Hard To Sleep

It’s two in the morning on Wednesday, September 2, 2008. I slept lightly for an hour but am now sitting up in my bed, typing in the glow of my computer screen. The window next to me is open and only the mosquito net above protects from the evening air in Kigali. I find the coolness refreshing even though the smell of smoke from fire pits is strong.

The singing, chanting, and screams of African men in the valley below has now faded a bit, but even without the noise, I knew it would be hard to sleep tonight.

Normally I’d be fighting to go back to sleep but my heart, my head, and the deepest parts of my being are awake with anticipation. There is anticipation for what is to come in a few hours when I go to the orphanage to pick up my son; and there is anticipation of the coming years as we begin our new life together.

For over a year, I have had to be guarded. There have been no assurances that this day would come, and there have been many times that we were led to believe it would remain only a dream. Now, I can throw caution to the wind and admit that someone new has captured my heart. A baby boy who was left in drainage ditch during a rainstorm has now joined my family and I have the opportunity to love him, lead him, & watch him grow into the man that he was rescued to be. He will grow up, I will grow old, and through it all, he will be my son.

I knew it would be hard to sleep tonight...

VIDEO BLOG #9 - Jimmy Lakey in Africa (August 2008)

Here is the arrival at the orphanage . . . walking down the hill for the presentation. If you are viewing on facebook, the notes don't upload video so go to www.jimmylakey.com

Video Blog #6 - Jimmy Lakey in Africa (August 2008)

Here is a snippet of us actually making the presentation at the orphanage. Enjoy the fun! Notice the boy dancing at the front . . . there had been a couple of children. The singing was great! Celebration!

VIDEO BLOG #8 - Jimmy Lakey in Africa (August 2008)

An interview with Director of the orphanage that we had just provided the gift of education.

VIDEO BLOG #7 - Jimmy Lakey in Africa (August 2008)

This is us driving to an orphanage in the back of our taxi. If you are viewing this in facebook, the "notes" feature will not import video.

Friday Night In Kigali

Last night was Friday and I spent it, alone for the most part, in Kigali, Rwanda. I have spent Friday nights alone before in the USA but I can’t describe how it differs when you are on the other side of the globe, in a strange culture, in sparse conditions, with little connection to all that you are used to. It was a bit surreal. After a time of sitting on my balcony fighting African mosquitoes, which are known to carry malaria, I walked up the street to the Novotel Hotel. I was hoping to access their high speed internet and connect a bit with western civilization but unfortunately, the internet connection was down so I sat to do some reading and people watching.

A bit later in the evening, one of my African contacts (Willy) called and then stopped by the Novotel to get the update on the adoption of my son. As we chatted, I pulled out my laptop to show him the video footage of child labor that we had secured earlier in the week in the Gatsibo District of Rwanda. This is the footage that the local politicians begged us to delete as they held our cameras hostage, but we managed to keep everything intact.

As the videos played, I saw the impact of this footage on a Rwandan father of three. He sat in silence as he watched only to break the silence saying, “This makes me think of what would become of my children if I were to die and leave them alone with their mother.” As I watched his face and soaked in his words of ultimate concern, I was reminded of how fragile the line can be here between success and true human tragedy. I will post these videos soon and let you see the children working for less than $1 per day just so they can survive.

I walked back to my room and couldn’t sleep, kept awake by the sounds of children playing outside late on a Friday night. About the time I was ready to be angry about their noise, it occurred to me that I should celebrate that these children were playing with their families & were not orphans working in child labor. The sound of their innocent games became sweeter.

Welcome to Friday Night in Kigali.

AFRICA: Internet & Afternoon Tea (08.27.08 - 6:30pm - Kigali, Rwanda)

We have been sitting for a bit at the Novotel Hotel, catching up on email and enjoying afternoon tea along with the faster internet connection. The connection has been stable enough to actually upload a round of my video blogs. It's not National Geographic but they should give you an idea of the trip and what we're doing. There is still quite a bit of video footage that is still to be uploaded and I will try to get that done over the next few days. It looks like I will be extending my stay for a bit while fighting more on the adoption. Matt (my friend, photographer, etc) will leave on our original flight tomorrow and head back to Colorado, leaving me here alone. This will be wild as I have previously been banned by my wife, personal assistant, and other from ever travelling alone. It's a long story that we'll save for another blog.

Matt blew me away this morning & I got choked up as he said something along the line of "Jimmy, this must be hard on you be to be fighting to get home to your wife as soon as possible but also fighting to not leave your son in Africa." Perhaps it gets lost in the translation of writing but it was an observation that impacted me in a powerful way.

I will be blogging in a bit just some other thoughts that I have . . . rather than just a continued a travel narrative.

VIDEO: The trail to PEFA orphanage

This is the trail that walks down to the PEFA orphanage that we have helped through River's Promise. We were walking to secure a signature for the adoption but it gives some footage of the orphanage exterior & the children greeting us.

If you are reading this on Facebook, you will need to go to www.jimmylakey.com to view the blog & watch the video. The video content does not upload into Facebook notes.