Blue Veil

In yesterday’s post I said I would strive for more pictures. Today, that is my goal! All of these pictures are from Immaculee Ilibagiza’s retreat center, which she named “Blue Veil”. I was blessed to spend much of the day with her and her group. Below are some key pics.

This is a breathtaking view from the top of what Immaculee calls “Prayer Mountain.” You get a sense of why they call Rwanda the Land of a Thousand Hills.

A narrow path with pavers traverses the steep hillside, drawing one toward the base. Here we are very near the bottom. Lower right you can see concrete seating. The skinny hut holds a statue of Our Lady of Kibeho, and is above four springs that were blessed by Jesus (according to a message to Immaculee) and provide water that is safe to drink. At center are the stations of the cross. Far left is a place for an attendant to stay during the day.

Close-up of the small shrine to Our Lady of Kibeho.

We prayed several rosaries throughout the journey down and back. Two members of her group in particular had physical disabilities. It was quite moving to see them make the effort to descend and then, even more difficult, attempt the trip back up. Here, at the bottom, Immaculee spoke to the group about a reading she chose from Isaiah and about the dangers of ignoring sin in our lives.

I chose this picture so you can see the abana (Kinyarwandan for “children”). These kids appeared from the woods lining the mountainside. One of the great joys is how well the abana receive us when we visit. Even later as I was walking back to my room, I heard a child shout from far away. I turned to see about ten children running toward me. They greeted me with high fives, handshakes and hugs. Several of them were students at the Children’s Academy. The kids in this picture listened patiently while Immaculee spoke to us, and then joined us for the climb back up.

Here you get some sense of the steepness of the terrain. That is Immaculee in front leading the group in a seven sorrows rosary.

One of the two members of the group with a physical disability made it to the top. Alas, this one did not. It was when he lost his balance and nearly fell over the edge that they decided to call for help. The young man in lower left holding the man’s sandals was the attendant at the bottom who went quickly to the top and came back with six guys and a stretcher. They probably carried the man the last quarter of the trip.

This gives just a taste of how first class the Blue Veil is. The gentleman in black pants and white top (uniform of wait staff) is handing a heated, moist towel to one of the group members in preparation for the lunch buffet (you can see people in line at the far end of the room). I was invited to join the group for dinner last night and breakfast this morning–the food was incredible. To be honest, this much wealth in the midst of such extreme poverty makes me a little uncomfortable; however, Immaculee knows well that if she can remove comfort objections from potential donors, they are more likely to come to Kibeho, see all that is going on here, and be inclined to support her efforts. It is part of what advancement folks might call “stewarding your donors.”

As I was leaving to head back to my room, I stopped to take this picture of the entire compound to put it in context. At right is the main building with the dining area from the picture above, a small chapel where we celebrated Mass, and various private rooms for the travelers. At left is an optional private suite, with an outdoor fire pit and private kitchenettes. I have no idea how much it would cost to stay at Blue Veil, but know that it is here for you should you ever want to come see this beautiful country!

At Mass today the main celebrant (a retired priest from New Orleans who is with Immaculee’s pilgrimage) asked us what is the language of God. One suggested Hebrew, another posited Latin, and still many others proposed “love.” All pretty good answers, I thought. He said the correct answer is “silence.” He said too often we go to prayer with all the things we want to say, but don’t take enough time to sit in silence and just listen. This was a message to me from God as I start my time here–to make sure I take time in silence and listen to what He wants to say to me.

God bless us all.