leaving Africa

As I hear the rain falling outside as I write, I am keenly aware that I am leaving the beauty of Africa. The last week has held so many different experiences that it's hard to wrap my mind around everything. So I won't try to wrap it all up but just give a little bit of my thoughts that are in my mind as I go...

Meeting David:

I met David just outside of Gisenyi when Pastor Simon had taken some of us to see the natural hot springs. After driving down a rocky dirt road and through a small town we arrived and drew some attention since there were a bunch of Rwandans with a "muzungu" (white person). David approached me quietly and just stood by me until I said hello. He quickly answered back and I could tell was excited to practice his English. He carried a ball that had been carefully made with plastic bags and string to be a soccer ball - each knot was perfectly spaced and tied. We began to talk and I asked him what he wanted to study. He said medicine, to be a doctor. I told him that was so great and to keep going in school to be a doctor. He smiled and we continued to chat about his tests at school the next day. Our conversation was short as we left the hot springs shortly after, but I keep thinking about David. I don't think I'll ever see him again or know what he will do with his life and I hold both sadness and hope for him. Seeing poverty is never easy and is not anything I can or want to rationalize, summarize, or try to forget - I hope it affects me and continues to affect me deeply in my life. I have learned that it is the weight of the knowledge of sadness, injustice, and hurt in the world that keeps us human and deeply connected to our world. I hold hope for David that he will become a doctor like he dreams. I want it so bad for him. I think the world we live in holds both immense goodness, sadness, dreams, and unjust reality. I hope that I don't ever try to pretend that there is only good or only bad - both exist. For David, I hope that goodness wins out and for me, I pray that I put action to my hope, in whatever way that will be in my life, believing always in goodness. I hope that my chance meeting with David continues to make me think and act. 

As I go I think of so many things, the beauty of the countryside, dancing, singing, thriving communities, and warm, loving homes and I know only a small sliver of Rwandan and Ugandan culture and only a handful of their people. I definitely leave Rwanda and Uganda with far more questions than answers, and that's a good thing. I can't define either place but I can only say that I have been changed for seeing and meeting and learning. I am so grateful for the time I've had here. Today I leave for Paris. I can only imagine what I will feel when I get there in such a completely different place and culture. I have to keep telling myself to keep my hands open and just receive what there is to receive from there. I believe that God has more to show me as I journey on.

I also wanted to share some photos from this last week - including some from the safari I went on yesterday with Simon Pierre and his family! Enjoy and I will send stories from Europe soon!

This was quite a sight. I've never seen mattresses stacked like that before! Maximizing that delivery for sure!

My Kigali friends: Blake & Rafaelle Armstrong, Jesse & Brittany Roman, (thanks for letting me stay with you!) and new friends Blake, Joe & Sophie. This was us after celebrating Brittany's birthday with a stellar home made dinner.

A pictures from my visit to the Genocide Memorial Museum. There were many others that said the same "Never Forget" - a reminder to never become apathetic or forget, our memories remind of us of our part in humanity and our responsibility for peace. The stories, photos, and history I learned will stay with me forever. This is such a real part of Rwanda as they heal from such a terrible event in their history.

Pastor Simon & Mama Caritas - they taught me so much. Muracose chaney! I am so glad I got to visit them and to see the amazing work they are doing in Gisenyi. I know that this is just the beginning of a life-long friendship.

Giraffe in nature! What?!?! (I was excited, if you couldn't tell)

The Safari crew!

a quiet Kigali day...

...time to read, write, and reflect on my experiences and my dreams. I strolled over to a local coffee shop and enjoyed a cup of African coffee - it's a traditional way to make coffee here with steamed milk, ginger, and spices. mmm...

Uganda: dreams, a boda, & a dance party nigina

My short trip to Uganda held so much. Waking up this morning in Kigali, my mind went immediately to the places, people, smells, and tastes that I experienced over the last week. The adventure began in Kampala, a huge, sprawling city with bodas (motorcycles) darting in every direction, huge trucks carrying cargo, and people selling and buying on every corner. I met up with Max Trzcinski who's been living there for the last 3 months working with an organization called Ember Arts. I couldn't have asked for a better host, friend, and great thinker. Here's a taste of the journey...

bus ride to Gulu, eating some chapati bought from a roadside vendor. yum!

a 7 hour bus ride, complete with about 15 stops, roadside goat-on-a-stick vendors, and a bridge ride over the Nile, led us to Gulu, Uganda. Gulu was one of the many places once torn apart by genocide, war, and the enslavement of children as soldiers not even a decade ago. Driving along the red dirt roads filled with markets and families going about their days, I kept imagining what it must have looked like and felt like during the war. I knew my short visit could not even been to touch the surface of all that is held there, all I could do was to keep my eyes open to receive what I could as I passed through. 

The majority of our time was spent at Restore International's Leadership Academy. I've heard of Restore's work and I couldn't believe I was seeing it in person. The current academy just burst with life - the students were so warm, welcoming, and since Max had been there before, they quickly came up to him, eager to greet their old friend. We also got to go up the road to see the land that Restore has purchased for the construction of their academy. The space they have now is limited but this new facility will house classrooms, dorms, sports facilities, cafeteria, and more for the youth of Gulu. Standing on that land, I felt so inspired by the dreams of many that made it possible. I thought of the dreams I've had in my life for things and found new excitement to do something about it when I get home. It's funny how dreams are contagious.

Max looking out on the new property where Restore will build their school.

The boda: ok mom, cover your ears for this one. Max and I decided to rent a boda (motorcyle) for 2 days while we were in Gulu (don't worry mom, we had helmets). Max was our fearless driver (seriously, he rocked). My favorite boda moment had to be the rain day. While out visiting the Restore academy (probably a few miles out of town), the rain rolled in and we were stuck waiting for it to pass. After a couple hours of waiting, the decision was made to just ride through it. Clutching my bag and the back of the boda, we took off through the rain. I felt alive. Max, like a nascar driver, moved around trucks, through puddles, and on dirt roads like a pro. By the time we reached town, we were soaked, literally caked with red mud, and waaayyy amped on our boda adventure. I miss the boda.

the boda

On our last night back in Kampala I got to meet the Acholi women that Max has worked with for the last 3 months. Up on a hill, looking over Kampala, the women of the Acholi quarters taught us how to party. After eating at Mama Christine's home (my favorite meal in Uganda for sure), we walked down to a community building where the women welcomed us with the Acholi yell (I can only describe it as a super high pitched yodle) and 7 hours of singing and dancing as they thanked and said goodbye, for now, to Max. They do these "nigina" celebrations weekly and each time they celebrate a different person in the community - this week it was Max. I can say without hesitation, I have never seen anything like this in my life. A DJ bumped the tunes and women with babies on their backs and older mamas taught me how to shake it Acholi style. At one point, Mama Ester, one of the leaders of the group, told me, “Shake your body!" I quickly followed orders. I hope I get to return there some day. I can see why James, the founder of Ember Arts, and Max fell in love with that community.

a picture of Mama Esther from the Ember Arts blog

Back in Kigali, I get to spend a week with some PLNU grads living and working here with an organization called Edify. I can't believe how many PLNU people I've connected with on this side of the globe! I feel so alive and grateful to have seen so much in such a short amount of time. My hands are open, I wonder what another week will hold...

1 week down

It's hard to begin to capture what the last week has been. Even just to see myself write "a week" feels crazy. It feels like so much more time has passed. In my dreams and planning I didn't expect the range of emotions I've felt. To be honest, I held this trip with idealism and whimsy. The stretching and growing I wanted didn't have much struggle in the way I played it out in my mind. Arriving in Rwanda was both exhilarating and completely frightening. Although surrounded by the most warm, kind, and welcoming family, I still felt lonely. Right before I left I grabbed a book off my old bookshelf at my parent's house - Reaching Out by Henry Nouwen. It was required reading for my first LoveWorks trip to the Solomon Islands - a trip without which I don't think I'd be in Rwanda today. As I laid in bed one of my first nights here I was so restless. All of a sudden I realized I really was on this journey and no longer around the easy comfort of friends and family. So I grabbed this book from my bag. I don't think it's irony that the first movement he talks about is the movement from loneliness to solitude. I did want to experience solitude on this trip. My life as I left it had a full gamut of wonderful distractions - people who I love who keep me busy, and all the little parts of every day life that have allowed me to put off solitude and quiet moments "for some other day." In the quiet of one of  this first nights I was face-to-face with loneliness - I never would have expected it. Here are some of the words I read:

In the midst of a turbulent, often chaotic, life we are called to reach out, with courageous honesty to our innermost self, with relentless care to our fellow human beings, and with increasing prayer to our God. To do that, however, we have to face and explore directly our inner restlessness, our mixed feelings toward others and our deep seated suspicion about the absence of God. - H. Nouwen

Figuring out this whole solitude thing is interesting. And it's not because I am alone with no one to interact with but it's being completely outside of people, places, languages that I know that make it challenging. After these first few days of struggling to settle into a new place and into this journey, I began to feel more at peace. Church on Sunday especially ushered me into this peace. The music seemed to burst from the seams of the church walls as I took it all in. Tears welled in constant waves as I heard the songs and become so aware of my presence in the moment. Simon Pierre asked me to greet the church, and I shared my gratitude for being there, my years of hearing about Gisenyi through LW teams, and even more so my connection to this place through Dan Nelson. I gave my best attempt at my newly learned kinanrwandan words (which made Mama Caritas so proud) and sat down. As I listened and worshipped for the rest of the service I thought of Dan and how much he must have loved this music. I thought of LW teams and how I can see why they loved this place and the welcoming members of the church. I felt so grateful and humbled to be sitting in that seat and taking it all in. It was a total gift. My time with the family has been wonderful. Mama Caritas has welcomed me in and I have learned so much about the culture, but I still have mountains more to learn.


I will definitely share more later about the Ndengera Foundation and the incredible vision Pastor Simon has for that place. What they've done so far is absolutely amazing. Below is a picture of Simon and in at the foundation. I just love that guy.

Today I fly to Uganda to meet up with Max. I am really excited to see everything he's be doing for the last few months and see a good friend. When I come back I'll be staying in Kigali with some friends from Point Loma that are living and working in Kigali. That will be super fun too. Thank you for your love and support!

mwaramutse!

Mwaramutse! Or Good Morning in Kinyanrwandan! After a long couple days of travel I am here in Rwanda! They call Rwanda the land of 1,000 hills, and it's true. It's totally beautiful, green, and lush. Pastor Simon Pierre picked me up at the airport and we drove for miles through the West side of the country and then North to pick up his wife Caritas who was visiting her mom. The drive was full of stories, little naps here and there, and lots of taking in the sights and smells of the country. It was pretty surreal. 

Being at their home, I can see now what friends who have been here before told me about - this family shows hospitality in such a beautiful way. And not just to me, to the community. Mama Caritas is a mama to so many who she was adopted as part of their family. Last night, Caritas let me try my hand at cooking - I didn't do much but we laughed a ton and I got to see how much time, effort, and care is put into meals here. I have so much more to share but I need to get going and not take all the internet time. 

MANY more stories to come! Amahoro (peace)!

time to go!

tomorrow I leave! So much planning, packing, and dreaming and now I just go. I have no idea what's ahead but I want to keep my hands open to whatever gifts the days might bring. Destination 1: Rwanda. Pray for me as I go!

"I am tearing up old behavioral patterns of judging others, being too busy and anxious, of not having enough solitude and communion with the earth. I want to give away whatever keeps me from being my true self, from living freely and simply, from being rooted in God. I wish to burn old memories and experiences that wound myself and others. I want to remove any obstacle that keeps me from being a loving woman. I long to plant seeds of kindness, a deep reverence for our planet, a healthy spirituality, to plant these seeds in myself and in all I meet. I want to sing the song of my soul, to create the books waiting in my heart, to wear freedom and love."
~Joyce Rupp