Perseverance through Adversity

A weekend away!

The program that I am here in Rwanda with is linked with an NGO called Procom whose main focus is on Agricultural Development. My professor for Social Context and Community Development is leading up this NGO and wanted us to take a trip to his farm. 

Lesson #1 learned from this trip: When someone tells you a trip will be 2 hours, expect it to be at least 3. Matatu's are the bumpiest, dustiest ride in the entire world.

On our way to the Procom farm (located extremely close to the Tanzania boarder), we first stopped at a Rwandan farm. Augustine is said to be the best farmer in Rwanda. He has just as much land as other Rwandans, but he utilizes his space very well. On his fan, he does a lot with mushroom seeds. He dries them, bags them and gives ten to his neighbors to plant and then he will buy their products to sell. He was also drying tomato slices so that he could plant and use the seeds. They were crunchy and sort of tasted by tomato soup. Many Rwandans struggle with producing products because of the dry seasons that effect Rwanda. As a solution to this problem, Augustine has large pits that collect water runoff from the streets and roof. He then uses that water to tend to his plants. Also on his land, he has several different types of banana trees. The trees only bear fruit once, but it takes about 18 months to produce a product. When the bushel of bananas is ready, it can weigh up to 300 pounds. Having been told the weight of those bananas, I have much more compassion for the men that walk down the street pushing 3-4 bushels of bananas on a bike. Watching them, it presented me with the realization that these people have to work so much harder for so little gain. The perseverance of these people is absolutely incredible!

Dried tomato slices

One of the other really neat things that Augustine was doing at his farm was the production of vanilla beans. He gave our group a bundle of them.

We drove through many rural areas and many of them were extremely far from any sort of market. That makes me stop and think, “How self sustainable are they?” Cultures and communities are always changing because the world is forcing them to. These communities seem so self sustainable from the outside which I see as a blessing for these people. Because of the drive to be self-sustainable, many children are helping out around their homes instead of going to school. My concern with this is, “How will this effect their children as the world forces change within their community?” Because the world forces change among cultures in order to remain functional, self sustained communities will eventually be effected and they may reach a point where being self-sustainable is unachievable. If communities reach this point and children are not educated, they will struggle to survive.

When we got to the Procom farm, we settled into our “house” which consisted of cement floors, cement walls that didn’t touch the ceiling and a tin roof (oh and I almost forgot about the latrine).

Which leads me to Lesson #2: Peeing in a hole is not my thing…

Other pictures from the farm:

On Saturday, we woke up and headed into a village to take part in Umuganda, a day of community service. As we walked into town, people flocked just to walk with us and hold our hands. When we got to the village, we waited around to see what we were going to be doing for the day. While we waited, we decided to have a little fun with the kids. We showed them how to play hopscotch. Most of them were timid and sort of backed up, but others stepped up and hopped right through it. Then, 4 of us went into a huddle together and crouched down on the ground and pretended we were having a serious conversation. The kids came in and huddled around us to see what we were doing. We counted to 3 and all jumped up and pretended we were raptors. The kids went running and screaming. Then, we all huddled back up and despite running and screaming, they all gathered back around us.

The community work that we ended up doing was weeding in a garden. There were at least 20 kids that came and helped because they wanted to work with Mzungus. The location that we were at had several “gardens” that we were helping with. It was very unclear what was to be pulled out so we would ask the kids, “This one?” and then pull it out. Some of the children there had incredible English while others didn’t have a clue what we were saying. The separation between kids who have the opportunity to go to Primary/secondary School and the kids who do not is such a distinct difference. It is sad that many children don’t have the opportunity to gain an education.

To say the least, being at the farm was not really my thing, but I learned a lot from being there. I realized that in this atmosphere, the Procom farm has to focus on Perseverance through Adversity. That statement got me thinking and I have realized that the lessons God is teaching me here don’t really have anything to do with the class topics. My interests don’t lie in Peace & Conflict or Development except for the fact that it is part of our Christian calling to be aware of these things and work towards furthering God’s Kingdom. That being said, I have found that the lessons God is teaching me here have to do with the side comments from different individuals.

Recently, I have been thinking about how I am going to approach my career and what I even want to do. I have had it on my heart that I want to teach on a pediatric floor in a hospital or pursue being a Child Life Specialist, but I have not heard positive things about the availability of jobs in that market. That really got me down. As I heard the statement, “Persevere through adversity,” I was no longer stressed or worried about what those around me were saying because I realized that by persevering, God will place opportunities in my life at the right time if it is meant to be. Then, as I looked at opportunities at Messiah, I came across the minor, “Child and Youth Services.” And for now…that is what I am going to do!

The next day, we left the Procom farm to drive to African New Life Church. The church is located in a very rural part of Rwanda and thus, it was a service spoken in Kinyarwanda. They knew we were coming so they had pews saved for us right in the front and a translator to give us the message. Different choirs sang and people welcomed us with open arms. A little girl, about 3 or 4 years old came up and sat next to me in my pew. She couldn’t speak any English so our communication consisted of smiling and high fives. As the pastor spoke, I had my journal out taking notes. Within seconds, the little girl had her head leaning on my forearm, asleep. At the end of the service, her mom came up to her to take her but the little girl did not want to go with her. I tried to pick her up and move her, but she was refusing to put her feet down and go. When we went out to the car, she followed us out.

 

Sitting in church, not being able to understand the songs and much of the translated sermon, I realized how much church isn’t about me. In the moment of watching the African people worship, I was simply enjoying Gods presence in the house of worship.

This experience is teaching me so many lessons in such crazy ways. It is in the midst of minor, unimportant side comments that God is speaking to me. 


Other "insignificant comments" that taught me lessons:

• When you dwell in the yesterday, you keep yourself from praising God and praying in the fullest
• As you are suffering, keep it in Christ
• Poverty is a way people come vulnerable (and we are all poor in Christ)
• The healing process starts when people are able to speak out and talk (express emotions)
• Emotions are both a blessing and a challenge

Do with them what you will :)

The Unity of "Amen"

Now, let me just tell you that this post is rather gruesome and upsetting. That being said, I left you with a happy ending!

Clothes from Victims

For my Peace and Conflict class, we went to two more Genocide memorials. The first one, Ntarama, was a Catholic Church where 5,000 people are buried. Many people went there thinking it was a hold place where they would be safe. People both inside the church and outside are buried and remembered at this memorial. The Church is kept in its original condition with holes from grenades in the walls and such. For the memorial, there is the main church, a sunday school building, and a kitchen building. In the Sunday school building, there are stains on the walls from where Hutus took babies by the feet and smashed their heads against the wall. They are stains from blood and brains. In the kitchen, the Hutus came in with grenades to blow up the building. Those who did not die from the grenade blows were tied to mattresses which were then burned. That building also remains in its original condition. The comes have been removed, but the clothes and mattresses and shoes remain where they were. In the main chapel, the benches remained. Clothes were everywhere and bones were placed on a shelf in the back. In the from, there were coffins of people who were recently found. Also on shelves were shoes, pots, and weapons. Those resources were there because people expected to live there and that it would be a safe haven. 

The Catholic Church

Our tour guide was a genocide survivor. Carly, a girl on my trip, asked him to share his story...and he did. This is his story:

He left his house to go to the hill where he could fight because he was a young male. At sunrise, he returned to his house to shower and change his clothes. He did this for several days and several nights. One day when he returned to his house, he found his father sitting in the garden. As he sat with his father, the Hutus came in and shot his father, however, he ran and survived. He did not mention the rest of his family. As the genocide continued, he would hide in the swaps and the hills. At night, he would go out and get cabbage and feet potatoes to live off. He is a survivor. He does not dwell in the past. He shared his story with an open heart.

Despite 1994, they remain one nation

The second memorial, Nyamata, was also preserved in a very natural state. It was a large Catholic Church and inside were the clothes of victims layer against the benches. This memorial has approximately 45,000 bodies. Outside were mass graves that you could walk down steps and see caskets and comes on both sides. In the basement of the church the memorial site preserved some bones to show the damage of different ways victims were killed. There was also a single coffin that was the body of a woman. It was there to represent the suffering of many women. Many were were raped my many men (20+) before they were killed. To be killed, men would shove a long stick up their private parts and they would then bleed to death. 

The 3rd Genocide Memorial We Visited

Mass Graves

"Never Again"

The Clothes of Victims

Inside the memorial, there was a woman who cleaned the floors. She is said to be a "walking dead" and she was given this job so that she would have something to do with her time. Our professor asked if she would be willing to share her story with us. She agreed, so we traveled a bit away so that we would not be around crowds and she would not be looked down upon for telling her story. She told us her story in Kinyarwanda and our professor translated for us. This is her story...

Professor Anastase and Sarafina

Sarafina (the woman that spoke to us), her husband and her children left their house when they heard that the presidents plane had been shot down and trouble would soon be coming. They stayed in several churches before going to the stadium where thousands of people were staying. There, the Hutu's would come in and kill the Tutsi's during the night, but one woman hid her and her family and they were safe. That being said they knew they wouldn't be safe to stay there when it turned day. They traveled to another church close by but it was too full to stay. When they were traveling somewhere else, her husband was shot right in front of her and her kids. She did not want to leave that place, but they wouldn't kill her and her children. Sarafina and her children went to a crowded church and stayed in the basement where it was crowded and people were dying because they didn't have food and water. They were just waiting there to be killed. They were waiting for the Hutus to come and kill them off. That did not happen. The RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) came and took them all to same places, but they split up the women and the children so Sarafina was separated from her children. A few weeks later, Sarafina was reunited with her children and they are all alive to this day...

As she told her story, she was so strong but she had moments when she broke into tears. What an incredible woman. She is by far the strongest woman I have met. She had an open heart and despite everything she was a believer. She has seen more than any of us could ever imagine seeing. 

When she was done telling her story, I was shaking and we were all in tears. Without thinking much, I raised my had and asked Pastor if I could pray for her. He translated to her and she smiled so I walked up, took her hands and our group of 14 crowded around her. I have no idea what I said, but it was such a powerful moment. I stood and prayed in English and Pastor translated for me. We were a unified group because we all have ONE Father who loves us and is looking down on us. It didn't matter that she couldn't understand my language and I couldn't understand hers. At the end, we all said "Amen." We were unified by a single word. "Amen"

Going into these memorials and seeing them preserved in a very natural state was nauseating, The realness of them got to me. It was right in front of me. I am sorry that I could not present much to you other than the facts of what I heard. As I have been challenged to learn and reflect about the Genocide in the last week, I have had trouble with the question, “Where is God in all the killing?” I realize that I am not the only person with this question, but at the same time, it is a question I want to try to unpack for myself. After visiting the three memorials, I have seen and heard some stories that have changed my life; however, I have still not been able to figure out the answer to my question.  All that being said, I have discovered an answer to the question, “Where is God now?”

            God is in Africa. He has been here and he always will be here. While some may doubt God because of the mass killings, you cannot deny that God is with these people now. After hearing the two testimonies at the genocide memorials, it was made clear to me that even though I don’t have an answer to God’s presence during the killings, I do know that he is with these people now as they continue on with their lives. Despite the devastation these people have faced, they still love God with their whole hearts. Through God, they have been blessed with the spirit of forgiveness, which is an incredible challenge. To me, I cannot fathom having the spirit to forgive the people who killed my family and friends. In addition, they still find a way to smile. Despite the fact that they have lost their families, friends, and feel like “the walking dead,” they smile the brightest, most beautiful smiles. These memorials have opened my eyes to seeing God work in this country. I look forward to my continual reflection of the history of this country and the lives of the Rwandan people.

NOW...I know this post is getting long, but I want to leave you with a more happy moment from here in Africa. WE FOUND FRIENDS! Now, they are all 11 years or younger, but that is    beside the point. They live a few streets down. We went out today with the sole purpose of finding children. We found 3 and within 10 minutes there were at least 30. They are so fun and I can't wait to hang out with them throughout the semester!

I am in love!

This is Germina and her friend. Germina is 11 years old and he birthday is on March 21st. She is in "level 5" at primary school. Her English was absolutely incredible! She would translate between myself and the other kids. An incredible young girl.

 

These kids were absolutely insane! They love chasing us around with grass and tickling us or playing silly high five games. They absolutely adore the camera if you can't already tell...

 

Much Love from Africa!

Hakuna Matata: SAFARI TIME!

   

SAFARI DAY! This past weekend, we went on safari. On Friday morning, we woke up at 3:30am so that we could leave our house by 4:30 to get to the game park. The game park is a protected area where animals are, but it is not fenced in. It was about a 2 hour drive and we drove through many rural parts of Rwanda. These parts were much more of what I expected Rwanda to be like. The houses huts, motor vehicles rarely passed through, and many children didn't go to school. As we drove by in our legit safari vans, children would come out screaming, Mzungu Mzungu (which means foreigner). Every child that came running had a big smile on their face.

On our way through the rural parts of Rwanda, our vans shook as we went over bumpy dirt roads. As we are driving along, Freddie, my van's driver, flies over a huge bump and our heads go bouncing up the the ceiling. We drive for about 15 seconds before we come to a stop. Flat tire. Each vehicle comes with 2 extra tires, so we all got out while our driver put the new tire on. Many kids were on their way to school, but when they saw a bunch of Mzungus hanging out in the street, they stopped and watched. Many of the children would smile and wave and occasionally some would ask us in a very formulaic way, "What is your name?" As time went by, Jordan showed the children his watch and asked, "School, time?" Immediately, all the children go sprinting off to school, waving as they turn around to look at us. 

We eventually made it to Akagera park where we saw animals of all sorts. We saw several packs of zebras, as well as giraffes, baboons, hippos, cobs,  water buffalo and a few others. Each pack of animals was sure to have a baby in it. The pack of giraffes we saw was absolutely incredible. We went off the dirt road into the field to try and get as close as possible to the pack of 13 giraffes. Seeing all of these animals in the peacefulness and beauty of God's creation was incredible! We drove around the park until around 3:30 in the afternoon and then we headed to our camp sight which was on the top of a mountain. When we got to the top, we unpacked our cars, pitched our tents and just hung out  in a gazebo until we were ready to start to make dinner. Within minutes of being there, we noticed an alpha male baboon circling our gazebo. Cautiously, we watched it as it got closer and closer to us. Eventually, it got close enough that it jumped up onto the three foot wall of the gazebo. Jordon, our leader ran because he had told us that they were very vicious animals and we didn't want to mess with them. 

This is the baboon that ate our food!

We all slowly backed away as we continued to watch what it was going to do. Almost as if it were a human being, it walked over to our food, picked up peanuts in one hand, and took some cookies in the other hand. He then proceeded to go sit under a tree that was 15 yards away and we watched him eat. The next day, we woke up at 7, made oatmeal over the fire, and headed out around 8:30am. From about 8:30 to 1 we went on search for elephants, but we were unsuccessful. We saw poop and foot prints, but no elephants! On our way back, Ryan and I rode on top of the car, in the front through all the villages. Kids would again, come running out, waving and screaming, "Mzungu, Mzungu!" People of all ages would smile and wave. Traveling through those villages was such an eye opener. Kigali is nothing like the rest of Rwanda. My heart broke  for those people, but in reality. they may be living the best life, with caring communities and loving on Christ. Not many people can say that they have been on an African Safari. It was an incredible trip.

All of the giraffe pictures are for Nanny!

Children from rural villages in Rwanda

Weirdest looking animals!

PICK-UP! soccer and social norms

I FOUND SOCCER!!!!! Ryan and I went out yesterday to find a place to play soccer. Not expecting to find much, we came across a really nice turf field and there were tons of people surrounding it. One of their national teams was practicing and the sideline was just lined with people watching. We went over and sat down on the sideline and hoped that someone would talk to us in English. In a few minutes, a guy, who told us to call him Bob, came up to us and asked us if we wanted to play with the team on the field. He told us to just ask the coach and he would probably let us play, most likely we would have been allowed to because we are Mzungus (foreigners).We just laughed and finished watching them as they took PK's and ended practice. Bob had incredible english and stood and talked to us about Snoop Dog and other random American things until we could get on the field. Once we got on the field, Bob wanted to see me kick the ball...he seemed skeptical because I was a girl, but sung my praises when we were done (it was funny). For a while, Ryan and I just kicked around, until a guy came up to us and asked if we wanted to play pick-up. Within minutes, we were being picked for teams and played some 5v5 inside the 18 with small goals. WHAT? I was so pumped. Most of the guys had solid English, but when we played, they spoke in Kinyarwanda. These guys ranged probably from 20-25 years-old and they were much better than I was expecting. Playing "Rwandan Soccer" was a little weird because it is much more of an individual, let me show you my moves, atmosphere; but, I still had fun. The change in elevation was killing me a little, but I can't wait to go back. They play pick-up every day at the same time!


We played for like a half hour and then it started to get dark so we ended the small sided game. Bob, and several others stuck around to watch us play so when we were done, we walked back with him. As I was walking and talking, he was telling me how he was surprised I could play, because I was a girl. I was just walking and talking, looking back at him, and all of a sudden, I found myself in a hole. There was literally a hole, probably a foot in diameter, and I fell in it, chest high. Luckily, I didn't twist anything, I just dropped straight into the hole. For some reason it didn't really surprise me, so I just got up and kept walking. Probably the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me.

Today, we went to the largest Genocide Memorial for a field trip with our Peace and Conflict class. As I walked through, there were bones, skulls, clothes, and hundreds of pictures or people who lost their lives on during the 100 days of mass murder. This rose is the most metaphorical image in the whole museum. There were half dead roses laying on top of mass graves that now hold the remains of over 200,000 people. On Monday, we will go to two other genocide memorials that are outside of Kigali...I am still working through processing what it means to be here and study a Genocide that took place on the very streets I walk everyday...I'll let you know what I think when I know, if I ever know what I think...




I have been trying to figure out where God is in making sense of the Genocide...this is a great song!


But for now...a little bit about the cultural differences...


1) Cars, buses, and motorcycles have the right away. If you walk out, they will not stop! You have to play frogger through the first lane, wait in the middle, and then make it through the next set. Also, they think they have the power to drive on whatever side of the road they want and honk their little horns.


2) Skirts and pants below the knee have become my best friend!


3) When going to the market, it is best to go out with only one other person because you will be attacked by sellers. The goods are organized by category so if you stop at one place, all the others will come up and shove the thing you are looking at in your face from their booth. I am getting good at saying "ova" which means no!


4) You don't say the word "genocide" or "hutu and tutsi." You use "war" or "h and t."


5) When you shop, nothing has prices on it. Shopping is more forced by sellers...you don't just stop and look for long periods of time.


6) You don't flush toilet paper down the toilet.


7) Don't brush your teeth with sink water.


8) I am the minority (which is so cool!)

9) I sleep in a mosquito net...


10) A quick way to figure out how much money you are paying is to take the price in franks and multiply it by 2. It gives you an approximation.


11) People love to sit around and watch pick-up soccer games and practices.

12) Hand washing clothes...I'm pretty sure they ARE NOT clean...


13) When you go out to get coffee or eat...go when you are full because by the time you get your food, you will be hungry again (I speak from experience...)


It is crazing trying to fit in in a sea of Rwandan's. Clearly I do not blend in, but I am beginning to pick up the cultural norms or the country. The language is a work in progress, but when I can use a word, the Rwandan's are very impressed!


WE GO ON SAFARI TOMORROW! We leave at 4:30am and we are taking safari vans like in the movies! Then we will camp out in the game park. I will post pictures on Monday! I hope all is well. Much love from Rwanda.

Do we only define poverty though materialism?

Defining the word poverty presents a challenge that can be very contradictory depending on a person’s worldviews. As I have begun to work through the word poverty in the last several days, I have compiled these thoughts. I believe that the word poverty is to be defined in a materialistic sense; however, that does not mean that there are not other subcomponents of poverty.

Poverty occurs when there is a situation in which a person or a group of people lacks the necessary resources for survival. That being said, I do believe that a person can be impoverished in other areas of life, such as social, relational, and spiritual; however, I do not think poverty is  the best word to describe those areas of deprivation.  I see the word poverty as a base word for describing other areas that lack certain components such as spiritual poverty, social poverty, or relational poverty.

 As Christians, we are broken before God. Using the word spiritual as an adjective for poverty (spiritual poverty) is a metaphor that provides a common understanding amongst people. When the word poverty is said, many people have the initial reaction to think of a materialistic definition such as the one I have stated above. It is the idea that something important for survival is lacking. While I do not believe that poverty should be used to define those terms, I think using the word poverty as an all inclusive definition for “spiritual poverty”, “relational poverty”, and so forth provides a common ground that can then allow the philosophical depth of the question to be revealed and subcomponents of the word to be developed.

            As I continue to ponder poverty in its entirety, I feel as though it is important to do it in an analytical way. I think it is important to analyze what resources truly are necessary for survival.  As we look at poverty from country to country, the concept is skewed because of the differences in economic status between countries.  In the United States, poverty is seen as making less than $22,000 a year, when in reality that could provide for all of the necessary resources needed for survival. Compare that number to the approximately $730 a year in Rwanda and we can see that from country to country, poverty in terms of money is seen differently. Poverty, all across the world, should be defined by the ability to provide the necessary materials for survival; it should not be looked at based on the power and development of the nation.    

On a different note: The last several days have been an absolute blessing! I went to the Kimironko (Market) again, and purchased a few things, including some flowers for in our room! I begin to feel more and more comfortable with my surroundings each time I go out and interact with the people and their culture.

Much love to all of you!

Shusho (images)

Here are some pictures from my time in Rwanda thus far! I will try to post them in the blogs from now on, but it was not working before. Enjoy!

 The view from our porch

 Another view from our porch

Our classroom that was made in our garage

 Meals by our cook, Aidah

 Flowers on the compound

Bubbles! One of our two dogs.

Part of my bedroom. We have bunk beds on the left and a closet behind the table.

My first market purchase! I even bartered for it!

Mwiriwe!

On our first Sunday here, we went to an English speaking church full of  both Rwandan’s and other white missionary families. It was a quick 20 minute walk both to and from. The pastor spoke saying, “God speaks quietly in our pleasure, but shouts in our pain.” As he continued, he passionately spoke about, “Owning the vision, and embracing the dream (Prov. 29:18).” Every believer has an inheritance designated to him or her from the Father. It has your name on it! It is stamped and sealed. You own it…you must embrace it. You must rise up. He passionately spoke about being wholehearted. There are several different types of churches. Some are traditional and quite, while others are very loud with dancing, singing, clapping and drums. It was our last day of orientation and today we finally started to have some independence from our “house parents,” Leah and Jordon.

Low down of the day! Today was my first day as a student in Rwanda. Kimmie, Julie, Nicoya and I woke up at 6:00am to get a little workout in before our day started, and then by 7:30am we were ready to head to class. Aidah, our cook, had pancakes and mango slices ready for us for breakfast before we headed out the door. The two classes we have for the first month or so are Social context for community development and Peace Building/Reconciliation.  Social Context is taught by an American man, Dwight Jackson from Procom, an American originated missions group. He came to Burundi from 1981-1988 and then came to Rwanda in 1998. He said the biggest cultural change in Rwanda when he came back was the genuine effort to build a strong equitable society so that a war would not happen again. Rwanda’s challenge was/is…”What will I do when neighboring countries go into chaos?”

Some Background: The Rwandan Genocide was in the spring of 1994 and lasted for about 100 days. Because Rwanda is a neighboring nation with Burundi and they are both small, they have a large impact on one another. Currently in Burundi, a neighboring nation, there is a civil war because they did not develop a strong social context after the Rwandan Genocide. That means, if Burundi has a flare up and the war gets chaotic, Rwanda will be impacted in some way.

My thought is that because Rwanda’s Genocide was so terrible, they had the immediate desire to make change so that nothing like that would ever happen again. Burundi on the other hand was not as harshly affected; therefore, their response to make social change was not as desired.

Our second class, Peace Building and Reconciliation, is at 1:00pm with Pastor Anastase Rugrangoga; he is from Rwanda. During the Genocide, Anastase and his family were in Nigeria working at a church; therefore he escaped the violence and now lives back in Rwanda. He expressed as Americans from a powerful country, we should not get angry, but we should work for peace and community. As this class carries on, we will take a trip to the Genocide Memorial and listen to the story of a survivor.

I am really looking forward to both of my classes. There is a ton of reading that must be done in a small amount of time, but that is about the extent of the workload. Our grades come from reflection papers and a final project, but there are no tests.

After class today, I took my first adventure out into Kigali. Kimmie, Sam and I walked to the market with is called Kimironko in Kinyarwandan. There were so many things I learned about the culture and how to handle different cultural settings just from going out one time.  We went into the market and there was everything!  With no real purpose to be there, we just walked through aisles to see what there was. We quickly learned that as soon as you stop at a booth, you will be “attacked” by all of the Rwandans trying to sell their goods. We bartered to buy some fabric and denied many people as they tried to “advertise” their booth. Trying to communicate across the cultural barrier was difficult, but we were able to manage. It was an overwhelming, exhausting experience that was a little uncomfortable, but with time, it will be a completely different experience. I look forward to buying fun things to bring back to the states.

Expect, but without specific expectations

The packing got done, the goodbyes were said, and my adventure has now begun. After over 24 hours of traveling, I am now safe in Rwanda. Our house is beautiful and the compound has what is said to be, “one of the best views in town.” The house has five bedrooms: one 3 man where the boys are, 3 2 man’s (one of which is mine, and one five man. In addition, there is a kitchen, a family room, and an incredible porch where I am currently sitting on my computer. The temperature is amazing.  Siting out here at 9:15pm in some sweats and a t-shirt...I could definitely get used to this. There is another house on the compound where our American host family lives: Jordan, Leah, and their-month-old baby, Zeke. Our cook, Idah and her son occupy the other house. Other workers on the compound are our two guard: Alfanz and Celest. I have yet to see Alfanz without a smile on his face. I look forward to building relationships with all of these people and seeing how we can impact each other’s lives.

The community in which we live is called Remera and our walk around the town was incredible. I couldn’t wipe a smile off my face. As we headed towards the town, we have to walk up a long, very, very, very bumpy dirt road to get there. Once we reach the top of the hill, if we take a left, we go toward the stadium and the market, and if we take a right, we go toward the city of Kigali, which is a 20-minute bus ride away. As we walked around town to get a feel for the land, people stared at us as our pack of 15 young white people. We are indeed the minority. Being the minority is going to be an amazing opportunity to see the world through a different lens.

While the things I just described above have been my physical experience thus far, my emotional experience has taken me a different direction. When I take the time to stop and think of the concept of poverty, my thoughts are this: I am poverty. I am no richer than those I am surrounded by. In God’s eyes, we are all equal. While I may have more material things then the people here, that is so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. My material possessions are nothing. As I immerse myself in this culture, I must realize that I have nothing to give other than my heart, service, love and personality. My hands must enter Rwanda face up, ready to receive what the Rwandans have to offer. They have God, He is present here, and that is the richest blessing.

2 Corinthians 11:30- If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Sitting on the Airplane, I opened a letter given to me by my incredible sister, Amber. From her letter, I have taken this and I will look to use this in not only my experience here, but as I grow and develop throughout my entire life:

• We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us...
• Look for God to,  “Break my heart for what breaks yours, Everything I am for your Kingdom’s cause.”
• 4 Rules to Live By:
• Care more than others think wise.
• Risk more than others think safe.
• “And which of you by being anxious can add a a single hour to his span of life.”-Matthew 6:27
• Dream more than others think practical.
• Expect more than others think possible.
• EXPECT, BUT WITHOUT SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
• What does that mean for me and this trip? It means I will make more of a conscious effort to understand and appreciate that God is each moment. Whether I am simply in my bedroom, or I am out walking the streets, God is present. It is important to find excitement in each moment, knowing that God can use me. This goes back to my image of walking into this experiences, with my hands up, facing God, ready for anything. I expect God to be in each moment, but I do not have specific expectations for how he will use me.
• And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best. -Philippians 1:9-10
• Certainly, travel s more than the seeing of sights, it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. - Miriam Beard

Well, just so you all know, I have Internet in my house, which I didn’t originally think would be the case. I will have Skype open whenever I have Internet. The best time is probably between 1:00 and 3:00 EST because that is 8:00-10:00 pm my time.

Also, I can’t currently get pictures to upload correctly because of a glitch with our Internet, but I put them on Facebook. I will do my best to get them posted on the blog.

God is good all the time.

T.I.M.E (Trust, Invest, Meditate, Embrace)

Well, here goes nothing. Just so all you followers know, I hope to write a new blog entry at least twice a week. Due to limited internet access, I may not be able to post them twice a week, so look for multiple entries at a time. Thanks and God bless.

I have been anticipating the day I would leave for Africa for almost a year now. A little over a year ago, I was planning to study abroad in Australia. As I looked into the program there, the classes weren't going to give me enough transfer credits, so I canned the whole idea of studying abroad. I worried about what I was going to do with my life and I was convinced I wouldn't get the opportunity to study abroad. Little did I know, God had things planned out for me. Before I knew it, I had finished my Go-Ed Application to study abroad in Rwanda for the Spring of 2012. WHAT? Rwanda? Why Rwanda? I was asked countless times, "Are you crazy? Why Rwanda?" And to those people, I had no answer. My decision to travel to Rwanda was something that God truly placed on my heart, and in the upcoming 4 months, I will see what He has in store for me. 

Christmas break finally came,  the realization I was leaving became more of a reality and now I am sitting on my bed, computer in my lap, and I leave for orientation tomorrow. On January 11th, we will all congregate in Washington, D.C. before leaving to fly to Africa on Friday, January 13th. The high anticipation has been overwhelming and with that anticipation has come much preparation. While the preparation has included the typical paperwork, packing, and shots, along with the not so typical long-skirt thrift store shopping, the real preparation has been that of my heart and mind (which is never easy). 

As I have been running errands and spending time with Mike, my friends, and my family, I have been analyzing the concept of time. In our society, time is money. That being said, there is always a rush to get to where you are going or get done what you are trying to get done. Our society is driven by time. You constantly see cars rushing down the highway and when you sit down to "relax,"quickly flicking between channels is the norm. Why all the rush? When consumed and surrounded by the constant availability of the internet, cars, and TV, it is hard to just stop. This statement may be premature, but Africa will be a time for me to slow down. Some may disagree and say, "You are crazy, you are going to be busy with new experiences on a daily basis." To them, I say this; Time is more than hours and minutes. While time is precious, the importance we place on it may not always be accurate. Reevaluate time.


I wish I could draw because as I have thought about what it means to reevaluate time, I came up with a powerful image. Try to follow me here. Imagine holding a piece of paper up to a mirror that has the word "time" written on it. As you attempt to reevaluate time (along with God's help), the letters shift and create, "I'm Te..." As you hold that piece of paper, you have two options: 1) set the paper down because it doesn't make any sense, or 2) continue to hold it up to the mirror until you have the ability to understand. If you chose option 2, you may begin to see that the paper changes from "I'm Te..." to "I'm Teaching." God is teaching us. If we are wiling to redefine time (apart from society) and  give God our time (however it may be defined), He has the ability transform it and teach us a great deal.

As I prepare to travel, I look forward to this experiences mostly for the opportunity put less importance on the concept of time, and just stop. Stop and recognize God's creation and His people. Stop and take time to invest in someone else. From this experience, I hope to learn how to give God the time He deserves. I look forward to reevaluating the importance I have placed on time. Redefine time. Revaluate time. Trust, Invest, Meditate, and Embrace time.