From Michigan to Rwanda - Explore Archived World Race Alumni Blogs

This past week was PVT; Also known as Parent Vision Trip.

I had gone 7 months without seeing any family but as of last week, I got my fair share of mom and dad hugs!!

My parents (along with other racers parents) traveled all the way to Rwanda to spend a week with us and get a glimpse of wha we are doing on this mission trip.
If I had expectations for the week, they would have been blown out of the water. Each day we spent some time digging trenches in a local village, filling the holes in the roads with more dirt and forming relationships with the locals. Some of the fathers also brainstormed better long term solutions for the community and many of them even talked about coming back once a year!!! Amazing!

Back track to my childhood. I don’t think I truly understood how blessed I was to have the parents that I do! As I’ve grown up, I’ve realized it more and more.
And being on the World Race I’ve had a lot of time to think.
I’ve thought a lot about all the memories from my childhood and how grateful I am for the way my parents raised me. I know it can be easy to take for granted and I remember being a teenager thinking I knew everything that there was to know. Man oh man, what patience my parents had with me!

Fast forward to PVT. Getting to do ministry alongside my parents, getting to sit back and watch them love on the locals, being a part of African church, and exploring the beautiful city of Kigali with them, filled my heart!!! Words that come to my mind when I think of them (especially after our week together in Africa) are: genuine, selfless, hardworking, extraordinary, Jesus loving, and obedient to the Lord.

Day 1 of ministry in the village I could not find my mom… right off the get go. Lol My dad and I picked up the nearest shovel and pick axe and started digging. The locals needed a place for the water to run during the rainy season (which starts in March) so our ministry for the week included digging these trenches all throughout the village.
After about an hour of working I realized I still had not seen my mom so I went looking for her. I figured she found some babies to hold and love on. But I ended up finding her up the hill, dripping sweat, and digging trenches. As I walked over she immediately lit up. She called over all the friends she made (all the people from the community) and introduced me to them. Next thing I know my dad came trekking up the hill with two huge jugs of water, one in each hand. I managed to convince him to let me carry one but I was only able to hold it for a couple minutes because they were so darn heavy. For the next 45+ minutes he went around filling everyone’s water. Which we had well over 100 people there! Way to go Papa Bear!

I share these things with you all because I’m happy and proud and incredibly thankful! I had been praying for PVT since I started the Race in August and I many of my prayers were answered this week.
My parents made it to Africa and home safely, I feel as though our relationship with one another and with the Lord has grown exponentially and I truly believe all of our lives were forever changed!

If y’all haven’t read my blog “A Childhood Dream Come True,” I talked about how me being in Africa at this specific time of my life was literally a childhood dream come true. And for my parents to be a part of this dream was beyond amazing!!

Some other things that we were able to do were visit a local market and mall, spend a day at the Genocide Museum, attend African church, eat lots of African food, and attend a cultural dance show. 🙂 Definitely a week that I’ll never forget!

**Here are some photos from our week in Kigali, Rwanda!**