#63 Go on an African Safari and #54 Hold Orphans in Africa {Life List Wednesday}

I know I have not done a Life List update the last 2 weeks since I was in Rwanda and then was trying to do all of the updates afterward. This week I figured I'd share 2.

#63 Go on an African Safari

This is a newer addition to the list, but never thought that I would get to do it so soon. This was one of those far away "one day" dreams. In Rwanda we got to go on an amazing safari. I think my favorite part was seeing the elephant because it is so rare to see them. Only about 1 in every 20 groups get to see one. This guy was about 70 years old.

#54 Hold Orphans in Africa

When I wrote this I did so thinking that it would happen in an orphanage on a missions trip. However, I got to not only hold small children who had lost one or more parents, we also got to meet with people who were around my age who lost parents when they were very young and have learned how to do life on their own. I'm glad that this one did not go exactly as I thought it would, because I would have missed out on hearing the stories of these individuals.

Mission Rwanda: The End

Sorry for the lack of photos-Saturday morning I packed up the dslr and just used my small camera, and there really wasn't a lot to take photos of. 

Saturday was our main day to do some shopping. In the morning we went over to this market where they had some tourist-y kind of things. I had a blast because I got to barter-which I love doing. I never would have bartered with the people we worked with in the villages because they made their things and they really needed the money. This place was more of a tourist kind of place, so I had no problem doing it- and I was able to get some really cool stuff. A few things I picked up included jewelry, wooden figurines, and I collect keychains from the places I go, so I made sure to pick up one of those and I found a really cool apron-I can say goodbye to that ugly white one.

The market

Then we went back, grabbed lunch, and headed to the airport. Our flight got moved up almost 2 hours, which we did not know and we barely made it. I won't bore you with all the details of the travel, but we traveled for about 24 hours and went from Kigali, Rwanda to Entebbe, Uganda to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Rome, Italy to Washington D.C. By the end I was so glad to be on land.

At the airport

On the flight from Entebbe to Addis Ababa I ended up sitting next to a guy named Wilbur who was from Uganda and was headed to Israel for a work/sightseeing trip. We talked for almost the entire flight. He wanted to know about what we had done in Rwanda and then we eventually started talking about our lives. He asked me several questions about my faith and my church, which was neat because he did not seem to have a positive view of Christianity and wanted to know why I love church so much. He told me about his work (he works in water conservation and during the genocide he was tasked with pulling bodies from the lake between Rwanda and Uganda for a short time), his kids, and his wife. He asked about whether I had a boyfriend back home and I told him no, that I am too busy (my typical excuse). He grabbed my hand and said "No, you are a woman who deserves to be admired and appreciated in all you do" and made me promise to work on that part of my life when I got home. Honestly, it was such a blessing to have him to talk to, because I get often get anxious on planes and had been very anxious on the flight from Kigali to Entebbe.

When we landed in D.C., I was glad to be heading home, but even now I still feel as though I left a part of my heart in Rwanda.

Mission Rwanda: November 18

Friday morning was supposed to be a morning that we could sleep in a little bit. After the busy week we had, we were all looking forward to this.

The baboons had other plans.

Yes, the baboons. I awoke early in the morning to the sound of them running on my roof. You see, during the genocide the lodge at Akagera was abandoned. No one hid there because it would have been too obvious and no tourists were coming in at that point. For about 5 years the baboons had the lodge to themselves. They have not exactly gotten the memo that they no longer run the place. The lodge is really open and they will run up and down the staircases, sit on balconies, and try to get in the rooms. In one room the ladies somehow did not shut their door the entire way. A baboon got in, but all he took was her nasal spray-I kid you not. The baboons even have their own pool, though they apparently like the people pool as well. There is also a swing set at the lodge, and some people say it was built for the baboons.  The only issue is, these guys like shiny things. A number of the people on our team were chased by baboons who wanted their shiny cameras. And they are not sweet, but quirky little guys like Rafiki on The Lion King-they've got some pretty freaky fangs.

They don't keep their pool nearly as clean as the people do

We ate breakfast at the lodge and then packed up to head back to Kigali. Along the drive back we stopped at a school that the pastor we met on Sunday runs, the market, and a vocational school where ladies were learning to sew and were finishing some bags we had ordered. Apparently they sell these bags in places like Macy's here in the US and they buy them from these ladies. It was really neat to meet them, see the process, and then have a bag I could take home.

After all of those stops we made it back to the hotel-3 hours late for dinner. We ate and then had some time of worship and prayer with our team as well as Justin, a really neat guy who lives in the Village of Hope, and the head chef from Hotel Des Mille Collines and his wife. One of the ladies on our team, Debbie, bought a foreclosed house with her husband a few years ago, fixed it up, and now has a Rwandan family living in it. The man's brother is the head chef at the hotel and so it was so cool to get to meet he and his wife. It was really sweet for Debbie.

Worshiping all together was amazing. Justin played guitar for us and sang and the other gentleman sang as well. I found myself crying when I heard Justin singing The Desert Song having heard a little of his story earlier. I was continually struck by the strength of the faith of some of the people that I met while I was there and Justin was one of them.

This is my prayer in the desert

When all that's within me feels dry

This is my prayer in my hunger and need

My God is the God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire

In weakness or trial or pain

There is a faith proved

Of more worth than gold

So refine me Lord through the flames

And I will bring praise

I will bring praise

No weapon formed against me shall remain

[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/h/hillsong/the_desert_song.html ]

I will rejoice

I will declare

God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle

When triumph is still on it's way

I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ

So firm on His promise I'll stand

All of my life

In every season

You are still God

I have a reason to sing

I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest

When favor and providence flow

I know I'm filled to be emptied again

The seed I've recieved I will sow

By Hillsong United

Mission Rwanda: November 17

On Thursday we woke up early to watch the sunrise over the lake (a tributary of the Nile!). It was the most amazing sunrise I have ever seen in my life. One of the girls in our group played worship music and we sat and watched the show.

Then we grabbed breakfast and loaded into the cruisers and went for a daylong safari. Here are just a few of the pictures I took

Our entire team

The people from PA

Mission Rwanda: November 16

We started Wednesday by going to the Village of Hope. It is a village that was built for children who were orphaned by the genocide. Now those children are in their 20s. We got to meet a number of the people living in the village, prayed with them, sang with them, and then got to go visit some of their houses. We paired up with two people from our group and two of them and then took food to their homes and visited with them.

A number of young children also live nearby and came to spend time with us. The Widow's Village is not far away, and they heard that we were in the village so some of them came and spent time with us as well. One little boy came and sat on my lap for a good portion of the time. He kept showing me how he could count to 20 on his fingers and loved playing with my camera. He was so precious!!!

After lunch we all piled into Land Cruisers and began the "2.5" hour drive that was more like 4.5 hours to Akagera National Park. On our way we stopped at a random village to hand out coloring books, toys, and candy to the kids. It was so much fun. We stayed for maybe a half hour and then piled back in the cruisers and made our way to the park. On our way back on Friday we drove past the same village and the kids all ran out yelling something at us. Our driver told us that they were saying "We remember you, we remember you, God bless you" and cheering. Wow.

Mission Rwanda: November 15

“If Jesus Christ invested in my sinfulness, who am I not to invest my sinful self into my fellow sinful humans?” ~Bishop John Rucyahana

Tuesday we had the privilege of meeting with Bishop John Rucyahana. He is a very wise and influential man in the church, but he took the time to come and meet with our team. He was so down-to-earth and he was funny. He told us the story of Rwanda, answered our questions, signed our books, and took photos with us. I got to talk to him one-on-one during our coffee break and just loved speaking with him. This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

After the meeting with Bishop John we went to the genocide museum. I was unprepared for how heart-wrenching and graphic the museum would be. There were moments where I cried and others where I thought I might throw up. I paid to take photos inside the museum, but did not end up taking too many because I was caught up in the emotions of what I was seeing and reading. 

Wall of Names (of the victims)

Room for photos of victims

"When they said 'never again' after the Holocaust, was it meant for some people and not for others?" ~Apollon Kabahizi
(intended to question why the United Nations did not intervene)

Once we were done at the museum we went to make a stop at the Widow's Village. It was unannounced and our intent was to make it there before dark. It was totally dark by the time we got there, they have no electricity in the village, and not everyone had brought their flashlights. We handed out candy, [tried to] take photos, sang songs with the kids, and some others visited the homes to give the women coloring books for their kids and pray for them. We prayed at the end, loaded up the bus, and headed out-but not before looking up at the AMAZING stars. Before that night, the most amazing sky I had ever seen was in Morocco between two major cities: Fes and Casablanca. I think this one was better. The sky was so black and the stars were so bright. Wow.

Quality-wise these pictures are not great-but man were they fun!

Mission Rwanda: November 14

"The genocide killed over a million of our people, but it gave all of us a disease. We all have fear in our hearts now" ~Mathieu

Monday was an incredibly full day. We started out by stopping at a church which  is now a genocide memorial. Within the actual sanctuary over 1,000 people were killed. Within the church grounds the total was over 5,000 people killed who went to the church seeking shelter. And they are still finding bodies almost 20 years later. Inside the memorial we saw the skulls and bones of those killed in the church. The clothing that they wore when they were killed was hung along the walls and from the rafters. There are holes in the walls and there were still some blood stains on the walls. Even typing this brings back some of the horrible details that we were told and some of the images that we saw. It turns my stomach to think that those things happened inside the church, which was supposed to be God's house.

After the memorial we went to the Village of Reconciliation-a place where victims and perpetrators live together and have chosen to seek forgiveness and forgive one another. It is a place unlike any other. Pastor Steven Gahigi spoke to us about what has happened to create such a village. We heard the stories of Rosaria and Janet, who lost family members and were injured during the genocide and then chose to forgive those who committed those crimes against them. And we heard the stories of perpetrators like Sevari and Frederick who have found freedom in forgiveness. Our team sang a few songs and then the people of the village sang a few songs for us as well. They were singing songs about the grace of God and broke out in dancing. They pulled a number of us up to dance with them. The man who pulled me up to dance was one who was a perpetrator during the genocide. I danced alongside he and other killers and victims alike realizing that the only way that this scene was possible was by the sheer grace of God. It was amazing. 

Sevari sharing his story

Pastor Steven Gahigi and I

My new friend

We ate lunch at the village and then spent time visiting with the people. I held a baby for some time and talked with the father (who spoke English) and some of his friends. Some of us painted the nails of the ladies in the village. We played with the kids. I met a young man named Mathieu who was 3 years old when he lost his father and his aunts, uncles, and grandparents. He told me about the genocide from his perspective and shared that he believes that Rwanda's way forward is through forgiveness first, and then business second. He asked that I pray that he can finish going to college for business. 

Mathieu and I

After our time at the village we stopped at Hotel Des Mille Collines-better known as Hotel Rwanda. It was cool to see the hotel since I saw the movie several years ago. It was much larger than I thought it would be. At the end of the night we stopped at a restaurant and got pizza-it was sooo good. The second best pizza I have ever had (Morocco still holds #1).