Our trip to Rwanda has been amazing, but it’s also been difficult. It has been hard because there has been a lot of time on buses while we travel from place to place. On the bus trips I have had lots of time to think about the people I miss back in the US and I become homesick and want to go back to Greensboro. However, the amazing times we have had with the people of Cyangugu and Karangazi have filled me with so much joy and then I don’t want to leave. I have made new friends and met brothers and sisters in Christ who have welcomed me into their homes and treated me like family.
This trip has been a new experience for me because the reason we have come is just to be with the people. It is not to accomplish some project or lead VBS or build something, but just to visit with the people. Bishop Alexis (Gahini diocese) shared with us that the people feel so loved that their brothers and sisters from America have travelled so far to be with them. At each church, they usually try to lead us to seats near the front that have been reserved for us, but Tripp always asks if we can sit with the people. As we come to sit with them, their faces light up with joy and we are welcomed into their midst as family.
My three highlights of the trip have been building relationships with three different people. The first is Bonnie, Bishop Nathan’s right hand man in Cyangugu. We are about the same age and are kindred spirits and I so enjoyed talking, laughing, singing, and getting to spend time with him.
The second is Asa, a young boy who I met at a church service in Karangazi. We spent the whole morning service together and I bonded with him as he sat on my lap and as we worshipped God together.
The third is Timothy, the young boy I sponsor through Compassion International. It was such a joy to meet him and get to know him a little bit. But we really bonded over the game of fútbol. We talked about our favorite players and teams and then we got to kick around the fútbol that I gave him. Later that afternoon we got to play a game of fútbol with the other sponsored children and their interpreters and we had a blast playing together! All three of them treated me as their brother and welcomed me into their lives with joy and love.
I am so grateful for this experience to meet my brothers and sisters through Christ in Rwanda and to celebrate God’s goodness with new family! And while I am very excited to come home and be with my family in Greensboro, I will not forget my brothers and sisters in Rwanda! I hope that I will have the opportunity to return and when I do I will celebrate being reunited with family!
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