Thursday, March 15, 2012
Rwanda Email #1
Rwanda Email #2
August 13, 2011
After lunch we did 4sponsor children visits. Mine was one of them. In was able to meet Clementine and her family. She is 11 and has what seems to be her mom, step dad, and 2 little brothers. They lived in a beautiful rural area that is filled with banana tree farms. To reach their home we traveled many dirt roads. Once stopping, we had to walk about half a mile downhill to find her home. The path kept getting more narrow along the way. All I could think of is her walking up that hill to go to school everyday. We were the first white people to visit their home, and what a visit! There are about 20 in our group. I was shocked though when I looked up after speaking with her to see so many neighbors out to check out the commotion. It was an event for all to remember. She was dressed in her very best, as was her whole family. It was so wonderful to see her sweet face, hold her hand, give her hugs and tell her that Jesus loves her very much and He has big plans fork her life. I will send pics later. Still processing everything from the moment and the day. Really, it is all very surreal. I am so humbled that God would allow me to have such an opportunity in life. He gave me the desire to come to Africa 5 years ago, and now He is fulfilling that vision that He filled my heart with...Wow!
I smell breakfast cooking and the birds are in full song. Time to get ready for another day! Wonder what the Lord has in store for us today?
Rwanda Email #4
Hello Friends and Family,
I realize this is a bit late, so I thank you for your patience. I thought I should send a last week update before a summary. Mostly it will help me gather my thoughts and try to slow the whirlwind that has been spinning in my head the past 8 days or so since my last update. Be warned-this is a LONG note.
First, I am home. It was a long 40 hour jaunt, but it was smooth and filled with as much rest as you can expect on a plane. It is good to be back. I missed my family dearly while gone and wished they could be there to walk the dusty roads of Rwanda with me. God willing, that may happen.
The last week in Rwanda was jam packed. My last update was from our visits to the memorials. After those visits and the weight of emotion that came from that, it was a pleasure to immerse myself in serving Africa New Life at their school in Kayonza. We met James, the librarian, and his committee late Monday morning when we walked into a light, airy, huge space lined with new bookshelves and tables. The walls were painted and the room was ready to turn into a new library. It was very exciting to see! The tables were stacked full of textbooks. Piles and piles of textbooks. Since we were not fully prepared for such inventory, the first day in the library was slow. On Tuesday, we arrived with more of a plan, still, it was a bumpy start as we worked with James to understand his vision and plans for the library. There was a huge learning curve on both sides since we all had to figure out how to effectively process textbooks and figure out the computer system (which by the way is said to be the only one of its kind in a school library in Rwanda. Pretty cool:)). The dewey system would not be practical for so many textbooks, so that was quickly tossed and new organizing tools were implemented. With a haphazard book processing system, we were able to process, inventory, and shelve 600+ English textbooks by the end of the day. Upon arrival on Wednesday, we streamlined our process and were able to process and shelve all the textbooks. James needed the books on the shelves before the start of school the next Monday, so computerized inventory of the books would have to wait. He just wanted them on the shelves ASAP. So that is what we did. Our team was amazing and God even more amazing. During the day I looked at the massive piles of books that needed to be processed, organized and shelved and doubted that it would happen. You of little faith...I would hear. So I would muster up faith the size of a mustard seed and I saw God move that mountain of textbooks onto the shelves! Wow! Wow! Wow! Was written in my journal at the end of the day. We have done what God called us to do, and we left there peace-filled, knowing He will complete the work He began. In fact, when we returned for worship on Sunday, James proudly showed us the library with the fiction and non-fiction books up on the shelves. He and his committee worked the remainder of the week to prep the space for the start of school. It was a sight to behold:) [side note...some team members spent time with the kids and women speaking, visiting, hanging out, and digging into God's Word. The depth of Bible knowledge and the spiritual maturity of the people in all locations visited, made our hearts sing and our spirits humble. We have much to learn from our brothers and sisters in Rwanda].
Wednesday night we headed to Akagera game park/resort. The road was long, dusty, and VERY bumpy. It far surpassed any ride at Disney for action and adventure! Along the way, streams of children (partially naked, dirt covered, barefooted) poured out of the clay homes that lined the road. They shouted gleefully with the biggest smile possible, "Muzungu!!" as their little arms were completely outstretched and their little hands waved vigorously to greet us as we passed by. In each one, you could see the image of God radiating out of them. It was awe inspiring, humbling, and super fun all at the same time. My words could never fully capture the energy, the hope, that was felt and seen as we passed through those small villages. It is an experience that I pray many of you will have one day in your lifetime.
Our stay at the resort was nice. The staff was lovely, the accommodations pleasant, and the food was tasty. The best part was being able to take a long hot shower (as opposed to the military shower=water on/off, soap up, rinse, done that we had to do at the guesthouse). We embarked upon a "safari" super early Thursday morning. We were told the animals were all up North, so we would likely see none. This info was given after 45 min of paperwork and paying. Not encouraging, but some on our team had prayed that we would see giraffe, and God in His faithfulness provided. The park guide was astonished and said we were so very lucky to see such a creature. We were not surprised and knew luck had nothing to do with that majestic creature standing 30 feet from our bus, munching on his morning leaves. Not one prayer went unanswered on our journey. Not one.
After a quick breakfast, we headed to Kageyo, a settlement on the Tanzania/Rwanda border. Again, a long, dusty, bumpy road was traveled. I have to give props to the drivers at ANLM. They are amazing!! Bosco drove us the last week and again, words can not fully describe the way he skillfully drove us around the Rwandan countryside. My journal entry for Kageyo is long. Lots of history. While there we did many home visits to sponsor children as well as served the staff by preaching, teaching, and painting 2 Sunday school rooms. We had 2 days there and next to meeting Clementine, they were probably my favorite. The picture above is one of a small section of the new farm land (red peppers, I believe) that is being cultivated. In the center is an old, tattered, blue tent, which the people lived in for many years before the government built homes for them in 2005. You can see a few of the homes in the background. I thought this was a perfect picture of what God is doing out there in Kageyo. Such hope and growth can be seen all over the community. There are 850 sponsored children there that attend the new ANLM school. Many of them worship at the new worship center built by ANLM. Many have been fed physically and spiritually as they heard the gospel and have believed and been baptized. The community is being transformed one life at a time by the love of Christ. It really was a huge privilege to see God's mighty hand at work in this quiet, remote area of the world. It was very difficult to leave on Friday. On one side lie a community filled with hope, love, despair, and poverty. One the other side were the new, hand plowed fields growing the first fruits for the people. I was reminded of the verse God gave me last year in preparation for this journey. It is from Matthew 9:37,38 and says "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." God knew many would come to Him. They have hearts ready to hear His truth. Sadly, Jesus knew the workers that would go out would be few, so the disciples were told to pray that more would go. How many will He bring to this area to help with the harvest? I pray He will bring many, for I have seen with my eyes that the harvest is indeed plentiful but the workers, while faithful to His call, are few. Perhaps you will go?
Our last few days were not as full. Saturday was completely a down day. After morning worship, I took a nap, had lunch and headed out with the team to shop for souveniers. Sunday morning was filled with a wonderful, high energy, Spirit-filled worship of the Lord of Lord and the King of Kings in Kayonza. Truly an experience to remember. Sunday evening we had a pizza party with the ladies at The Esther Home. These young women are interviewed, carefully selected, and then provided with a 4 year scholarship to college. It was fun to listen to their stories and see how very different their lives are from ours, yet still see many similarities, as well. In fact, I think the similarities outweigh the differences. On Monday, we spent the morning at the Dream Center in Kigali. Clementine was there to greet the bus, and I had the privilege of giving her a Bible written in Kinyarwandan. We did not have these when I visited her home, so I had planned on giving it to the staff to deliver to her at a later date. What a treat to get to see her smile one last time and hand her God's Word. Priceless! That evening we took the staff out to an appreciation dinner. Many had been with us for the full 2 weeks and had sacrificed time with their sweet families to care for us. It was fun to spend time with them, hear about their families, and share a meal. Fellowship is always best when food is present. That is a universal truth:)
A good night's rest and a morning of packing led up to our journey home. It was hard to leave Rwanda and its lovely landscape and even more lovely people. Again, I must tell you that my heart overflows with gratitude for your love and support. With out you, this journey would have been impossible. I hope to consolidate my thoughts more and really pull out the ways God revealed Himself to me through this experience. That will follow. I have over a thousand pictures loaded and I pray God will help me compile them in some sort of slideshow that I can post online. Pray for that miracle to occur since I am very technologically challenged:) Please feel free to send requests of photos of different parts of the trip that interest you. Zip me any questions that you might have. Call me if you want to talk. I have TONS to share:)
Rwanda Email #3
Hello, my friends. Wow, the days have been really full. I am sorry that I have not written sooner. The weekend was filled with constant reminders of dark and light.
We spent the morning at the Dream Center Saturday. Lots of kids. 600+ plus easy. They had a time of a Bible message, worked on their Christmas cards for their sponsors, and then hung out w/ us. There would be 10+ kids around each of us. They love to look at our hands, touch our hair, and just stare at us. That made me a little uncomfortable, so I had to just ask lots of questions, show my family pics, and see what funny tricks they could do (I can touch my tongue to my nose- a few of them could as well. It made them laugh!) After that fun morning, we had lunch and went to the Kigali Memorial for the genocide. It is has a large, garden surrounding the building which has lots of beautiful growth-a stark contrast to what lie inside as we read the history of events before and during the genocide. On the grounds lie many mass graves. One is still open as they continue to find remains of people all over the city. Very sobering. A day of light and dark.
Sunday opened with breakfast and worship at the Dream Center. It was so fun to experience worshipping in one spirit with my brothers and sisters in Christ here in Rwanda! After worship we went to lunch at a restaurant. Everyone was excited to have "American" food. Many got burgers, fries, and cokes. Pretty funny! We then headed to Nyamata. This is one of the many churches where thousands fled for safety and refuge from the killers. In 1959 people in the churches were not harmed during the mass killings that occurred then, so people hoped the same would be true again. It was not the case. Approximately 10,000 people were killed in this building. The building still stands with evidences of murder all over it. Inside lie piles and piles of clothes from those who perished there. There is a mass grave on the site. The guide told us there were 20 sets of bones in each coffin. There are also bones laid out in a very orderly way, so as to display many of the results of the method in which the men, women, and children were killed. My heart raced during the whole visit, yet it was so very hard to breathe. Events were shared with us which I can not bring myself to repeat out loud. My heart and spirit ached to the core, and my Father tenderly soothed my cries of anger, frustration, disbelief, and sorrow. My Lord is so gracious. As we exited the site, we gathered as a group and were led in prayer by a pastor on our team. He read from Ezekiel 37. Truly a time of perspective. Upon lifting our eyes, we saw in the distance a group of little orphan toddlers and their house mother walking. They waited as we walked over to love on them. They were beautiful and a gracious reminder of Jesus love. Again, light and dark.
After 2 very emotionally challenging days, it was nice to get started on the library project at the New Life School in Kayonza. Yesterday we had a slow start, which was expected. We should be better prepared to process more books today and equip the staff and team there with the tools and knowledge to have the first computerized library in the country of Rwanda. History is being made in that school and God's name is being lifted high and glorified! Other members on our team will also disciple some of the women on staff and many of the children while we are there today. 4 children came to Christ yesterday and we rejoiced with the angels in heaven!
Also, the food is super yummy. I have seen and killed only one mosquito. The weather is not crazy hot like the deep south, but still it is warm. The people of Rwanda are welcoming, hard working, and filled with joy. It has been a wonderful week. I have had the opportunity to FaceTime w/ Mike and the kids back home which helps not miss them quite as much. Just a smile from them brightens my day! Our team is really fun. I have laughed so much while here. What a fun journey it has been so far! One more week to go....
Remembering Rwanda
Its about time...
I no longer have access to my previous blog. So I will begin again. Really I have almost a year of info to post. It will come in segments, so hold on for the ride:)
Last year I trained for and ran the Eugene Marathon in May. It was my first marathon. Throughout the training, I was also studying the Book of Isaiah through Bible Study Fellowship. Neither the study or the race were easy in any way, shape, or form. God did a work in me during that 9 months, and especially during the last few miles of the marathon. I have chosen over these many months to not post what He spoke to me during that race. Fear, would be my only excuse as to why I made that choice. If it was laid bare, on a blog, then maybe in some crazy way I would be more accountable to live out that which He is calling me to do. That said, the time has finally come. God has given me 2 days to just be with Him. My goal was to unplug and not look at the computer or answer the phone. But when awoke this morning, this crazy blog keeps swimming in my mind, and His Spirit working in my heart. It may be incoherent, since I am just going to copy and paste my thoughts from last May. But still, it will be done. Not sure why He wants this out there for whoever to see, but I am tired of running from His grace, and want to run full into His arms.
Isaiah and 26.2
It began w/ a prayer at leaders meeting. God in His faithfulness heard that prayer and answered in stern, yet loving ways.
Over the miles and chapters, God has taught me many things (some I knew, but didn't really KNOW):
- What we believe determines how we behave.
- repentance-a change of mind/direction/a will to face my Lord & stop running
- God does not take sin lightly.
- Trusting God means rejecting arrogance, self serving autonomy, and allegiance w/ transient constructs of the world. Futility and dark confusion is only dispelled by the light of God. I must listen and live His Word. Idols are nothing.
- God will change my search for answers to a desire for Himself. Only He satisfies.
- God is able to overturn easy lives in order to create holy lives. To fear the Lord is to revere Him and to know that security is w/ Him alone.
- Ask God to give me revulsion for what is rebellious and corrupt, and that which will not endure.
- What personal troubles brings grief and pain? Will I seek God for healing?
- God show me your unchanging character and eternal purpose in the world and in my life.
- Idolatry is not tolerated. Do my fears drive me to my idols? yes What am I afraid of loosing if I serve God single-mindedly w/o reservation? Who am I? What would my life look like? Is that change really possible? Can I love the way God wants me to love? Is it even possible to understand what that is?
- Renounce the idols. Trust His provision of liberation.
- Truth is found in the Lord Himself.
- Idols destroy and distort my thinking. What wrong thinking/attitudes am I continuing? How is God refining me? What is my response?
- Sin of unbelief, doubt in God and His ability/power, is the root cause of idolatry.
- Jesus Messiah bore my depravity and personal sinful acts in His body on the tree.
- What barrier will I renounce? What do I really trust/pursue even while I talk about God?
- God is faithful. His purposes are infinitely more wonderful and they will come to be. The glory of the Lord transforms individuals. His presence and power are w/in me to transform. Will I let Him?
- Intercession in prayer glorifies God b/c it admits utter dependance upon Him.
Over the miles last weekend, I prayed for those I know fighting cancer, for those who have ill loved ones to care for day in and day out, for those who are unemployed, for those facing death of loved ones, for those whose hearts are burdened w/ unsaved family members. I prayed God’s Words given to me through Isaiah. I prayed that I would be awake, that my eyes would be lifted, that I would listen and hear, that I would see God’s deliverance of His people. I raised each and every prayer w/ the knowledge that He would answer in His perfect way. At mile 18, my knee stopped cooperating. Pain and fatigue threatened to stop me dead in my tracks. But it was then, God said, “Do you really trust me? You know I will act on behalf of others, but do you really believe I can work in this area of YOUR life, Darcy? If so...let’s go.” So I walked. By mile 20, I was done. All I wanted to do was sit and be. But my feet kept moving and Isaiah 61 kept swimming through my mind. God sent Christ to come and bind up the broken hearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, release the prisoners from darkness. He came to comfort those who mourn, bestowing on them a crown of beauty, oil of gladness, and a garment of praise.
The idol, the wall built around my heart, would have to come down. I was done w/ the wrong thinking. I was done wondering if the change could really occur. I was scared. But my feet kept walking-mile 22. One by one, I had to renounce the reinforcements that comprised that wall. Pride, arrogance, grief, pain, disappointments, frustrations, control, anger. And the root of it all...unbelief. I had to confess to God that I just didn’t think He could tear that wall down. Sure, He could answer all the other prayers, but I just really didn’t think He could do this one. Then He reminded me that Jesus Messiah bore my depravity and personal sinful acts in His body on the tree. Jesus cleanses the guilt I feel for my sin. It is already gone. The idol, that wall, is nothing. It has already been removed by Jesus. Was I going to continue to believe the lie, or was I going to believe the Truth that is found in Christ alone? My feet kept walking-mile 24. I hear Him say, “It’s time to get up. The chains have been unlocked, the prison door is open. Now pick up your mat, Darcy, and go.” Though scared, I knew what lie beyond had to be better than where I was. So my feet, my spirit, my heart, walked out of that darkness into the light. In doing so, I am able to hear His comforting words and experience His love more fully. I am able to receive from Him the crown of beauty, the oil of gladness, and the garment of praise. While I still am not exactly sure what life will be like now that my heart is laid bare, I know that God will never forsake me, nor will I ever be disappointed. He is my hope, peace, security, and strength. God has given me the deepest desire of my heart...Himself. And for that I can only sing a song of praise. He is my King of Glory! So at mile 26 I jogged into the stadium, knowing that I would finish this study and that race with excellence and strength-not of my own doing-all of His doing. So I will keep running into His arms while we begin this new chapter together:)
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