a week in the life of me!

Hi!

I thought in light of the fact that my time here is almost over, it might be a good time for me to do a bit of a fun post to give you some more insight into what has been my life here. Let's look at what a week in my life typically looks like :)

So during the week (before graduation - see previous post), I spent Monday - Thursdays at the "DuHope house", as we call it, just being present with the women and the staff, giving feedback, and generally bugging people for English translation of conversations taking place around me.

Wednesdays and Fridays were staff meeting days. I particularly enjoyed the Friday meetings as this was a time to regroup with all the DuHope staff, including the social workers, and hear about how the women were doing at home, their families, their health, etc. This time became a very important support for our staff as it was quite therapeutic in nature (thanks to Rwanda's best ever counsellor, Therese, who we call "Mama") :) A lot of the topics that came up in these meetings are the things we will be addressing as we try to perfect our program.

I have been so grateful for the community I have outside of DuHope here too.

On Monday nights, I usually help out at YoungLife here at the international school. I was never involved in YL in the States, but it's been so much fun to be a part of here and I am so impressed by my friends' leading of this group. It's a great space for kids to come and have fun and socialise when they may not have many other opportunities to do so here.

Tuesday nights a women's Bible study meets at our house and we have a really fun group of women from all over the world.

On Wednesdays is a little institution known as "Wednesday Night Buds" where a group of us youngens get together for a meal and a movie. For me, as someone who is a mix of both introvert and extrovert, this weekly social event has been really helpful and enjoyable.

Sundays are another fun social day. I have been attending Christ's Church Rwanda, which is an American-run church in my neighbourhood, but has a large (maybe even majority) African congregation. This is another fun multi-cultural/multi-national experience - a mix of English and Kinyarwanda worship songs lead by some beautifully talented young Rwandans. Every Sunday after church, a group of us head to a local restaurant for lunch.

The rest of my time is spent either playing games with friends, shopping at the market, or just watching a movie.. pretty regular stuff.

I'm so grateful for the safe space I have to just relax at my house with great housemates who understand that sometimes I need to just lock myself in my room and hide from the world, but also great friends who I can be social with when I need to escape sitting in my room hiding from the world :D

This has been my life for the past 3 and a half months, and in 3 weeks I'll be leaving what has become so familiar and will need to try to readjust back into my life in Australia, which was still kind of new even when I left. This is met with some anxiety, but I am also excited to see friends and family back home (for someone who moves as much as I do, I'm really not very good at transitions...)

Thanks again for reading. Now enjoy some snapshots from around Kigali/Rwanda :) (check out my Facebook if you'd like to see more)

dirt roads are a little tricky to drive on, but unavoidable

but there are also many lovely paved roads :)

Rwanda produces a huge amount of bananas and banana leaf/fibre products. These trees are everywhere!

the lovely front yard of our compound featuring Diego the dachshund who thinks he is a guard dog..

the city market where everything must be carried on your head!

never unusual to see people perched on top of trucks driving around

one of the many modern buildings in the city centre

need a mattress?

Rwanda is famous for it's coffee, and I am grateful for it's coffee..! (even with UHT milk..)

brown water in our magical filter making it safe to drink 

in one of my first posts I mentioned some of the many mansions around Kigali..

I didn't take this photo, but just to show some of the contrast there is in housing here

leaving the city is always a favourite - Lake Kivu in Kibuye in the Western province

and you can even find some wildlife out on a safari! 

DuHope Graduation

Hi friends and supporters,

It's been a while since I've communicated via this blog. I think I've been putting off writing this one because of the complexity both of the situation and the fact that I'm still processing how I feel about it. There have been some changes here, and there are both positives and negatives to these changes, hence the confusion.

Basically, we have decided that the women who were initially coming to the DuHope jewellery and counseling program should be graduated from the program, and we will be taking a hiatus from that aspect of our work for the month of December.

Let me touch on the positives of this first: we held a graduation party on Friday and the women had an absolutely great time. They dressed up, had their hair and makeup done, and we presented them with certificates. Each time a woman's name was called to stand up and receive her certificate, all the other women cheered and clapped for her excitedly. There was dancing and food and all around it was a great time. Some of the women shared about the things they had learned and what they were going to take with them from the program - it was so encouraging to hear how they feel they have grown and what they strive to do differently in their lives. Is it guaranteed they're all going to leave prostitution? No. But they are motivated in a way they haven't been before. They learned so much about relationships and family and forgiveness - overall, I think it has been an extremely positive experience for them, and I am extremely happy about that.

One reason we have decided to take a pause is so that we can look at some of the things that didn't go "according to plan" in the first class of DuHope (to be honest, we kind of jumped into this passionately and were figuring out a lot of the logistics as we went..). So that means that my last month here will be spent working out some of those "kinks" and really perfecting the program. I am going to be focusing a lot on our intake and orientation process, which was basically non-existent the first time around; it was basically "show up". We even discovered some of the women aren't in prostitution but have been living in poverty and wanted to make some money. And as much as we are sympathetic to their situation, we have to be selective due to the nature/purpose of the program.

Another positive is that the women have decided they want to form their own cooperative, or business, making and selling jewellery using the skills they have learnt. This is a huge victory for us, as that was really the point of the program - to give these women the skills and motivation they need to be self-sufficient and working in another industry. We are excited to see how this turns out and will be keeping in contact with them for support.

I am feeling very sad about not seeing these women anymore. Even though we could not communicate much due to the language barrier, I grew fond of them (and their children). It is hard to see them go, but I am trying to cling to the hope that they have left different than when they first came in. And I am excited about the work I will get to do during this next month and am reminding myself that it will only lead to better serving the next class that comes in in January.

We are also spending a lot of energy on fundraising. We jumped into this program with what money we had raised, unaware of what it would actually take to run the program. So that is also a part of our month of planning and perfecting. If you are interested in supporting us please visit www.belayglobal.org/hope

This was unexpected, and for a while felt like a failure. I was scared to communicate this knowing how many people had been supporting me both spiritually/emotionally and financially. It was hard to not feel like I had let down the people who had sent me on this trip, which is probably another reason why I haven't written this sooner. But, I am trying not to let those kind of feelings and ideas get into my head too much and realise that the work I do for the next month is just as important and worthwhile, if not more so.

Thank you for reading and please, as always, feel free to ask questions and comment.

And if you are someone who prays, please keep praying for us as a team, for myself, and for the women who we have said goodbye to.

You are appreciated.

Bronte

I learned that in Rwanda you are supposed to write out details of what the certificate represents. 

DuHope Class 1!

branching out

Hi!

Just a little update on how things are going on here at DuHope in Kigali!

As I have said before, we have seen so much progress in our counseling department. I had asked you to pray for someone named "L", and although we have not yet come to a conclusion about what we are going to do to address her situation, she came in the following week saying she felt a weight off her shoulders because she had been able to share her story with others. She will often come to me during the day and say to me quietly over my shoulder, "Today, I am happy". I tell her if she is happy, then I am happy. It goes to show you how much impact this community, fellowship, and a safe environment for sharing can have. Nothing in her situation has changed, yet she feels hope just knowing there are people hearing her and caring about her.

I cannot say enough good things about our counsellor. She also did a session on relaxation, which included her encouraging the women to do things they enjoy: dancing, singing, laughing with others. As an example, she had the women share what their favourite animal is and then asked them to imitate the noise that animal makes - this was something that seems so trivial and silly, but it was an example of how sometimes they can just let go and to show how good laughing can feel!

We have unfortunately lost our creative designer for the jewellery workshop as she has gone to attend university classes. We have others who are able to help with women with what to make, how to make it, etc., but one day we decided to let them have a turn at designing some things themselves - I think they did a pretty good job, don't you?!

We have come to the place where we want to start expanding the products the women are making. There are some that are just not as advanced in the skills used to make the jewellery. For example, a woman I will call "E" who is a bit older and has trouble seeing the small beads; she will often only finish one piece with help from the others, while they themselves complete at least 3 in the same period of time. She said she was thinking that she would probably have to stop coming to the program. I asked the translator to tell her that we wanted her to stay and that we would find something else for her to do. We have been brainstorming and talking with some other organisations and friends over here who may be able to sell some different types of products. Our hope is that no one will feel they need to leave or won't make enough money just because they have a different skill set than others. 

With that being said, we have launched our first computer, English, and business training class in cooperation with another organisation (Esperance Education Institute). We have started with 7 women who will be trained 4 days a week for 12 weeks using Rosetta Stone software on the computers. I'm excited to see how it goes and to expand the opportunities for these women. However, these things do cost money, so if you would be willing to contribute or to sponsor a woman to complete the program please click here. 

Please continue to pray for us, if you are a pray-er :) Please also consider donating to the general program fund here, or to my personal fundraising here.

Thank you, as always.  

Much love.

Bronte. 

small successes continue!

Hi all,

I am trying my best to be better at updating this blog, but I admit I am struggling! Life has become so "normal" here that I struggle to figure out how to communicate it back to you folk.

Another of my struggles in communication is maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of the women in the program. So, I'll do my best to let you know what's happening, but please forgive me for my inability to go into a great deal of detail. If you would like to hear more and are wanting to be a prayer supporter, please feel free to contact me and I am happy to provide you with that in a less public forum.

As I mentioned to you, we recently hired a counsellor. And let me tell you - I think she is the absolute best! Her English is pretty good, but she mostly speaks in Kinyarwanda so I don't always know what she's saying, but there is something about the vibe she gives off that just gives me such comfort. She is an older woman which I think is beautiful because she can be a sort of maternal, caring figure for the women. She tells me how much she loves being a counsellor, and I love having her. She has been working with the women on some basics and foundations for counseling, as counseling doesn't really exist in Rwandan culture much. As they continue to get comfortable and get to know each other, she will eventually transition to doing some one-on-one counseling.

Now, as I mentioned, counseling is not usually a part of Rwandan culture, however we are seeing the women really responding to the group sessions. We know that trust is being built we are beginning to hear some more about the difficulty of the women's lives. As heart breaking as it has been to hear, it is a sign that we are creating a safe space where they feel they can share. They settle conflicts and they encourage one another. I am loving the way they are banding together as a group of friends and colleagues. If you have committed to praying for this work, please keep one girl in particular in your prayers at the moment who I will call "L". Her situation has shown me my own limitations in that I do not know the laws and regulations here in Rwanda well, but that has been a great opportunity for our social workers and peer support worker to do research and take it as a learning opportunity, while also working for the best outcome for "L".


And now: I was sent some questions as suggestions for what to include in this blog, so I figured maybe I could take one or two each post to answer. The first question is:

"What are some of the similarities between African, Australian, and American daily life?"

So, Kigali is a city - with traffic, restaurants, and even some skyscrapers (taller than any in Gosford probably!) so, connectivity to the world is the same - I have WiFi at work and at home, and I can use my iPhone out and about.
A similarity to New York/American life is something called "hellofood" which is like Seamless (for you New Yorkers) - it's a food delivery service that delivers for a lot of the restaurants in town for just 1000 Rwandan francs (about $2 AUD/$1.40 USD) we can have anything from chips and hamburgers, pizza, or Mexican burritos delivered to our home by a guy on a motorcycle.
Social life is generally the same - we get together to watch movies, play board games, go to concerts (I went to an outdoor hip hop concert on Thursday night which was great fun!), and go out for meals.

Thank you, as always, for reading. Feel free to contact me with questions or comments, and if you are interested in being part of a closer-knit prayer team where I can share a little more detail, please contact me.

& please consider giving to us here or here.

Much love.

Bronte. 

work so far

Hi all,

I am 3 weeks + 1 day into my time here in Rwanda and I think I probably owe you all a bit of an update about the whole reason why I even came here in the first place! It's taken a little bit of time to get into a routine and figure out what it's all going to look like, but today after a staff meeting I am feeling that I am in a good place to explain it to you :)

So, I'm assuming you all know about the work I am doing here (if not, please read here or here or ask me!)

The program has now been running for close to 2 months and we have seen some encouraging results. As I wrote about briefly in my previous post, the women have a very strong work ethic. This is a positive thing, but also something we need to manage as sometimes they would prefer to work than to participate in the other programs we have for them (counseling, Bible study, health education, etc).

To explain to you a little bit more about my role in this big beautiful project: I am working in a team of about 9 or so Rwandan women. We have a program coordinator, a business coach/director, a financial/administrator, a counsellor, two social workers, a peer support person, and two people working on the creative/jewellery side of things. I have been able to participate in staff meetings where we discuss the ins and outs of running this program, which I have really been enjoying. We all bounce ideas off each other and are able to come up with solutions that we think will produce the best results for the women. My specific responsibility, though, is to work with the social workers. Their role is to be a point person for the women outside of our work space by completing home visits. We have found that there are things the women will tell to the social workers in a one-on-one private setting that they would not otherwise share in a group setting. The social workers will then feedback to the rest of the team at our weekly staff meetings so that we can address any issues that may be occurring. I am not able to participate in this myself as I do not speak the local language (Kinyarwanda), so I will be overseeing the work that the social workers do and training them to use the educational knowledge that they have.

We are already beginning to see the trust that has been built between the women and all of us involved, but there is still progress to be made in those relationships, and also in the relationships between the women. If you are someone who likes to pray, you could pray for continued trust to be built, and also for the women to bond and grow close to one another so that they can also be a support to one another.

I'll leave it at that for now - there is so much more that I could share, and I will do so as the time goes on :)

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

And if you have not already, please consider donating to our program here or here - it is greatly, greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU!

Bronte

small victories!

Our first batch of jewellery is on it's way to America! The women have been learning so quickly and seeming to have fun making the jewellery. They come early and stay late; I am loving their strong work ethic (and their smiles and giggles even though I don't know what they're laughing about due to the language barrier!) We have already found out that the women are working less at night as their income begins to be replaced by the work they do with us. I am feeling encouraged by this victory! Please continue to pray and check out www.youcaring.com/bronte-hughes-400863 if you haven't already - the more money I raise, the more money can be poured back into this program! 

Thank you!

one week in Kigali!

I have been in Rwanda for one week and 3 hours. So I felt I owed you all an update.

Things here are going well (for those who read my blog last time around you will know the first few days/weeks were brutal, so this is BIG!) Coming back to a place I am familiar with, and being surrounded by familiar faces makes a huge difference.

I figured I would wait a little longer to tell you the details of my work, as it is still all unfolding a bit. Instead, I thought I would try to answer the "What is it like there?" question that I have been asked quite a bit. It is impossible to completely and accurately describe a place without you being able to see it and experience it yourself, but I will try!

Kigali is a juxtaposition of both modern day luxury and the more "simple" things in life. There are restaurants, hotels, spas/salons, a golf course, huge mansions, and expensive cars. But at the same time, our power goes out usually once per day, our water sometimes stops running, and many of the roads are red clay/dirt. There are also families who live in homes which are made of mud bricks and do not have running water. There is so much contrast.

Kigali is quite safe, however there are issues with theft. Most homes are surrounded by walls with a locked gate at the front, some with guards employed to keep the property protected. We have a guard at our home who is a lovely man and also helps out around the property doing maintenance.

We also employ a lovely lady who helps to take care of our home a few days a week with cleaning and some cooking. This is a strange concept to those of us who grew up in the West, but in Rwanda it is expected that those who have the means to do so, hire domestic workers in their home as a way to create jobs and income for people.

In terms of food, we have access to most things. There are many restaurants here in Kigali, as well as a market and supermarkets. We eat well and so I am grateful for the exercise class my friend runs..

For transportation, sometimes we drive in my housemates car (I even had a turn of driving today and didn't get in a crash so yay!). Traffic in Kigali is crazy and road rules are "loose", shall we say. If not driving, I take a moto - which is when you flag down a guy on a motorbike and hop on the back and pay him to take you to where you need to go. It is good fun :)

That's about all I can think of right now, but PLEASE feel free to ask questions and give me suggestions on what you might like to see on this blog. Last time around I feel that maybe I used it more for my own coping mechanism, but this time I feel like it will be used more to communicate with all of you lovely supporters and friends - so please be in touch with me about what you would like to read!

Thanks!

Bronte

a big "thank you"

Hi,

I just wanted to take some time to give a little shout out to all of you who have been supporting me as I get ready to leave in less than 3 days!

Some of you have supported financially, which is incredible and I literally could not do what I am doing without you, so thank you. It is not an easy thing for a lot of people in our society to part with their finances - you are all wonderful.

Others with your kind words of encouragement - one of my "love languages" is words, so please believe me when I say these go a long way. The fact that you believe I can do this work means a lot more than you realise, so thank you.

And to the community of people I have here in Australia: for someone who has only been around for a few months, you have never made me feel like "the new girl". I have felt entirely welcomed and embraced by the Narara Valley Baptist family, and that sense of family and community is giving me more strength and confidence than I think you realise. Thank you for not only welcoming me in, but for supporting me in prayer - for that experience this evening I am truly thankful. Please know how wonderful you all are, and how much I appreciate you.

I cannot name every single person, but if you're reading this, you are included in those I want to thank. Your reading this means you care for me and for this next chapter in my life.

"Thank you" doesn't even do enough to express how grateful I am for you all.

- Bronte. 

a little re-introduction

Well, hello there!

This blog is now back up & running after a little hiatus since 2012.

I've asked a few people what they would like to see on here at the moment as I'm getting ready to head back to Rwanda, and it seems I owe a bit of detail about what I'm doing, the work, how I got to be here, etc. Part of that answer requires a bit of transparency, which this blog has always had. So here goes:

I was in Rwanda in 2011 for a few months. The plans I had for that trip ended up not coming to fruition and it became a challenging time for me in terms of understanding what to do next, and what
"God's will" means. In all of those tough questions and decisions, I always held onto the hope and prayer that maybe one day, I would get to go back to Rwanda and "try again" and redeem something that felt like a personal failure.

Fast forward to 2014/2015: I moved back to Australia, started working, living with my parents until I was a little more grounded and stable, and met some really great friends. Unfortunately, the job I got did not work out. Without going into too much detail (for the sake of integrity and professionalism) the work environment was not a healthy one for me to be in. So I found myself kind of "floating", looking for more work, but feeling very burnt out from the nature of working in the foster care system without good professional support, and honestly feeling pretty relived to be out of that job, but also pretty defeated and extremely drained by the whole experience.

I was at home doing a bunch of nothing one day, when a friend whom I had met in Rwanda in 2011 contacted me: "So if I were to tell you there is a new ministry starting to help women get out of sex work.. would that pique your interest?", she said. Now if you know me at all, you know that this most definitely piqued my interest! I was in India in 2012 working with women rescued from trafficking, and in my adult years have become passionate about women's issues, and if you add in the "I don't have a full-time job, house/mortgage, or husband/family", etc.. all the pieces just seems to fit. It seems that God has given me the opportunity to redeem that trip from back on 2011 that was so challenging and confusing - and that's just the selfish part of the whole thing! Then there's the part where I get to come alongside other people and work together to help these women achieve the goals and outcomes they are going to set for themselves to find employment and financial stability for their families without prostitution.

If you were to read back to the very beginning of this blog, you would see that working for the good of others has been something I have dedicated my life to. I got my degree in Social Work because I want a career that focuses on working alongside others to better their lives and situations. And so, regardless of all the little things and circumstances that fell into place, this is the kind of thing that I want my life to be about: to be a part of seeing change in the lives of people who want or need to see change.

There are many tangents I could go on in this post alone, but I have a feeling those things will start to come out as time goes along and as I write more. So I'll leave it at that for now.

As always, please feel free to ask questions - if there's more information you want or suggestions for what to write about, please do not hesitate to contact me!

I genuinely thank you for reading this.

Much love.

Bronte

(To donate to my living expenses click here)

(To donate to the funding for the program - Duhugurane/DuHope - click here!)

thus begins the rest of my life

it's been a while.

New York ended up being a bumpy, but beautiful ride.

in a few hours I will get on a plane (for essentially an entire day..) and land back in Australia. a place I consider home, but one that I'm afraid may not feel that way initially. I am comforted only by the thought of sunshine and my family waiting on the other side, darling nieces and nephews included.

today I keep trying to decide if moving at age 14 was more difficult than doing it again at 25. so far I think year 25 takes the cake.

alas, back to packing. maybe this blog will end up being a helpful outlet like it was a few years ago. sometimes I feel the need to write these things out, but on a little less public forum as Facebook (I also hate "pity posts" on Facebook..) so pity blog it is!

Phase 4.

I had been contemplating starting up this blog to document and process my transition from life in America back to Australia. However, now I have another little adventure to work through.

In 11 days I will be fulfilling a long-time dream of living in New York City. I have accepted a position with a mother and her daughter to be a nanny/assistant on the Upper West Side. I am thrilled to be able to have this opportunity and be able to say that I obtained a goal that seemed unrealistic and just whimsical at times.

However, as this blog often clearly explains, I'm not great at transitions. I'm feeling a bit anxious about packing, adjusting, friends.... or.. lack thereof.

I'm currently at a point in my life where my whole outlook, my "mantra" if you will, has definitely shifted. I'm trying to embrace the world more: experience it; be a part of it; participate, instead of just watch it happen around me.

I'm also at a point where I feel like I've really established a pretty good group of people to surround myself with. I don't necessarily have a strong friend group or community; it's more like I have a select few individuals from different aspects of my life that I feel I can depend on and who are significant and fulfill my own personal need to feel significant. We have things in common, strong discussions, they are compassionate, intentional, present, they challenge me, they're willing.

Unfortunately, this move to New York kind of puts these two new areas of my world into conflict: on the one hand I am going on an adventure and diving into one of the largest most exciting cities on planet earth. But, on the other hand, I am leaving behind the people I feel like I've finally found to do life alongside.

So, as I feel excited to tackle a new city and a new experience that I've been aching for for years, I also feel anxiety - fear even - for the loneliness that is about to ensue. I am going to do my best to keep in contact with said people - they mean too much to me and have shown me too much love and care for me not to. But I'm also going to have to be very intentional about trying to find friends who replicate these same ideals in life and friendship. I may not find them - but if I can at least find people I can be myself with and who can fill some of the lonely hours, then I'll consider it a blessing, and I will be grateful.

Honestly though, in a way I only hope to find more shallow, surface-level friendships. Because I don't want to replace any of the people in my life that I have now. And I don't want to form more bonds that I will only have to lose or break when I leave New York for Australia. It's going to be painful enough leaving the friends I have now. I've seen so many people in and out of my life the past 15 years that it's hard for me to trust in friendships. But once I do, that trust runs deep, which creates the chance for me to be deeply hurt if I feel like those friendships become insignificant.

"There's freedom in not being close to anyone, because then you don't get hurt."

The battle then becomes the freedom to not feel hurt when I leave versus the loneliness of doing life in New York with surface-level friends.

Who knows, maybe I will meet people who do shape me the way my friends now have. Maybe I'll just find people to grab coffee with when I'm feeling bored. I honestly have no idea what the next year holds for me. Part of that is scary, but a lot of it is exciting.

Stay tuned for depressing posts about my struggle. (And some fun New York musings).


+ things I'll miss about America.


Thanks, as always.

the end (for now).

Well. Hello there faithful blog readers. It's been quite a while - quite a while since my last post, and quite a while since this journey has (physically) ended. I had meant to write a post during my last few days in India, then during my first few days back in the US.. yet here I am today, three weeks later and just now writing it. I'm still not quite sure what I'm going to tell you - I'm going to start typing, and hope that what comes out is something good. But no promises. Where to start..

I guess part of the problem is that I half expected to have processed something by now, something complete and fulfilled that I could report back to you. However, I think the problem is that I'm never going to stop processing. This trip is going to somehow mesh into the person that I am - the experiences, the lessons, the people, the memories, will somehow, one day (and already are) shaping me.

Although there is so much about the past seven (going on eight!) months that I can't describe to you, let alone process, comprehend, or understand, I want to at least share with you what I have managed to put into some words.

First of all - I learned to let go of expectations. This was tough. I kind of had it in my mind that I'd go overseas and work hard and change lives and impact people, all because of this degree that I have (in Social Work). That somehow my four years of education, and one slip of paper + a funny hat would make me some force for injustice to reckon with. Alas, I still have a lot of learning to do. About my gifts, my abilities, the things I desire. I may have found some of my way along the path of my life, but I still have a lot of figuring out to do. A lot of people go away to these countries (namely, India) to "find themselves" but I think this time caused me to question myself, more than it gave me answers. Maybe I'll find those answers one day, maybe I won't - and I'm ok with that. I may never have concrete answers, but I have been shaped in some way, I have learned something. I have been humbled. Entirely and completely been broken and humbled. Just because you dedicate your life to go overseas and be a missionary, doesn't mean you're going to succeed at it. God is able to use what you do, but what you do does nothing standing alone. I can only hope that God is using me somehow, even amidst my feelings of failure during that time (I'll come back to this topic shortly).

Something else I wanted to share with you was an opportunity I had to spend with some very special people. In my last two weeks in India, I went away to a camp that Freedom Firm hosts each year for girls from all over India who have been trafficked. We had about 30 girls, ranging from 16 - 30. A team from the States came to lead the camp - crafts, stories, games, etc. I got to sit and watch these girls running around, laughing, having fun - something they rarely, if ever, get to do. And I just "people watched" - I noticed their individual personalities. Some were quiet, reserved, a bit lacking in confidence, but sweet. Some were quiet, but also quite aggressive and had definite walls up. Some were goofy and awkward. Some were beautifully confident and funny. Each girl was so different, but all so sweet and precious. Yet each and every one of them has experienced something so dreadfully hurtful, something SO inherently evil. How a person, a girl so young, comes out of forced prostitution and still knows how to smile so strongly is such a huge testimony to the human spirit. As I watched them I was just thinking about how God had created each and every one of them with a beautiful personality, and that even the most disgusting of evils hadn't destroyed that. They each shared this common factor, something that could so easily and heavily define them, yet their individual characters still stayed strong in them. I will never, ever forget these beautiful faces and personalities.

Some people have asked me since being back if I have struggled with how evil people can be - if I have a negative perception of the human race now. But because of these girls, I feel the opposite way. Because of their ability to stay strong, happy, funny, confident, sweet, caring, throughout such struggles, I have a renewed feeling of happiness towards humanity. That not only are there still people with such qualities, but there are people who have suffered under the very hands of the most evil people of this world, who remain so incredible. They are the most vulnerable, yet the strongest people I've ever encountered in my life.

Many of the girls who came to the camp were Muslim and Hindu girls. Freedom Firm (and the Woodsedge church from America) were able to share with them their personal beliefs about Christ. On the last day of camp, the two men from the church explained the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet, and then washed the feet of all the girls there. These girls broke down. To have someone serve them in such an intimate way, let alone men, the very people who exploited them day in and day out, broke down walls. I don't know what those girls thought about God or Jesus or the fact that He loves them so immensely, but I at least now know that they heard it. During this time I realised just how badly they need Him. These girls have had everything taken from them: their childhood, their virginity, their families, for many of them they will have a hard time having any sort of future since they have been disowned and cannot be married in a society so heavily dependent on marriage. Some of them have contracted HIV - so their health, and maybe even, their life, has been stripped from them. What left is there to give them? The love and relationships we as humans can give them can help to restore some of this hurt, but ultimately, the only thing that can truly lift them out of such brokenness is Christ. When I think of God's love, I automatically think of these girls. His love for them is just so intensely huge and they deserve it more than I ever will. That is why I say that I feel humbled. Because God does not need me. He doesn't need my qualifications, my degree, my willingness, my "bravery" to go to Rwanda and India - He doesn't need it at all. Those girls don't need any of that. All they need is someone to share Christ with them and to understand His immense love for them. Now I can only hope that they learned some of that, in some small way, from me. What an honour it would be to represent His love to these girls.

A dear friend of mine gave me a gift before I left for Rwanda - a journal with some quotes and things written in it. One of those quotes read: 

"Walk away from your computer. Then take off, go to India, rural China, Rio, Caracas, and Belize. Mingle with the filthy rich and the dirt poor. Dig up all the roots of terror. Make hunger, disease, cruelty, lust, greed, self-preservation and genocide your roommates. Then when you run out of money and can't take it anymore, fly back home. Look in the mirror. Face your fears, your weaknesses, strengths, your imminent demise. Then when all of this begins to gel into a master narrative in front of your eyes, go get a job." - Kalle Lasn.

That just about sums it up. I've learned about my weaknesses (if I were to explain them all to you, you'd be here for hours..) and fears, but I've let that become my strength - to acknowledge the things that I am lacking, to be aware of them, and to allow them to be opportunities for God to take over. I have been broken a few times over the last few months, but it's like the old cliche saying, "If it's not broken, don't fix it" - I can only begin to become more of what Christ wants me to be once I am broken. 

I could go on for a long time, but this post is already half a novel ;) I appreciate you reading, whether you read every post over the past year, or if you only read this one. If there is anything else you are curious about, or want to know more about, or want to discuss, or even disagree with me - please feel free to contact me.

Thank you again - for your support, prayers, belief in me, and encouragement. It made all the difference.

Bronte.

"Welcome for India"

As you may have heard, I was a bit sick as of late. One of the Freedom Firm girls told us a few times in regards to getting sick: "Welcome for India" in her broken English.

Being sick here was quite miserable; being sick away from home is never fun. And being stuck in bed for a whole week is never fun either. So for about a week and a half I really couldn't eat anything - I was constantly nauseated and weak. No fun. In the middle of the week, we decided it was time to go see a doctor. So our driver, Susai, picked up Sheena and I (who was also sick) and took us to the "hospital" run by a Catholic convent/church on the other side of Ooty. We were greeted by a woman who we are assuming was an actual doctor.. She spoke some English, but it seemed like a lot of what we were saying was going a bit over her head - she wasn't really seeming to understand what our problem was, which was cause for frustration. Sometimes she even laughed at us when we shared a symptom. She decided Sheena needed a drip, much to her disagreement.. So we were forced to stay at the hospital for a couple of hours. She told me she wanted to give me an injection too, which I managed to talk her out of (I've never heard of getting an injection for a stomach problem!) She then insisted we lay down in bed and sleep..

But funnily enough, that was when she started asking us about our beliefs - "Do you believe in God? Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe in the mother Mary?" Then began the passionate scolding about how we should respect the mother Mary and how she can intercede for us because she is the blood of Jesus, and how we should pray to our parents once they are gone from this earth because they are ALWAYS our parents, and will always take care of us, even from heaven.. and so on. Now you know me, I'm always up for a good discussion of issues, but when you feel like you want to rip your stomach out of your body and you're being force fed in order to take pills that you actually don't know what they are, being told that you should pray and believe differently by a "doctor" in a half-clean bed in an Indian "hospital" isn't exactly the most welcomed situation.

Eventually she laughed at us for what we believed and how we disagreed, gave us some pills, including antibiotics, and sent us on our way. I spent the next few days in bed.. and eventually ventured out back to the office after being sick from Monday to the following Wednesday a week and a half later. However, after taking the antibiotics, I still didn't feel like I could eat anything.. so we took another trip to the hospital - a DIFFERENT one this time. I saw the doctor who asked me some questions, listened to my answers, didn't laugh at me or try to convert me to Catholicism or Hinduism or anything.. I was in and out in about 10 minutes with a diagnosis (something I didn't really get at the first hospital..) and some pills. Turns out I had some type of gastro/stomach infection and dehydration (wasn't much of a surprise). After just a few days of these pills I'm back on my feet! I can eat again (although not much of the food we eat is particularly appetizing after eating the same things for 2 months straight) But I have my energy back, which feels GREAT!

It was definitely an experience, and a bit of a "rite of passage" for foreigners living in India. However, I am EXTREMELY grateful that it is over. Thank you to anyone who was praying for my recovery - your prayers were heard, and I am no longer miserably laying in bed desperately craving home. So, I thank you.

As always, questions, emails, and mail are welcomed :)

Much love,

Bronte.

The Indians struggle with spelling my name a bit... then again, so do the Americans ;)

Daily Happenings of Bronte Didi

Hello out there.

Well, unfortunately, this week has been filled with a bit of sickness.. at first I thought it was from eating bad food, but it turns out there's a virus going around Ooty (100 of the kids from the international school here got it..). Still not exactly sure what the deal is, since mine seems to be lingering longer than anyone elses.. but I should be up and running in a few days, as I slowly gain my appetite back.

Anyway, I thought I'd fill you all in on just some little bits and pieces, cultural tid bits, from my life here in Ooty (I've been here 7 weeks already, can you believe it?) :

As a sign of respect, people are referred to with some title, which takes the form of a family member. For example, I am "Bronte Didi" - which literally translates as "Bronte sister". Men are referred to as brothers, or uncles if they are older.

The girls in the program speak Kannada - a langauge from their state, Karnataka. But, they are learning Hindi and English in school. Locals here in Ooty speak Tamil - so, there's a lot of languages floating around, which, unfortunately means I haven't picked up anything! Which is ok, because it's good for the girls to learn more English from talking with us.

We walk a lot here in Ooty - basically eveyhwere, unless we want to pay for a rickshaw - one of those little three wheeler things (http://conqueringthecenturyclub.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/autorickshaw.jpg - glamourous, huh?) ;) We live on the top of a hill/mountain so we get a bit of exercise in ;) Which has caused a few pairs of broken shoes.. hopefully my last pair or two last the next 5 weeks!

While we are walking, we see lots of cows, since India is so heavily Hindu. They kind of just roam about aimlessly, eating rubbish off the side of the road, some with decorative head bands and painted horns. There's a few dogs and goats (and monkeys) around too.

While we walk, we are also very wary of the men - in Indian culture, it is a bit provocative to make eye contact with a man, so we tend to just stare past them, as to not give the wrong impression! Women are definitely seen as the "weaker" "less valuable" gender here in India, which is a bit troubling.

We are required to dress appropriately - all shirts/tops must be longer than our bottoms, have a high neckline, sleeves, and loose fitting. It is rare to see an Indian woman not wearing a punjabi (a long tunic top with matching puffy pants!) or a sari (mostly the older women wear saris).

Hygiene is a bit of a different story in India.. they don't use toilet paper, they use.. well.. other things..

Which is why when we eat we are only allowed to eat with our RIGHT hand.. the left hand is for.. well.. other things.. We eat rice with samba, which is like a vegetable curry. We don't use forks or spoons or knives.. it's all done with our hand! Quite messy, but a bit of fun.

That's all I can think of for right now..! That's my educational post for the time being ;)

Thank you all for your continued support. Only 5 more weeks! All your thoughts, prayers, and encouragement means more than you know - thank you! (Please pray for my health to completely return!)

-Bronte.

Address:

Bronte Hughes

C/O Freedom Firm

78/85 Indu Sadan

Glenrock

Ooty, Tamil Nadu 643001

INDIA

Comings & Goings!

We've had a few more changes here at Freedom Firm the past few weeks.. In my last post, I talked about how how of the girls left the program, reunited with her family. Well, coincidentally, the very next morning, someone showed up on the doorstep of the girls' house...

The girl who arrived is a previous Freedom Firm participant. She was here about 7 months ago, but her father also came to collect her, with the promise of having a marriage arranged for her. For whatever reason, it seems that didn't happen, and due to an intense amount of conflict (suspected abuse) within her family, she ran away and came back to Freedom Firm. It's been quite an adjustment, and I can see that this girl is still very vulnerable, even after being in the program almost 2 years previously. I'm definitely in need of some God-given peace while spending time with her.

So as one leaves, one comes.. but then another leaves! This past Friday, we had a graduation celebration for one of the girls who will be leaving to go start another workshop in another city for rescued girls. She's a very strong individual (which can be both good and bad..!), and I feel so excited for her to start a new time in her life. She has also faced an intensely difficult time earlier in her life, but the way God has redeemed her and brought her strengths out to glorify Him is very evident. We all have a feeling she's going to impact many people in a very strong way - she will surely be used by God!

We had another very exciting celebration today, as two of the girls were baptised! They shared a short testimony in front of the church about how God has reached them, the way He loves them, the way Freedom Firm staff have ministered to them and taught them, the way they hold Jesus in their heart, and the joy they have experienced in knowing Him. It was a really beautiful and exciting time. The pastor shared with the congregation beforehand about how if you look at the genealogy of Jesus, God used people who were unfavourable in the eyes of society; particularly prostitutes. He shared about the way God redeems people, washes them clean, and uses them for such good things. It was such a beautiful reminder of how these girls who have been subjected to such evil are now beautiful creations in the eyes of God, and of us! It was really wonderful to witness :)

As far as I personally go - I am doing well. The girls can be quite draining at times, but I have some nice down time (and time with my housemates) to recuperate. I am learning that I need to continue leaning on God the same way I did in Rwanda, when I was feeling so low, even when I feel so much stronger than I did then - even in the times where things are going well, I still need to go running to him. I have had to take some time to re-surrender this trip to Him, and allow Him to do with it what He wants, instead of sticking to my own agenda. Already I have seen results of this (only one day after I prayed about it!) in the way I have been able to support a missionary family I know here. They work with prisoners, and this specific project involves bringing supplies for women to make jewellery in order to: give them something to do, and to also bring in a small wage. I've been really excited to be able to sell some of the pieces in the States to help fund the project, as all the money used so far was my friend's personal savings. If you're interested in looking/purchasing (I will be making deliveries once I return to the States in May) there's a link at the bottom of this post (it's all hand-made and really cheap!) :)

I thank you all for reading, please continue in praying for me as I finish out the last 6 weeks of this long journey! I appreciate you all so much.

Much love,

Bronte.

Click HERE to see handmade Indian jewellery to support prison ministries!

ALSO! I have really been enjoying sending/receiving MAIL :) so if you'd like to write or receive a letter my address is:

Bronte Hughes

C/O Freedom Firm

78/85 Indu Sadan

Glenrock

Ooty, Tamil Nadu 643001

INDIA

:)

a good, eventful, cultural day in India.

So, I was going to do a boring blog post with some random bits of information about my daily happenings, but then I had a more eventful day than usual, so I’ll share with you! (Sorry I’ve been so lousy at keeping you all updated!)

So. We have a particular girl in the program who we’ve had trouble getting all the correct info about her story about how she was trafficked and her family situation and such. She has been attempting to contact her father for a few weeks, but wasn’t able to for whatever reason, but it wasn’t until a few days ago that some information about his email and phone number came to her mind. She seems to have a lot of trouble remembering things, which is most likely a result of her trauma. In the office they had a day of prayer on Thursday, and this girl was asking for prayer about seeing her family. We all seemed pretty skeptical that anything was going to come of it, given her inability to tell a consistent version of her story. But, as I walked into the office today, she seemed extremely happy, she told me with a huge grin on her face that her parents were coming today! I couldn’t believe that just two days ago we were thinking how unlikely it was that we’d be in contact with her father, and now it was just a few hours till he arrived. It was really precious to see how excited she was, but I was still a bit nervous about how things were going to go.

But, I arrived back to the office after a trip to the market to find her parents both there! Her father was really sweet and they both seemed to be so relieved to see their daughter again. We found out it had been two and a half years since she’d been missing, and they’d been trying to find her, but the police system in India didn’t make the task easy.. or possible. It was a pretty emotional time, for everyone – her parents, herself, and for us to watch. She was able to go home with her parents today! There are still definitely concerns over her mental state, as we see some pretty heavy effects of the trauma she’s experienced, but it’s beautiful to know she is back in the company of her family and loved ones, and that she’s safe. Usually we think about the girls and what they go through, but this experience made me stop and think about what her parents must have gone through, their child missing for over two years with no idea whatsoever where she could be. It was sad to see her go, even though I am excited for her, because I was really enjoying having her around - she had the strongest English of all the girls so it was much easier to form a connection, and she's very sweet natured. But, I feel really blessed to be able to witness something like this, and it makes me even more excited about the work that Freedom Firm and IJM do.

After work, I visited a church with a friend of mine and Sheena, my housemate. Sheena has been doing some speaking here in India to try to let people see that women are valuable! We parked and walked up through a lot of houses that were not as nice as others in Ooty.. these were more like shanty houses, instead of holiday homes. We arrived at the church to very lively music (sung in Tamil). We sat on the women’s side.. the men were on the other side of the room.. very culturally different to churches I’ve usually been to. Sheena began to give her talk, but half way through was interrupted by a cow outside mooing loudly. Only in India!

It was great to see how excited the pastor was to share with his congregation, who are mostly new Christians. It’s always refreshing and exciting to interact with Indian Christians, since Hinduism is so prevalent here.

So, yes, an eventful day indeed! But a good day!

Thanks for reading.

(Feel free to ask questions – I feel like I haven’t done a very good job of explaining much!)

- Bronte.

week dos (I don't know 'two' in Hindi)

So my second week in India is over. It feels like it's been so much longer - I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing! ;)

The past few days have been pretty tiring. The Freedom Firm staff had their retreat this weekend, so the five girls stayed with us at Farley (our house). It's been really great getting to know each of their individual personalities - they are all so different from one another! Although there is a language barrier, especially with the few who speak very little English - their personalities still come through strongly! There are moments of tension - mostly surrounding issues of cultural differences (they can't grasp the fact that we don't eat rice for every meal!) - and working through these situations with a language barrier can be pretty trying, but we get the job done eventually, ha!

The church I go to here is really great - it's pastored by a South African man, and most of the "foreigners" attend. Both weeks I have had things to take away from his sermons, so that's a real blessing to still be fed with the Word during this time. I felt so encouraged and excited about the Lord's provisions leaving church this Sunday!

I've gotten used to my bucket showers again, and am slowly getting used to the spice of Indian food, and also getting used to eating a lot of the same foods here at home, since we don't have access to everything we're used to back home. Once again, overall, doing really well. I'm excited to see what the next 10 weeks will look like (that's right - only 10 more weeks till the journey is over and I land back in USA!)

If you are a pray-er:

- health - I had a little bit of a cold, which thankfully went away, but now one of my housemates is quite sick, and the other one was sick a few weeks ago - pray for continued healing & health for all of us!

- for less tension and conflict between us and the girls - for more understanding on both our parts, and for mature resolution.

- for confidence in my role and purpose here.

THANK YOU ALL!

Indian beginnings!

HELLO! I would say that in Hindi, but I have not learned any! Oh my.

So, I have been in India a bit over a week now, so it's about time I let you all know what's going on, eh?

Well, let's start by saying I am doing MUCH better adjusting than I did in Rwanda, and that's no reflection of the countries or organisations themselves, but having two housemates makes a HUGE difference. I live with two girls my age, one American & one Irish. It is SUCH a blessing to have friendly people around (and English speaking..ha). So, that's been really amazing. We live in an old missionary home up in the mountains of India - it's really tranquil and beautiful :)

So let me outline for you what a normal week looks like for me here in India:

Three days out of the week I am in the Freedom Firm office - the girls (there are five of them, all about my age, and a bit younger) have education with "Teacher" in the morning - maths, English, Hindi - then they move on to work. They design and make jewelry to sell to make their wages. They are so creative and hard working, it's so cool! So I basically just help out with some school work, or teaching typing/computer skills. This week has been really busy with the jewelry too, so I've done a lot of help with that.

The weekends are the busy days though. On Saturday morning we go to horse therapy. The girls assist with giving horse rides to some disabled children from the community. Not only is it a fun time for the kids, but it helps to strengthen their muscles sitting up on the horses. It's great to see these girls who have experienced so much, give back to other people so willingly. After that, we (me and one of my housemates) go back to the girls house for lunch, the girls do chores, and just hang out. Then Sunday we all go to church (I am really enjoying the church here!), and the same - go back to the girls house for lunch and chores and hanging around.

So things aren't particularly structured, but I get to spend a lot of time just socialising sort of with the girls and with other FF staff/volunteers, which is nice.

So, all in all I am doing well - getting used to the spice of Indian food! & eating it with my hand (thanks to my Sri Lankan sister-in-law for the practice I have had with this..) Ooty is beautiful, and I am really enjoying being here. But, I also look forward to the day I get to go back to USA & see my friends & parents.

I feel like this is a pretty basic fill-in, so if you have questions, feel free to let me know!

Thanks so much for reading!

Much love,

Bronte.

care means nothing.

Hello again my beautiful, wonderful, faithful blog readers! (and welcome to those of you who have newly joined the cyber-version of my journey!)

It’s time again - time for me to set off on another foot of my journey. In just 3 days, I will head off to India.

A couple of weeks ago (here comes that brutal honesty you all enjoy… ha), I would have given anything to get back on a plane to America and just say goodbye to this trip (again..). But, today, the Lord is faithful and kind and merciful to hear my cry! How beautiful is it to see His promises in scripture come true (finally…! Just kidding.. who am I to question His timing?!)

I have been lucky to be able to be in contact with the two girls I will be living with in India – both about my age, which is a nice touch. I am looking forward to meeting them.

But, as I have been thinking about this next part of my trip, I realised I had to remind myself of something that I wrote about earlier (I think in my second post). WHY am I doing this?? I was sitting in church yesterday (I admit, my mind may or may not have wandered after this point came to me, spurred by something the pastor had said..hehe). I am an emotional person – perhaps you are too – maybe those sad ads on the TV or the sad videos on Facebook or the sad stories in the magazines just make you feel sad and horrified and like the world is just an ugly place. I know I feel that way sometimes – I think ‘How can SUCH evil exist?’ But here’s the thing: an emotional reaction basically means, well..nothing. When I feel sad or offended or angry at a situation or issue, that emotion really has no effect on any situation other than my own..how selfish am I?? A reACTION, really, doesn’t mean a thing until it becomes an ACTION. What purpose does my care or compassion really serve if it ultimately does nothing for those I feel it for? How dare I sit and cry or sit and be disgusted or sit and condemn those who commit evil if I’m not willing to get up and DO something about it! That is vain, selfish, shallow, and a misuse of the emotional capabilities (+ whatever other gifts I feel He has created me for) that God has placed within me. It’s time to stop seeing, watching, reading, feeling – and DO. A verse that seems to have followed me my entire life is Micah 6:8 – and what does the Lord require of you? To DO justice, to love kindness, and walk humbly with your God. Not think about justice, not want justice, not like justice – but to DO justice.

So, I am feeling excited to finally get to live this out. Don’t get me wrong, I am still nervous! I don’t typically don’t get along very well with transitions.. and I’m really sick of airports and planes.. ha! But, overall, I feel excitedly-anxious for what is ahead of me.

If you are pray-ers, I would appreciate your help!

• That I would transition quickly and easily to my life in India – I REALLY struggled with this in Rwanda, so I don’t want a repeat of that!
• That God will really bless the relationships I have with both my housemates, and the other workers at Freedom Firm.
• That God will quickly heal any negative emotions I will feel leaving Australia and arriving in India – that He would remind me of the things written in this post as I go through this next phase.

THANKS AS ALWAYS! You guys are more encouraging than you know!

P.S. Check out Freedom Firm (click here!) if you are not yet familiar with them..

"You cannot change anything in your life with intention alone, which can become a watered down occasional hope that you'll get to tomorrow. Intention without action is useless" - Caroline Myss

'"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." - Matthew 25:40

G'day!

Well this post is definitely long over due. I guess I haven't written it coz I'm not exactly sure what I have to say. I have left Rwanda, and am enjoying some time with my family in Australia. This place really is my home, and I'm thrilled to be here.

One of the things that kept me in Rwanda so long was the fear that I'd leave and regret it and feel like a huge failure and feel really dumb for the way things went. I am happy to report that this is not the case! I have full peace about my decision to leave when I did (about 3 weeks earlier than originally planned). Even though things did not go according to plan, I have confidence that I was trying to follow what I thought God wanted for me. I don't know if I misinterpreted His plan, or if He sent me to Rwanda to learn all the things I did learn there, but, I don't think I have to know - whichever of the two it may be, I was trying to be obedient to Him, and He sees that - I know He isn't disappointed in me, and that's really all that counts in the end.

I hope that one day I will be able to return to Rwanda and give it another go! Now that I have more knowledge of what kind of programs exist, what is needed, and where I fit in in those areas, I don't want to walk away from it, just accepting that it happened and that's the end - I want to redeem my time there somehow, but that won't be for another few years, so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it ;)

As for now, I am happy to be here in Australia, but also a bit nervous about my upcoming trip to India. I definitely feel good about the things I have learned during my time in Rwanda that I can now apply to India, but I'm also nervous about missing home all over again. Adjusting to life in Rwanda was extremely difficult for the first few days/week, and now that I am so relieved and happy to be here with my family and will be seeing Bryce and then have to say bye to him again for 3 months, I am scared that it's going to be ever harder all over again once I get to India.

So, once again, for all my pray-ers out there, if you could please pray that I would 1. be able to enjoy my time here without worrying about India, and 2. that my transition to my stay in India will not be too emotionally draining and that I will have peace about being there.

Thanks again for reading,

I probably won't be updating again until I get to India in the first week of February, so for now, have a beautiful Christmas!