Tuesday - Arrived in Rwanda

We are in our hotel room in Kigali, and even though it was a long day (okay, almost 2 days) of traveling, we are actually doing remarkably well. The seats on the plane seem closer together than ever (truly, our knees were touching the seat in front of us) so we didn't get much sleep on the flights, but everything went smoothly and pretty much on time.

When we arrived in Kigali, Anicet (our driver who was recommended to us by Tim & Alycia Wright) was waiting for us right outside baggage claim. We had 4 large suitcases plus two really full backpacks because of all the stuff we were bringing to the Urukundo Home for Children and the 2 computers we brought in for Pastor Muzigura and Pastor John, so it was great to have Anicet there to help us load everything into his car and whisk us away to our hotel. He had even purchased the case of water that I had asked him to get for us, so we had drinking water right away!!!! That was especially appreciated because Brussels security took the 3 large bottles of water I had purchased at Sky Harbor airport once I got through security clearance. I figured that would be okay because we weren't going outside the security area in Brussels.....it never occurred to me that Brussels Airlines wouldn't let me take them on the plane. Bummer! I was really glad we had bought a gift for Anicet before we left Arizona (we gave him an Arizona ball cap and told him it was from us and Tim & Alycia). He loved it!

When we checked in to the Novotel, we told them we had reservations, so that process went pretty smoothly. However, when we got to our room, we realized they had given us a junior suite instead of a double room, so we didn't unpack anything because we were sure they had made a mistake. I went to the front desk with a copy of my reservation and told them the room was lovely, but we couldn't afford a junior suite. And the guy just winked at me and said "It is fine. Enjoy the room."

The hotel is in the Accor chain (same chain that operates Motel 6), so the rooms compare to Motel 6, but the amenities (on-site restaurant, lovely lobby, pool and patio area) make it truly sweet.

We are looking forward to a great week of ministry. We are booked every day (some days from pre-dawn to post-sunset) with ministry visits and opportunities, so we're praying for really good nights of sleep.