FYI: This blog was written throughout the past week and the timeframe jumps a bit!
It had only been about 24 hours since our bus pulled into Kigali. We finally arrived at our contact’s home just before midnight. After two days of travel that included a long, drawn out border crossing and six hours of sleep, my team and I were ready to roll out our Thermarest and Big Agnus mats.
Rwanda . . .
I had only been in this nation for only one day and already had many thoughts flooding through my mind. My team and I watched Hotel Rwanda, figuring that we should probably have at least some knowledge of the 1994 genocide. The depiction in the movie grieved me deeply. We gathered around a laptop in our contact’s cement living room and watched as thousands lost their lives.
Over the past few days, I have frequently thought about the film. I know that the very streets that I walk were once littered with bodies chopped by Hutu extremists. I know that this group still exists. I also know that there were two other genocides in Rwanda . . . one in the fifties and another in the seventies. In my mind, anything could happen. I am grieved for the tragedy that this now seemingly peaceful nation has endured.
Do I fear? Sometimes. I know that it is likely that nothing will happen while I am here. And if there was an up rise, I could only count myself blessed to be here. I am still learning about the history of this land and am eager to do so.
This place does seem very peaceful. I live on the very outskirts of the capital, Kigali. It is a stunning city. There are enormous hills everywhere, littered with twinkling lights. Since I am in the outskirts, my runs are in the countryside. Red dirt roads lined with banana trees overlooking spectacular hills and valleys. Little children come alongside and run until they tire. People stare intently and I cheerfully greet them. 90% of these folks crack a large, teeth-bearing smile and respond in their respected language. Many speak French here, and it has been a blast digging up vocabulary and phrases from my four years of study in high school.
My team lives with a pastor and his family. He and his wife have four sons and one baby girl. I think my favorite one is their five-year-old son, Prince. The quarters here are tight and basic, but the family’s hospitality is incredible. After four days, I have already mastered the art of a bucket shower with only one bucket of water. The outhouse is one of the nicer ones I’ve encountered. We’ve concluded that there is about a four-second lapse in time until the crap hits the bottom. That’s a good squatty. Most meals include rice, chips (french fries), some sort of tough meat, avacado, and pineapple.
We have only had two days of ministry so far, but I know already that it is easily the most thrilling part of my day. First and foremost, I get to ride a motorcycle through the outskirts of the city to the church. I learned that having my Ipod on and tuned to Rodrigo y Gabriela makes it even better. There have been a few close calls on these rides and my helmet rarely ever fits securely on my head. Don't worry, mom and pops! 🙂
Once we arrive to the church, there is already a holy ruckus happening. There is usually a dude screaming (literally) into the microphone, "Hallelujah" over and over and over again. Once worship is over, it is time to preach. Yes, I preach. It is amazing . . . I could not do it without the Holy Spirit. I rarely prepare. If I do prepare, the topic is usually changed at the last moment. Sometimes there is no topic. When there is no topic, I just quote a zillion scriptures and say Amen repeatedly. We are scheduled to attend these types of services a few times each week. Twice a week, we organize a kids program that consists of an impromptu Bible story and acting to correlate. The kids literally laugh from their guts. We teach them camp songs such as "Pharaoh, Pharaoh" and hand out packages of biscuits which is probably their midday meal.
Ministry is pretty light so far this month. I have plenty of time to reflect, run, and read! I am delving into books about justice in the States and overseas. God is expanding my view of the world and His plan for justice. I am fully anxious for the coming months, especially those in SE Asia. I am praying that the Lord will keep me in the here and now, for I know He has a plan for these next few weeks. Encouraging believers is not a bad thing at all . . .
God is faithful and I can't wait to see what He has in store for these days in Rwanda.
More to come . . .
Apologize for the lack of visual in this blog!
