Friday morning the riders with the exception of Kyandui who was getting his passport papers together arrived for the ride. Last week at dinner I had asked the riders how many of them had passports because we were going to need them for the racing coming up. They all went quiet and one by one they all said that they did not have them. When I told them that the interior minister was going to help them get them quickly and that Team Rwanda was going to pay for them their countenances lit up like light bulbs turning on. I realized then that none of them could even consider paying for the passports and that it was weighing heavily on them for they had thought that they could not race and travel unless they came up with the money... Well we set off East to Rklamagana where Adrie and his family live 40 miles away.

The terrain soon became very different, the hills not as severe and very red soil with banana plantations everywhere. Very clean and neat wherever we looked, I was amazed as we came into Adrie's town, it resembled an old western town. I half expected to see saloons lined up along the main street, instead there were bike shops, people outside sewing on the old Singer manual sewing machines, food stores, blacksmiths and the mirad of other stores. Almost everybody recognized Adrie and shouted out "Muchacu" his nickname, kids ran along side us with incredible exuberance. We arrived at his house unannounced as nobody had phones. Both his mom and father were there and some friends where there, the warmth and welcome we (I) received was so incredible. His home was fortunate to have a cement floor, he had no electricity no running water and a barely any furniture but the hospitality you feel when you enter into their house rivaled any that I have been into in my life! Though they do not have tea or even water to offer as refreshments they will offer what they have, bananas, passion fruit or just a warm smile.

I also was so surprised of how many times they said "thank you" for visiting their home. They were not ashamed (nor should they have been) of where they lived or how they lived but graciously offered their warm welcome. I was truly honored to be a recipient of that gift they had to share. And as I looked into Adrie's mothers smiling appreciative eyes I realized that this incredible woman had lost 6 of her children in the most horrible way during the genocide and still had such a loving and giving spirit supplanting that deep sadness of unimaginable loss I was just floored at what God can do in the worst of situations for those that let him. I think of the times I get bent at someone for doing something so trivial (now it seems) to me, I (we) have so much to learn from these wonderful people who have so little and have lost so much! When we stepped outside his house we were greeted by this incredible mass of kids smiling and wanting to see "Muchachu" all screaming and yelling. The interaction of the other riders with the family and even amongst themselves was like watching family members and brothers in the best of times together.

The way home was like a 4 man TT hammering up the hills and on the flats, as fun as they have together when they get down to riding they are serious about their business. Some of the pulls that Adrie pulled were sending us searching for the right gears and more power, he had us all on the rivet more than once. Whoa this guy has some serious power in his legs!

Lunch the following day I had with some friends who's mother at lunch described how as a child escaped the killers while they were massacring her whole family, she basically ran to the Congo days away joining up with groups fleeing for their lives, and the perils they faced as they fled and the abuse they endured as refugees in a foreign country. What a happy and grateful person she was and again what a warm loving welcome she gave me!

After lunch we all went to visit this time Rafiki's house. Now banana man Rafiki, lives in an incredible setting! I kept asking him as we wound up and up over 3 miles on a small dirt road to the top of Kigali Mountain if we were going to his house not a lookout. He kept smiling and laughing saying "yes, we are going to my home". We finally crested the summit and there was his house, spectacular view but again, no electricity, no water, clean swept dirt floors and that now familiar incredible warm loving welcome from his mother, Elizabeth. What a happy, joyous, laughing, smiling woman! She had this Texas singer rasp when she laughed and talked and I could see where Rafiki got his infectious laughing, smiling demeanor. You just look at Rafiki and you want to smile. I now feel very silly asking the riders if they had any computers, I thought that since some had e-mail addresses they "obviously" had computers, these people don't even have electricity! Goodness gracious who was I to think that they would have computers or laptops! When they get a little extra money they go to an internet café and go online for their e-mails and stuff, it's about .50cents/hour here. Rafiki welcomed me to see his room and where he slept, we stooped and went through his entrance covered by a piece of fabric, none of the openings in the house had either doors or windows and again he thanked me over and over for coming to see his home. Here too everybody on the way up and down shouted Rafiki's name, the only bike rider from their town. Their own celebrity passing by, they all wanted to be a part of the event!

That evening faithful Saide picked me up and we went to the airport to meet Larry Dean Smith from Saddleback Church who so graciously brought us over more bikes and bike material for the riders, thank you Larry! With the equipment there where the sponsorship Oakley glasses, more Lake shoes, Ritchey tyres (yes!) and parts, Ritchey bike frames and SRAM components, to come is still our jerseys and shorts from Pactimo which Tom will bring over next week. I will add that these sponsors all with one phone call and very little explaining what Project Rwanda was doing donated whatever we needed to supply these riders with equipment and support. That along with our financial supporters have made this portion of Project Rwanda possible and has already made an incredible impact on these riders!

Sunday morning the riders met me at the center and we headed to Butare, they had passport paper work to do Monday morning so went half way and turned back to Kigali. For this ride we had Parker from 80percentangel.com who is producing a streaming video for us about Team Rwanda and he got some footage of the ride out of Kigali and into the mountains. To meet us coming from Butare was that familiar smiling face of Rambo and the new to the group Samuel with his remarkable bike that works and brakes defying all logic.

I feel more and more the bond that these people have together and the invisible understanding that passes through each one of them. They have made their choice, either be destroyed by the past or enable it to bring them to a deeper understanding to the value of life and people they come in contact with every day. Tragedies will either make you a better person or a bitter person , it's so evident which side of life they have chosen.