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I love those moments with God when He reminds you of your place in this world. I’ve been struggling here lately to find my place... I don’t know where I’m supposed to be when it comes to any part of my life. God gave me a gentle reminder this morning though. He reminded me that this is not my home, and He reiterated to me that He is my Father. Hallelujah and Amen right there!

I was reminded through a song and of course by the Holy Spirit. It’s a song that I’ve heard part of before, but that I’ve always turned off until the next song comes on the radio. It’s not that I didn’t think the song was pretty. The beginning words always made me sad though. Let me explain. The song starts off by saying, “I'm gonna wrap my arms around my daddy's neck and tell him that I've missed him. And tell him all about the man that I became and hope that it pleased him”. For someone like me who has never known their biological father or grown up with a father-figure, this song can be discouraging.

This morning on my way to work when the song came on the radio, I didn’t turn it off. I listened and became uplifted and encouraged. I just read the book “Heaven is for Real”. It is about a 3 year old boy who goes to heaven for 3 minutes. His time in heaven seems to last much longer than 3 minutes though. During his time there he gets to spend time with God and Jesus. As the boy gets older and slowly talks about his time in heaven, he talks about how much God loves the little children. He loves them so much. God loves His children!

I don’t for one second believe that I’ll be running up to my biological father in heaven and putting my arms around his neck. Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that You will be there though. My Abba, My Heavenly Father, is there waiting on me. How encouraging and exciting is that to know that your Heavenly Father is in heaven waiting on the day when all of His children will be gathered together with Him! I couldn’t help but be blessed when I thought about others who will be there… Oh my! I wanted to stop and make a list right there. As soon as I did that though, I would surely leave someone out. I’m just wanting to tell everyone right now how loved they are. God loves you!

I see how excited empty-nesters get when they have all of their children home again. Can you imagine how glorious that day will be when we’ll all be gathered in heaven? Can you imagine the sense of peace, yet the eternal rejoicing? Joy floods my soul as I think about it! I suppose it sound silly, but can you imagine how pleased God will be to have all of His children together in that eternal place of glory? I cannot even fathom what that day will be like. I am so ready for it though!

The more I thought about all of that this morning, the more I was reminded of how this is not our home. I may not know what I’m supposed to do next. In the big scheme of things, it’s not a huge deal though. I couldn’t help but think of II Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing”.

We are all in this race together. Let’s remember that this is not our home. There are better things (for all eternity) to come. Let’s encourage each other and lift one another up in our times of need. Let’s continue to fight the good fight and just keep running. And if you don’t have the strength to run (physically, spiritually, or otherwise) then I encourage you to put one foot in front of the other at whatever pace you can bear. Know that your Heavenly Father is always with you (Hebrews 13:5). You also have brothers and sisters in Christ who are here ready to help you take the next step when you feel you can’t take it alone.

You can listen to the song "Finally Home" by Mercy Me at: http://youtu.be/HZorhLw0d8A

Jesus Loves Me

Mary Wagner singing "Jesus Loves Me" with children in Rwanda.

Bubbles!

Mary blowing blowing bubbles for the kids. They loved them!

A few faces from Hangali

Here are a few of the faces that I encountered my first day in the mission field:

These are the three young men that I mentioned in a previous post who were saved our very first day in the field. Many more professed Christ as their personal savior later on. It was such a blessing to see them step out on faith though!

 Julius and the kids with the bubbles. This is the same group of kids that I shared some of my story with. I also shared about Jesus and we had practically the entire group pray to receive Jesus as their savior.

 Loving the bubble wand!

 Our view of a smoking volcano on the way back to the hotel:

 A nice view from the hotel:

 A view of Lake Kivu:

 The wildlife at the hotel!

 More wildlife:

Joy

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands” ~ Psalm 100:1

As we drove through Rwanda on our way to our first mission point, I was astounded at the scenery. The smiles and simple joy of the people is what really struck me. Smiles always get me! As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I noticed the sound of drums as we piled out of the van at our mission point on the very first day. Anticipation filled my heart, and my soul was quickly filled with joy too as I found what was waiting for us.

We found a church filled with beautiful people. It definitely wasn’t your typical American church. It had a roof of sorts held up by some handmade wooden poles. The part where the congregation sat (on handmade wooden benches that were carried to and from the church each day from down the road) was a mud floor. Where we and the pastors sat had a floor made of rocks. We sat in handmade wooden chairs that were very unbalanced on the rocks. I sat very still and straight, so I wouldn’t fall; though the children probably would have enjoyed that!

When we arrived the people were already singing praises to God. They didn’t cease when we arrived. They just kept right on singing and dancing. We just joined right in until it was time for introductions, preaching, and such. That first day wasn’t a typical day, but God was already moving. We presented the evangecube and 3 young boys accepted Christ. What a wonderful start!

After we finished worship that first day, we split up into training groups. It was very important to train with the people there to let them know exactly what we would be doing and how we would be doing things so they too could be right there with us going out into the field. Can anyone guess who I got to “train” with? It got the best group anyone could have asked for! You’ll never guess who I got to spend time with… I got all of the kids! Mary came with me for a moment, and we got the bubbles out. All you could here was “ME ME ME ME ME ME!” All the kids wanted to pop the bubbles and try to blow the bubbles. It was absolute insanity but so much fun!

After Mary returned to the church, it was just Julius and I with the kids. Julius is a very faithful ministry partner to e3 in Rwanda. Julius also blew bubbles with the kids, but before I knew it, he was asking me to give my testimony to the kids. That wasn’t something I was prepared for, but it felt right. I shared some about myself with a group of approximately 50-60 kids (maybe more). We then talked about Jesus and the free gift of salvation. Before I knew it, just about every kid there (some were very young) were praying to accept Christ as their personal savior. Man, is God good!

During the training sessions with the adults, others also received Christ. I never found out a total and don’t need to know the number. God knows. He knows it all. I am sitting here reading my journal about that day. I can’t help but stand in awe of how mighty our God is. It amazes me how He can use anything and everything for His glory.

I mentioned the drums and the music in Rwanda. I want to share a journal entry with you from Saturday, May 22^nd: “I don’t even know where to begin about this amazing day. Our orientation meeting/service was absolutely incredible. Anna sang songs like “Hallelujah Amen”. The room was filled with joyous singing and praise of Americans and Rwandan nationals. It was so soulful”.

So here is where my heart is at today. Forgive me if this blog isn’t exactly what you want it to be or what you expected it to be. I’m just going to share what is on my heart though. Since my return to America, I’ve noticed something. I came home, went to church, went up into the choir, and looked over the congregation as we sang. At a time when I should have been feeling joyful and worshipful, I felt sadness. I felt sadness because I looked over a congregation that seemed to have no joy or happiness. It was very discouraging…

Let me elaborate… We Americans live in a country where we basically don’t want for anything. When we’re hungry, we eat. When we want something, we go buy it. When our children want something, we go get it for them. We have no idea what it is to NEED something. Not really. We want things, but we don’t really have needs anymore because we can buy whatever we want. We have everything we want; still, we all walk around like we’ve been robbed of our joy. I am just as guilty of it as anyone. Still, I want to scream, “Wake up people! Where is your joy? Where is your happiness?”  How is it that people in a country like Rwanda who truly do have needs can be so full of joy while we who want for nothing in America roam around like we’ve lost our best friends?

Not only do we carry ourselves in that manner, but we verbally complain… Constantly! I’ve never seen such a blessed people (again this includes me), yet we are always wanting more. We are never satisfied. We as parents and grandparents are this way and are setting a horrible example of this for our children and grandchildren. I see it every single day and it’s honestly kind of sickening.

God hasn’t given you your title, job, money, etc. so you can just keep buying, spending, going into debt, storing up your treasures here on earth, etc. God has blessed you and all of us so we can bless others. Look around you. Open your eyes! There are people everywhere who truly are in need. There are thousands of children starving to death every day. There are thousands of children dying every day simply because they don’t have clean water to drink.  There are children (in America and elsewhere) who don’t have homes and who are in need of real help. Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Take a closer look. Do some research. There are needs that need to be met all around you, and you can make a difference!

We’re only here a short time. Spend your time wisely. Spend your money wisely. Spend both glorifying God instead of yourself. Look into the eyes and faces of people around you. Look at photos from around the world. There are people falling through the cracks all around you. Are you seeing them or are you choosing not to see them? Ask yourself what you really need. Do you really need all of those clothes and shoes? Do you really need all of those tech. toys? Or do you need to do more for the Kingdom?

Whatever you do, I pray that you do it with joy. I pray you sing and praise Him with joy. It’s really on my heart today that we all learn to give more and do so cheerfully (II Corinthians 9:7). Christ gave us all of Himself, so let’s give Him more of us. Let’s give Him more time, more money, more love, and more of anything else that comes to your heart and mind.
He is worthy!

A beautiful welcome!

A beautiful welcome at our mission point in Hangali!

Leaving the Peace Land Hotel

On our first day in the mission field, we left the Peace Land Hotel with a full load of ministry partners (who are far more than just translators), coaches, and North Americans. We all loaded up into vans; two teams per van. We rode in the vans with no seat belts packed in like sardines with our backpacks and supplies for the day, and we loved every minute of it! We prayed before we left and often sang praises to God as we rode. The beginning of the drive was paved, but quickly turned into dirt roads that you literally have to drive left to right on to pass over.

After we dropped the first team off, Pam, David, Fanny, Mary, Julius, and I continued on our journey. Our total ride to our mission point was approximately two hours. The roads were rocky, wet, and muddy. Sometimes we drove right on the edge of mountains where it looked like we might slide right off into oblivion.

After a two hour bumpy ride (I hit my head and arms a lot) up mountains full of mud and rocks, we arrived at our mission point. We made this drive each day the following week (without Mary & Julius). I always enjoyed the drive. I loved watching the people doing their daily chores and routines. The vast majority were on foot. Many were women and children. They were out getting water and working in the fields. It’s really a sight that is hard to explain. The lives of everyone I saw and met there were outside. Their means and resources were outside, so they were outside working and gathering to provide for themselves and their families to survive. That is how pretty much everyone lives there – just to survive.  

Rwanda is so green. I must admit that it reminded me a lot of Honduras, but it seemed even more extensive. They utilize the land and seem to have such rich soil. You see plants and crops as far as the eye can see; even up the mountainsides. The people would be out in the fields from dusk until dawn working the land each day. I honestly have no comprehension of how they do it. It makes my back hurt just to think about it.

I can vividly recall the first day we arrived at our mission point. We parked down the road from the church, which is unlike any church you’ve ever seen in the United States. I saw children standing around. I was already smiling at the site of their curious faces. I got out of the van and put my jacket on because it was early and cool. We had increased in elevation quite a bit from the hotel. I wasn’t sure how far we were from the church, but as we began to walk up the dirt path with the children all around us, I heard the sound of drums… Excitement stirred within my soul because I knew we were in the right place. I could have been anxious or scared about what was to come, but instead a great sense of joy and peace overwhelmed me because I knew I was exactly where God had called me to be.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” ~ John 14:27 NKJV

The Peace Land Hotel:

A closer look at the painting on the hotel:

A beautiful view from the top floor:

 Another pretty view from the hotel:

Flowers in the tree:

 Flowers in another tree:

Crested Cranes at the hotel:

My favorite van to ride in because it said "Trust God":

An early foggy, muddy morning:

Our muddy roads:

Children out working early:

Adults out working early too:

This child was just sitting alone alone:

 And these were standing alone:

We passed this mosque every day on the way to our mission point:

 Entering the Rubava District:

The Curious Faces we found when we arrived at our mission point:

How do you...?

When you want to talk about something but don’t know where to begin, what do you do? When you’ve been to a foreign land called “land of a thousand hills”… When you’ve seen a place and a people that are indescribably beautiful, how do you find the words to describe that place and those people? How do you describe the children whose faces are etched into your mind? How do you describe the singing which you still long to hear? More importantly, how on earth do you describe the miraculous and mighty works that our amazing Lord and Jesus Christ performed? I was a part of it and still can’t wrap my mind around it. How do you write about and explain it?

I honestly don’t know how to explain it. I think the first thing to do is to praise Jesus Christ, our King, who sits and the right hand of God. If it wasn’t for the blood He shed, there wouldn’t have been a point to me or anyone else going on this trip. There wouldn’t have been any good news to spread. Praise God that Jesus died, rose again, and still lives today! He is the reason for it all! It is because of Him that we were able to travel to the “land of a thousand hills”, be His hands and feet, and simply witness such astonishing feats.

We prayed that the heavens would just be opened… That highways, hearts, and homes would open… That hearts and lives would be changed. Our prayers were answered, and the transformations were truly stunning and awe-inspiring.

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.