Akagera Game Park

After spending one night at the Iris Hotel in Kigali, Kinsey, Linda, Jan, and I woke up around 3:30 AM to be ready by 4:30 to leave for the Akagera game park. We met one of our ministry partners, Alex, who went to the park with us. Kinsey, Alex, and I (along with our driver) went in one vehicle. Linda, Jan, their driver, and later the safari guide went in the other vehicle. It was dark and foggy when we left. It was a little bit of a drive to the park, but so nice to see some of the country. I couldn't help but notice people pumping water from the wells everywhere during the morning. I couldn't help but thinking of Isaiah 12:2-3 which says, "Behold, God is my salvation: I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."

I didn't get pictures of it because we drove by so quickly and because it was so foggy, but I watched young children work so hard that morning to pump water. The water isn't even good, clean water. Praise God that His well of salvation is never-ending and full of clean, pure, holy water that washes all of our sins away!

This is the room that Kinsey and I slept in at the Iris Hotel:

 Here are our mosquito nets:

 The Iris Restaurant:

 I took this photo later after sunrise of people getting water:

Me, Jan, Kinsey, & Linda just before entering the park.

 Our Safari guide:

Beautiful scenery:

I really like this photo:

 Tsessebe

 Antelope

 See the giraffe in the background?

 Beautiful

 Walking away

 Zebra - they were very shy.

 and so hard to get photos of!

 Black & White

 Pretty Colors

Me, Alex, Linda, Jan, & Kinsey.

 Water Buffalo

 Buffalo

 Another Tsessebe (they always looked just like a statue)

 A fish eagle

 The monkeys & baboons were so cute!

 I have no idea what kind of bird this is.

 I thought it was pretty cool though.

 Hippos!

How awesome is that?

 I just love being near the water!

 Anyone know what this is?

 There it goes!



After we left the game park we went back to the Iris Hotel to find everyone outside waiting on us. All of our ministry partners and coaches were there. It was such an incredible blessing to meet all of them! At that point, we had no idea who we would be working with over the next few weeks, but it didn't matter. It was a blessing just to see and meet our brothers and sisters in Christ! From there we loaded up in the vans and made the 3-4 hour drive to the Peace Land Hotel in Gisenyi, Rwanda.

Genocide Memorial

As soon as we arrived in Kigali we went to the Genocide museum. What can you say about the genocide? It is my personal belief that if it weren't for the genocide, e3 wouldn't be in Rwanda. I certainly don't think I would have felt the tug in my heart to go.

I'll be honest with you. We had to go through the genocide museum quickly. Still... To know what took place in Rwanda is just unfathomable. To read about the approximate one million people being slaughtered... to read the stories of real people and families being completely obliterated. To walk through the section that was completely dedicated to children broke my heart. To see their pictures, read their ages, read their favorite things (activities and foods), and then read how they were murdered... my stomach is turning as I think about it...

What happened in Rwanda is unacceptable and evil. Women were brutally raped and infected with HIV. Young girls were raped in front of their siblings and parents and then murdered (if they were lucky). Children (even babies) were killed by any and all means because the Hutus didn't want anymore Tutsis in existence. Children were murdered by being being slaughtered by machetes, being burnt alive (even in churches), or by simply being beaten into walls. Are you sickened yet? You should be.

Beneath each square stone is 50,000 bodies...

As we traveled through Rwanda children were alone on the streets everywhere. Orphans are literally everywhere you turn. Poverty and disease stand on every dusty street corner. There is no escaping it. These people need help. They need hope. They need Jesus.

Romans 10 is on my heart this morning, so I want to share Romans 10: 14-18 with you.

The Bible says, " How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world."

Rwanda is open to the word of God. It's literally like they are sitting there waiting on someone to bring them the good news. Would you go? Would you tell them? God has commanded us all (not just some of us) to share the gospel. How are the people of Rwanda whom have suffered so much terror going to hear the good news of Jesus Christ if we don't go tell them? If you're interested in going, please visit http://hisgreatplan.com/ or http://www.e3partners.org/Page.aspx?pid=1130 for more information on how you can be part of what God is doing in Rwanda.

The torch in the middle is lit in remembrance for those lost (most of whom remain nameless) during the tragic genocide.

Long Flights to Africa

Journal Entry: Thursday, May 19, 2011 5:32 AM (Local Addis Ababa Time)

"We are still on our very long flight to Addis Ababa. So far we have traveled 5,804 miles and 9.5 hours. We are at an altitude of 37,000 feet and traveling 556 miles per hour. Earlier in the flight we were served chicken and rice meal, which had a strange flavor to it. I did like the potato salad served on a piece of lettuce. I also had a piece of cheese, a wheat roll with butter on it, and a brownie. I had an orange Mirinda with no ice to drink. Later in the flight I was able to drink a whole 12 oz can of coke; though it wasn't very cold.

Earlier in the flight (while I was finally sleeping) they came through and had everyone close the window shades so the light from outside couldn't come in. Most people took the opportunity to try to sleep. Several hours later (after 5 AM their time) they brought us all wash cloths that were wet to wash our faces and hands with. That felt nice. Now it is 5:45 AM, and they just brought us juice".

 Welcome Screen on the plane.

Our flight plan.

We flew over part of the Sahara Desert!

Chicken or Beef? I chose chicken.

After a long, long leg of our flight, we were finally over Africa and were able to raise our window shades. I was so incredibly excited to see a beautiful sunrise over AFRICA! I couldn't help but be reminded of our risen savior and the entire purpose of this trip!

A view of the city from the plane.

There are many, many mountains and hills in Africa.

Addis Ababa only had Ethiopian planes.

We finally arrived at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia! What a joy to be able to get off of the plane for a little while! We were able to use the restroom in the airport, buy a coke or water (which cost $1.00), and just roam freely for a little while before boarding our next flight. I must say that I didn't see anyone eat again. Before we got to Addis Ababa we were served a full breakfast with a cheese omelet, fried potatoes, raspberry yogurt, a croissant, a wheat roll wrapped in oats, a cup of fruit, and some orange juice. Ethiopian airlines fed us very well. If you were sleeping, they would wake you up to make sure you ate. Seriously!

Here is the gang waiting at Addis Ababa to board our flight for Kigali. As you can see, we were all a little tired and ready to get to our destination!

After a quick stop in Entebbe to let some people off of the plane and to pick up some more passengers, we were finally on our way to Kigali! I must admit by this point in the flight I was feeling quite droopy. On this flight, I was sitting next to a 30-year-old man named John from Rwanda. He lives in Germany with his wife and two children. He was on his way to Rwanda for two weeks to visit his parents and sister. As we spoke, I discovered that he moved to Germany for school two months before the Genocide began. He said that his family didn't flee, so I couldn't help but wonder...

Hallelujah, Amen! After a long few days of flying, we arrived at Kigali International Airport!

It was so nice to be on the ground, to see some of the city, and to simply be in Africa. There was no way we could ever know what God was going to do in the upcoming weeks.

Let the blogging begin!

Let the blogging begin! Our Huntsville crew met at the Huntsville airport on the evening of May 17th. Randy, Joy, and Mom took me to a nice final meal at Cheddars. I had some steak and shrimp, which was yummy. I was the first on the team (aside from Mike and Mary) to arrive at the airport. I was so incredibly nervous. I was so anxious. I kept telling myself that I had nothing to fear. Why on earth was I already so anxious? We were only flying to D.C. on this day anyway.

Anyway! After meeting the local gang, we all walked upstairs together (friends and family included). We gathered in a circle, held hands, and prayed together. I teared up with excitement and a little sadness about leaving loved ones behind. After saying our goodbyes we went through security and headed to our gate. We quickly figured out that our plane hadn't arrived though and was still in Washington D.C. due to weather! We were several hours late departing, but it was all good. It gave us those of us who hadn't really met before time to to chat, relax, bond, etc.

After our plane finally arrived, we had a safe trip to the Washington Dulles airport. We had to wait awhile on the bus to take us to the hotel and got in pretty late, but the hotel was nice. Kinsey was my roomie. She and I stayed up until almost 2 AM chatting and organizing everything for the next day. There was a lot of anticipation for what was to come! Breakfast the next morning was good; although, I think we were all ready to get going. We all got up on time, met those teammates from other states (like Stan and Jeri whom Kinsey and I met in the hallway), and made it on time to the airport to catch our next flight to Africa!

Amanda and I on our way to the Washington/Dulles airport with luggage all around us and on top of us!

The Ethiopian Airlines desk we waited at.

 Kinsey, Anna, Pam, Jeri, & Stan entertaining us while we were still at the Ethiopian Airlines desk waiting to check our luggage, etc.

More pictures & posts to come. They'll get better & better. I promise!

A Spirit of Adoption & Joshua

I wrote this email last night to my prayer team for Rwanda. The word is still really on my heart today though, so I wanted to publically share my thoughts and prayers:

“As hard as I might try, I cannot go to bed tonight without praising God!

I woke up today with a word on my heart. I don’t know why, but these words always come to me when I’m getting ready in the mornings. I may be in the shower or drying my hair, and a thought will hit me. The word was adoption. What an appropriate word for Mother’s Day. What an appropriate word it would be for Father’s Day. Hey, what an appropriate word for every day!

 The Bible says, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father” ~ Romans 8:15.

Father, I just want to pause and thank You right now that You are my Abba Father. Father, I want to thank You for adopting me. Lord You knew my every need and my every weakness, and You chose to adopt me anyway. Lord, I thank You and praise You today for your unfathomable, unfailing love!  

Wow, I’m kind of on fire right now. It has been a good day with the Lord. God has really been dealing with my heart today about salvation. My heart is weighing heavily for the people of Rwanda. It is my utmost desire to see people saved. It is my desire to see the glorious sights of heaven one day with people of every nation, race, color, and language. It’s going to be unimaginably beautiful, yet I still try to imagine it! Please pray. Pray for the spirit to move. I am nothing, but please pray that God can use me to bring Honor and Glory to Him.

Oh, Father, I pray that you would lead, guide, and direct me through the Holy Spirit. Lord, You lead me to Rwanda. Now I ask that You lead me to the specific homes, places, and people You need me to go and speak to. Lord, I pray that Your words and not my own would be spoken and heard. Lord, I cannot do this without You. I don’t have the strength or the power. Lord, only You have the power to save. Lord, I pray that I would see the wonders of Your mighty saving power in the land of Gisenyi, Rwanda. Lord, I ask that you would heal this nation that has been so hurt and devastated by poverty and war. Lord, send them Your spirit of peace, reconciliation, and restoration.

Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” I don’t know about you, but that verse really excites me! We are the children of God! Have you really thought about that lately? Ponder on it for a few moments, and let it bless you. You are a child of the King! Your Father created it all! Verse 17 goes on to say that we are “joint-heirs with Christ”. Pretty crazy, right? I certainly don’t deserve to be a joint-heir with Christ, but am so very thankful that God allows me to be!

Adoption… I suppose here in the U.S. there are many forms of this. Some people do legal adoptions whereby they adopt children, change names, etc. Other times people may just sort of take in others as their own. Either way, it is a beautiful blessing. When God adopts you though, He gives You full rights and privileges. When you accept the spirit of adoption He has to offer, He makes you His child and makes sure I always stays that way. No hurt feelings or any amount of distance between you will ever change the fact that you are His child. Nothing and no one can ever pluck us out of His mighty hand. I praise Him today that He adopted me!  I also praise Him today for sending people my way in this life who have sort of adopted me too. There have been times in my life that I honestly didn’t know where I would have been had it not been for that spirit of adoption that He placed in the hearts of people along my path.

I can’t help but think that there are people now that I have adopted too. While I definitely hope to actually do that one day, I find myself “adopting” others (younger and older) in different roles in my life. What a blessing for God to give us such a spirit to share with one another. I just can’t imagine a more beautiful thing right now. I hope you’ve all had a wonderful weekend and a blessed Mother’s Day with your families.”

Bridget

P.S. I just have to make this addition. If there was ever a child that I would’ve adopted if I was in the place where I could, it would have been Joshua. On my mission trip to Honduras, Joshua, whom was a year and a half, had been abandoned on the streets. I don’t have my journal with me to go back and check. If I remember correctly, Joshua’s mother was raped and became pregnant at the age of thirteen. No one wanted her once she became pregnant. No one especially wanted Joshua though.

I had the amazing blessing of caring for him the one night he was at the mission. I fed him and clothed him. We laughed and played. I held him and loved him. I slept next to him that entire night with my arms around him. I still remember waking up with those big brown eyes staring at me… To this day, His photo is still the background on my cell phone, laptop, and his photo sits on my dresser. This little guy captured my heart. What can I say without crying? The spirit of adoption is just one of the many amazing gifts God has given us.

This is Joshua:

And these are his precious feet:



Thank you, Lord, for Joshua and all of the other beautiful children around the world. Lord, I pray that one day you would make a way for me to be able to adopt a child, or of it be Your will, children like Joshua, that are in need of food, clothing, and shelter. These children need so much. They need to be shown that someone cares. They need the love of mankind, but more than anything, they need the love of a savior! They need a love of a father. They need the love of THE FATHER! Lord, I praise you today for all You have done and for all You're going to do! Amen!

Your Actions are Weighed

I woke up with a word upon my heart today. That word was action. When I looked it up in my Bible, it took me to 1 Samuel 2:3, which says, “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.”

Did you catch that last part? It didn’t say that our actions are measured by man or by the world. The Bible says our actions are weighed by Him.

Over the weekend I attended a Bible Study that expounded on the Last Supper. We talked about self-examination. When thinking about this verse and then self-examination, I couldn’t help but wonder if I come across as arrogant. Are things I’m saying or doing coming across as proud? If they are, God certainly isn’t getting any glory from it.

The more I thought about this verse, the deeper I wanted to go into that word action. I looked in the concordance. The word actions in 1 Samuel 2:3 comes from “the sense of effecting; an exploit (of God), or a performance (of man, often in a bad sense”. It also mentions the words “deed, doing, invention, occasion, and work”.

Wow, a performance! I don’t know about you, but I can think of a couple people off of the top of my head who seem to be constantly putting on a performance. Oftentimes it seems like they just do things to be seen, to get recognition, etc. That isn’t what God wants though. That doesn’t please Him. Our actions shouldn’t be a performance for others, and our actions shouldn’t be to draw attention to us. Our actions should be works and deeds for the kingdom and glory of God. Everything else is meaningless. I suppose that is harsh, but it is reality.

So, in closing, the next time you do something, question why you are doing it. Are you doing it for God? Are you doing it because others are watching? Are you doing it to receive praise? Do you even know why you’re doing what you’re doing? It’s something to think about. I know that it often feels like you are being judged by the entire world. Just remember that isn’t really the case. In the end, it is by God and God alone that your actions are weighed.

A visit with Moses

Okay, this isn't much, but I know Moses has captured many of your hearts; just as he has captured mine. Here is what I know. Gracie went to Tegucigalpa Monday to IHNFA to see Moses. She and Carol Treder-Mallasch of Arrow Ministries in Honduras (See http://mallaschmeditations.wordpress.com/ for more info on that ministry) met with the director of IHNFA, the doctor, and several other officials. While there they also met with the sister of the first lady of Honduras.

Here they are from left to right: The sister of the first lady of Honduras, Gracie, Carol, and baby Moses.

Just to clarify, Moses is still in IHNFA. Pray that whatever tests and proper procedures get done quickly, so Moses can be brought to the mission where he will be loved and adored! God Bless!

Moses

What a blessed week this has been. God has been better to me than I deserve. So much better than I deserve! Thursday evening I got on Facebook to see the latest posts. I saw a post that really blessed me. It was a post by Gracie. This is what it said: “God is blessing us with a 6 month old baby named Moses. (Moises in Spanish) This is a very special case. He is in IHNFA and nobody wants him because he is dying of cancer. We do not know how much time we will have with him before he goes home to the Lord. But each minute he is going to be loved outrageously. Will report when he comes. Has to have one more test first.”

My response was, “Amen, Gracie! Love Love Love! That's what it's all about!” Within two minutes, Gracie called from Honduras. She was/is so excited about this precious baby boy; as am I. I so wish I could be in Honduras to be a part of this gift from God. She explained to me how no one wants this baby. IHNFA has tried to find a home for this baby. They have tried Honduras families, American families in Honduras, etc. No one wants him because he is an inoperable tumor and is dying. Gracie has been told that this 6 month old sits alone all day in IHNFA without receiving any attention or love. When Gracie’s friends heard about him they immediately sought to find placement for him. Apparently this precious little guy is very responsive when he receives attention. Below are some photos that Gracie emailed me this morning.

Part of what really blessed me is when Gracie asked Cindy and Karla about what they thought about bringing Moses to the mission. The mission is meant to be a place for girls and their babies, not just babies. Both girls agreed though that Jesus had rescued them and brought them there. Jesus had rescued them and loved them. They had to help do the same for little Moses. What a blessing!

Gracie is going to Tegucigalpa Monday morning to see Moses. They will do some paperwork and hopefully be able to bring him home to the mission next week. We have no idea how long he will live, but it doesn’t ultimately matter. He is in God’s hands and he is a blessing. Until he goes home to the Lord, he is going to be cared for and loved tremendously. Oh, how I wish I could be there!  Please keep, Gracie, Lee, Cindy, Karla, Alejandro, and baby Moses in your prayers. 

 

John 15:12 says, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” I think taking this precious baby is a perfect example of keeping this commandment! So often, people don’t want babies that aren’t healthy or “perfect”. It’s so sad. Praise God that His love isn’t like that! His love is perfect and unfailing. He sees past our physical appearance and our disabilities. He is our encourager. He is our strength and our hope. Praise God for His unfailing love!

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” ~ 1 John 4:16-18

Speak Boldly!

I've had something on my heart the past few days that I want to share it.. I ran across Ephesians 6:19 over the weekend and it really convicted my heart. The scripture says, "And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel".

That word boldly really caught my attention, so I looked it up in the concordance. It comes from the Greek word parrhēsia. It means to have confidence, be out-spoken, to be able to speak publically, freely, openly, and plainly. I think we all know that I'm not out-spoken and that speaking boldly is not in my repertoire!

I suppose it sounds dumb, but I want to be able to speak boldly. I've always shied away from speaking on the phone simply because I falter when I speak. I am not well- versed at all, and I know it. Even in person, I get extremely nervous speaking. I get nervous just talking to friends and family. I will think one thing and say another. Half the time, I'll go back and apologize and say what I really meant to say. I know that sounds silly. Usually my brain has half a dozen things going on at once, and what comes out of my mouth just isn't what I had hoped for, lol; especially when it comes to any sort of public speaking!

Here is where my heart is really at though. I desire to be able to speak boldly for Christ! I want to be able to open up my Bible or an evangecube in Rwanda and talk about the saving grace of God. I want to be ready and willing at any given moment to share what God has done for me and my life (at any time and in any place). I want to be prepared. I want to be ready, so when the spirit moves my mouth will open, and I will boldly speak for Him!