Rwanda. When I heard of our route change, I was excited. Immediately, my focus shifted from Ethiopia to the land of a thousand hills, the land of red dirt and a raw history. My expectations began to pile high as I imagined myself back in the Africa that has stolen my heart so strongly and powerfully. A week in, I found myself underwhelmed, disappointed by my unmet expectations. I found myself waiting for the next country, convincing myself that Rwanda was a waiting room for the bigger and better.
Wrong.
Each day I jump into the back of our …retro? Truck to begin the day with a 40 minute ride to a small village. Each day I am greeted by 20 children clutching bits of torn paper and broken pens eager to learn from the dirty, unqualified mzungu they call Teacha Alex.
Each day I become more aware of the truth behind patience as I attempt to teach English to children who speak none. I become more aware of true celebration when something so small sticks, like the difference between a nose and toes (small victories are still victories, am I right?). Every day I look into 20 pairs of eyes with 20 different stories overcome by poverty and question what I could possibly do for these children.
The answer is always more than “teach them English.”
To impact these students and their stories feels like emptying the ocean with an eye dropper.
the gravity of their stories hits hard when I step back and try to wrap my head around it. There is hurt, there is poverty, there is abandon, there is need.
How could I possibly meet that need?
I can love with a love that is engaged, strong, powerful. A love so hard. A love that empties oceans with an eye dropper.
And with a whole heck of a lot of help from Jesus, I do.
I mean it when I say I love the students that have become my family with my entire heart.
I mean it when I say they that though they call me teacher, I have learned far more from them that I could ever teach.
Rwanda is not what I expected. It is more. I can’t believe I have the opportunity to watch a country be so shaken up, so restored through Jesus and how he radiates from the people around me. There are a million and one stories of healing, of life, of the true power of love that my squad and team is living out each and every day. Lives are being changed out here, a country is being changed out here.
I am finding my life every moment I lay it down, and it is just so sweet.
