A Little Splurge on the Mediterranean Sea

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After hearing about our trip to Greece & Malta, a friend asked me if I was now starting to tackle European countries since I’ve been to all US States. My friend is right 😁 I really do think that a travel bug has bit me, as my husband put it a couple of years ago. Thankfully though, I met my match. My husband was already a seasoned traveler before we met. When I started my first career after graduate school, my very first professional job required me to travel on regular basis. Being single and early in career, this was no problem at all. In fact, I embraced it and built a strategy around it.

  • On the top of the Malta Sightseeing Bus before it started raining
  • Exploring Malta

For instance, I traveled often to Phoenix, AZ; one time, I flew to Las Vegas, and visited Utah before my business trip to Phoenix. I also made sure that I traveled with just one airline (first American, now Delta), stayed with one hotel loyalty program (first Hilton, now Marriott) and rented cars with the same company (first Avis, now Hertz). The consistency allowed me to rack up miles, hotel and car rental points that I could use for personal travels; also, status accumulation allowed me to travel comfortably, and I am forever grateful for that!

This worked out perfectly, and allowed me to visit all 50 US states and Washington D.C in about 12 years. I felt super accomplished when my husband and I visited the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Bozeman, Montana in September 2021, to mark #49 and #50 for me. I think it was the only item on my bucket list 😁

So how did I become a travel junkie? I am not entirely sure but all the credit goes to the possibilities the United States as a country has to offer. When I first arrived in the US, I had only been on a plane one other time and to two countries outside Rwanda. That was it! There were places to travel to in Africa of course, but I couldn’t afford it at the time.

  • In Mdina, with St Paul’s Cathedral in the background
  • In Mdina, with St Paul’s Cathedral in the background
  • St Paul’s Bay

So, Malta and Greece! A few people asked me why Malta? Greece is obvious I suppose, right? On the other hand, some people haven’t even heard of Malta before. I first learned about Malta from the Bible. In Acts 27, we learn about the Apostle Paul’s journey from Caesarea to Rome. When Paul and other prisoners were sent to Rome to be tried there, their ship was wrecked near the island of Malta. Paul, a warrior of the gospel of Christ, and one of the greatest apostles of all times, remained on the island of Malta for about 3 months where he continued to preach about Jesus, while in chains. Because of his ministry there, the majority of Maltese people identify themselves as Christian today.

  • Malta International Airport
  • St Julian’s
  • 😁😁

When my husband and I decided that Malta would be included in our next destination, we also figured that Greece would be great to consider for our trip. After all, we didn’t think two weeks would be needed for a small island like Malta. Plus, any chance I get to make it to Europe, I try to visit more than one country. Because, why not? It’s easy and strategic honestly. My very first solo trip to Europe in 2012, I did just that. In about two weeks, I managed to visit Italy, France, Switzerland and Croatia. It was a lot for sure but so much fun! And another time, I visited England, Belgium and the Netherlands in 10 days!!

In May this year, we landed in Valletta, the capital of Malta, from Athens, Greece. My hubby and I figured that making Athens our European port of entry and exit would make things easier. And it did!

St Paul’s Bay, Malta

We only had three days planned in Malta, and oh boy did we use it to the fullest! We stayed in the beautiful town of St Julian’s, north of the Capital Valletta. On Day 1, we took the hop-on-hop-off bus that took us around the western and northern part of the island. Although it rained on and off that day, we still were able to visit a few places and sightsee, including cathedrals and historical church buildings that Malta has plenty of. Among them was St Paul’s Cathedral in Mdina (stop #10 on the map below), the “Silent City” that used to be the capital of Malta during the medieval period. The town is a mix of impressive medieval European architectures. Definitely a must see!

  • The North Route, Malta Sightseeing
  • Malta, Cormino and Gozo

On Day 2, we spent it at sea touring the Maltese Islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino. The temperatures were in the 70s, a little chilly over the waters but sunny and great overall. We used Malta Sailing Experiences, which is a family-run business, Patrick and his teenage son who has been competing in international sailing tournaments since he was 13. His son was our skipper for the day; he took us around and the journey was about 8 hours with stops.

We toured the St Paul’s island which is located off of St Paul’s Bay; which is known to be where Paul’s shipwreck happened. It was definitely great to see and imagine Paul’s journey to Rome. We also stopped by the Blue Lagoon off of the Island of Comino, which is absolutely breathtaking. The Island of Gozo is the second biggest after Malta, about 26 square miles, but as not as populated as the rest of Malta. We ended our trip at the Grand Harbor (Port of Valletta) which lies below Valletta, and the Three Cities of Cospicua, Vittoriosa and Senglea. Another must see in Malta!

  • About the sail around Malta
  • Mon ❤️
  • Valletta in the background
  • Amazing
  • St Paul’s island
  • St Paul’s island in the background
  • The Mediterranean Sea
  • The Blue Lagoon
  • The Grand Harbour (Port of Valletta)
  • The Grand Harbour
  • The Grand Harbour

Last day, we visited downtown Valletta, which is a very nice city. We toured the St John’s Cathedral, did a lot of walking downtown, and had lunch there and of course my favorite Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks. Yes there’s one there 😀 Navigating Malta was very easy. Uber was just starting there, while they mainly used the Bolt app. All drivers were friendly, many of them from Africa. The island of Malta is only about 50 miles south of Sicily, Italy, 170 or so miles east of Tunisia, and a little over 200 miles north of Libya. The trip to Malta was a quick one but definitely worthy it!

  • Downtown Valletta
  • St John’s Cathedral
  • St John’s Cathedral

Heading back to Greece was eventful, unfortunately! Somewhere inside the Malta Airport, I somehow lost my husband’s passport. Luckily, we were already past security and inside the airport; so we were allowed to board our flight to Athens that was already boarding as we scrambled to find the passport. Thankfully, the Aegean crew held the plane for us. Malta and Greece being part of the EU made it possible for us to continue our journey that day. We could have stayed longer to continue our search for the passport, but the challenge was that the only direct flight available between the two countries was through Aegean and would have been 3 days later. We debated on whether we should stay or leave; we already had travels to the Greek Islands scheduled. We trusted the Lord and took off.

Malta International Airport

As soon as we landed in Athens, we found out that our passport had been found and handled to the Malta airport police, which later delivered it to the US Consulate in Malta. While it was such a big relief, it turned out to be MUCH easier to apply for an emergency passport at the US Embassy in Athens than getting the Malta US Consulate to coordinate for a pickup with DHL International which we had prepaid for.

Long story short, my husband ended up applying for and obtaining an emergency passport the same day. I have never seen something as efficient as this otherwise cumbersome process. We had notified the Embassy in Athens as soon as we landed and they advised us to come there and apply for the emergency one rather than attempting to go through International Courier. They sure knew what they were talking about but we still went ahead and tried to arrange for pick up in Malta and delivery to our hotel in Athens. That would have been the easiest.

While the US Embassy staff in Athens had assured us a week earlier that it’d be no problem as they scheduled our appointment, we still were nervous about it. The day before our return to the US, on a Friday morning, about 24 hours prior to our takeoff, my hubby picked up his new passport 30 minutes after he applied. God is truly merciful! I was beyond impressed by the proficiency of the Athens US Embassy staff!

The view of the Acropolis from our Hotel in Athens

As soon as we arrived back into the US, my husband immediately applied for and got the new, ordinary passport. The emergency passport is only good for a year, and not all countries allow it. Obviously, applying in Athens meant that the one sitting at the Consulate in Malta was no longer valid! We also eventually received his old (annulled) passport mailed from Malta a few weeks after arriving home. We are so thankful to the person who found it in the airport and handed it to authorities 🙏🏾 Oh by the way, I’m not allowed to touch our passports unless I’m traveling alone 🤩😆

  • Exploring the Acropolis
  • It was super hot but worth it
  • The real Pantheon
  • Athens

While this mishap could have made our trip miserable, it was the opposite. We of course had to adjust our travels to the Greek Islands; our hotels and Aegean Airlines were very understanding with the changes. Landing from Malta, we spent a couple days in Central Athens overlooking the Acropolis and the Syntagma Square, we visited the hillside Plaka neighborhood donned with shops and restaurants, impressive alleys, vibrant night life. We did a day tour of the Acropolis, saw the Pantheon, Mars Hill (known to be where Paul delivered his sermon in Acts 17), ate all kinds of delicious treats. It’s safe to say that I’d be fine in Greece food-wise, or anywhere they serve Mediterranean food 😀

  • Strolling the streets of Athens
  • Delicious Meal
  • Cute building
  • Athens from Mars Hill

Aegean also allowed my husband to use his US Driver’s License to board our flight to Mykonos and later to Santorini and back to Athens. We praise God for that! Mykonos turned out to be so much fun. We were initially told that it is known as a hippie place for only party goers and all kinds of other things. We were pleasantly surprised to find that families and everyone can have fun there. We stayed at one of the most beautiful resorts I’ve ever seen, the Santa Marina, a Luxury Collection Hotel, part of Marriott. The view is breathtaking, the hotel staff were friendly, and they treated us so well.

  • Our private pool
  • Breakfast View
  • Yummy breakfast
  • My Love
  • Cheers Kostantis
  • A chapel at the hotel
  • World travelers ❤️❤️
  • Selfie
  • Beach!
  • Amazing View
  • All kinds of spreads
  • Us 😍
  • Santa Marina LC
  • The hotel view

While I have the highest status with Marriott Bonvoy as an Ambassador Elite, this doesn’t always translate to a great experience. This trip turned out to be one of our most favorites of all times, and this Mykonos Hotel made it to our top three stays, along with our honeymoon at the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort, Vietnam and now the Ritz Carlton Aruba. We had a spa treatment there, good food and beautiful beach. One day we walked to the Greek restaurant called Kostantis and their food was authentic, absolutely delicious.

We also visited the Mykonos town, the famous Matoyianni Street, the Mykonos Windmills, the Little Venice, and the shopping capital of the island. Its cubic white washed houses and blue doors and windows in narrow little streets standing like a corn-maze are absolutely beautiful. We had lunch there and later retired to our hotel room since neither my hubby or I are party people 😄 we could have been happy at this hotel alone.

  • Exploring the Mykonos town
  • Matoyianni street
  • The Mykonos Windmills
  • Little Venice in the background
  • Little Venice
  • Biggest crepe ever

The last leg of our tour was Santorini before returning to Athens. It was great to see what the fuss is all about 🤩 Flying Aegean from Mykonos to Santorini meant that we’d have had to connect in Athens, which would make the trip even longer. Therefore, we opted for the island hopping vessel, a SeaJet fleet which was impressive. The trip was about 3 hours including couple of quick stops on the way. Food and Wi-Fi is provided onboard for a fee. The only hard part was disembarking as a large group; it seemed like the survival of the fittest 😂 In Santorini, we chose to stay south of the island at another Marriott hotel in Megalochori, a Luxury Collection Resort.

  • Off to Santorini, from Mykonos
  • Aboard the ship
  • Disembarking the ship into Santorini
  • The mountain up is so high with windy roads
  • The view of the ship from the top

We made sure to spend a day touring none other than the famous town of Oia, pronounced “eea“. I had hoped for the wind to do my own flying dress but the wind didn’t come until we had left 😄 Needless to say Oia is a must see and beyond picturesque. Although I don’t know how people who need wheelchairs can ever visit Oia; going up and down steep stairs between hotels and homes was mind boggling and scary at times. The day we left it was a little cold and super windy that I were glad we visited when we did.

  • Megalochori Neighborhood
  • Beautiful alleys
  • I would go back to Greece just to eat this
  • So many selfies
  • A cute church
  • Grapevines in the background
  • Biggest spoon ever
  • Famous Oia

Back in Athens we got the new passport, we explored the seaport area of Piraeus and ate more Greek food. Greece was the best experience to-date in our travels. While I normally don’t often go back to the same place, I’m already itching for our return there. We both loved it , and enjoyed our time both in Athens and on islands 🇬🇷 May be Crete next?

  • Santorini Airport
  • Back in Athens
  • Delicious food
  • View of the Sea from the hotel rooftop restaurant
  • Yummy breakfast
  • YEP!
  • Bye Bye Greece
  • I can see but not touch 😂😂

My First Rays of Sunshine: a Sacred Promise to my dad!

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“For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.” Psalm 116: 8-9

My First Loves, my Children, my Treasure, my Crown before God! Alice, Jean Eric, Noella and me. Christmas 2021

It must have been sometime in September, or maybe October, I am not entirely sure. Please bear with me as I try to relive the darkest period of my life. Allow me to tell you the horror of my childhood, almost three decades later, as a 13-year old, holding my chin up high, with hope rising. The genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda had just ended a few months earlier, by Rwandans who lived as refugees in exile. They had been denied to return to their home country, with the excuse that it was full. These refugees, formed a grass-roots army, the Rwanda Patriotic Front or RPF. The RPF came fighting without sophisticated artillery, armed with the love and dedication to liberate their beloved country and save any Tutsi who still had breath in them.

I lived with my paternal aunt at the time, whom I miraculously met at the same refugee shelter, Kigali International Airport, where RPF soldiers gathered survivors behind the enemy line. I think it was the end of May or beginning of June.

With my beautiful sisters Alice and Noella; I call them my babies. December 2021

Our airport living quarters were empty cargo shipping containers located right across from the airport hangar. Downtown Kigali, twenty minutes or less north of us, was still an active combat between RPF soldiers and the Rwandan Army Forces who planned and executed the genocide. Some of the refugees were the survivors of the worst atrocities of the 20th century, dehumanized for just being born with certain physical features. This unimaginable cruelty would later be recognized as genocide too little too late.

My aunt and her two toddlers under age three had been hidden by her Hutu neighbor in Remera, just minutes from this airport. (Her husband, my uncle, had been on a business trip out of country before all this started).

As far as I was concerned, before bumping into my aunt, I was the only living soul left in my family and the world that surrounded me. Meeting my aunt was a small glimmer of hope, a connection to a forgotten happy past. I was grateful to see someone familiar and thankful she asked me to live with her, whatever that meant, since everything we held dear was gone.

My nephew Adley and niece Abiella (they’re cousins). I call them my grand-babies. Three years apart but still best friends!

On July 4th, 1994, the country was liberated by the RPF. Victory, we had a sense of hope. Soon after, we were allowed to return to homes, or whatever was left that resembled our lives.

Fast forward a few months later, I believe it was September or October, when my aunt’s friend came to visit in Remera. As soon as he saw me, he said there were two small boys from my family living in an orphanage in the next town, Ndera. I couldn’t believe my ears! Two boys? We initially had two boys and four girls in my family, and my older brother had been killed along with my mother. Besides, there was no way he could be called little, standing at 6 feet tall at fifteen years old.

When we were separated the April before, I left my little brother and two sisters. If there were siblings at the orphanage, I wondered which of the three was not there. My young mind was trying to make sense of it all. Now there was a possibility I still had two siblings. I might not be the only one who survived. I couldn’t believe it. It was a lot to process!

My (not-so-little-anymore) bro Jean Eric and the love of his life Redempta

I honestly don’t recall how I arrived where my siblings were at the time. I probably walked since there was no public transportation in place yet. Then the most life-changing moment arrived. I saw my siblings! And the greatest part was, there were not two, but all three. Memories flooded back to that April 24th day, that life and death defining moment and the last time I saw them. We had just been informed my older brother, Jean Felix, was being held by the Hutu militiamen. My mom, cousin, and I rushed to see Jean Felix. When we arrived at the “crime scene”, which sat at the mouth of a mass grave, our physical features must have given us away. The killing squad leader asked my mom where she had been hiding for that long and if she had any other kids not with us.

For reasons I don’t know today, rather than lying, my mother told the truth. She perhaps thought that we wouldn’t be able to survive on our own, or she was ready to see the Lord. I will never know.

My greatest life’s accomplishment, my three siblings!

I was immediately given an armed soldier as an escort and sent to bring my three younger siblings from hiding, instead of my brother Jean Felix who was believed to be a flight risk. For whatever reason that I still don’t understand, this soldier decided to leave my younger siblings in their hiding place. Moreover, rather than taking me back where my mother, brother and cousin were being held, he took me somewhere else. Sparing you details for now, I am alive today to tell the story because of his decision. This same soldier knew my mom, brother, and cousin were dead and how they had been executed.

I have so many questions that I won’t have answers for in this life. Ironically, I owe my ability to tell this story to this same soldier. Whatever he did or didn’t do, he spared my life.

Holding my newest niece/granddaughter (three month-old Kaylee Schiloh)

Five or six months later, after that horror, I stood in shock unable to believe my eyes at the sight of my siblings. They were so malnourished that I could understand why someone would think my two sisters were boys.

I may have intentionally blurred a lot that happened before and after, such as the fact that my youngest sister didn’t recognize me. While that and so many broken memories shattered my heart, this encounter remains the most treasured moment of my life. From that very moment, I found my life purpose. My survival finally had a meaning!

Adley holding Abiella. Best friends ♥️♥️

Now, what about the Sacred Promise I gave the title of this post?

Sometime after I had found my surviving siblings, I had an incredibly vivid dream. In it was my father, Alphonse, looking as handsome as ever in a white robe. You cannot believe my shock thinking how I had been applying for documents that would exempt me from paying school fees because I was an orphan. Yet, there stood my father looking at me with a big smile. The dream ended with me making a promise to him, that I would love and take care of his surviving children as he would have done himself. When I awoke, I felt like I had met an angel and I felt my father’s presence.

My handsome daddy (in early 1980s)

April 7th, 2022 begins the twenty-eighth commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Today, I can humbly divulge that keeping this promise remains the most important accomplishment of my life. And if this is the only success I will ever achieve in this life, I will call myself the luckiest person on God’s earth. Before my God who Has my parents and two siblings with Him, I have unconditionally loved my three younger siblings as my own children, and their children as my grandkids. With every fiber of my being, and breath I take, I will keep my sacred vow to my dad in that dream late 1994 for as long as I shall live.

With my best friend, the love of my life

There’s nothing in this life that I cannot do for my siblings I call my children; God is my witness. Their happiness fills my heart with joy and gratitude before God! I love them more than life itself. I am immensely grateful to our Father God Who has been everything we ever need. He provided, protected and carried my siblings and I through the darkest and trying times of our lives. He truly is the Father to the fatherless!

I am married to my best friend, my partner in righteousness, who’s not only understanding of what my siblings and I endured at a young age, but also supportive of my keeping the sacred promise I made to my father in that dream! When Jesus will come with the clouds and all eyes will see Him, before the heavenly congregation, I will tell my dear parents that I had kept my vow to them and our God!

I found hope, faith and purpose amidst great loss!

Rising Above the Storms: 2012 – Now

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Our new t-shirt & mask with a new logo, at Our Center in Rwanda, setting up new laptops. Dec 2021

How do I even begin? It has been a little over 9 years since the idea of starting a nonprofit first came to me. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I lived in North Carolina at the time, and had been at Cisco for less than 2 years. I remember pondering over names that I felt would fit the mission of the work I had on my mind: how do I use my personal story to encourage & be a blessing to others? The name “Rising Above the Storms (RAS)” was born.

However, I also understood that doing this nonprofit thing meant entering some uncharted waters; for example the vulnerability that might come with sharing a personal tragic story to strangers I may never meet in person. In tandem, I also launched this personal blog, initially called a Soothing Voice, and later changed to Beauty for Ashes (Isaiah 61:3).

The early days of RAS were unequivocally slow, rightfully so. Albeit, 9 years down the road, I can safely say that I didn’t fully grasp the burden of launching a nonprofit while early on my career as a female engineer, with zero leadership experience. While it might sound cliché, all I was armed with was a vision and a passion. And 9+ years later, I am still as passionate, and more hopeful.

Our merchandise at the Cisco Store

While I mostly winged it, there’s one thing I fully understood from the beginning: I absolutely had no budget to spend upfront. I couldn’t afford a lawyer to help with putting together our ByLaws, Articles of Incorporation and file them with the State. For that reason, I decided to take my sweet time with everything. I built our first website from scratch, got approved by the State of North Carolina and opened a bank account, all by myself.

The next step, if I had to start receiving donations, it was critical that I get the public charity status with the Internal Revenue Services first. The application was probably the most challenging part of the process with the amount of information it required. This time, a friend helped me! However, struggling to understand differences, Rising Above the Storms was first approved as a Private Foundation in 2016. This meant that we couldn’t solicit donations; immediately, I had to file for an amendment and shortly after we were a public charity the same year and ready to rock and roll 😀

Speaking at our Gala in September 2016 in Raleigh, NC

The upside to all this is that you learn so much when you do everything from scratch; while this post’s intention isn’t to share the wisdom and lessons learned, but if I had to write one thing now it would be this: if you start a nonprofit, alone, with no funds to do the preliminary work, it might be wise NOT to combine it with a full time, demanding job. Although I have to say that I love the idea of having a career so that all funds for RAS go directly to where they need to be. Another mistake I made early on was my inability to discern talents I needed due lack of time or luxury to be selective when it came to volunteers. Consequently, I’ve had to rely on friends who absolutely cared for my vision, but didn’t necessarily have the skill I needed to advance my mission. Being at the mercy of whoever is willing to give it a try is not a good feeling!

Our team showing off our new t-shirts and new logo

Please don’t get me wrong; I am eternally indebted to everyone who had served as a guinea pig at the beginning of this journey. It definitely shaped the way we do things today and helped us get us started. But if I could do it over again, there are things I would do differently. I’d just have a concrete business plan before embarking in this incredible journey. Because I sure didn’t have one in place.

We navigated from small fundraiser events, to a successful gala to a canceled one to building a solid Board and team of volunteers. Surprisingly, 2020 was our best year yet in terms of fundraising. It’s been a game changer to watch how much can be done when you are surrounded by people who are both talented and equally passionate about the vision and mission of an organization. Everyone starts from somewhere.

Our partnership with Amahoro (Peace Builders) that launched a Learning Center in January 2017 with 11 children found on the streets in Rwanda keeps growing, with most children joined in the past 1.5 years, which unfortunately is a consequence of the pandemic. Most children are boys, ranging between 12-16 years old. Numbers go up and down but the majority of children have remained consistent. Today, we have over 50 children who attend on regular basis. Also, as of November 2021, we launched a year-long partnership with Westcon-Comstor Subsaharan Africa to expand our Computer Lab, sponsor 10 children, as well as building a longterm strategy for a lasting impact on the children through mentorship.

Our kids using computers and new desks made possible by our partnership with Westcon-Comstor Subsaharan Africa

Finally, in 2021, we launched a new logo, gear, and a new website. Through an anonymous donor, we shipped items worth over US$10k to Rwanda from the US worth that includes soccer gear, school material, shoes and clothes for the kids.

Here is a good chart we did in the fall of 2021. Number of kids go up and down at any given time!

All in all, we have come along way, as an organization, me personally and our kids in Rwanda. But we still have a long way to go. Like a lot of organizations and companies, the vision evolves. We’ve had to shift focus from time to time. An example was my assumption on how education would look like for our youth. I figured they all would be like me: go from high school, to college and grad school and professional career. This couldn’t be far from the reality on the ground: as you see from the stats above, more than a half of our kids’ grades don’t even hit 50%. It was eye opening for me.

The truth is that education for some of them will perhaps look different; while ideally we want everyone to finish high school at minimum, we watch very closely and monitor their progress. Our focus will shift to trade careers and job skills training to prepare them for the job market. Only a handful may make it to a traditional university. In fact, our very first high school – university bound candidate Idrissa – graduated last year. He’s interested in mechanical engineering. I look forward to seeing wonderful things he will do for himself, his family and community.

With Idrissa (our first college bound graduate), with his two siblings (Amina & Hussein). They all have been part of our Rwanda program since the beginning, January 2017). Picture taken in Dec 2021

In the end, the important thing is that they gain experience or learn a skill that will better their lives and those around them. I am eternally grateful to everyone who has contributed from small to great thing to Rising Above the Storms. I have met and I am blessed to be surrounded by many generous people who have made RAS a possibility. They are too many to number for sure.

It would be a very remiss not to mention one person in particular: my adopted mother Glori who’s a gift from heaven (check out this post I wrote about her). When I first shared with her about my vision to start RAS, she immediately gave me a donation check. I chuckle about it because back then I was not ready to accept donations. However, her reasoning was that eventually I’d get to put it to a good use. The first few deposits to our RAS checking account, in a few thousands of dollars, have all been from her. She believed in me even before I believed in myself. To say that my new parents have changed my life is an understatement.

So many people to thank who have poured into RAS with their expertise, time and finances. If I wrote each one, it’d be pages and pages. But let me just say that they are appreciated more than they will ever know. I pray for God’s blessings for each one!

2021 Christmas Celebration. Pictured above are the top performers in their class this past year

Will you join us today in this incredible journey? You can change a kid’s life. There are many ways you can join our journey:

I am so thankful to everyone who contributes to making my dream of being a blessing to the most vulnerable youth come true. I look forward to 2022 with hope and anticipation!
God bless!

And That Is a Wrap! Goodbye 2020!!

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Just like any other year, my husband & I spent Christmas 2019 with my family upstate NY & New Year’s with his parents in the midwest! We usually rotate holidays with our families every year, which works perfectly for us. While neither of us is known for New Year’s resolutions & such, still, we felt hopeful & looked forward to 2020, and our 1st wedding anniversary celebration which was around the corner (mid-January). We celebrated it in Palm Springs, CA, with a plan to do a proper celebration the following month in Hawai’i. Palm Springs was a lot of fun, and definitely much warmer than our northern neck of the woods, especially in January!

  • My favorite outdoor airport!

As we had planned, in late February, we were finally on our way to Hawai’i. It was an exciting moment especially for me since it was my first time in HI. We first touched down at the Honolulu International Airport, on the main island of Oahu, to reach our connection via Hawaiian Airlines. The Honolulu airport & its surrounding reminded me so much about Rwanda’s savannah in the Eastern Province! Shortly after, we were back up and on our way to the beautiful Island of Kaua’i, which is the most northwestern part of the Hawaiian archipelago, and landed at the Lihue Airport.

  • HNL Airport. This just looks like somewhere in the eastern part of Rwanda
  • Longest Highway on Kaua’i, route 50 (Lihue to Princeville)

What beautiful & breathtaking views, water, mountains! It was just as I had imagined, and more. We stayed in the northern part of the island, Princeville. And of course we did as any tourist would do: we drove around the entire island (from Princeville to the north western part, Waimea), visited water falls, Lighthouses, Canyons, hiked rainforests, spent most time at the beaches, of which Kaua’i has in abundance, and not crowded at all. It was a breath of fresh air.

  • Aerial View of Honolulu
  • Oholeao Hiking Trail
  • We hiked to the Ho’opi’i Falls.
  • Well, that was fun 🤣😁
  • Waimea Canyon State Park
  • Waimea Canyon State Park
  • Waimea Canyon State Park
  • Chicken everywhere, free range, HI style 😂
  • Kīlauea Lighthouse
  • Beautiful Drive in Hanalei
  • Princeville Resort; just amazing!
  • Princeville
  • Princeville at Sunset 💕

While there, the temperatures were between 70-80s which was fantastic, especially for a tropical weather girl like me. The southwestern part of the Island, Waimea, known for its black sand beaches, was especially warmer and less windy from my experience. The sun tan at the beach there was just what we needed!

As our stay was coming to the end, unfortunately, the pandemic was also making its headway & getting worse by the minute. Looking back, we wished we had extended our stay there and be stranded in a sunny weather instead. Shortly after we arrived back to the mainland US, the lockdown went into effect nationwide. Unbeknownst to most, this was the beginning of the longest, probably most depressing period most people have ever had to go through.

Princeville RESORT, Kaua’i

So when I say goodbye to 2020, I am pretty sure I am speaking on behalf of many people! To say that 2020 has brought so much hardship is an understatement! Although the impact varies depending on individual situation pre-covid, but the most vulnerable in the world (economically, financially etc.) were hit the worst. We have seen it with the street children we work with through Rising Above the Storms in Rwanda; the loss of the source of income & hunger was even severe for their families that were already fragile!

UNICEF says it best: “this is a universal crisis and, for some children, the impact will be lifelong; without urgent action, this health crisis risks becoming a child-rights crisis“.

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BEAUTIFUL KIGALI, THE CAPITAL OF RWANDA, NIGHTTIME!

While there are probably way too many posts about how depressing 2020 has been, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight things I am grateful for, and hopefully spread some positive encouragement in a world that I believe needs it so desperately.

As we bit 2020 adieu, I am very thankful to God Almighty for:

– Health & Family

As I type this, there has been more than 83 million cases worldwide & over 1.8 million lives gone due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people have lost jobs, the world economy is in shambles. Today, being safe and healthy is a something I never want to take for granted, even after this pandemic is long gone. I am grateful to God for my families in the US & Rwanda who have been incredible warriors through this. My amazing husband who’s a gift from heaven and my best friend! I cannot begin to imagine how hard this must have been for people who live by themselves! I thank God for my job, and the flexibility to do it & Cisco I work for! I say a prayer for everyone who is in any kind of need, and that God will use me anyway He choses!

  • My family, my gifts from heaven ❤️❤️
  • My First Loves, my Children, my Crown before God ❤️💕
  • My Best Friend ❤️
  • Serena Hotel, Gisenyi, Rwanda
  • Gisenyi (Western Province), Rwanda
  • Gisenyi (Western Province), Rwanda
  • Rwandan food 😋😋

– A much Needed Trip to Hawai’i

While my husband & I wished we had stayed in the sunny Hawai’i longer instead of returning to mainland US & be in a lockdown here, I am grateful for our vacation there, our experience, warm weather, good food, beautiful views, beaches and hiking trails. It was definitely a perfect timing, because soon after, places were no longer accepting visitors.

  • Haena Beach Park
  • Along HWY 550 to Waimea Canyon State Park
  • Tropical Fruits
  • Princeville
  • Hanalei Pavilion Beach Park
  • Princeville
  • Princeville
  • Hanalei

– My nonprofit RAS’ Donors & Supporters

I cannot imagine where Rising Above the Storms would be today if it were not for the generosity of so many people who have chosen to believe in my vision & mission to change lives of the most vulnerable children over the years. This year was no exception; despite the hardship endured this year by way too many people, donations have been still coming, and we have been able to keep up with our children’s needs and go beyond to support their families during the lockdown. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Moreover, our Rwanda employees were able to receive their salaries during the shutdown, which makes me forever grateful. As we change lives of the most vulnerable children, my hope and prayer is that families & communities our staff are part of are also positively impacted. That’s my dream!

  • Our kids having lunch at the Center
  • Wall pictures at the Center
  • Our kids at the Center

– Our Board & Teams

I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by incredible people who have rolled up their sleeves this year to plow through uncertainties to keep RAS up and running. I couldn’t find a photo that has everyone in it (and looks great) but my gratitude to each and everyone of them is immeasurable. 2020 has been surprisingly the most productive year we’ve had at RAS to date. These powerful women (mostly Cisco employees; we have couple of men too, but they couldn’t make this call) have achieved more than I could imagine: from communications, fundraising, finances, strategies, social media, you name it! I am indebted to them!

Some of the most incredible people who are behind everything good we have been doing!

– A Trip to Rwanda

What an incredible opportunity to get to travel to Rwanda in October this year! I guess it might come as a shock since I travel there at least once or twice a year; but this trip was extra special for so many reasons. As a frequent traveler, normally a trip like this gets me excited and is always almost predictable. However, for the first time, this was not the case. Due to COVID-19, I was very nervous about the unknowns.

Our Library at the Learning Center in Rwanda

I had so many questions that I didn’t have answers to prior to taking this journey: do I need to stay awake for 17 hours? Can I sleep with a mask on? Are the airplanes safe to be on for that long during a pandemic? How about connecting via Europe that was going through the second wave? Do we get fed on the plane as usual? Will the trip get canceled?

I’d assume that a lot of people have had these questions and more, or are afraid to fly all together. The good news is that you can safely travel during the pandemic. I am not going into details with what the airlines are doing to keep passengers safe, but I think they are doing everything they can to keep passengers safe. My husband and I certainly felt comfortable. Delta has been my favorite airline for the past 3-4 years, and they truly delivered on their promise during this trip.

having a conversation with our team in Rwanda

Landing in Rwanda, it was impressive to see how organized the airport was at handling arriving passengers and prioritizing everyone’s safety. At the time, Rwanda required a negative COVID-19 test valid for 5 days prior to arriving in the country. Moreover, arriving passengers had to be quarantined (at a hotel) upon arrival, and get tested once again. Once the results were in and negative, then you were free to go. Luckily, there were several hotels to pick from to self-quarantine in, including 5-star hotels, of course at the traveler’s expense. I was amazed by how quickly we got our results back (less than 12 hours) and were able to leave our hotel and see my family. The whole process from landing to leaving the hotel was smooth and uneventful.

Navigating the city of Kigali was made easier by restrictions that were put in place; hand washing and temperature check at every entrance, masks and physical distancing enforced wherever possible. This truly made the experience more comfortable; my husband and I even managed to see the kids at our Center, and visited with the staff. I treasured every moment; I didn’t think it was going to be possible to see them. I deeply appreciated our staff and kids’ resiliency on another level.

just beautiful. Downtown Kigali at night!

I have always been grateful of how far along our kids have come, and admired their strength after all they have gone through in their young lives; however, getting to see them after many months of lockdown and learning how that has impacted them really gave me a new level of gratitude. Our kids were allowed to return to the Center for the first time on October 5th since March. That’s almost 8 months. I had a privilege to have a 1:1 conversation with a few of them.

The common concern they all had was being home for a long time without interacting with their friends, hunger, missing school. They were very excited to be back to the Center where they can eat, play, see their friends and get help going through school work. This experience was a personal reminder of the work we do there and the courage of our staff. I saw joy and hope in their innocent eyes; I saw excitement about the future. If there has ever been any setback about the progress we’ve made, their joy gave me strength to keep marching forward.

  • Our Center
  • Catching up with our children

I also had an amazing conversation with our staff; they shared how their main priority in coming months would be to figure out ways to help our kids catch up to their peers as they started school this November, and beyond. We talked about their experience during the lockdown. They shared how they did their best to stay in touch with the children virtually, which was difficult because of technology access for those families.

I also learned that while our staff members were blessed to be getting their salaries during the lockdown, they didn’t forget those who were not as fortunate. One staff member mentioned how he and his wife were able to buy food supplies for 4 different families at different times during the lockdown. I was deeply touched by this selfless act of kindness. They shared how grateful they are to be in these kids’ lives; they emphasized on how they love their job, our kids & are grateful to get paid to do what they enjoy doing the most.

  • The beauty that Rwanda is
  • Nyirangarama, NW of Kigali
  • Kigali International Airport

Back in April, our Rwanda team also did a food distribution in April where they fed about 100 household members of our kids. The process was tedious because of the restrictions of the lockdown; however, parents were very touched by the gesture. And more importantly, parents and local authorities shared how this proved to them our commitment not only to kids, but their families and Rwandan communities. Since then, the local administration has a newfound appreciation of the work we do there. I was deeply moved!

I left energized and encouraged by the visit. If nothing else, I believe that the pandemic has made us even more stronger.

I look forward to 2021 with hope!

Blessings to you and all your loved ones 💕💕

❤️ Impore Rwanda; 26 Years Later, We Still Remember! ❤️

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♥ If tears could build a stairway,
and memories a lane.
I would walk right up to Heaven
and bring you back again ♥ 

A memorial wreath laid on one of the graves at Kigali Genocide Memorial, Gisozi, Rwanda. Feb 2019

This specific Wednesday night, my parents and 4 of my siblings, we all went to bed, completely unsure of what even the next day would look like; you see, earlier that evening around dinner time, we suddenly heard loud explosions nearby, and saw flames in the sky. We then rushed to listen to our home radio receiver only to learn that the plane carrying the president of Rwanda had just been shot down as it landed at Kigali International Airport; the announcement added that the president died, along the president of Burundi and everyone onboard.

That night, all of us kids slept together in the same bedroom with our parents; we were too terrified to sleep anywhere else. 

Reflecting on Memories of my Family and Childhood in what used to be our home. Feb 2019

The next day brought a usual warm and sunny morning, that’d have otherwise been a great opportunity to be outdoors. Unfortunately, nothing could ever have prepared my family for what was about to unfold before our eyes. My little sister Marie Claudine (I had 5 siblings) had been visiting her godmother, Theresa, who lived about 15 minutes away, for Spring/Easter Break. All of the sudden, Theresa, showed up at our house unannounced. She wasn’t alone, but not with my sister either; instead, behind her were men carrying a dead body –my little sister’s, we found out! Theresa informed us that Hutu militiamen attacked her home that very morning, killed her 2 kids and my sister, and looted her house. Theresa had been in hiding at the time of the attack.

With our world crumbling down piece by piece, it was as if a double edged sword has cut deep, deep, through our hearts. Unbeknownst to us then, this very Thursday morning, April 7th, 1994 would mark the beginning of the genocide, the Tutsi ethnic cleansing in Rwanda. Theresa’s kids and my little sister were the first victims in our area. The next 100 days would cost 1 million lives of men, women, children, young, old, strong, beautiful. Their crime? The way they were born, something they did not get an opportunity to bargain with their Creator during their births!

That staggering number would include my parents, and 2 of my siblings, neighbors, classmates, friends, amazing people who had an entire future ahead of them!

Beautiful Kigali, the Capital of Rwanda. Feb 2019

Fast forward to 26 years later, today, our whole planet is reeling under a devastating COVID-19 outbreak, a global pandemic that had brought our normal daily routines to a near standstill, my beautiful home country Rwanda included. Countries imposed lockdown to stop imminent spread of the virus. Families are huddled in their homes, some with the possibility of dying of hunger especially people whose income was based on jobs that cannot be done remotely. The losses of lives are astonishing, and no country is immune to the impact.

Somehow, unfortunately, this danger and fear feels all too familiar to me, although not to the same extent. My eyes have seen things that no young child should ever have to endure. The people of Rwanda have been through so much already, and my heart is heavy for them, especially around this time of the year, during this unprecedented time.

So, will you allow me this opportunity to pour my heart out for my people in the Land of a Thousand Hills? Will you indulge me for a moment, while I weep, grieve, remember, honor and commemorate innocent lives that we lost, the shameful death our loved ones died in 1994? Spare me a moment of silence, to reflect, to pray, to cherish memories of the people who meant the world to me, whose lives were cut short!

Allow me to ponder on the dates that are forever a reminder of the horror that descended on Rwanda, scars that no lifetime can ever heal: Thursday April 7th, my little sister Marie Claudine (11) was killed. Sunday April 17th, my Dad (43) was killed. On Sunday April 24th, my older brother Jean Felix (15) and my Mom (40) were killed together.

Here is tribute I wrote for them on the 20th Anniversary of their death: In A Garden of Fame Where Their Treasured Memories Grow Fonder!

The Kigali Genocide Memorial, the final resting place for 250,000+ victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi. Feb 2019

Today Tuesday, April 7th, 2020

  • We remember, commemorate & honor all those Tutsi who died in shame! They didn’t choose to be born the way they were born. May they rest in Eternal Peace with you Jesus, until we will see them again, in a life that knows no sorrow or pain! 
  • God, we pray for Your comfort and love wrapped around every Rwandan genocide survivor. Please Lord, give each and every one hope, endurance, strength, prosperity, courage, a voice, healing, ability to forgive. You alone can heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.
  • We remember & pray for those left vulnerable—widows, orphans, women who were raped and left with pregnancies and diseases, and those inflicted with physical scars that bring emotional trauma and recurring nightmares.
  • We remember those who were not a target but chose to hide Tutsi, risking their lives. They are heroes of our survival stories!
  • We pray for the leaders of Rwanda, the president, and everyone around him: for wisdom to lead the country with justice and fairness, and continue to move Rwanda forward.
  • We pray for peace over Rwanda; and for genocide perpetrators that themselves will receive forgiveness, come to know the Lord, and repent. That we will leave vengeance to God, as it is written that vengeance belongs to Him, He will repay.
  • We thank you Jesus for the unity, renewal, and healing, progress, prosperity, that has been bestowed upon Rwanda and her people. Amen!

My favorite song, for you Rwanda 🇷🇼: Muririmbire Uwiteka (Sing to the Lord)

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelations 21:4 (NKJV)

“If My People who are Called by My Name” ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14

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“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

Like the rest of the world, everyone is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, known as the COVID-19 that originated in Wuhan, China and was first reported in December 2019. The United States declared a National Emergency on March 1, 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. As I type, which is changing quickly, over 350k cases have been confirmed globally and more than 15k people have lost their lives worldwide. Many countries have implemented some type of partial or full lockdown in efforts to curb the spread of this virus. The world is in distress!

World Map

The puzzling piece about this coronavirus, according to health officials and epidemic experts, is that no one is immune to this disease. The rich, poor, strong, weak, young, old, powerful or struggling, anyone can get infected by this virus. This is not a disease for just developing countries as we are often used to; world’s economy is projected to be severely impacted. Our daily lives’ routines as we know it have been disrupted or brought to a screeching halt, indefinitely. In this trying time, where many people are panicking, grocery store shelves are out of basic items like toilet paper that many wonder how this relates to the outbreak, I wanted to share this message with my readers.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY HOPE!

There is hope that is NOT based on the findings of the scientists or medical communities around the world working around the clock to find the vaccine/cure for this virus; the hope that is NOT anchored in powerful leaders or nations that have always been regarded as having all solutions to the world’s economical and social problems. The hope I share is NOT endorsed by billionaires who have made some to believe that money can do about anything.

Our hope is in GOD alone. He is the same as He was yesterday, today and always!

Before I go farther, I want to first address a misconception that I have heard regarding trials and tribulations of various kinds that people go through. Couple years back, I had an interesting conversation with someone who told me that he stopped believing in God after his mother died of cancer! When things don’t pan out the way we prayed or wanted, we sometime resort to bitterness or denying God’s Power. We blame God by saying that if He was a loving God, that wars, genocides and tragedies would not happen.

My question is, how often do we ever pause to wonder if God might see things differently? And where do we read that God’s answer will be predictable. Of course from Jeremiah, we know that God’s plans are for prosperity, not to harm us. But if we trust that the Lord knows what’s best for us, does it ever occur to us to ask Him what He thinks about our needs/requests? Do we ever pray that His will, not ours, be done? Jesus prayed this way!

Different times call for different measures. Here is what I wanted to share with you today: 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV). But let me take a step back a little bit. You may remember the Bible story about the king Solomon, the son of King David; he was chosen by God to build God’s Temple. Solomon has been described by the Bible and scholars as one of the wisest and richest king of his generation. And he was truly generous with labor, material and everything that went into building & polishing God’s Temple; all the construction & furnishing work took about 7.5 years to complete (Read 2 Chronicles 2 through chapter 7).

After completion, and the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord has been brought into the Temple, Solomon gave a speech, a prayer of dedication, blessed the assembly, and dedicated the Temple. Although he understood that even the heavens couldn’t contain God, much less the Temple built by human hands, but he believed that God promised that His Presence will be present in this Temple.

I personally love the honest prayer that Solomon prayed as he dedicated the Temple; he prayed to God in a way he could predict that people were going to mess up in life; he asked that: if anyone sins against his neighbor, or God’s people are defeated in war, or the heavens are shut & there is no rain because of people’s wickedness, or if there is a famine/pestilence in the land, or foreigners in need, if any of them prays toward this Temple, that God will hear the pleas they make.

“12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:12-14 (NKJV).

Over and over again, we see in the Bible where God’s people rebelled against Him, and He would allow/let them go through things to learn to keep His commandments. And we do see it in this conversation between God and Solomon. Surprisingly, the COVID-19 is considered a pestilence. I am by no means implying that God brought this calamity upon the nations. But I know and believe that He is able to stop it from happening. Subsequently, I believe that there’s a reason for this. And if we truly understand that our existence and breath we take is in the hands of God, we’d pause and wonder if there is something at stake that we need to learn here.

I have read multiple internet articles that have called for prayers worldwide; this is very encouraging! However, I personally believe that if we are only praying for this coronavirus to end, we should pause and ask God if there was more to it that He wanted us to learn from this experience than just the pestilence happening & ruining people’s lives. You see, when God told Solomon about that calamity that may be brought upon His people because of rebellion, in verse 13, He didn’t ask them to pray for the end to the pestilence/locusts/drought. God mentioned not one, but 4 things that His people should do in this scenario:

  1. Humble ourselves
  2. Pray
  3. Seek God’s Face
  4. Turn from our wicked ways

And after then, He will hear from Heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our countries/land. Just think of it like this: as a parent, let’s assume that you are disciplining one of your children. Rather than them cleaning their room as you instructed, or doing a chore you know would build their character in a long run, they are just sitting on the couch, playing a video game or watching noneducational YouTube videos.

Then you decide to teach them a lesson, and you take the iPad or TV privileges away. To protest your decision, they cry and call you a bad & selfish parent. As a parent, do you immediately reverse your punishment because they cried, and called you a bad parent or really begged you? Or you let them cry, and eventually do the chore you asked in the first place? And then, only after then, they get the iPad/TV privileges back! Isn’t how parents do it? Isn’t this how most of us were raised by loving parents?

Likewise, I personally believe that if we’re only asking God to end the pandemic because it’s inconvenient to us, and not repenting/seeking God’s Face, we are truly missing the point!

We see some examples of people in the Bible who were told about an impending destruction if they didn’t repent of their sins. One example is recorded in the book of Jonah about the great Assyrian Empire. Its capital city, Nineveh (today in Mosul, Northern Iraq), was a flourishing city, a trade center, and later became one of the largest and most affluent cities in antiquity. Nahum 3 describes how horrible the people of Nineveh were: bloody city, full of lies and robbery and so many more. Jonah has been sent by God to warn them they’d perish if they didn’t repent.

6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying: let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water.

8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? 10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. Jonah 3: 6 -10 (NKJV)

Will you join me in seeking God, praying, repenting our sins, and humbling ourselves before God? May be, like the King of Nineveh, God will hear our prayers, forgive our sins and put an end to this pandemic? Again, I am not saying that God sent this outbreak; but I know without a doubt that He’s capable of ending it. And I know He will, in His due time! And He is Glorified, now and always!! But until then, you and I have a part to play! Do you believe it?

Looking Back at 2019: I am Beyond Humbled!

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“I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.“ ~ Psalm 13:6

Another year in the books! 2010’s coming to an end, and we are about to start a new decade. As we wrap up 2019, I want to take this moment and reflect on the past 12 months; I am deeply humbled and filled with gratitude to Jesus, my Lord & King, to my amazing family, incredible friends, and community around the world. 2019 may have been my busiest year to-date, but it has also been the best year of my life! The Lord Has truly been great to me!

So here is to summarize my 2019:

  • I got married 

I tied the knot with the man of my dreams! I ask him often what took him so long 😀 He is by no means perfect, and I am not either. But he is absolutely perfect for me! Almost a year later, I love him even more, if possible. I shared more details about our big day in this post: ❤️On This Day, I married my Best Friend❤️

Our First Dance

  • I made it to the Asian continent, for the first time!

Xin chào (hello in Vietnamese)! After a long deliberation and having way too many options (which doesn’t always help), we finally ditched the idea of a honeymoon in Hawaii at sunset for a completely different, new place. In my defense, it’s very hard to find a location that my husband has not been to. His professional career has taken him around the world, to countries and places that will take me a lifetime to catch up to. Luckily, Vietnam happened to be one of those places he had yet to visit. So, it was settled!

At the Ho Quoc Temple, Phu Quoc, Vietnam overlooking the Gulf of Thailand

As an added bonus to our choices, my husband found a JW Marriott resort, which made our decision much easier since I have been part of their Marriott Bonvoy top tier for the past 2 years I have been staying with them. The Vietnam’s island of Phú Quốc was decided on and we booked our travels without a hitch. And it turned out to be one of the best travel experiences of our lives.

JW Marriott Resort entrance in Phu Quoc, Vietnam

Phú Quốc is an Island located south of Cambodia. Relatively undeveloped, and mostly part of the National Park, it’s also home to the world’s longest cable car, white sand beaches, tropical jungles and so many other hidden treasures. We loved it there and the Vietnamese people were very nice to us.

We also visited the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi

  • Cisco Award

In addition to being nominated as one of 10 Cisco Bridge Award Winners (2018) which I wrote in this post: A great Privilege that I got to be named one of them, I was voted as the Cisco 2019 Community Hero. I am absolutely not a hero; but it was my greatest honor to be bestowed upon this title by my Cisco global community, and our Leaders.

Accepting the Award from our CEO Chuck Robbins & EVP & Chief People Officer Fran Katsoudas

Part of this award, Cisco donated cash to my nonprofit Rising Above the Storms for our work in Rwanda. Moreover, Cisco flew me and a media crew to film my childhood neighborhood in Rwanda and my nonprofit work there. They produced a short story to summarize it; click here to watch: Cisco Community Hero. The experience was incredible and surreal!

The Award

  • Moving Across Country

This is an understatement to be honest with you. I don’t know if I call it an accomplishment but it did happen! After our wedding, I relocated from one US coast to to the other, literally. Moving is never easy, but moving across country is a huge task to undertake. Luckily, my husband is a great planner, which made the process bearable for both of us.

The pod getting packed up

I chose to (and obviously had to) get rid of things that were not worth keeping, packed the rest and we loaded it up in a moving pod. My car was shipped separately of course. Thankfully, prior to the wrap up, we had already moved anything that could fit in suitcases by plane, without any additional cost, since Delta allows my husband and I 2-3 free checked bags each. It was a blessing! Our moving pod and car made it to their destination without a problem and ahead of time.

  • I finally visited Alaska

Well, in my head, Alaska sounded far away and unique. The first time I got intrigued by the beauty this place is dates back to the movie The Proposal by Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in 2009, about Sitka. I then joked to my friends that I couldn’t wait to visit the country of Alaska. Of course I knew that it was a state, but in my defense, some US states may as well be called countries since sometime laws vary from place by place as if they were independent countries.

Cruising around Juneau, Alaska

Regardless, I wanted to visit it. Luckily for us, when we visited around the 4th of July, it was the warmest summer that Juneau had seen in 112 years apparently. It was in the 80s for the whole time we were there, which was a real treat for me, a tropical weather lady. The caveat, people there don’t speak the air conditioning language. Can you blame them?

It was funny to find out that even our Four Points by Sheraton (a Marriott Hotel) or the Juneau airport didn’t have air conditioning. I mean, who needs AC when the weather rarely makes it to 73 degrees? We couldn’t sleep that well because it was too warm and the space fans didn’t do the trick, but man, did we have fun whale watching, hiking the Mendenhall Park and exploring the Glacier (Nugget) Falls!! It was an amazing experience.

Anchorage, Alaska, at 12:01am (July 7th)

We also visited Anchorage, Alaska, which was an experience of a lifetime for me to go to bed past midnight and it was still bright out. I have never seen anything like that! The sun set around 11:30pm. I couldn’t believe it. In Rwanda where I was born and raised, the sun rises at 6am and sets at 6pm, as long as I can remember. Rwanda is only a few degrees below the equator.

  • RAS Board of Directors 

Yes, I finally have a group of incredible & successful women who have decided to help me take RAS vision and mission to the next level. I am extremely excited, grateful to their expertise and I look forward to what 2020 has in store for us, for our kids in Rwanda and the future. Check out our team’s bio.

With some of RAS Board Members

  • Rwanda Learning Center Computer Lab

Yes, you read that right. This past November (2019), we introduced laptops at our Learning Center in Rwanda, to help forge our kids’ confidence, promote skills learning, while we provide them with a motivation to stay in our programs, and prevent them from going back to the streets, and prepare them for a future career in technology.

The Laptops installed in our Rwanda Learning Center Computer Lab

I believe that, giving RAS youth access to technology that they can’t afford in their home environment, will help them catch up with peers, enable them to engage others outside their communities, and maybe turn out to be a career path for some of them. It is so moving to see how excited they are to learn and can’t wait to see how impactful the knowledge will be to them.

The kids busy learning; Dec 11, 2019

  • I made Delta Diamond

It’s a big deal  to me 🤷‍♀️😊 I switched to Delta at the beginning of 2017, from American Airlines. Comparing with American, I personally think that Delta makes it difficult to climb up. However, I realized that Delta was my best shot to travel to Africa because of its partnership with KLM that really makes the journey bearable between the US and Africa. When you reach the diamond status, you are flying at least 10k miles a month and spending a lot of money to accumulate enough base miles (MQMs) and dollars (MQDs). So, I guess you could say the 3rd time is a charm here, 3rd year!

Delta diamond medallion requirements

  • Who’s keeping Score?

Well, I think I broke record this year; I managed to be on 3 different continents, and connected through the 4th, all in one week. How did that happen? After spending about a week and a half in Vietnam, we returned to the United States on a Monday. The very next day, Tuesday, I left for California, where I spent couple of days. Later that week, I left for Africa from San Francisco, via Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I arrived in Rwanda the same week I left Vietnam, on a Sunday. It was a crazy week.

A picture with our kids at our Center in Rwanda

I spent 10 days in Africa; toward the end of the trip, understandably, my body gave in. I went down with a cold. Flying sick is the worst. Getting back to the US, I only had 48 hours to recover from my cold before my husband and I could fly [across country] to finish packing my stuff to get our home ready for rental. The wedding, honeymoon to Asia, a trip to Africa, moving across country, to name a few, all happened between January – March this year.

As we enter 2020, I am even more hopeful and excited about the new beginnings, changes, experiences, travels, new friends.

Thank you very much for reading this. I pray for the Lord’s blessings on you and your loved ones, this holiday season, the New Year and always.

“For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 116: 8-9

My Heart is Glad & My Soul Rejoices!

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“I will declare Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You” ~ Psalm 22:22 

With my husband, my travel partner for life! Juneau, AK

My husband recently told me that the travel bug bit me. May be he has a point? Looking back though, I don’t think I remember when I first got interested in traveling. Growing up in Rwanda, you can easily drive from one end to the other in less than a day. It’s that small! Many Rwandans don’t necessarily vacation outside their homes, and still a few do get the luxury to travel outside Rwanda today. Like most, my first plane ride was later in life. While in college in Rwanda, I was awarded to attend an international conference organized by ITU (International Telecommunication Union) in Cairo, Egypt for young IT engineers. It was a huge deal!! First time on the plane and outside the country!

High Falls, Rochester, NY

Couple years later, when I first moved to the United States, its size and opportunities it had to offer must have stirred something in me. The idea of flying for hours inside one country left me puzzled! While I took some history and geography classes in high school (least favorite topics then for a Math & Physics major), I was still clueless about the world map and where countries were located on the map. For example, when I first moved to the States, in Rochester, NY, that’s when I found out that Canada was right across Lake Ontario just north of me. How shocking!

Hanoi, Vietnam. 2019

While in grad school @ RIT, I didn’t get to travel much even during breaks; while it may be normal for students not to have a lot of money, my situation has always been unique. Even after I got a full time job that paid relatively well, I had already been used to splitting 4 ways every blessing that ever came my way. The more I had, the more I felt compelled to make sure that my siblings didn’t need anything in this life. Although I very well know that our parents will forever remain irreplaceable in our lives, but I have come to believe that I was spared for a reason. If it is to play even a small role in their healing process, I have no regret in this life!

Amsterdam, 2016

Honestly, it never bothered me that I couldn’t have everything other girls around me had. It was no different when I had my first job: to this day, one of my greatest fond memories is when I received my first paycheck as a Teaching Assistant, a job that was offered to me at the same college I went to in Rwanda. Prior to graduation, the College chose a few of graduate candidates with top grades and offered them a Teaching Assistant job. I didn’t have to wait, or do job hunting; I felt so lucky! After a month, my first paycheck, about $400 (in 2005), all of it, was mine! I couldn’t believe it. This was the largest amount of money I have ever owned.

Downtown Kigali, Rwanda, at night!

As soon as it was deposited in my bank account, I called my siblings, with the most exciting news: I was taking them shopping! This very first time, they were not going to be wearing hand-me-downs. Up to this time, a cousin had been picking clothes that were too small for him and handed it down to my brother. I shared clothes with my sisters. But this time, they were all going to pick whichever ones they liked, brand new. I sat down, watching their excitement; I got emotional! I told them to pick anything they wanted. I didn’t really care, that a half of it went to their clothes, and I gave them the rest for school. I knew I’d get more next month. To this day, this personally remains a fond memory that I treasure all my life. The joy of my siblings I call my kids has been my greatest gift! My heart rejoices in the Lord of my Salvation!

Duomo di Milano, Italy

While memories like this one are an absolute treasure, I have tons others that I wish I could blot out completely and erase forever. Memories like that of relatives who have hurt and abused my siblings and I instead of being there for us. An aunt who told me that I would never amount to anything in life, and later burned all my clothes and high school diploma. She was so sure that this would stop me from attending college where I had been awarded a full scholarship. She probably thought this would mean the future filled with uncertainty for me! Read Beyond Broken Memories or Hope; God is Real!

The Pont des Arts. Paris, France 2012

But some of the most humbling experience were my early days of college where I lived off campus. Since there were no rooms on campus for incoming freshmen, I had to figure out where to live, a place that’d allow me to walk to school everyday. While this was absolutely a concern, the major challenge was $50 to register for college. Miraculously, I got that money and started college. However, the next 2 years would bring days where I had to visit people I knew around lunch time, in hopes to eat with them. It was my last resort, after not eating for couple of days. I had been close to becoming homeless, or worse!

Food in Croatia was the best. The country and its people stole my heart ❤

Recently, my husband and I traveled to Alaska, It was my first time there. I was struck by beauty and nature found in its capital, Juneau. We participated in a few things as any tourist would do, without going crazy. We hiked to the Mendenhall Glacier, visited Nugget Falls. However my favorite part was whale watching. While it’s an incredible experience watching those creatures showing off their water skills, my favorite part was when our tour boat was cruising around Juneau (for 4 hours). There were about 40 or so people were onboard. My husband being like me instead of sitting inside, we went out back and rode on the deck. As we cruised chasing whales around, the engine was very loud at 30 miles/hour. Since a conversation was not an option during that time, I got time to reflect.

The Glaciers in Juneau, Alaska 2019

With the water as far as my eyes could see, perched between beautiful mountains designed to perfection by the Creator, I couldn’t help but praising the Lord! I marveled at their beauty and got lost in their gaze. The water was so beautiful, and waves splashing, clear blue sky, warm weather that Juneau has not seen in 112 years, it was a dream! Somehow my brain raced back to when I had nothing, and no one. I couldn’t believe the beauty, majestic creation that surrounded me, while in the embrace of the most amazing man that only God could have created just for me! I thought of my siblings, my past, my nonprofit, my life, my husband, my adopted parents, my friends, my blessings!

London Tower Bridge, 2016

As if in a prayer, I whispered to God, my Father & Provider, counting my blessings: I could afford to be in Alaska without breaking a pocket. I experienced luxury without my siblings missing a meal or school. I can eat or afford anything I want. I have stayed at 5-star resorts and luxury hotels, flown first class without spending a fortune. My travel & hotel statuses often afford me a treatment that is more than I anticipate or expect. I have traveled almost everywhere, from small towns to big cities and everything in between. I am truly grateful!

At the United Nations Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland!

I have been blessed with a job that had allowed me that opportunity for the past 7 years. I didn’t ask for it, but perhaps God knew that I enjoyed traveling but couldn’t afford it so He gave it to me! Yes, I did work so hard in school, but so did/do many people. However, while things may seem like it’s going great, there is something that I had asked God long time ago: not to allow my heart to be too merry to forget my painful past.

“Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food allotted to me. Lest I be full and deny You, and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God.” Proverbs 30:8-9

Downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, 2018

Just like Moses pleading with Israelites & cautioned them against disobeying God after entering the land God prepared for them.

“So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” Deuteronomy 6: 10-13 

While my daily prayer is that I am able to forgive and love others as Jesus has loved me, I never want to allow myself to forget my beginnings; I want to use my suffering, tragedy, loss, hunger, struggle, and wounds of my past to help and be a blessing to those who aren’t as fortunate. I have been given a chance, not because I am better or righteous; it’s far from it! It’s only God’s Grace! For that, I am forever humbled & amazed by His love!

Beautiful downtown Kigali (on the top of the hill), the Capital of Rwanda

It is for this the reason that I weep for people who are hurting, I can relate to them. People in need, poor, homeless, move me with compassion! I have been given a chance, a voice, and an opportunity to serve God. I eternally pray that I always seize opportunities God makes available for me to act! Simply put, I am able to truly love, because I am loved so well, by the Lord!

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory.” 1 Samuel 2:8

A Great Privilege, that I got to be Named One of Them!

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Sometime in the Fall last year (I’d say August or September?), I received an e-mail in my work inbox. I don’t remember every word in it, but it was a mass e-mail asking employees to nominate their peers who have gone above and beyond to make an impact in their communities and around the world, for the “Be the Bridge” Award. The content was especially appealing, and I flagged the e-mail for a follow up on my part so I could nominate some of the amazing people I knew. Unfortunately it got busier, and the deadline passed. I didn’t do my part. I was bummed!

I am the Bridge between Street Kids in Rwanda and a Chance to Dream! SJC, Nov 2018

Sometime later, I received another similar e-mail, this time a very different message. “You have been nominated for the Bridge Award“. The e-mail also revealed the name of the colleague who nominated me, and I reached out to him immediately, in awe. As it turns out, he wanted to remain anonymous! Perhaps a check box he may have forgotten to tick/untick, but I was glad I knew whom it was. I later found out about another colleague who also nominated me, but I didn’t get notified for that one. These 2 incredible people, had previously worked on a year-long project that featured my nonprofit in 2017-2018. I was very humbled & thankful!

With our very own Fran <3, the head of HR!

A month or so later, I received another e-mail;

“Congratulations! We are thrilled to let you know that you have been selected as a Grand Prize Winner of The Bridge Awards! On behalf of the entire Cisco community, we are truly inspired by your actions and proud of the incredible contributions you have made. In recognition of your achievements, we are pleased to offer you a trip to the Global Citizen Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa. Your prize will include airfare, accommodations and, a VIP experience at the Global Citizen Festival.”

Kelly & Maxine, cheering, after my video shoot interview at Cisco in SJC! Love these 2 ladies very much!

I was too excited that I couldn’t even hold it down to read the rest of the e-mail, that urged me to keep it to myself until every Winner has been notified. I saw that after I shared it with at least 10 people (my family, fiancé, adoptive parents, my manager..). I was like oops, sorry guys! I couldn’t help it. Fast forward to November, the Winners (later I found out it was 10 of us) were invited to the Cisco Headquarter in San Jose, California to attend the company’s meeting where the Winners were going to be revealed.

Making it to San Jose in the morning of the event, I saw a dear friend there, Joy. I know her from church, Cisco & a gala that my nonprofit hosted in 2016. None of us knew that the other was a winner. Everything was a secret, obviously, until the official announcement!

With my dear friend Joy, in SJC, CA before the Winners Reveal!

Then I got to meet more people, and learned the amazing work they did. I couldn’t believe my ears, eyes! Please allow me to proudly brag about men & women (in no particular order) that I got an honor, great privilege and an opportunity of a lifetime, to be named Cisco Bridge Award Winners with. I cried, felt encouraged, and humbled! Now my lifetime friends! Cisco has greatly empowered me, my family and now many more people, our kids in Rwanda!

Make sure you watch this YouTube Video: We Are the Bridge! It’s also embedded into the post!

7 of the 10 Winners, with our head of HR & head of Marketing

Joy, through Habitat for Humanity rallies Cisco as a company to help build homes for the homeless around the world; she hails from North Carolina. Rajeev helped organize relief goods for victims of flood in Kerala, India in addition to founding two NGOs dedicated to hunger relief for children in slums and on the streets of India!

Vanessa founded the non-profit Love Never Fails, which works to rescue and empower human trafficking victims & survivors; she is based in the beautiful California. Cathy, in Johannesburg, South Africa, dedicates her personal time to take care of kids in need, feeds them and gives them basic essentials.

Claus in Germany, works with Refugee School for Digital Integration (ReDI) to teach courses like Cloud Security and IoT to refugees, via Cisco.

Scott, a long time volunteer firefighter & ski patroller, developed technology (that won award) to keep firefighters and skiers safe in the US and around the world. He hails from Seattle. Shawn, in Atlanta, works with Women Orthopedist Global Outreach, (an all-female team of orthopedic surgeons) that replaces joints for people in developing nations.

Daud, in Pakistan, created the SAYA Welfare Society by donating a family owned land to create a basic medical facility to provide free healthcare services. Ramachandran leads a program that partners with Step Up For India to teach English to kids using technology near the Cisco office in Bangalore.

@ the FNB Stadium, South Africa

In addition to 10 of us, Cisco extended the invitation to 10 Runner Ups. 7 of them joined us, and a total of 17 people (plus our leadership teams, including our CEO & Chief People Officer), we all went to South Africa. For the Global Citizen Festival, Mandela 100 (Mandela would have turned 100 in 2018)!

Global Citizen Festival, according to their website, is a concert that brings together musicians, world leaders, and global citizens in an effort to influence positive change on a global scale. In South Africa, 70% of the tickets were given away for free, to recipients who took action, to help advance the mission of the Global Citizen to end extreme poverty by 2030. The FNB stadium was packed, close to 100K people. Knowing that I was surrounded by people who care about the humanitarian work, gave me hope.

There were so many famous people, artists, humanitarians, activists, world leaders, global citizens; Beyonce & Jay-Z, Tyler Perry, Trevor Noah, Oprah, Ed Sheeran, and so many more, all to support causes around healthcare, education, fighting poverty & diseases etc. It was absolutely incredible!

After the brunch with our CEO & Head of HR, South Africa

It was an experience of a lifetime, but my favorite part was getting to know the winners and runner ups. The runner ups represented Belgium, Lebanon, Nigeria, Italy, United States etc. Hearing their stories and work they are doing, in addition to their Cisco job was truly humbling. How do they do it? There is no simple answer but here is a fact: Cisco makes it possible for its employees to do what they love doing outside work. For example, full time employees get 40 hours a year, paid time off, for Time 2 Give (community give back). For every hour spent volunteering for qualifying organizations, Cisco donates $10/hr.

Moreover, Cisco matches donations, dollar for dollar, up to $10K a year, by employees to qualifying organizations and nonprofits. All the above, is really what has encouraged and helped my nonprofit continue its operations and grow. Cisco employees’ donations to Rising Above the Storms constitutes somewhere over 80% of our annual funds. That’s huge!

The bottom line, I now have colleagues around the world, that I am humbled to call friends. They are changing lives, and it gives me an encouragement and hope, just knowing them. And I am proud to work for Cisco, a company that deeply cares about a cause close to my heart, and empowers me to be succesful!

Will you join us?

❤️ On This Day, I married my Best Friend ❤️

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“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and hope“ ~Jeremiah 29:11

The love of my life, my husband ❤

It was a beautiful day.  Well, as best as it can be in Rochester, or the rest of the upstate NY, in January. Why Rochester, of all places, and in winter, you may wonder? You see, Rochester holds so many beautiful memories that are close to my heart. Not only that it is the first place where I first arrived and lived here in the US, but also God knew well that He had so many great plans for me there. If you’re new to my blog, my story truly starts in 1994, in Rwanda. During the worst atrocities of the 20th century, I lost my parents and 2 of my siblings. At the age of 13, I survived along my 3 younger siblings who were all under the age of 10. I wrote so many posts about the loss I endured as a young girl, but here is one of my favorites: In a Garden of Fame where their Memories Grow Fonder.

Our Wedding Day

Fast forwarding to 2006, I was very blessed to receive a full scholarship to grad school at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester. Little did I know then, God Had been preparing incredible people who would literally change my life, for good. In April 2008, I met an amazing lady, Darlene, at a church event in Rochester. We bonded immediately; she had been to Kenya, and deeply loves Africa. She later invited me to her house for the 4th of July event the same year. There, I met a good friend of hers, her name is Glori.

Darlene & her husband Ed

In ways that God alone could orchestrate, Glori, and her husband Bob welcomed me into their home very soon after. We bonded right away; they call me daughter and I call them my mom & dad. Them into my life, I had been given another chance to feel the parental love, on earth, at last. It felt like fairytale. My new parents who are very much close in age with my parents in heaven, welcomed me with open arms, and told me that wherever I’d be on this planet, that their house would be my home. God is good! Here is a post I wrote about my mom in heaven, and my mom in Rochester. 

So, it fit so perfectly that we would get married in Rochester. My God brought me there for a reason. It actually was my fiancé’s idea to have our wedding in Rochester, before I could even propose it. I was deeply touched by his caring nature already! Then it was a done deal, no matter how much snow or cold 😁

My parents from God, Bob & Glori 

Words cannot express my gratitude and the amount of love I feel in Rochester. I never doubted God’s grace, but my wedding experience left me in awe of the Lord. My parents who have been no different to me than if they have given birth to me, shocked my fiancé & I with a proposal to pay for our wedding. These aren’t people who did it because they had nothing else to do with their money or because we couldn’t afford it. They are the most generous people I have ever met.

Traditionally in the US, although not officially, the bride & her family assume the responsibility of most of the cost of the wedding, which is the opposite of the custom in Rwanda, where the groom & his family assume the financial burden of the wedding, traditionally. So, the fact that my parents consider me as their daughter, and felt compelled to pay for the wedding still humbles me to this moment and brings tears to my eyes each time I think about it. God alone knows how eternally grateful I am to them both.

I am truly blessed

My New Parents, by Love

On top of this, neither me or my fiancé lived in Rochester to plan for our “destination” wedding. SO, without hesitation, my mom did everything for us: finding the venue, cake caterer, DJ, photographer, florist, everything. I have never been so relaxed in my whole life about something this big. Any planning in the past always fell upon my shoulder, alone. But not this time; I had no worry in the world! Instead, I was busy with my work as usual, as if I didn’t have a wedding coming up. My mom did an amazing job. See for yourself from the pictures.

Mom buttoning my dress 🙂

My fiancé & I wanted a small but cozy wedding celebration. The idea of spending tens of thousands of dollars on a single day has never been a dream of mine. No offense if you think differently. I guess you could say it’s because of the frugal life I had been forced to live in order to support my younger siblings. I am not sure :).

While I come from a culture where you have to invite the whole world around you to your wedding, and learn about most of your guests from videos and pictures after the wedding, I have long resented that idea. Thanks to the western culture, I didn’t have to deal with the cultural impositions. A potluck wedding in my parents’ backyard in the summer or destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta would have been magic but definitely not practical at the moment.

Ceremony set up

The Rochester’s college town’s Hilton Garden Inn Hotel turned out to be a perfect venue for us. They have a beautiful ballroom that fit our needs. Relatively new, everything looked marvelous. We had an amazing wedding coordinator, Austyn, from Del Monte Weddings and she is the best there is. She worked with my mom on day-to-day planning and coordinating for the event. The decoration was everything I wanted. The Hilton Garden Inn Catering Department & team promised and delivered. The food was absolutely delicious.

Reception Setup

Our wedding theme was a shade of green and white (flowers & decor). The Rochester’s Wegmans Floral Department made me a beautiful bouquet that lasted for 3+ weeks. I wanted a natural, earthy look; lots of green leaves surrounding white roses. They did exactly what I had in mind and I was very pleased. Our ceremony arch was top notch. Thanks to my mom’s friend, Anne, who designed it for us, on a very short notice. One thing I realized with my family and friends in Rochester is, don’t ask them for help 💗. Here is why: they will not only do it, but also pay for it. The same happened when we asked my dad’s sister Linda to pick up flowers for us. True story. I know the best of people.

My Bouquet; just the way I wanted it

Love love it

I like to say I feel accomplished about these place cards 👍 

My dad walked me down the aisle; what a moment that I’ll forever cherish with humility & gratitude. I have never seen my dad in a suit; he doesn’t like to wear one. But he did it, for me, for my wedding. I teared when I first saw him, he looked amazing. My mom cried the whole time, of course, that’s what moms do 🤗. I glanced at her, during the ceremony, and I could see her eyes filled with pride.

With my Dad

I know it’s my wedding and I am of course supposed to think everything was top of the line  But my dress was. For my friends who know me well will tell you that this is exactly the kind of wedding dress I had imagined wearing since I was a lot younger envisioning my wedding day. And the most amazing part was, that I bought it online, because I don’t like shopping & trying on so many dresses. My mom and I paid a visit to a David’s Bridal Shop but I wasn’t amused by the experience of trying on 3+ dresses and not liking any of them.

Plus, I was looking for a simple but elegant dress, which I personally didn’t find there. So, I did like I always do, online browsing. While I bought the dress and veil separately from the same place, they surprised me by using the same fabric & patterns for both the veil and dress. I was thrilled and still love my cathedral veil. Of course my parents paid for both the dress and veil as well ❤️

My Cathedral Veil

Feeling like a million bucks 💕 

Our dark chocolate (yes, dark!) & vanilla with almond frosting cake was the best cake I have ever tasted. I am not really exaggerating or because it was my wedding. I didn’t get a chance to eat it at the wedding, but my beautiful mother saved a piece for my husband and I. It was so delicious. Thanks to my mom for picking it for us, the Italian Savoia Pastry Shoppe for making exactly what we wanted, and for my aunt Arleen for paying for it. I love her. She is very special to me!!

The Cake by Savoia Pastry Shoppe

My brother Dillon & cousin Nathan rolled the carpet for me. How special is that! I was deeply touched by my dad’s speech; he started by honoring my parents in heaven, who would have been absolutely proud to witness their little girl tying the knot. His speech, for someone who’s never emotional, reminded me how much I am loved, by God, and His people. The best man & matron of honor’s toasts were touching!

Rolling the carpet

My uncle Steve (mom’s brother in-law) who was our officiant performed a moving ceremony for us. And him being family meant the world to us. Our DJ Mr. Bookhart & our photographer Will of William D’Ovidio Photography made our day special. Thanks to Linda at Bridal Biz Beauty for my makeup & making me feel beautiful, Ines of the Casa de Hair, Rochester for doing my hair so beautifully and exactly the way I wanted, and on short notice.

This was the hard part to find good beauty shops while being remote. The Knot website is fantastic for recommendations on credible vendors. Also, our dance instructor out in Minneapolis, MN. Erika at the Flying Pig Dance Studio turned us into real dancers. Well, at least we didn’t fall ;). Why MN? Because we are world travelers 🙂

My mom making sure my makeup is done right 🙂

I loved seeing our friends from close and afar. There is nothing like feeling loved. While there are a few special and important people who couldn’t make it to our wedding, thankfully we had a live stream going for them which was very meaningful to us. My matron of honor, the most amazing friend a girl could ever ask for, Ginger, has been with me through thick and thin. She and her husband did as if it was their own wedding. My family and friends, they made my dream come true. I cannot thank them enough.

While everything was beautiful & elegantly cozy, my husband’s wedding vows to me were the top highlight of our wedding day. I was convinced that I wrote the best ones and that I was going to finally make him cry (note to self: don’t brag too fast 😔. I meant it, because truthfully, it was all about this incredible man God had been preparing for me!

While I still love what I wrote about and for him, he absolutely amazed me, and everyone in attendance. This is a caliber of a man I get to call mine, someone I asked of the Lord. He’s been someone who would never let me go from the very first time we met, and I too silently praised God for bringing such an amazing guy into my life. He is the man whose rib I was made into (Genesis 2:21-23)

The Love of my Life

The Reception

His love for God, his witty personality, knowledge and open mindedness, world travel experience, exposure to other cultures, living in other countries for years, speaking a second language beyond English (yes, bi-lingual, and so un-American 😉, his understanding of my personal life & loss I endured at the young age, my siblings I call my kids, his love & support of my ambitions, dreams and hopes, work ethic, not to mention handsome 😍, mature and so many other things.

His Vows

My Vows

I gave him my heart & a ring 😘

He gave me 2 rings, his heart and name 😂

Our First Dance

Father-Daughter Dance. Dad made me laugh so hard!

Because it’s Rochester 😉

God Has been great to us, and we are in awe of Him. As we embark in this new journey together, we pray and ask the Lord that He will go before us and be the center of our marriage, now and always. Blessed be His Holy Name!

“I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.” Psalm 9: 1