During my second week in Rwanda, I had the privilege of
working with some amazing young people from across the United States. Their
young hearts were so generous. Most kids wouldn’t want to leave the comforts of
their home to go to a third-world country. Not these teenagers. Their Godly
lives, faithfulness to Him, and hearts are extraordinary. The stories they
shared in Rwanda are amazing. The photos, blogs, and facebook posts I have seen
through their fresh eyes since that time have been refreshing and inspiring. Thank
you to each of you for being so obedient and for being such a blessing to me
and the entire team!
When reading one of the blogs of one of these teenagers, I
realized that I could and should do better. As I look through my journal from
the trip, I’m not sure what to share. Some parts of the trip were difficult for
me. Overall, the experience was more than amazing, and I believe God showed us
His mighty power and was ultimately glorified!
I thought I’d begin by sharing a few excerpts from my
journal and will continue to do so in the coming blogs. Friday, May 25th was the day we were set to leave
the United States for our flight to Kigali, Rwanda. I wrote on the plane that
morning, and this is some of what I wrote:
“After loading the car, Jan and I headed to Hardee’s. There
we met Cindy Patton and Cindy Haney. We had a sweet prayer led by Jan before we
ate. I felt blessed to be in the presence of such amazing and beautiful women.
After breakfast at 6:30, we loaded up in one car and headed
to the Huntsville airport around 7AM. After I checked in, we stood around and
talked. We then went upstairs and waited on the rest of the group.
I was super excited to see Pam Walker this morning. She left
her stuff and ran to me to give me a hug. : ) Later, she came and sat with me, Cindy,
Jan, and Cindy upstairs. She spoke to us about some of the genocide memorials
she had seen during her several trips to Rwanda. Memorials at schools,
churches, etc. It was heavy…
As the group came up, we got ready for a time of prayer.
There were 11 team members and some friends there. We all circled, held hands,
and Mike prayed. A little girl was to my left holding my hand and Cindy Patton
was holding my hand to the right.
While I love the prayer before we go, I also hate it. It
means it’s time to say goodbye...”
While saying goodbye was hard, it was also admittedly sweet
for me. The hugs, tears, and heartfelt words of encouragement meant so much. I
also had texts and emails that morning and in previous days from several
people. That too was an amazing blessing. You have no idea what your support means and how much strength it gives me!
The night before I left, I was invited over for ice cream
with some friends from church who are in a small group together. I would
normally be home frantically packing. Fortunately, I was mostly done. Aside from
that, who can say no to ice cream? I went over and had a sweet time of
fellowship. The group also prayed over me, which always means the world to me.
I wrote, “all of their prayers and encouragement really calmed my spirit and
helped fill me. I felt and feel loved.”
After leaving Alabama, we were headed to Washington D.C. where
we would meet up with some more of the team. From there, we were on a 7 hour
and 40 minute flight to Brussels in Belgium. Thankfully, they have movies on
the plane we can watch. Of course, sleeping is always an option, too; if you
can sleep on the plane!
Here is part of the team that left from Huntsville together:
Welcome to Europe!
Next stop: Kigali, Rwanda : )
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