“I Have Absolutely No Idea What Is Happening Right Now.”
That is a phrase that I have said more times than I would like to this month. Another one that I say often to my teammates is “Dang I wish my dad was here.” My dad is a type A personality planner like myself- I inherited his organizational skills. He thinks ahead, plans well, communicates to everyone (sometimes over communicates), and like me, wants to have an idea of what’s going on before going. All those things have been thrown out the window here in Rwanda- some of it is met with frustration and wanting to pull my hair out and other times it is met with laughter and me saying the phrase “Dang I wish that my dad could see this.” I also say that phrase because like any little girl, you want to make your dad proud. And I know that if he were to see how well I’ve been handling all this chaos and miscommunication here, he would be proud of me. And he would voice it to, like any good father would.
So Dad, your personality, character and our wonderful relationship is what has kept me going a little bit here in Rwanda. Are you curious to the chaos that has happened over here? Well, Dad, let me give you a little glimpse.
First off, I have to say that as an Intercultural Studies Major, I am aware of the culture shock I am experiencing and how time management in my culture and the Rwandan culture are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. I am SO thankful to get shaken up like this as an American and experience and appreciate how things are run here. It’s good for my soul! It has shaped me a little bit, caused me to take a step back from my busy, planned, boxed-in life and learn to go with the flow and let go of my expectations. FYI: to my American friends reading this: even if you are one of the most go with the flow personalities, I think you still would explode a little bit here.
Here is what I have come to realize: Rwandans live in the moment. They do not worry about the future but handle each situation when it comes. The stress of planning is non existent because they take everything as it comes. The car to take us to church is called AFTER everyone is ready, their packing for a weekend trip comes AFTER we are all sitting and ready to go, even on the way to the hospital, an emergency in my book, the gas is bought AFTER the car completely runs out and is stranded. Nothing overlaps. As an American, this can drive me nuts but God has used it to challenge me, allow me to grow, and give me moments of complete laughter. Followed by “Dang, I wish my dad could see this.”
One of those moments happened on my favorite Sunday. By this time I had come to the point of laughing at our life in Rwanda and going with whatever our host Pastor had for us. Once we got to the car, it was realized we all can’t fit in one car so half of us stayed and waited for another one, but another car couldn’t be called so we waited for that car to go, drop off half the team, then come back, but by the time we get in the car, church is over. We get in anyways, start driving, and have no idea where we are going cause we passed the turn for church 10 minutes ago. We drive around, our escort calls Pastor a gazillion times, I am sitting in the passenger seat and my teammates ask me “Where are we going?” This is where I say “I have absolutely no idea what is happening right now” with a laugh.
We spend 30 minutes driving around dirt roads trying to find our way to whatever this location is. We stumble upon Pastor and half of our team at another church where 5 minutes into the service we are thrown on stage to introduce ourselves. Then while ON stage we are told to lead worship. We throw together two worship songs and sing an off-key version of Amazing Grace. Then Pastor goes on stage and tells the congregation about our trip and how we are prophets and anointed apostles and servants of God- an awkward laugh comes from our row. And then we are told we are leading Sunday school as we are guided out to a hundred little faces staring back at us waiting for a Bible lesson. We throw together a story and skit about David and Goliath and each of us jump in with an idea or song to fill the hour slot we weren’t aware of.
THEN (lol you thought I was done), we hop into cars EXHAUSTED, thinking our new friends were driving us back to our host home for lunch to be done for the day, but we are driven around the corner to a random house and told to get out. Pastor motions for us to get out and join him at a Bishop’s house for lunch. We spend the next few hours talking, eating, praying, being prophesied over, and of course, taking some photos. And even then, thinking we are going home again, stop at 4 different places on the way home just wondering if we are going to have to get out and give a sermon on the spot.
There is no “typical” here in Rwanda, but if anything, that would be a typical day. We quickly realized we should not bother making a schedule for the month because the Holy Spirit and Rwanda don’t run on those things. Some days we were told we were teaching and would go and no kids would be there, some days we were told church was planned and we didn’t need to do anything and would go and would have to plan the entire Sunday school for children on the spot, and some days we were told to move dirt and paint. You roll with it!
We received an orientation at the beginning of the month about how we will be teaching children English and Bible all month long. 3 days in, Pastor tells us to pack our bags we are going to another village. EVERY DAY was an adventure this month. Most days we had NO IDEA what we were doing for ministry each day and were told after breakfast and would have to scramble to prepare or get ready.
And you guessed it. Most mornings I would say “I have absolutely no idea what is happening right now” and laugh about the craziness that is my life. I love it.
One morning during our weekend trip to another village as we are eating breakfast, one of our hosts says that hundreds of children are currently waiting for us.
“To do what?”
“To teach them.”
“Teach them what? English? Bible?”
“Yes.”
“Which one?”
“Hahahaha.”
“No seriously which one? Haha”
“Hahahaha.”
“Is there something you want us to teach them?”
“Hahahah.”
“Alright then.”
We plan a skit, a memory verse, a Bible story together all on the walk over and then all 6 of us are split up into different classrooms on our own and each put in front of a class of 30 students just winging it on our own.
I’ve never laughed more than I did coming out of that classroom. Or so I thought.
That afternoon we went back to the house for lunch and were told to be ready for ministry again at 2pm. We come out to find 6 soccer jerseys lying on the table.
NONE of us have athletic shoes with us. Birkenstocks and Chacos are our footwear of choice and we are told we are expected to play a soccer game against the teachers of the school. So we do it. All the while laughing our butts off at our crazy adventurous life in Rwanda. Children cheered and shouted my named and laughed as I kicked the soccer ball and my sandal goes flying with it.
THIS is my life.
Of course there are moments of frustration and looking forward to American time keeping schedules back in the States, but mostly, I stood back in wonder at my life in Rwanda, thankful to experience such a place and people.
I hope this month that the Rwandan culture rubbed off on me and y’all see that I’m the most chill and go with the flow spontaneous and adventurous person in the world (lol). Well hopefully maybe a little bit of a change!
All my love,
JJ
p.s. Enjoy this short video of a highlight reel of my time in Rwanda!
