This is a rewrite of an earlier article. I took out all the parts that I now have reason to doubt were true. But I didn't want to scrub some of the images that charmed me.
First, this little boy sat quietly on the edge of the raised dais, watching the festivities. All the children here are darling, but this little fellow is in a league by himself. His mother made his clothes.

The beautiful woman in the foreground, (green dress, with black, red and white trim,) lighting the candle is named Assoumpta Nyirambarushimana. It's interesting to me that someone with her extreme beauty seemed utterly unaware of it. She has six children and is among the poorest of the poor.

The government here classifies people according to their income. The lowest earners of employed people earn $200 a month or less and that is 20% OF WORKERS. The unemployment rate is based on willing workers and is between 16% and 18%. So roughly 40% of the employable people are in the "unthinkably poor" category.
The guards and housecleaners and other "domestics" are the lowest earners. Some information I've seen says that they earn between $500 and $2000 PER YEAR.
The highest earners (5% of the population) are government workers and those working for/with Non-government Organizations. NGO's are supposedly charities, but in our experience after a few months here, many of them are corrupt...hence their "owners" being among the richest people in the country. That's also why they tend to spring up everywhere.
Note that there are some legitimate ones and interestingly, they are less aggressive.

I learned that this little miss is sister to the boy in the first picture. Someone handed her a piece of cake, and she's not sure what to do with it. A cake is a BIG DEAL to both the children and the adults. The fact that it was not at all what Americans expect from a cake, (we like sugar and flavor in our confections,) seemed to make no difference to the happy guests and children. Don't you love the eagerness in the faces of those watching the cake cutting?

As a missionary, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed by all the need. These sons and daughters, of our Heavenly Father are just as important to Him as I am. He wants me to help them. I pray every night and morning to know how to best spend my time, energy and resources to do the most far-reaching good. It seems to me that truly the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing that can rescue these folks. They will prosper only with the help of our Almighty God. They need miracles! Please pray for the heroes who are working hard to help their neighbors and exercise their faith by living the Gospel. Pray that they can grow and strengthen their faith and share it with others, PLEASE.
Other stories are piling up, too. Inspecting Missionary Apartments, shopping at Kimironko market, buying fruit and vegetables from tiny roadside "stands", teaching Temple Preparation classes through a translator, teaching English. . .having fun!
This is so cool Beth. Seems like a very worthy cause!