RWANDA: FRIENDS & FUN

I'm home, and I've decided today is the day to be finished blogging about this trip.  I wanted to be done before I got home, but as it turns out, traveling for 28 hours straight actually doesn't leave you a lot of time for blogging.  I was busy watching 4 movies and reading one full book and being really uncomfortable and tired on a plane and not eating the food I was served.  #priorities

This trip was everything I could have hoped for and then some.  I was traveling with Africa New Life, but one of the major draws for me to head to Rwanda is that I would get to see some dear friends, the Sengoga family.



They were in our D-group for the 2014-2015 year, and we grew to absolutely LOVE them.  Seeing them in Rwanda, serving the Lord and loving people well was an extreme gift.  We saw them a couple of times during our trip, and we got to see the guest house they have to host the church-planting fellows that Joel is training this year, one week out of each month.

Lynn and I also got to spend a day seeing their church (Divine Destiny) and hanging out with Annie.  She has been making cookies and cakes and cupcakes (I blogged about that here), and she is employing women and also using extra profit from the cookie money to bless other families.  We were privileged to help her deliver food to some people who live in one of the communities that Divine Destiny works in.



We created quite a stir in the rural areas, and we women were unprepared for a hike down a hill carrying eggs.  White jeans and black sandals with small heels may not have been the best wardrobe choice.  😳😂💪



This group of boys very much enjoyed watching this take place.  (See also: the precious baby riding on one boy's back.)



We were faced with poverty and malnutrition, and my heart broke all over again.  Rwanda certainly is full of extremes.

Thanks for hosting us so well, Sengoga family!  We love and miss you all!



Another great joy of this trip is the women that I got to travel with.  We didn't all know each other going into this, and it is always a little concerning to show up and just hope for the best.  However, it was clear that the Lord had each of us there for individual reasons, and we meshed so well.  I already miss hanging out with them.



And - I made some new friends with Africa New Life.  It's such a shame that we live half a world apart.

Both Betty and Alice work for Africa New Life and spent a lot of time with our team.  Alice was actually a sponsored child through ANL, and now she is employed there while also going to college.  There seemed to be nothing she couldn't do, and we were so grateful to have her with us every step of the way.  She guided us through Rwanda so graciously, and it was awesome to have such an up close view of how sponsorship can impact a life.  Plus- she is super fun!

I'll post later today about our safari, which was AMAZING!  Everything was really so wonderful, and though I am so thankful to be home with my people, Rwanda now has a huge piece of my heart.  And I can't wait to go back!