LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF

As I reflect on our time in Rwanda, which I will continue to post about for a few more days because there are millions of pictures and even more thoughts, one question continues to haunt me.

Who is my neighbor, and how do I do a better job of loving them?

Before we left on this trip, I prayed for the Lord to work in our family and continue to reveal himself to us as we were on this adventure.  One of the verses that kept coming to my mind was Matthew 22:37-39: Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' (NIV)

To be honest, I'm not a great neighbor in any sense of the word.  I can only tell you the names of a few of my actual neighbors, and when we expand out the parable to all people, I often love myself more than those around me.  One of our hopes for this trip was to give our children a bigger picture of the world and the different ways that people live.  Though John and I have traveled quite a bit, I am always amazed by how much I learn every time that I go someplace.  It's like the blinders fall off, and I can see more clearly, just by getting out of my normal life.

Visiting Lilian and Diane was a perfect opportunity to meet some neighbors (they happen to be actual neighbors!), and I am still so humbled and thankful for that afternoon.  I can speak firsthand and say that child sponsorship matters and makes a real impact in real families.  Being connected to these girls is changing their lives and ours, all for the better, and I'm thankful for this tangible way to love our neighbor.  (If you want to sponsor a child through Africa New Life, go here! Lilian and Diane live in Rubavu, and there are many other families there who could benefit from sponsorship.)



During our time in Rwanda, we spent a lot of time in transit, mostly in our air-conditioned 14 passenger van with our extremely capable driver, Epimaque.  On this day, we were headed from a church plant towards Akagera National Park to spend the night, and we were following the Sengogas truck while our kids and some of their's zoned out on various devices.  We came upon the scene of a rather grisly accident, and the guys all jumped out to see what was going on.

It quickly became clear that there were some serious injuries, and they needed Joel to drive them to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible.  Our luggage was whisked into the van while they loaded the injured men into the back of his truck, all while we prayed with the kids and also tried to make sure they didn't see anything they could never unsee.  We then had a rather disconcerting moment where we drove off the road, around the giant charter bus, and we all climbed to one side of our van to try to prevent tipping over.  I'm sure Epimaque thought we were nuts.

Just that morning, we had done a devotional with the kids about loving our neighbor, and we had ended up discussing the story of the Good Samaritan who comes across an injured man and does everything in his power to help.  Even now, I marvel at the way God worked our circumstances to give us such an immediate example and opportunity.  It was also eye-opening, because once we got to the hospital, it became clear that they were not well-equipped to help the man who was most seriously injured.  There was no stretcher to stabilize him and prevent further injury.  There was no x-ray machine.  Adam was one of the most knowledgable people on site due to his medical experience, and he ended up advising the staff.

We don't know the outcome of that situation, but we did see an ambulance head by, and we hope that he was taken someplace with more expertise and equipment.  The truth is, situations like this are happening all the time, both here and there.  People need help and are often in desperate situations.  Our neighbors, our brothers and sisters, need us.

They need me.  I need them.

One thing that has been abundantly clear to me as I've returned home is that my life is full of distraction, much of it being meaningless, consumeristic noise.  I am drawn to pretty things, and my attention is easily captured by the next thing to purchase for my family or the next fun experience.  It took me a full two days to do laundry when we got back, and I was sickened by the sheer amount of clothing that we own.  I have a room for my personal clothing that is larger than some of the homes we visited.  I wrote about the upside down nature of it all when I got back from Rwanda last time, and I'm struck all over again about the millions of ways that I'm missing what really matters.

I need to see my neighbors more clearly.  I need to be filled with God's love for them so that I can love God and others more than myself.  I need it like breathing, because it is so easy for me to suffocate in my stuff and my "blessings."

I am so thankful to live with clean water and plenty of food.  I do not take it for granted or wish it otherwise.  But, I am reminded all over again that the nearness of the Lord is for our good, and the Lord is near to those who are brokenhearted and downcast.  Blessed are the poor, for their's is the kingdom of heaven.  I don't think Jesus is kidding about any of that, which means that I need to continue to move towards the poor and the outcast who are my neighbors and work on loving them more than I love me.  Only by God's grace and for his glory.

MEETING LILIAN & DIANE, OUR SPONSORED KIDS

We came to Rwanda for many reasons, and one of them that was very exciting to us was to meet the children that we sponsor through Africa New Life.  I came to Rwanda with Africa New Life back in September and fell in love with the organization and the Rwandan people.  We had begun sponsoring two girls before that trip, but it was impossible to make that part of our schedule in September.  So, when we set out making our itinerary, we made sure to plan a day for this.

We sponsor two girls, Lilian and Diane, and the Heads sponsor two children as well, Jasmin and Emmanuel.  They all live in the city of Rubavu, which is on the western border of the country.  This journey took about 4 hours each way from where we are staying, so it made for a very, very long day, that was absolutely worth every bit.



This day was so full, and our time here has already been so packed, that I am going to focus only on visiting with Lilian and Diane in this post.  I could write pages, but I don't have the time or the internet bandwidth to support that, so this will be fairly brief.

We were picked up at 6 am with kids who were very excited to head out.  The bus we took was comfortable, but it was a long ride, and we had 8 kids, so there were good and bad moments. 🤣 But, we got to take in the Rwandan countryside, which is stunning.  We drove by mountains and rivers and lakes and even saw some monkeys in trees, and it is just amazing to see how many people are out all the time.



We arrived in Rubavu and took a brief tour of the Africa New Life sponsorship offices.  Their project in Rubavu is relatively new, but there are already 641 children sponsored there - many by our home church.  We met Lilian and Diane and their mothers at the offices for a brief introduction.  In all honesty, there was a lot to take in.  We had our party of 12, and then we added four more children and mothers to the mix as well as ANL staff.  A lot was happening at all times.



We all went to Jasmin and Emmanuel's homes first, and then our group of 12 was dropped off to eat lunch at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the lake. (Which was a whole other experience!)

After lunch, we got to go to Lilian and Diane's homes, and they happen to be practically neighbors.  When I was choosing children to sponsor, I specifically looked for girls whose birthdays were close to Lily and Bella's to give them a connecting point.  Lilian was born the same month as our Lily, and Diane was actually born the same week as Bella.

As we stepped into their homes, it was clear they had prepared for our visits and were so pleased to welcome us.  It was so humbling and overwhelming to be greeted so graciously.  We got to speak with Lilian's mother and father and meet her older sister.  We prayed with their family and let Lily unpack the bag of gifts that she had helped pick out at home.  After John prayed, Lilian's mother prayed over us, and even now, I can't stop the tears as I think of it.  She's my sister in Christ and motherhood and though our lives are so different, I felt so much kinship with her.  She prayed blessings over our family that I will be forever grateful for.  I wish we had had hours instead of minutes, because it was such a treasure.

In Diane's home, we met her father and mother and one of her three siblings.  The entire neighborhood was gathered around each house for every visit we did and trailing us everywhere we walked or drove.  As you might imagine, we were a spectacle and then some.  Diane's parents are also believers, and our time was so sweet.  Lest you get the wrong impression, each visit included some sort of meltdown from one of our own children, because we were well into the afternoon at this point, and it was a wild day.  But, on the whole, our kids did really well.  Bella was so pleased to present Diane with the gifts and show her how to use things.  Seeing my big girls rise to the occasion was one of the day's many gifts.

We had really been looking forward to this experience, and it was everything we had hoped and more.  We have been praying for Lilian and Diane, and to get to see where they live and meet their families put so much into perspective.  Of course, it is easy to see that they have less materially than we do.  But, it was also clear that both Lilian and Diane have parents who love them and love the Lord.  We can help their families with school fees and materials, and they will remind us that our joy does not come from things.  It comes from the Lord.  He is our hope and our salvation, and while our families are worlds apart on earth, we are brothers and sisters who all need Christ and grace and love.

It's all been so humbling and refreshing and joy filled.  Let me be perfectly clear - getting here was hard, and the whole experience has cost a lot - financially, spiritually, and physically.  But it is more than worth it.  Lily and Bella will remember it and are connected to girls like them who happen to live in Rwanda.  William and Violet might have some recall and will definitely have a bazillion pictures to look back to.  Rwanda is changing our family for the better, and we are so thrilled to be here.




Many thanks to Africa New Life who so graciously worked with our group to make this possible!  We love the work they are doing and are so thankful to be partnered with them in this venture.

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!

RWANDA: WOMEN'S PROGRAMS

I'm now on a flight headed back to the US, and I cannot wait to get home!  I went ahead and purchased in-flight WIFI to try to catch up on the blog while I'm still on this trip - we'll see how far I get, since I didn't sleep during the flight from Kigali to Amsterdam, and I'm about to be served my second breakfast of the day, like a little hobbit.  😜👊

We got a fantastic overview of many of Africa New Life's programs during our time in Rwanda.  I really connected with the women's programs that they have in place.  Empowering women does so much to help children, families and even economies, and Africa New Life is doing this in several ways that we were privileged to witness.

We visited the Dream Center in Kigali that houses the Sewing Program and the Dream Beauty Academy.




The women warmly welcomed us with singing and dancing, and my eyes filled with tears at the joy.  Most of these women have walked very hard roads starting in poverty, lacking education and resources and including family hardships.  They are mothers - like me.  They want to take care of their children, just as I do.  But, they come from a much different place.  Still - there was so much singing and dancing.  It seems that Rwandans come into the world knowing the beats and melodies as their voices and bodies move together.  It was a beautiful reminder to find joy in the good moments and allow that to inform and infuse the rest of life.

Several of them shared their heartbreaking journeys with us, but because of the Dream Center, they have hope and light and promise and are learning more about walking with the Lord.  They are also learning real, valuable, marketable skills that can be parlayed into real jobs and businesses.

While these women are in class, there is a Dream Daycare for their children to attend.  It was possibly one of the most precious places ever.  The women working there clearly loved their jobs and the children.  

As a mama to littles, I know exactly how valuable it is to know that your child is in a great place, and I am so thankful that they included this as part of the program.

There also happens to be a gift shop at the Dream Center where things that are made by graduates of the sewing program can be purchased.  They did give us the option of purchasing fabric in the market and having custom designs made for us.  Well.  I don't think they realized quite what a response that would get from our group.  We each had not one, but several, custom things in mind.  😳😁

We took two trips to the market just for fabric and ended up having fittings and alterations and the like during our week.  We *might* have been a little high maintenance, but we justified this by knowing we were giving them great business and practice.  It was a win for everyone!  🙌

I had a long, full skirt made out of that turquoise fabric, and I have all the good feels about it!  😍

Another program that I found exciting is the Women's Bakery.  This is something that was started by two women who began their time in Rwanda in the Peace Corps.  When they realized that Rwanda had very little bread - especially in the villages, they discovered that they could find ways to make bread using local, sustainable resources with nutrient dense-protein filled recipes.  Also - the bread is delicious and beautiful!

(These 👆 are G-Nut cookies, and they are really quite good.)


The Women's Bakery developed a 150 hour curriculum that teaches everything from basic math and business to baking skills, and they are building their model to include ways for the women to be able to bake in the villages.  Africa New Life is currently looking at ways to partner with them, especially in the communities that ANL already serves.  It is exciting to dream about what could be, and as a double bonus, we totally filled up on carbs and coffee at this stop. 😍

So - if you have a heartbeat for empowering women - there are several great ways to get involved!

RWANDA: CHILDREN & FOOD

Our trip has been packed FULL, and I'm honestly having a hard time knowing how to distill it into neat little blog posts.  However, after bouncing around a few ideas with my fun friends on this trip, I think I know what to do.  Prepare for lots of blog posts - ready or not, here it comes.

Africa New Life works in several communities throughout Rwanda and takes a multi-layered approach focusing on education, health, spiritual development, community development and stable homes.  I have loved getting to see different aspects of each ministry.

I got recruited for this trip by my dear friend, Hollie, who I've known since attending college together at John Brown University.

She runs a non-profit bakery in Corpus Christi, TX called Fed by Bread and sends all of the proceeds to Africa New Life - focusing mainly on serving lunch to the children in Kageyo B through the Food Is program.  When Hollie visited two years ago, they were only getting a cup of nutritional porridge, but now, they get heaping platefuls of beans and rice.  We got to visit the village of Kageyo and help serve the lunch.




We watched as they lined up to wash their hands and then receive their hot plates, which may be the only meal some of them receive that day.

Please note that during this amazing experience, I watched two chickens that were tied up being carried near to the kitchen.  I was paralyzed with fear that we were going to have to witness their slaughter, which I understand (and appreciate since chicken is my livelihood), but I did not want to see.  Thankfully for me, the chickens were momentarily spared and spent time just hanging out near us. 🐔

The children in Kageyo were so intrigued by us, so we entertained them with a little Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes, which was funny for everyone involved.  Plus, they just liked touching our skin and waving at the Muzungus (foreigners). 😳

Also, while in Kageyo, we got to see the Keyhole Garden initiative at work, where households are selected to receive a raised garden and taught how to plant vegetables and make dishes from them.  There's a large community garden as well, and seeing the thriving green healthy food being grown in an area that desperately needs it was a bright ray of hope.





Several of the women on this trip sponsored children before we left, and we have gotten to visit the homes and families of the children.  These have been some of the most special moments to witness, and I've not had dry eyes in any of their houses.

Though I have seen poverty several times over, it is always shocking, and I think it should be.  They live with so much less, and much of their lives are consumed by finding the necessary things they need to daily survive.  It's hard to wrap my mind around the disparity in the world when faced with the stark reality of the way many people live.  And when those people have stories and faces, and I am being graciously hosted by them - let me just say, it is overwhelming, to say the least.  It was an excellent reminder of the upside down economy of the Lord, because many of the people we met with know Jesus - KNOW him - and are spiritually blessed in ways that I haven't touched because of the way I live with so much stuff and far less daily dependence on the Lord.

That said, it was a gift to see how sponsorship transforms their lives and provides help and hope in the midst of trying circumstances.

(My friend, Mandy - of Milk and Honey Tees fame - with her precious sponsored child, Dennis, and his family.)

(We took a Polaroid camera to be able to leave behind photos with each family.)

You also have to understand that each time we were in a home, every neighbor in walking distance (a LOT of neighbors) showed up and tried to crowd into the homes with us.  There is just nothing subtle about this. 😂😂😂

It really has been such an amazing look at Rwanda and all the work that Africa New Life and ultimately, God, are doing here.