Delphine: My Sister Who Can Cook & Clean

Delphine is another person who worked at the first place I stayed.  Super shy at first; in fact, I didn't think she spoke any English.  But after a few days of getting to know her, the English no longer remained hidden; nor did the passion.  And after a few weeks of getting to know each other, I counted her as a dear sister and friend.

Upon our first day of meeting, she unloaded all 4 of my suitcases and found a home for everything (without me asking her to do this).  Clothes were hung in the closet - not just hung but outfits were actually put together!  "Hmm, I never has thought of putting that green cardigan with that pink shirt, but I kind of like it,"  I thought to myself.  Thanks Delphine for helping me think outside of the box with some fun color-blocking.  She repacked and unpacked all of my belongings when it came time to change rooms in this particular house, and then repacked everything less than a week later when it was time to switch houses.

Fruit salad is one of my favorite things to eat in Rwanda; Delphine's was especially good.  She taught me how to make it one morning.  I taught her how to make pancakes the next.  We made brownies together another morning - something she had never experienced.  And she shared tips on how to make a pot of stewed vegetables taste really really good.

The times with Delphine that I cherish most were when we talked about the Lord.  We encouraged each other with our favorite verses, truth about God's love, and ways we see each other modeling Christ.  I'll never forget the day I turned to Zephaniah 3:17 and had her turn there in her Kinyarwanda Bible.  We had almost exactly the same passages underlined; we both love not only that one verse but also the few leading up to it.  I got chills when I saw this.

We hardly speak the same language, yet we love the same God and love each other - an immediate and lasting bond was formed becasue of this.