I absolutely fell In Love with this place on Wednesday of last week. I can't pin point exactly what finally clicked and I can't say that it was a specific moment, but I do know that every day since then I have been falling more and more in love with the place! The people are beautiful and the scenery is something else. This week we've left Kigali and have been traveling around Rwanda. Driving around this country the last few days has really tugged at my heart a bit.  One mud house after another and Jerry can after Jerry can, it was a much different site then what I've been used to seeing in Kigali. But this country is so full of beauty, and it's everywhere. They say America is Gods country but I'm not so sure how completely true that is anymore.

I love you, I love you, I love you, if I could just say that to every little munchkin I've driven passed in the last few days. We've been driving around Rwanda for probably a total of 6 hours in the last 2 days, passings hundreds, probably thousands of little nuggets playing, men pushing bikes decorated with Jerry cans, and women carrying some much too heavy object on their heads. There have been far too many instances where everything in me had to stop myself from yelling "stop the car" to the driver. I wanted to talk with these strangers that we were passing, logically not all of them, but these people have stories that deserve to be told and man did I want to listen, and if not I wanted to love them or maybe hug them and at the very least I just wanted to meet them. As much as I wanted to, I knew we couldn't stop; we had places to be and a strict schedule to follow.

Having a drum lesson

Meet Halley, she rocks at being a person! 

Moving On In

Muraho (hello)

I've been here a whole week and boy is there culture shock! After orientation finished up on Friday we all got to meet and move in with our host families! I'd be lying if I told you that the whole transition went smoothly. With most things being very new, It will take me a few days to adjust and adapt. However, I am extremely fortunate to be with my host family and man am I thankful for them! Both the mother and father do not speak English but I am so impressed by their ability to try! There are 7 children in the family, 5 girls and 2 boys and I kid you not one of the boys is named Bill Gates, not Bill, but the full Bill Gates; he is a total sweet heart. And then there is sweet Leslie, although she doesn't speak English, her smile is enough to brighten my entire day. From the moment I arrived they have welcomed me with open arms.  Once at my new home they showed me to my room and gave me a quick tour of the 4 bedroom house. I hung outside with them while they prepared dinner in the outside kitchen and waited for the older kids to get home from school. Then of course came the question of the century, "what do you like to eat?" This question easily catches me off guard because the food here is very very different from the food in America, and if you know me you know I mostly like figure foods, like pizza. (man do I miss pizza) anyways I started to list some of the foods I could think of. Among my list I mention corn on the cob and the next thing I knew I was handed a plate with an uncooked corn stalk on it. I was very thankful and took the plate. I wasn't sure what to do with it so I just held it and continued to talk. I was then told to eat it and I tried to ask if we need to cook it but was unable to communicate it so I ate it or tried too. I've had many many strange and funny things happen since arriving. The lifestyle differences makes everyday task a bit more challenging at first yet it is doable. There is no running water inside of the house, not even a sink nor is there a fridge and still they have survived their entire life without these things. From their perspective I come from a world of "machines" and  I now wouldn't disagree.

Being fearful of bugs isn't really a thing here... There had been a massive and dangerous looking spider hanging from the celling for the last two days and when I pointed to it one of the cousins literally picked it up by its legs, held it in between her fingers for a couple of seconds to show me and then tossed it out the window, never killing it. Fear is obviously not a factor for her. 

Walking anywhere around kigali is always an adventure. It is most certainly gaurenteed that everyone will either stare, shout or sometimes even reach to touch us as we walk by due to the fact that we stick out like a sore thumb.

Even with the newness of the culture I really do love it here! Although, I don't know if I can ever get used to the starring! 

Meet sweet Leslie

The first days

1/27/14

I'm currently sitting in the Kenya airport waiting to board my final flight of this lengthy trip. I've been traveling well over 24 hours now and I honestly cannot wait to get to kigali! I haven't even reached my final destination and I can already say that I've learned two very important lessons. 1. Paris should not be visited alone. 2. My character sinks when I'm in highly stressful foreign situations... I'm working on it. This was my first time over seas and I was traveling alone with no cell phone and  a 15 minute time limit of free wifi which was the only way to contact anyone. I desperately needed to contact a few people once arriving in Paris to let them know that  I had missed my flight to Amsterdam due to my previous flight being delayed. This issue had now changed the whole course of my trip including the airline, the connection country, and my final arrival time. So maybe it was all of that which lead to my minor breakdown or maybe it was the 2 hours of sleep I had gotten in the last 24 hours. Which ever it was I decided to gather my self just enough to make the 1.5 mile long trek to my new gate. I was beyond lost on how to get all of my new flight information to the right people and pretty nervous that I wouldn't be picked up at the airport once arriving to Rwanda As a sat on a bench in the Paris airport very much alone and waiting for my new flight I had a moment to remembered that we have choices in this life, and that choices are important. I can choose to be upset at my situation, scared and angered at the fact that this wasn't the plan or I can choose to quit crying, realize it is what it is and look at it as a new adventure.  So of course I took the latter. And so here was another reminder that Gods plan is better, and he sometimes has a funny way of doing things. Sometimes we make plans to do things, good plans too. And yet when they don't work out as planned we can choose to get worked up  and even scared or we can choose to look at it as a new adventure. God says trust me I've got you. He wants us to enjoy the journey along the way.

1/29/14

The day started with orientation and eventually we all went into town to buys cell phones and a sketchy Internet USB. Currently we are all staying in a big guest house that almost resembles the dorm/ motel feel but we will be moving in with our host families on Friday. I am still getting use to this place and trying to take it all in. It's lovely and the weather has been amazing so far. I haven't been anywhere where there is air conditioning but it's really not needed; it can get hot at times but it's actually quite nice! Wifi is hard to come by so contact has been difficult but it will most definitely get better.  Haley and I decided to go on a walk before dinner while the remainder of the group hung back to nap and relax. Each house is gated and guarded by at least one guard, so there is a sense of safety. School had just gotten out and there were little munchkins in uniforms playing in the street. Just a few yards down from where we are staying is a huge structure where families collect their water and so of course that is exactly where I ended up. A few little ones where there and ran to us as soon as we waved. We each spoke slow and were impressed by some of their English;  though there was a language barrier it didn't matter much. Eventually there was a group of 10 boys and girls around us patting our hair, touching our skin, and holding our hand. These children are so beautiful and their heart are full of so much joy.

Freedom and Faithfulness

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed

                                                                    John 8:36

God's promises set us free

I've gotten it a handful of times in the past couple of weeks-"Are you nervous about leaving?" For a little while there I wasn't too sure about how to answer that question because, well, for most of us there is always a little bit of fear in the unknown. However, I've heard and believe that living life to the fullest means living beyond the fear of the unknown. Lucky for us my man Jesus, the Son of God, does not want us to live a fearful life.  Not only does He Love us with out measure but He also chooses us meaning that through Him we no longer have to live in fear and instead can live in freedom. I am sure of this because God has promised it.  Over the past couple of years I've found that God is faithful and He keeps his promises, even on the days when I humanly forget how good He truly is. But just because I forget at times doesn't mean that it isn't there, His goodness is always there. God is faithful because I am reminded that His promises have been kept all through out my life. He continues to leave reminders scattered throughout our daily lives whether it be in nature, music, new opportunities, sweet friendships, or good conversations. He's there we just need to have eyes that will see. 


Joshua 23 paints an excellent picture of God and his faithfulness. 
"...You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed." Joshua 23:14
Man, what truth; what a promise! One that I continue see over and over again through out my life and the lives around me. How many times can I look back in my life and point back to Gods faithfulness then, and then, and then. 


Choices
I must admit when I found out that I was going to africa I was overcome with an eye-opening realization. It's not a feeling that can easily be put into words but It was as though everything that I had ever gone through in life, any crappy situation or obstacles that I had to overcome was preparing  me and ultimately leading me to this moment, the step of faith of moving to Africa for four almost 5 months. As if I was born for such a time as this, God has trusted and chosen me to be right here in this moment; and I can guess many other future God glorifying moments. We have choices in this life and we can choose to be apart of what God is doing in and through us even if it doesn't make sense right now. We have been set free, indeed, and can trust that his plan for us will one day be made evident because He is faithful.

No sweat.

Life seems to get a bit tense around the holiday season. I believe that with all of the holiday haste and the briskness of life it is so incredibly easy to get caught up in life's trivial moments.
So here is a small bit of food for thought...

There is nothing more scares or profound than this very day! None of us are guaranteed one more day on earth and this truth emphasizes how immensely important it is to fill this moment, and every moment, with things that matter. 
Life is happening right now and it needs to be celebrated continuously.

Please and always take a step back from the small frustrations found through-out our weekly routines, and see that you are surrounded by opportunities which highlight  just how precious, marvelous, lovely, wondrous, and magnificent life is.
When you notices all of life's  sweetness it becomes evident what a tremendous waste of time it is to sweat the petty stuff.

Now go read a good book or something like that.

I Love You When You're Singing that Song

If you like it, talk about it: Music.

There are few things better than really good music. I'm a lover of good music and a strong believer that it is a magnificent gift from God which I continuously thank Him for. There's a certain joy that good music uproots from the soul and brings spectacular light to life's seemly mundane moments.
I've found that music can give us the ability to discover things about our selves tucked away in the simplicity of a single verse of a song.
Although I try not to be partial, I love international bands like Frightened Rabbit, Vance Joy, of Monsters and Men, Kodaline and The Kooks, which is where 'Junk of The Heart' came from. and then there are extremely talented american bands like Vampire Weekend, Gospel Whiskey Runners,  and The Oh Hellos, and much more. If you haven't heard any of these talented people's music, you should.   
I find it so lovely when I get the unexpected opportunity to talk about music with new friends who have a similar taste in music, there are few things better than having a good conversation over the things that you Love.
I may be a little strange about music but non the less unbothered by that fact. I think its cool, the power that music has on the mind. There are songs that remind me of close friends and songs that remind me of strangers. There are songs that remind me of winter and those of summer. Song that remind me of my purpose and song that remind me to slow down,  songs for dancing and songs for the gym. 

       
   Everything about this video is    good

The second reason as to why I love music is for the dancing.

 Rhythm, It gets into my bones and I Love to dance, there is something so freeing about dancing and not being bothered about those who are watching. Mostly I just want to dance, and I'll take the opportunity when ever its presented to me.  What a glorious way to celebrate life!  Do your thing and leave it on the dance floor if you must because we are fools whether we dance or not, so we might at well dance.

Like it.

 I have the handwriting of a third grade school boy but I got over that a few years back. Lately I've been thinking about people and their opinions and feelings towards just about anything. I personally believe that the most important thing that a person can do is to stay true to them self. If you like something, like it and make it known!  I've found that when I can honestly separate what I like and what I think that I like (due to what others have imposed, or even just our culture) I've found that there is real freedom in that. 

It's quite possible a lot of this thinking started with my silly little hat collect. One day during the summer I came across a 5 panel hat that looked fun.  I liked it so I bought it. I didn't ask myself (or anyone for that matter) if I could pull it off or even if it was socially acceptable, I just knew that I liked it and so I went for it; and six months down the road I somehow ended up with 5. Trust your gut and the need to rely on the opinions of others diminishes.  We should treat a lot of life like this; if you like it, rock it, eat it, buy it, or talk about it! We do not have time to let the things that matter to us become of only moderate quality.