzerland. I know I say this all the time, but time really is flying by. I'm looking forward to seeing the other outreach team when we get back to Switzerland and then my family and friends back at home! I'm trying not to think of it too much, though, as I don't want to miss what God is doing here and now! 
Thank you for all your support and I'll try to update you again soon.
Love Em x

Past few weeks in Burundi

Mwiriwe!(Good afternoon/evening in Kirundi!) 
Thought I'd write a quick update of the past few weeks for those of you interested! 
The past few weeks have been great & growing to love this country more and more! Last week we did more practical things to help within the community. We went back to the Orphanage that we'd visited to cook them a meal as a surprise which was awesome. We cooked Spag Bol.. so nice to have meat as a change! We also visited a church and helped clean chairs for them. We also helped the YWAM base prepare for their first DTS, which was pretty exciting. Aubrey and I were asked to paint a map on the wall of their classroom & accepted the challenge and if I do say so myself, it looks pretty sweet! We also visited one of the hospitals in Bujumbura to encourage patients and also gave food & some supplies to those in need. 
We decided this week to do something 'touristy' on our day off and went to visit the Rusizi Park, which claimed you'd be able to see Hippos, Crocodiles etc. It was further away from the base than we had been told & realised after about an hour of walking in the boiling sun, that getting a bus would've been a better idea! We then walked round the park, which was beautiful, but I have to say I was pretty exhausted & hot from our walk! We were able to see Hippos, but unfortunately no Crocs!! Then on Wednesday we visited a house for elderly Widows and helped them move a massive pile of bricks. It was going fine until we realised that there were scorpions hiding in amongst the cracks! That definitely made it a little more interesting! And scary. We then sprayed the house with a spray that was meant to kill bugs, as they'd been having problems with them! 
Today & tomorrow we're volunteering at a school here in Bujumbura. I was helping in the Reception class which involved counting spots on Ladybirds & reading them a story about a boy with ants in his pants, which they found hilarious! We also played with a Parachute outside, which was chaos, but great fun! I then got the chance to help in an Art class with some older children, painting flowers! I also loved this and got right into my element. Definitely looking forward to going back tomorrow. So we leave Bujumbura on Tuesday & catch the bus back to Kigali, another 6 hour journey! We're hoping that it won't be a boiling day, because you definitely can't count on any Air Con! We're still doing good health wise as a team and unity is growing more and more as we get to know each other better!
It's crazy how quickly it is going, but I knew it would happen! Trying to make the most of every moment and opportunity! 
Thank you for all the messages, prayer & support! I really appreciate it! 
Lots of love, Em x

Hello from Bujumbura

Hello from Africa!!! I'm currently sat in a cafe on the beach in Bujumbura, Burundi. Don't worry, I know that Burundi is landlocked and therefore has no sea, it does however have a beautiful lake which is about 3 minutes walk from the base that we're staying at! So we flew to Rwanda on the 30th, a day late due to technical difficulties with the plane. We spent Easter Sunday in the YWAM base there. Our team went to our first church service. We knew we were in Africa when it lasted 4 hours! It was good fun though & prepared us for the services to come! On the Monday we got a bus from Kigali to Bujumbura, the capital in Burundi. It was a 6 hour trip through beautiful countryside in a pretty crammed bus with some interesting toilet stops. We arrived here in Burundi in the evening and had a little tour of the base. It's much smaller than the base in Rwanda or Burtigny, but it does have the beach just down the road so you can't complain! So for the first week we got stuck in straight away with the ministries that the base are involved with. We went and spoke to fishermen on the lake, gathered children and played games, sung songs & told them about Jesus. We also visited an Orphanage. One of my favorite days was when we brought some street children to the base, we played games with them, sung songs, washed them, ate with them and listened to their stories. It broke my heart to hear that some of them didn't know how old they were and some of them said an age that was obviously a few years out! We prayed with them and had to say goodbye. It's so easy to get overwhelmed by the need here because there is just so much, but we can only do what we can and have to trust that Jesus will do the rest! This weekend we went to a church on the side of the mountain and although the taxi ride was probably one of the most terrifying trips in a car, the view was definitely worth it!! We were given an hour and half to fill up in both services. On Saturday I spoke & one of the team gave a testimony and we did worship. On Sunday another one of the team spoke and we did just over an hour in the service, which, in total was around 4 hours! Monday was our day off and the cafe down the road(the one I'm currently sat in) was closed so we headed down the beach to a hotel which has a pool which we could use for 6000 Burundian francs for the day. Yes I feel like a millionaire right now! 6000 is about £3 or £4 I think, and since we could use the Internet there, we spent a large majority of the day there! This week we organised a Mini DTS for a youth group here and so each of us had the opportunity to speak on topics that we were taught on in our lectures. Sam & I spoke on the Character & Nature of God and the Father heart of God. I actually really enjoyed preparing for it, it meant we went back through our notes and reminded ourselves of the teaching we received a few months ago. The others taught on Hearing the voice of God & Reconciliation and Relationships. On Friday we also spoke on the topic of missions & English speakers spoke on Biblical Worldview & the French speakers spoke on Spiritual Warfare. Health wise, most of us have been pretty good, with the occasional stomach ache etc. On a more personal level, I've loved what we've been doing and am excited for the next few months but, as expected, it's also been challenging! I managed to get a pretty awful burn on my neck within the first few days after just not being careful enough with the sun cream! So I've learnt my lesson and putting on sun cream, as well as mosquito repellent, has just become a normal part of my day! We're here in Burundi until the 30th April and then we're going back to Rwanda for the rest of our time. I hope to write another post before we leave Burundi to update you with news! If you'd like prayer requests, they are: - That team unity would continue to grow and we'd be even closer as a team - That health issues wouldn't prevent us from doing what we've come here to do - Moral would stay high, even in challenging situations - God would continue to amaze us!! So, in summary, I'm loving it here!! Lots of love! Emma xx P.S appologies for the lack of paragraphs & massive chunk of text- I tried to break it up and not sure what went wrong!

Packing day!

With only a few hours left in Switzerland before we leave for outreach, I thought I'd fill you in on the past few weeks happenings & also tell you all how excited I am for Africa!!
First things first, my mum visited last weekend! It was so nice to see her & somewhat emotional on both accounts! She arrived on a beautiful day & got an amazing view of lake Geneva & the Alps as we drove back to Burtigny. Was so lovely to hear from people at home, even had a few cards & some amazing people sent some skirts out for me after they'd heard that I was short on skirts for outreach! I now have plenty to keep me going for 3 months! On Saturday we went into Geneva & spent the day chilling out by the lake, eating lots of amazing things & catching up on the past 10 weeks of news!

Even though it was hard to say goodbye, I know these next few months are going to fly by & before I know it I'll see my amazing family & friends again! 
Last week we had Raymond Serex teaching on Giving up your rights. He was a great communicator & had some brilliant stories. I was definitely challenged by what he was saying, and know that God is going to continue showing me areas in my life that I need to give back to him.
So, I'll bring you up to speed if you're not sure what's happening with outreach. Our team will leave Burtigny on Friday 29th, very early in the morning!! We fly to Brussels first & then get a connecting flight to Kigali, Rwanda. We will then stay at the YWAM base in Kigali until Sunday. From Kigali we are going to take a bus to Bujumbura, Burundi. This will be an adventure in itself as the bus is public & apparently an interesting ride! It will take about 6 hours to get there & we will then stay in Bujumbura for around 4 weeks. We will take the bus back to Kigali after these 4 weeks and then stay in Kigali until we fly home mid June! In terms of what we'll be doing there, we don't know 100% yet! We'll get involved with the ministries in the surrounding areas, which could be to visit; HIV aids patients, street kids, widows & orphans. We will also be involved with things at the base & help out where we can! We also hope to spend some time in the bush whilst in Rwanda! 
Today is packing day & I'm trying not to stress out! I'm making to-do list after to-do list to make sure I don't forget anything. 
We had a great surprise yesterday & for our last lecture were taken to this beautiful log cabin on a hill side. It was pretty foggy so we couldn't enjoy the view, but it was great nevertheless! We had out last talk from Edwin, the current base leader. He spoke to us about the fact that our attitude is a choice & we can choose to have a good attitude! We then toasted marshmallows & had S'mores, American style!! 

I wanted to say thank you to all the people who have emailed me & messaged me & I'm sorry if I haven't had chance to reply, time seems to have just ran away with me! Also.. for the people I meant to Skype but didn't get chance.. hopefully we'll get a chance soon, but if not, see you in a few months! 
Thank you for all your prayers too & I'll try my best to update you as soon as I can. 
I went on a beautiful walk yesterday & managed to acquire a dog. For those of you that know me, you'll know that I'm not the biggest fan of dogs! So to go for an hour & half walk with one was quite an achievement.
Here are some photos from my walk.

My 'We're going to Africa on Friday' face.

The dog.

Burtigny!

Love you all!! 

Emma x