THE BRYANS

In Rwanda

November 2014
Third Grade Monochrome Day!

Young Life Rwanda

Student Success Stories

At the beginning of the year, I told people that I had a unique
class. There was a HUGE maturity and academic gap within this
group. Therefore the start of the year was challenging. Now that
we are five weeks away from the end of the second quarter, it has
caused me to reflect upon what a wonderful group this is. Even
though we have daily challenges, I have observed a positive shift.
I have appreciated the deeper level questions they have asked
about who God is in the Bible as well as the excitement exhibited
throughout the day. A few students with high levels of energy how
found ways to channel and control themselves.
The highlight of the year so far was during a parent meeting when
the parent told me how her daughter decided to follow Jesus and
start a relationship with Him. What a blessing to be apart of that
and to see that God is working in the lives of my students. Praise
be to God!! Continue to pray for other students who have not
made a life decision follow Christ.

Playing guitar for Young Life

(Rwanda) is a ministry
opportunity this year. I am
responsible for four songs
each YL Club that relate to
this generation and are
appropriate. This is a difficult
task. The most memorable
club was Old Life Club where
we danced to the Macarena
and YMCA and sang to the
Beatles.

Bryans in Rwanda

November 2014

Staff Retreat in
Kibuye, Rwanda
Kerrys classes
Practicum
My practicum consists of weekly
discussion boards and mainly
three case studies with some of
my current students. I
appreciate how my online
classes fit so well with what Im
doing here. It gives me a
chance to enact what I learn
almost immediately. In these
instances, the case studies help
me to dive deep into the needs
of my students and be extra
intentional with my lessons and
time with them. It benefits all of
us.

Observations
Theres nothing more nerve
wrecking than videotaping
myself teaching. Theres no one
else in the room, but I know
what Im doing will be watched
by others. As part of my
practicum, Im required to
record myself twice so that my
professor can have a look at
how Im doing. Once I
convinced my kindergarten
student that the video camera
wasnt on, she forgot about it,
and I tried to as well.

Several weeks back our staff ventured the hilly and windy
roads of Rwanda to retreat in Kibuye on Lake Kivu. Though
bus riding on said roads doesnt agree with me (Kerry), the
view once we arrived at our guesthouse was worth it.
There is peacefulness in Kibuye that doesnt exist in Kigali
and we were thrilled to be able to embrace that for a
couple of nights.
The theme of the weekend was restoration. Chris Shelby,
the husband of our elementary principal and also a
basketball coach at KICS, spoke to our staff several times
on that theme. We discussed being in times of rest on a
consistent basis so that we can remain healthy and
productive.
We were also thankful to enjoy an afternoon of taking a
little motorboat out to Bat Island and hiking to the top (a
yearly tradition) and this time we also stopped at Peace
Island, only to find that theres not much there.
Were grateful that we work in a place that recognizes the
need for a retreat and for rejuvenation from God. It was
also a rich opportunity to have a relaxing time with staff
where we could play games, laugh, and worship together.

The only thing worse than taping

yourself is watching it.
A few days later my principal
also came to observe me.
Thankfully it went well.

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Bryans in Rwanda

November 2014

Douglas is taking the plunge!

KICS Community Festival

KICS (Kigali International Community
School) has a festival each year as a time
to gather together and raise lots of
money for the PTO (Parent-Teacher
Organization) at our amazing school.
This year Douglas wowed the crowd with
some impressive juggling and then
together we led a sing-a-long with some
Disney songs. We ended our
performance time by inviting elementary
students to the stage and leading them in
the KICS Vision Song. Douglas and I wrote
this song, to the tune of Wavin Flag,
several years back. It was delightful to
know that even in our year of absence at
KICS, the vision song lived on!
Douglas also braved the dirty waters of
the dunk tank. Thankfully it was a hot and
sunny day, but he gracefully handled

getting dunked at least 20 times during his

half hour time slot. The best part was
watching the third graders with strong
determination to accurately throw the
ball with the result of their teacher being
submerged into the water.
We also bought some raffle tickets,
because the big prize was a plane ticket
to Dubai. We didnt win that, but we did
manage to come home with a gift
certificate to one of our favorite
restaurants and some money to a local
bookstore.
Kids wore costumes, the national Tae
Kwon Doe team came, and food vendors
from around the city shared their good
eats. All in all the festival was a huge
success and we were thankful to be a
part of a special day at KICS.
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Bryans in Rwanda

November 2014

Fall Break

Lord, hear our prayers.

Prayer Requests:
* Spiritual life for students at KICS
* Decision making in administration as they explore the
school improvement plan
* To find balance between work and outside opportunities

A group of 7 of us took a quick

overnight trip to Gisenyi, which is
another city on Lake Kivu. We
rode the bus, hung out at the
beach til it rained, then played
games. We stayed at an ecolodge that provided tents with
beds and really delicious food
all for extremely reasonable
rates. Even if its just for a night,
its always refreshing to get out
of the city for a bit.

* Future
Praises:
* Students who have decided to follow Jesus
* An incredible administration
* Gods provision
* for our community (this is a huge answer to prayer)
Thanks for your support! We appreciate the ways that
people encourage us, keep in touch, and let us know that
theyre thinking about us.
If youre interested in supporting us financially, you may do
so through check or credit card at
http://bryansinrwanda.weebly.com/support.html. The link
will also take you to our little website if youre interested in
having a look around.
Thanks for reading all the way to the end of our newsletter.
We hope youre doing well and you have a Happy
Thanksgiving!
With love,
Douglas & Kerry Bryan

Send us your
Christmas cards!
We really love mail. And
hearing from all of the people
we love back in the states.
Please include us on your
Christmas card list!

Douglas & Kerry Bryan

B.P. 6558
Kigali, Rwanda
International stamps are $1.15 or
you can just use 3 regular
stamps. We will appreciate
hearing from you! J