The conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is...

OK, folks, the verdict is in: I'm staying here in Rwanda. For a year, or two, or maybe more.

I originally planned this as a 3-month "investigative" trip, to see whether I would like living in Rwanda, and whether the Chinese field would be fruitful. But, to be frank, I gave myself an 80% chance of staying here longer. (Well, now it's 100%.)

Placing such high odds on staying somewhere that I had never visited in my life was based on my experience in Malawi. If African culture appealed to me then, why wouldn't it now, even though it's a different country?

So the upshot is that I had to "eat" my return flight to the U.S., which was scheduled for June 2. Because my round-trip ticket was so cheap, it had quite a few restrictions, one of which is that I can't change the return trip to any date past July. So now if I want to return to the U.S., I have to buy another flight.

But what about the question of visa? In the absence of any other type of recognized visa, how long can one be a "tourist," leaving and reentering the country? This worked in Malawi for quite awhile, until the situation became more and more problematic at the border.

However, with regard to Rwanda, Wikitravel states: "If you are a resident of the US or EU, keep in mind that you can avoid paying for an expensive residency permit simply by declaring yourself a tourist upon arrival and then traveling outside of Rwanda once every 90 days for the length of your [stay]. Your 90-day tourist visa (automatically granted upon entry) will be renewed each time you leave and reenter the country."

I was informed that Rwanda welcomes Americans due to the good relationship between the two countries, so if the above information can be relied on, there should be no problem exiting and reentering as many times as I want, for as long as I want.

Having to leave the country only 4 times a year isn't that burdensome. It's not like having to leave 12 times a year and travel 2,000 miles round-trip each time, like some have to do in another country (which shall remain unnamed). The nice thing is that Rwanda is such a small country, you can drive a few hours in any direction and you will be in another country.

What clinched my decision to stay here, however, is the positive response from the branch to start something in the Chinese field. This means the distinct possibility of a Chinese class and Chinese group! With the number of Bible studies presently being conducted, as well as excellent prospects for studies, I would find it hard to justify leaving at this point.

So that sealed the matter! I managed to sell my car in California. There is an investment that hopefully will be producing something soon, and the possibility of a teaching job. Sometimes I have the sensation of falling, wondering whether is a safety net. But Jehovah can take care of things, no problem!