Kampala: Saturday July 31

Last February I went to the CCCU International Forum in Atlanta, Georgia. While I was there I met Dr.Hamlet Mbabazi Kabushenga. He is a Ugandan and has served a couple of terms in parliment and worked as a chaplain there. He is working on developing the Great Lakes College. Back in February I knew I'd be coming to Kampapa so we exhanged information in hopes of my meeting each other here. This morning I met up with him. It was very cool to meet first in Georgia and then in Kampala.

I joined Dr. Hamlet at a symposium he hosted at a local college chapel. Dr. Hamlet is working to develop business opportunities for people. He has started several cooperatives in areas around the country. I've heard a lot about cooperatives on this trip. THey are ways for many people in a community to pool together enough resources to develop income and support. Dr. Hamlet brought people together today to explore 2 new opportunities of business. One of the opportunities has to do with bio-fuel. Dr. Hamlet is connecting business with mission. Even today as he talked he talked about how there business ventures are to support the community as well as others.

On the way to the symposium the driver sent for me informed me that I'd be speaking at the meeting. Surprise, surprise! Of course I would be. Dr. Hamlet asked that I share something about mission. I did my best. After the symposium ended we had lunch. I was able to talk to several women who are tkaing part in these cooperatives. There were 3 recent graduates from a local university. They explained that most university graduates are really struggling to find jobs. I thought to myself that it sounds like the USA. However, here it is much worse. So they are hoping to learn about ways they can join together to create income. All week we've been with primary school kids and focusing on how hard it is for them to be in school and stay in school. Today I got a view of how even the "lucky" ones who are able to afford university struggle to find their way.

Our team has 3 more days until we return home.Tomorrow we'll be at Pastor Wilson's church. I'm preaching. All of us are going to share something. We leave on Tuesday night here. I am ready to return home. This morning when I woke up I really felt it. I'm ready to go home. I'm dreaming of Ben and Jerry's, my own bed, food I'm familiar with (and less of it...that is odd...considering where I've been), wash machines and toilets. I'm tired of feeling dirty! ; ) Whenever I come to a place like Uganda I'm always reminded of how nice it is to live in a developed country. I'm looking forward to being back in the familiar and comfortable...not going to lie! : )

Today at God is Good School we had the afternoon for games. The teachers do sports with the kids on Fridays and today there were some really fun games to watch. Sack races were a hit. They played "fill the soda bottle with water". There was an egg eating contest (no hands allowed). They ended with a matoke (banana) pealing contest. I loved photographing today's events. And at the end of the day when most of the kids had gone home the P5 girls had their chance to take more photo's with my camera. It has been fun to share the photo fun with them. I'm going to let the photos speak or themselves today.

We did make chapati too. It wasn't what we were hoping for. We were hoping to make it and then get to eat it too. In the end the team was glad not to eat it because we were thinking that we might get sick if we ate it. We made it with really rugged supplies and tools. Hey, it was an experience and we had a lot of fun hanging with the teachers.

You can catch up on our team's activities at http://www.gappartners.org/

Or

Katale: Thursday July 29

July 29

Our team came “home” tonight and every one of us felt fatigued. It has been an incredible week but we are dragging today. We still had a great day!! Our day was great but it was tonight that blew me(us) away. Tonight I couldn't help but know that we had a divine appointment.

Back in 2007 I was at the Amahoro Conference and met some really great people. I’ve been meeting up with people on this trip from that conference. Tonight I met up with Kennedy Kurui who works with Kampala International University as a pastor. He is an alumni of the University and he is Kenyan. Since before he graduated he has been working with the students. First he started a fellowship of Kenyans. It then turned into a fellowship of students from many countries all over the Great Lakes Region. Now this "fellowship" is a church and the University consults Kennedy on issues pertaining to student life. Officially he doesn't work for the University but he pastors a University student church and the church meets on campus 3 times a week. I visited his church and hung out in the dorms with some of his students back in 2007. I was really hoping to reconnect with him. I was hoping to introduce our team to him because he has a great story and is doing wonderful ministry.

I introduced the team to Kennedy and we were having the kind of conversation that you’d expect. Where are you from….. What do you do…. How did you start doing what you are doing…. I had told Kennedy that we were working with a Pastor in Katale. Yet as we talked with him as a team he asked us, “How is the pastor you are working with?” We said, “Pastor Wilson”. He said, “Is that Pastor Wilson who works at the African Gospel Church?” “It is,” we replied. We talked more and it also came out that Kennedy knows Swanee and Karen Schwanz too. (Swanee and Karen were missionaries in Kenya and Uganda and they are the ones who have connected all of us to GAP and to Wilson). Kennedy talked about being invited into the Swanee and Karen’s home. I think all of us were floored by the serendipity. Can I hear a round of “It is a small world afterall”? Crazy good!

One of the things the team has been talking with Wilson about is a future project which would support orphans in Katale. Kennedy had mentioned that he was working to develop a community home for 40 orphans currently. As we talked about this he told us about a ministry that is out on an island on Lake Victoria. It is called, “Africa Renewal Ministry”. They have some 117 orphans that live in community. They have a school and a health clinic. Kennedy is good friends with the director of the organization. As it turns out that director was in my small group at the 2007 Amahoro Conference and I’ve been to this ministry he spoke of. Kennedy said that this is the ministry that is the one to pattern after. Many smaller organizations are looking to this ministry for help. Unfortunately we do not have time to go out and see it this trip. However, because Kennedy knows Wilson we are hoping that he will take Wilson out to meet the director and see how they are organized. This could be a really significant connection for Wilson and GAP. Tonight I'm smiliing wide at God's very cool oversight in tonights meeting.

We were all very encouraged by Kennedy. He doesn’t know us well but he wanted us to know how important it was that we were here and that we were building relationships.

The rest of the day today we hung out at the school. Trevor and Grant continued to work with individual students to assess their developmental needs. Carrie and I again joined the classrooms and took turns “teaching”. It was so much fun. The kids have really warmed up to us. The teachers commented today how much the kids are enjoying our presence. They have really enjoyed us sharing about our families, our lives, and about how the USA is the same and different to their home here in Uganda. Today Carrie and I were in the classes that the head mistress overseas. The head mistress had so many questions about the USA. I laughed too because as we taught in English she would then “translate” what we said to the kids in her English. They heard our lessons in American English and in Ugandan English. : )

I was in the oldest kids classroom today. There are only 6 kids in "P5". I showed each of them how to use my camera. They each took turns taking pictures of mostly Carrie and their teacher. It was fun to watch them and I could tell this was something very special for them to do. Later during the break FLourence, the tallest girl in the class asked if she could take a photo of her class outside with me. I agreed (hoping this wouldn't cause a problem...all the kids begging, etc). She did a great job. And several of the other P5 girls came up to ask. Yes, the other little kids asked too but I decided to make it just an older kid priveledge.

Carrie and I got into interesting conversations today with the teachers. It seems that they too are warming up. They were never “cold” with us to begin with. However, their questions are getting more personal. Today we had a whole conversation about family planning in the USA. They have wondered how it is that in the USA we have so few kids or even no kids. Here they are expected “to produce”. They use the term “produce” to have kids and I guess since there isn’t much family planning and families are huge having babies is “producing”.

We got into a very difficult conversation today. The teachers wanted to know how much it costs for a flight to come to Uganda. We told them and their reactions were disbelief. After our many conversations this week I understand how far that amount of money could take someone here. It is crazy! The teachers were amazed by the cost. Grant was over hearing our conversation and was able to interject something that was really important for the teachers to hear. He mentioned that about 100 people helped our team come to Uganda. I think it was really helpful for the teachers to realize that we have not come by our own means. It was good for them to hear that others made it possible for us to be here. So if you happen to be reading this and you are someone who is praying or if you are someone who has supported financially, I can’t tell you how important you were for us today! You possible helped us to build some integrity with the teachers. So thanks! It is important for the school to know that we are not here without a huge community that is supporting us. And it is good for them to know that there is a huge community behind them supporting them.

At the break times I had a great time with the kids. The boys played soccer. The girls were playing a game in the dirt. They were singing a song and each of the girls in the game had a rock. They would move their rock around the circle passing it to the girl next to them. Of course I didn’t know what they were singing about. However, there was one word I’ve come to know very well. “Muzungu” They were singing about a Muzungu. I wanted to know what the song meant. I just wanted for a while. I asked one of the teachers, “Can you tell me what they are singing?” She listened and then said, “The song is about the Muzungus’ who came all over Uganda to telling people about the Gospel.” As the girls moved the rocks around the circle it was like they were moving the Muzungu’s all around Uganda. What an interesting game they were playing.

Tomorrow the team is going to be involved in the school chapel. We are also going to be taught how to make chapatti. I LOVE chapatti. I’m so excited to see how it is made. I hope to take good notes so that I can make it at home.

Katale: Wednesday July28

Wednesday….this week is moving very fast. We were at the school today by 9am. Our week is so much about building relationships. It means so much for us to just be with the teachers, the students and the school. We heard today that the kids are going home and telling great stories about the white people who are at their school this week. The kids have not wanted to leave the school. Just our presence alone is making an impact on the community.

Today Carrie and I took time to be in the classroom. We did some teaching today. I just did a simple lesson about my family. Carrie, who is the “real” teacher, created some wonderful posters and told the kids all about American culture. She shared about simple American foods, transport and insects. Several times students commented, “You have that there too?” It has been so cool for the kids to realize that in a far of land, America, that we have some of the same things! Something is happening this week. As I’ve been sitting in the classroom it is helping me to see the kids as students rather than as kids who live in poverty. These kids are just like the kids in the USA! And with opportunity to learn, like they are receiving currently, they could do very well. Also the kids are seeing that we white people are not all that different from them too.

I keep on telling the members of our team, “I can not imagine living here.” I must say that Kampala is one of the dirtiest places I’ve visited. There are very rugged roads. Even the paved roads have huge potholes. Ok, so when I complain about the roads in Nampa, and how they are horrible for cycling, I need to remind myself (or be reminded) of Kampala! It just makes me wonder how a city that seems to have such great resources can be so poorly taken care of!!

While Carrie and I were working in the classrooms the guys, Grant and Trevor, were putting individual students out of classes to assess them. Grant works with kids who have dissabilities in the USA. He is going to help Pastor Wilson and the teachers know how to help those in the school who are a little slower at learning.

Together we are learning something about how the culture here deals with the slow or disabled. We’ve heard stories of kids getting beat because they are not learning fast enough. Some of the kids at the school have been kicked out of other schools because of their learning ability. It is pretty cool that Trevor is here and able to help encourage and educate the teachers on some simple things they can do to help these students. What an encouragement Wilson can be to the parents and community to say that “at this school we will love your kids and make a place for them”. Wilson is already doing that and this will only help him more.

At break time one of the teachers brought a piece of paper from her studies. I think it was from the studies she has done in the past. She had a class on religious education. So she was “testing” me on my knowledge of the Bible. I found myself able to answer many things to her approval but not everything. It was fun for both of us. “Tell me the significance of the prologue of John’s gospel.” “Tell me why the Passover is significant in the New Testament.” “What is discipleship in Mark’s gospel.” Wow. I admit I never expected to be having this kind of conversation in Katale, Uganda. I loved it.

After lunch Carrie and I helped one of the teachers with her grading. It is the same teacher that “quizzed” me about the Bible at break time. We finished pretty quickly and then just had the chance to hear her story. For 8 years she worked as a maid. Actually the way she described her experiences she was a slave. She was able to further her education because of the perseverance she had and the work she did. Carrie and I listened with amazement. How could one treat another human being as “nothing”? Also how could one take it for 8 years? In this conversation I also got a better idea of how much it costs to go to school. Wow, it isn’t that much compared to western standards. But for here I can see that most will never be able to afford it. I felt so encouraged today by the teachers story and how she relied for 8 years on God. She didn’t persevere because she had it in her alone. She gave witness to how God helped her.

Katale: Tuesday July 27

We spent our second day at the "God is Good School". We visited the last of the seven classes today. It is cool to see how similar little kids are here to the kids in the USA. These kids are studying similar things. Today one of the classes was studing how to calculate the radius and diameter of a circle. Another class was learning words that begin with "S" and "T". Carrie, who is on our team, is a teacher in the USA and her perspective has been helpful to us. She keeps on telling us about how familiar the kids feel and how familiar the teaching is.

Today at break time I was swarmed by kids. I'm sure my big camera and "cool" sunglasses drew them to me. The kids like to see their photos after I capture them. ANd they like seeing their reflectionYeah, it probably wasn't that I was one of the few Muzungu's on campus and that I'm tall. : ) The kids found great fascination with my feet. They spent some time "petting" them. At the same time kids were patting my rear end. They fought for a piece of my hand. It was fun for a while but one of my teammates rescued me just about the time I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

The classes were fun. We got a chance to help teach today. The teachers had us help with English speaking. The kids again seemed really comfortable with us in their classes. Tomorrow Carrie and I are going to spend time actually teaching the kids. I’m going to share more than teach. I’ll get to share about my family and life with three classes tomorrow. I must say that it is nice to have the chance to be with the kids for several days so that they get to know us and we get to know them.

After school we spent time just talking with Pastor Wilson. What an incredible man. I'm impressed by his humble spirit and his passion for his community and God. Wilson shared a bit today about his story. He was a child soldier. And while he didn’t go into this very much what I found interesting is that he was working for the army that supported the RPF (of Rwanda). In my mind it was those who confronted the Hutus that were the “heroes” of the 1994 Genocide. (as much as there can be a “hero” during any war) Yet it sounds like even that side of the army practiced great injustices. Children in the army?! How horrible. Pastor Wilson has been through a ton and the way God has been involved in his life and those around him was really great to hear today. At one point all of us listened with teary eyes. It was a good day!

Before Wilson dropped us off at the guesthouse he took us around the village and showed us the spectacular views of the city. We drove up to the top of the “mountain” right above where the village of Katale is. There are some huge homes being built. Even out in the village there is the rich and the poor living next door to each other.

Katele: Monday July 26

July 26

From here on out you can click on the link below to get updates from the GAP Team as well as my blog updates.

www.gappartners.org

Today Grant, Trevor, Kerri and I headed to the "God is Good" School. Before making it to the school we needed to exchange money. The traffic in Kampala is horrible in the morning. Pastor Wilson parked his car and we walked into the center of town. 4 Muzungo's waking single file on the city streets....I'm sure no one noticed us. I've never walked in town before here. It is an experience that is hard to describe unless you've been here. At one point we were looking down from a top a hill and I could just see swarms of people and cars. This is a dirty place...one of the dirtiest I've seen. The traffic seems to the inexperienced eye to have no order. I've just not been here long enough, I imagine, to figure out the order. We arrived at the Forex exchange before it was open. Of course we did. Luckily we didn't have to wait long. We then trekked back to the car an headed to the school.

We had a great day at the school today. There are 7 classrooms and today we got to sit on three of them. We had a blast just watching the kids and teachers. We are all really impressed by what we are seeing. I am enjoying the fact that we can understand the language. English is the language of teaching! I was surprised by how good the kids were with such distractions sitting in their classrooms--us!

After lunch the kids put on a wonderful series of performances to welcome us officially into their school. It was just adorable. They had a group of dancers and as it was ending Trevor Hall suggested I go out there and dance with them. SO I did. The kids erupted with excitement. I'm sure I looked silly but hey...we enjoyed it.

It is good to be with people I know and to be talking together about what we we've been seeing here today. Tomorrow we plan to continue to visit the kids in their classrooms.

Kigali/Kampala: Sunday July 25

July 25

Before I left Philbert’s home I had one last meal with he and Sophie. Last night Philbert had said, “If you have any questions for me tomorrow make sure you ask them.” He was commenting on how quiet I was at dinner. I’ve had a few long days and was really tired by late evening! This morning we had a wonderful conversation. Even though I was not in church I felt as if we were having a service. I am dreaming of coming back to Rwanda. There is still so much to learn. Bakke University is going to send a class here next October and he told me more about what that is going to be. How cool would it be to take a class on forgiveness and reconciliation in Rwanda? It is one thing to read about such things in books. However, it is something totally different to be here learning from practitioners. They don’t just talk about forgiveness and reconciliation. Here some are living it out and facilitating a process for others to live it too. Philbert regretted not getting to spend more time in conversation with me this week. And sure I would have loved to take more of his time. However, just being around him and the people he works with has been my teacher.

This morning I asked him to tell me more about the process he goes through when he does a workshop. I’ve been curious about the “how” of reconciliation. As he described what he does I realized that his process is very much connected to this specific context. Of course! When he works with groups he spends a lot of time talking about the history of Rwanda. This history is married to the history of colonizing countries. It is also married to the church. The church too played a significant role in the conflicts and ultimately in the 1994 Genocide. His telling of the history isn’t just a lecture but it is a conversation. It sounds like the workshops create space for people to tell their stories in light of the greater story of Rwanda and the church. There is power in story and power in acknowledging how one’s life intersected and joined the greater narrative. Then another story is also presented. It is the story of God and his reconciling himself to us. Again Philbert mentioned that forgiveness and reconciliation involve great sacrifice. God’s story of reconciliation with humanity involved great sacrifice!


It occurs to me that in the USA that there may be different barriers to forgiveness and reconciliation. Not harder just different. Here because the killing was so extensive and between friends, families and neighbors there remains whole communities who live divided by the conflicts in them and between each other. In the USA when we experience conflict we can “move on” in different ways than they can here. (and I’m not meaning to trivialize moving on). If we don’t like the church we are at, we can change churches. If our neighbors have victimized us, we can move across town, across state or across the country. Also in the US we do not value community and family tradition as deeply as they seem to here. We might feel sad about leaving a community we’ve known but we can build a “new one”. If there is a problem with someone in our city we don’t often come across the on a daily basis. Our lives are more contained because we drive our individual cars, we stay in our homes, we shop in the stores across town. Here they have plots of land that are their families for years. We can flee from the people who hurt us in a different way than many others in our world can. Even if we have means to ‘move on” we don’t actually move on! The pain remains and the venom of hatred continues to eat away at our life.

I must admit that I was very sad to leave Kigali and my friends there. I felt really emotional leaving today. It has been a very wonderful visit. My last visit to Rwanda had me focusing on the Genocide and the history of colonization there. This visit was so different. There are some stellar people there and I’m incredibly grateful for all that I’m being taught by friends.

So my flight to Entebbee marks the last phase of the trip and it is the primary reason for the trip in the first place. Today begins my involvement with GAP International and GAP’s partnership with Pastor Wilson. Pastor Wilson runs a school and we are going to be spending most of our time with his school.

My flight and my journey through immigration was uneventful. I’ve been grateful for the ease of borders this trip. This year my hardest experience at a border was at the Canadian border…go figure. I was picked up by a man from Pastor Wilson’s church. I have been taken care of as I’ve traveled these last few weeks. I’m so grateful for all the help and people who have come into my path. Yeah, the adventurer in me wanted to negotiate the taxi to Kampala but another part of me knew this was just what I needed. Thanks to Pastor Wilson and the GAP team for working this out. Robert, the driver, drove me to Pastor Wilson’s home where I was greeted by our team members. And finally after several years of hearing about Pastor Wilson and his wife Grace, I’ve met them in person.

After lunch at Pastor Wilson’s we went to the school where we joined a teacher and parent meeting. We witnessed quite the scene. Of course we made introductions and expressed thanks to each other. Wilson gave us an wonderful introduction. We heard from some of the parents. And then the parents launched into some concerns they had to share. We were not sure of all the issues but it was clear that the parents really care about their kids and that Pastor Wilson cares about hearing the good and the “bad”.

We drove to the Namirembe Guesthouse after the meeting finished and met up with our Nazarene Missionaries. We enjoyed great conversation with Dan and Melody Anderson. What a wonderful couple they are!

Kigali: Saturday July 24

July 24

Today I was able to get some rest. It was so needed after yesterday. Since we didn’t get home until nearly 1am last night I was wiped and I slept until 10am. When I woke up I thought to myself, “I could be on a 10 hour bus ride right now.” It is a good thing I wasn’t. This morning I connected by phone with our Nazarene Missionary in Uganda. I am grateful for the cell phone here. We’ll meet up with him on Sunday (or Monday). I also connected with Grant Christy who is the leader of the GAP part of this trip.

So today I spent the day with Sophie. Both of us needed a down day. I was able to catch up with myself a bit. In the evening we met up with Philbert and some other Americans and went to a wedding reception. After hearing about Rwandan weddings this week it was cool to actually be at a part of one. We went to the reception where there was a presentation of cake, gifts and dancing. This all happened in front of an audience. So there was no mingling happening among guests. The best part was the group of dancers.

My last dinner in Rwanda this trip was at Philbert’s new restaurant with Sophie and 3 other American women. Also another Rwandan man joined us.

Butare: Friday July 23

July 23

I lived 5 days in 24 hours. It is amazing to me how much experiece I can pack into one day!

“Day 1” After the Sauna last night I slept hard and deeply. So when the alarm rang at 6:20am I really didn’t want to get up. I did. Philbert asked Emmanuel, his house help, to help me get a moto so I could meet Lindsay and Blake near their home. I was off on the moto and then just waited at a gas station. I waited for about 10 minutes and I must say they were a long 10 minutes. There is nothing much more uncomfortable than being a Muzungu all alone. Maybe if I knew the place better, knew the language I wouldn’t feel as exposed. As I waited I thought about how blessed I’ve been on this trip to find so few moments alone. Lindsay and Blake came just as I was beginning a “conversation” with the boy that was picking up trash at the gas station. He was practicing his broken English and the conversation helped me pass the time. When Blake and Lindsay arrived we all got a moto to a coffee shop. Today was Lindsay’s birthday and although she was giving her big day to a trip to Butare at least we were beginning the day with an American breakfast. I enjoyed their company at breakfast. It has been fun for me to hear of their experiences in Rwanda in these last 6 months.

“Day 2” We took motos to town where we caught a bus to Butare. I was expecting the “matatu” buses which are tiny and cramped. I was pleasantly surprised that we had a nice bus. We had enough room which means my knees were against the back of someone’s seat but I didn’t feel cramped. The drive to Butare from Kigali was beautiful. The road winds through terraced hills.. There are were a ton of people walking and riding their bikes on the side of the road. Our bus was pulled over by the police and it looked like our driver didn’t have the correct papers. They police got in the bus an took us to the police station. For the most part everyone in the bus just sat in quite. I was more calm than I expected myself to be. I’m sure that was because I was with Blake and Lindsay. The driver was away from the bus for a short time and when he returned nothing was said. We just continued our journey. We arrived to Butare after 2 and a half hours. We were met at the bus station by Pastor Zabulon. We greeted each other and loaded into a taxi to head to the Nazarene District Center.

“Day 3” We spent a few hours with Pastor Zabulon and other pastors from Butare. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. I learned about the ministry of the district. They have several projects they are working on to support the orphans and widows of the area. Pastor showed us some of the cards and necklaces they make. Our conversation centered around the possibility of bringing a team of students to Butare in the future. What impressed me about the pastors is that they see a team coming to participate in the things they are already doing. They value relationship. They mentioned the idea of connecting with University students. Butare is a huge university town and in May students would still be in school. That would be awesome! It sounds like there is huge opportunity here for a relationship. It is amazing to me that I can be on the other side of the world and meet with Nazarenes. After our meeting we walked to Pastor Zabulon’s home for lunch. We met his entire family. It was a wonderful time of connecting!

“Day 4” After lunch Blake had to do some business in town for the pastors. We also needed to get our bus tickets for our return trip home. It was 10 minutes to 4 when Lindsay and I went to get our tickets. When we got up to the desk the lady informed us that there were no seats. We asked, “Can we have a later bus?” She said, “No, there are no more seats today.” This feeling of dread ran through me. I saw visions of staying in Butare the whole night. We called Black and Pastor and they said they’d try another bus company. We are in Africa! Everything is an adventure here. Sometimes I think having a knowledge off a more developed country works to be detriment. I can become so bummed by delays and disappointed when things don’t work out like they do back home. I think it is easy to be flexible when I know I’m just staying in the country for a short time. I would find some things about the way life works here very difficult long term. I totally respect those who are from developed worlds here that are working here and living simply. It must not be easy! Pastor Zabulon helped us get bus tickets for 7pm. We celebrated being able to return home tonight even though we had to wait several hours. The wait gave us more time with Pastor Zabulon.

At about 6:15 we ventured off to the bus station to wait for our bus. We began to get a sense of what to expect when it was our turn to fetch the bus. When a bus arrived everyone made a mad dash to get a seat. Pastor Zabulon helped us know when our bus arrived and the plan was for Blake to go ahead to save us seats. Sure enough when our bus arrived a mob formed around the entrance even while the bus was in motion. We had to push our way to the front. While I was pushing my way Black opened the back window of the bus and jumped in. I’m not sure how he managed this. Everyone was laughing at him outside of the us (at least those who were not getting on this bus were laughing). He then fought off people to save our seats. Lindsay was so good at pushing her way into the bus. She has had more practice than I for sure! I made my way in but only because Linsay and Blake worked hard to save a seat for me. We were so grateful to have made it on the bus, to be sitting together and to finally be on our way back to Kigali. I was glad to be sitting in the back because I could not see the road. There were several close calls as we passed other vehicles. I was glad when we made it back!

“Day 5 Tonight Philbert’s new restaurant had its grand opening. Lindsay, Blake and I took a taxi to join the opening party. We were exhausted. They didn’t stay long but it was good to introduce them to my friend Philbert! I ended up staying until Mid-night. It was great to be there for Philbert’s big say. It was “an experience”. Several of the men at the party had way too much alcohol. I’ve never been around drunk men and I don’t care to be around them every again. It is the one time this whole trip when I didn’t feel safe. I was exhausted and didn’t have much left in me to deal with crazy guys. So when Philbert said it was time to go I was thrilled. I was beyond ready! It was a marathon day of 5 acts….. I’m grateful for each part (except the drunk men).

Kigali: July 22

July 22

Today I spent the day with Steven. I met Steven in 2007 at the Amahoro conference and I’ve stayed in contact with him. There are a group of friends from the UK and the US who are partnering with him. I’m beginning to see that there are a ton of orphans and widows all over Rwanda. It is interesting how in the Ukraine this summer I saw that so many churches were participating in ministry to those struggling with addictions. Yet here in Rwanda the church (and a 1000 other kinds of non-church related NGO’s) are serving orphans and widows. It is at least the story of HIV/Aids, the Genocide and poverty that creates the struggle here.

Steven invited me to join him and some of the members in his community as they handed out food items. One of the young men wrote down all the names of young people who are in the youth cooperative. Then people waited until their name was called. When their name was called they brought containers to receive oil, rice, sugar, and flour. It wasn’t much but each person got something of everything. Some brought paper bags for the dry goods. Others had only their back packs. Imagine putting flour into your backpack. As the girl who was helping poured the flour into the backpack she frowned. She too even thought this wasn’t the best method. It took a couple of hours for the whole process. The youth were patient as they waited. I played with some of the kids and tried talking to some of the youth. When it was all done we loaded some food into a car for Steven and his family.

I got to see Steven’s home. I remember seeing his home in 2007 and this home is a mansion compared to that house! The kids even have bunk beds instead of sleeping on the floor. Steven and his wife have something like 16 kids--he has “adopted” most of them. I met some of them. Most were at school. I’m not sure how his household works. Steven mentioned during our visit that when the kids reach a certain age they move in with other kids. So some of the young women and young men I met in the village, he said, used to live with him.

Steven pointed out the water that recently “turned on” or was “installed. I’m not sure when this happened but it just boggles my mind to think of a not having running water. Even though I’m here and constantly seeing people carrying yellow jerry cans I still struggle to really comprehend walking hours every day for water. On Tuesday I missed walking to the water hole that Steven’s community uses. The group of American women I’ve joined some this week made that trek to see what walking to the waterhole is like. They said it took about an hour to get there. I can not imagine walking everyday to fetch water from a watering hole. I imagine when those get water in their home it changes their lives drastically.

Later this afternoon Steven introduced me to a friend of his who wanted to share her story with me. She is a survivor of the genocide. She lost her husband and was raped multiple times. Her two kids survived also. Admittedly, it felt a bit awkward to here her story without any sort of relationship. However, she explained that when Steven asked if she would like to get together with me she agreed because she wants people to know what happened. She said that many women she knows do not tell because there is so much shame. What courage it must take to share your story--a story of horrific suffering with people! Her courage really touched me.

Tonight I had a uniquely African experience. This week Philbert and his cousin, Augustine, told Sophie and I about the Rwandan Sauna. It sounded something like the Korean Bathhouse. Philbert asked Sophie and I if we wanted to try it. Sophie is up for everything! Me too. So we went. Let me just say that I’m glad she was with me! We were both glad to have another female companion in this experience.

In my mind I pictured a really nice “western” place much like an upscale hotel. Ha. Julene, let’s be real! It was a nice building but it was still very African. We entered and Sophie and I were given a large green sarong to cover ourselves with. We were directed into a women’s changing area. I was envisioning a locker room behind the curtain with benches, sinks, and shower stalls. Sure I saw the shower stalls in the main room when we walked in but certainly there were women specific showers. Yeah, right. Behind the curtain was a room with pegs on the walls for clothes and slippers on the floor for our feet. It was very simple. We changed and were both feeling nervous and uncomfortable. How does this sarong work? How will we keep it from coming off or falling down? “We can do it.” When we exited the changing room Augustine and Philbert were waiting for us in their own sauna attire. They lead us into the sauna.

Like Sophie reflected the “sauna” was a mix between a steam room and a sauna in the States. It was a large room with two levels of seating along the walls. At the back of the room was the steam maker. There were spices that lay over top of the steam maker. The room was hot and smelled of a potent lemony scent. Honestly it smelled of Pinesol. Sophie and I were the only two Muzungu. There may have been one other women in the sauna. The rest were men. We were the talk of the room. The guys joked that with us in the sauna there was no need for light. Our light skin was light enough. Ha…ha.. On the floor of the sauna a man was giving another man “a wash”. Later Philbert and Augustine would receive “a wash”. I was asked if I wanted one and declined. Yeah, that wouldn’t be fun….guys staring at me “getting a wash”. I’m all for experience but even I have my limit. Apparently one of the men was willing to pay to give us a wash but the man working retorted that it was his job and if anyone were to was the Muzungu it would be him. Yeah, no wash for me!

We went from the intensely hot sauna to the “resting room” and back and forth a few times. I was done after 3 rounds. Those shower stalls in the entrance….well they were for everyone. I found one in a corner that seemed more private. There was a shower curtain! I took a real shower! I haven’t had a real shower in 2 weeks. I’ve bathed every day at Philbert’s (and with warm water, by the way) but he doesn’t have a fully functioning shower head. So tonight I took a shower. The water was cold but at it was a true shower. Oh the niceties of western culture.

We ended our evening with dinner out. All of us were ready for bed after dinner. The sauna experience and a good meal prepared us well for rest. I wish I could sleep in tomorrow morning! I have to meet up with Blake and Lindsay, the Nazarene missionaries, at 6:45am. It has been another full day of experience and adventure!

Kigali: July 21

July 21

Dana Hicks, my pastor, was in Rwanda at the end of June. He met up with a couple who has been in Rwanda for 6 months. Before I left Nampa for Africa Dana helped me connect with Lindsay and Blake Berry. I learned they are Nazarene Missionaries and they are planning on spending 2 years in Rwanda and Congo. Blake‘s main job is to set up compute centers so that pastors can get theological education online. What a cool task! Lindsay is finding her job too but her work is coming more slowly. She has been connecting with the Nazarene Youth and next week is speaking at the youth camp.

Lindsay and I met at a coffee shop. Lindsay showed me around the city a little and then we met her husband at a nice western restaurant. We talked all afternoon. They showed me their home and the Nazarene compound. We made plans to meet on Friday when they are going to take me to visit some of our pastors in Butare. We are going to meet with a District Superintendent.

Today I changed my return travel plans to Kampala. The bus experience was so good on the way here. However I’ve decided to fly back. I decided to fly on Sunday (instead of returning on Saturday) because Friday is going to be such a long day. I’m hoping Saturday will be a recover day. I just can not see having 2 long travel days in a row and ten jumping right into the last part of my trip with GAP. I also learned that Saddie, who was my travel companion on the bus ride here, had a huge incident on her attempt to return to Kampala by bus. She was in a head on collision on the bus. She had to climb out of the window. No one was hurt and the bus company sent for everyone and returned them back to Kigali. Oh my! So my decision to fly on Sunday feels really good! I’ve had my bus adventure for this trip and we’ll leave it at that.

After leaving Lindsay and Blake I returned to Philbert’s home. I had dinner with Sophie and Philbert. We talked more about forgives and reconciliation. Philbert has a wealth of experience working with people who have experienced conflict. I find it so easy to over romanticize the work that he does. It just amazes me that people who lost family members can become reconciled with those that killed their family. It is beautiful. Philbert said that in the last 10 years he has done his workshops with 23,000 people. And only 5,000 of those have been able to forgive and/or be forgiven. He talked about how hard it is for people. He said that the power to forgive only comes from God and that he can not judge those who cannot forgive and be reconciled because it is just too hard. It is too hard for so many to live in the same community with those who took their families from them. Philbert helped me see both the difficulties of forgiveness but also he helped me gain a perspective of how needed the work he is doing is. There are still so many people in Rwanda who are living with the pain and trauma of 1994.

As we talked Philbert said, “Julene I have an analogy I want to share with you.” I love that I’ve felt like a student in his home. : ) He explained that in Africa most snakes have poisonous venom. If a snake bites you it infects you with poison. When infected you need to get to a doctor to get help. If you don’t get help, the venom inside of you could very well kill you. He said, “What if you were to kill the snake after it bit you?” “Would that save your life?” “What if instead of getting help from the doctor you kept wishing and planning how you were going to kill or make the snake’s life miserable?” “ It wouldn’t save your life!” “In fact it would kill you because the venom would take its course in such a way that life would end.” What a good way of talking about how holding onto hatred and ill feelings for people kills us. It might not actually make our heart stop beating, however, it steals life from us. And it does!

Sometimes we spend so much time plotting how we are going to kill the snake instead of taking care of the venom that is working to kill us. Forgiveness doesn’t turn the snakes bite into an acceptable act. Forgiveness in no way condones the wrong doing. But it frees us from the poison. And getting rid of the poison can also be a very painful journey! God is needed to help in the journey towards forgiveness.

It was a great evening! I wish I could listen to Philbert tell stories all night!

Rwanda Day 4: Tuesday July 20

July 20--

I’ve been fighting a cold for a few days and today it finally really caught me. So I’m taking it easy today, getting rest and fluids. It is nice to be able to rest at Philbert’s home. I’m hoping today’s rest will help this cold to pass. We shall see. After yesterday’s huge day I’m so content to have a less huge day!

I’ve finally been able to upload blog entries that are indeed too long. But there has been a long list of experience too. I’m with great people and having a trip of a lifetime, for sure. I can see returning to this place.

Rwanda Day 3: Monday July 19

July 19--

Today was absolutely one of the most profound days of my life. It was profound because I walked away believing more in the possibility of goodness, believing more in meaning of hope, believing more in the potential for forgiveness and reconciliation and lastly believing that Jesus is alive and well even in the darkest of circumstances. I’ve been believing for years now that God is the greater of all that is good and the redeemer of all that lacks goodness. Thank you Julian of Norwich for this. I’ve seen this come to light in the circumstances of my own life. But I’ve never had a neighbor kill my family. I’ve never had someone I know take everything from me--house and family and livestock--and leave me for dead. As I’ve learned about some of the unspeakable evil in our world it has had me question the possibility for goodness and the potential for forgiveness let alone reconciliation. Could God really redeem the worst in our world?

At the start of summer I read the book that or freshman are going to be reading come fall. It is a book on forgiveness and reconciliation in Rwanda titled “As We Forgive”. It spoke to the real difficulty and pain involved in the process of forgiveness and reconciliation. When I am honest about such an issue as “reconciliation” I have to acknowledge that it is a romantic idea in my head. It is something that is so beautiful on the outside and heart warming on the inside. “As We Forgive” did a good job of demystifying reconciliation for me. The timing of my reading that book couldn’t have been more perfect.

Today I went with Philbert who heads up Reach Rwanda, Pastor Fidel who works alongside Philbert for Reach, Bishop Mark from Northern Ohio(from the Episcopal church), his daughter Sophie and son Eli on a trip. We traveled about 21/2 hours out of Kigali to the Eastern province of Rwanda near the Tanzania border. This is an area that Reach has been working in the longest to help facilitate forgiveness and reconciliation after the 1994 genocide. It has been a big deal for Bishop Mark to be here. It turns out that he was the first bishop from the US to come to visit Reach participants in this area. So you can imagine how excited the people were when an American bishop arrived with Philbert and Fidel. Of course they were excited to see the rest of us who are Muzungu’s too.
We met for a gathering in a Pentecostal church. There were pastors from several churches, a choir of young people and maybe 100 others. It could have been any church gathering in Africa. But it wasn’t just any gathering at all. The people in the room and the stories they are host made this gathering anything but a regular church meeting.

As the gathering started pastors made introductions. One of the pastors who works with Reach asked all those who have been trained by Reach to stand up. Quite a few people stood up. Then he asked all those who are survivors of the genocide to stand up. More than half of the room stood up. Then he asked those who killed someone during the genocide to stand up. Maybe 1/3 of the room stood up. In that number stood both men and women. I was sitting in a church with survivors and perpetrators of the genocide. Reach has been going into some of the prisons and helping those who killed others to know about God’s forgiveness, his love and helping them to know Christ. Many of the perpetrators have finished their prison terms and returned to their communities. I can’t imagine how hard this must be for them as well as the survivors. Yet some of the perpetrators are returning to seek forgiveness. I felt in awe that I was sitting among those who had killed and those who survived. Some of the survivors even sat with people who had killed their own families.

Philbert asked Bishop Mark and I to introduce ourselves and to say a few words of encouragement. I was glad he warned me before we got there because I had an idea of what I could say. I think I would have been totally speechless had I not come in with some thoughts. What in the world could I say to these people about God when they “get it”? They understand the pain and struggle of the long road to forgiveness and they are participating in God’s life in a way I only hear about. I thanked them for their witness to the resurrection. Their lives are proof that Jesus is living in this world today. Bishop Mark thanked them for their living testimony to hope. Later he commented that these pastors and people are not only teaching their community and Rwanda about forgiveness and reconciliation but they are teaching the world. God is redeeming the horrendous events of 1994 in small pocket communities all over Rwanda. God has been using the work of Reach and other organizations that are doing reconciliation work to show the world that forgiveness and reconciliation is possible. It sounds like, however, that the work has a long ways to go.

When Paul talks about the church being an ambassador of reconciliation he isn’t talking about a pipe dream. He is calling us to be this and Paul for one knew how painful for the journey was, the heart ache of being the wrong doer and the triumph and freedom of being forgiven and forgiving. Today I met people who prove that the call to be reconcilers is real and that the possibilities are just as real.

During the service we heart 3 people give their testimonies. Agnes shared in general about what happened in 1994. She shared how hard it was and how hard it continues to be. From her I sensed that this road of forgiveness continues. There is still a lot of pain involved in living in a community of survivors and perpetrators. She asked us to pray for them.

Next John got up to share with us. John was in prison for around 10 years. He killed people in this community. While in prison people from Reach ministered to him. He became a Christian and then when he was released he found some of the family members of people he had killed to repent and apologize. Yet Reach made it possible for John to go further than just say I’m sorry. John shared how he has been working on building a shelter for one of the families. The family was asked to stand up. There was a man in the back of the room who was standing on crutches. This was the man that John was building a house for. I was sitting there feeling like I was living in a dream. But I wasn’t. This is real. I remember reading in “As We Forgive” about a similar story. Yet here I was meeting people who are living this story out.

A third lady got up and shared about what happened to her during the genocide. She survived at first by hiding in the roof of her home. She was found and then “survived” by being handed to many men to be raped. Her story represents so many women’s stories during the genocide.

At the end of the meeting some of the ladies presented all of us visitors with a token of thanks for being with them today. The ladies in the community have created a cooperative and they are weaving baskets. They presented each of us with a basket they hand crafted. One of the pastors explained that our baskets had a specific purpose. These baskets he said are to hold inside of them all of our experiences and all the stories we have heard. We are to take these baskets and open them up when we get home. We are to share what we’ve seen and what we’ve heard so that the rest of the world knows what is happening in their community, within Reach‘s ministry, and in Rwanda.

After the service ended we greeted the people. The ladies had some more baskets for sale too. After spending some time with the people we got in the car and drove to two of the homes that was built for the survivors. Both were homes John was working on.

John met us there with the man on crutches and his wife. We were welcomed in the home to see it. Inside the home John explained how no one had told him he had to build a house but that he felt like he had to do something for this man. Saying sorry is not enough. We learned that John had beaten the man on crutches and left him on a pile of dead bodies for dead. The man survived but has been disabled ever since. The man on crutches also shared with us. He said that he has been so grateful for what John is doing. He never could have guessed this would happen to him. He said that when John came out of prison John came to him and told him about Reach. The man also got involved with Reach and learned about forgiveness and reconciliation. He said that it was too hard to hold the hatred any longer. Forgiving has set his heart free. He commented that no one in his family helped him build a home after the genocide yet John came to him, told him about Reach and has been building him a home. As he spoke you could see the sheer amazement on his face. I too felt amazed by what I was hearing. I felt like I was in the presence of Christ. I’m not sure there is a moment in my life where I’ve been as keenly aware of God’s real presence. Later Bishop Mark commented that today we had witnessed the miracle of the Incarnation. I think he is right. I also think that today I was able to witness the miracle of the resurrection too. Both were so clearly being witnessed today in our midst. Jesus has been giving new life and Jesus has been present through his people for them and for us.

I’ve read about how holding onto hatred and resentment and anger keeps people from living the lives they want. In small ways I’m coming to know this to be true in my own life. Yet today I felt like God gave witness to this reality in a way that I’ll never forget. While I can not deny the pain and difficulty in forgiving and reconciling I also cannot deny that it is both possible and freeing for the soul. If it can happen among killers and survivors, then it can happen among anyone.

Today there was an appeal for more building supplies. More freed prisoners would like to participate in reconciliation and would like to help build homes. Reach has helped provide resources for 30 homes to be built for victims by their perpetrators. I think it would be incredible to help provide the resources for a home. How cool would it be to participate in this process of reconciliation by helping victims and their perpetrators have this experience? We saw two homes today. They are simple houses but their meaning to all involved is far from simple.

The day didn’t end here. We gathered with Reach leaders for lunch and had opportunity to share more with each other. We also stopped by Philbert’s parents house. That was fun for us. Philbert has been an awesome host and so it was special to meet his parents. Just down the road from his parents other youth who are involved in Reach were waiting for us. There was another choir and a dance team that was preparing a performance for us. We sat and listened and watched. It was wonderful. The choir has been together for many years now and their ages are between 15 and 30. Philbert explained that they have spent a lot of time and money on this group of youth. They have had training and they have uniforms. Often when Reach puts on a workshop for reconciliation the choir comes to sing for the people. Philbert said that often the choir helps people to begin thinking about their need for Christ and their need to forgive. The dance team invited all of the visitors to join them. I danced…not very well…but I tried. We all did. It was a very fun ending to a hugely meaningful day.

Rwanda Day 2: Sunday July 18

July 18

In the morning I had breakfast with Philbert and Sophie. They were heading off to meet Sophie’s father and brother for church. And I was heading out to meet up with an American group--we were not going to church. Philbert has a wonderful sense of humor and gave me a horribly bad time about my not going to church today. I was hoping I would get to go to Steven’s church today but there was another plan in the works which I was pleased to join in with. And Steven was to be there! So he wasn’t going to be at his church either!

One of the serendipitous things of this trip is that a group of Americans from Seattle are here in Kigali visiting Steven. Also a friend from Amahoro who lives in Portland, Kelly Bean, is also here. They are all staying at the AEE Guesthouse. From Philbert’s house it is only a 5 minute walk. So today I walked to the guesthouse in the morning to meet up with Kelly to learn more about the scope of Steven’s work and to learn about the work she has been doing since arriving in the country last week.

When Steven arrived we gave each other a huge hug. We’ve been communicating these last 3 years and it was so cool to see each other again. We chatted about our families a bit before heading out for the day’s work. Kelly and the American group have been working to learn more about the village that Steven and his wife Providence are serving. There are a large number of widows and orphans in the community of Gasoni. The group of us walked around the village visiting several kids homes. Two of them have not adult living with them but instead they have a child head of household. We visited 2 boys homes and 1 girls homes. The girls home had an adult living with them. I can’t imagine being a kid and running a household!

Later on in the afternoon Kelly and I went with Steven and Gloria (a member of Steven’s church and a translator) to one of the projects Steven has been working on with the widows. The project is called “New Destiny” and it is a cooperative. Sewing machines have been purchased and a tailor has come in and given some instruction to the women. From what I gathered the cooperative exists not just for learning how to sew but to work together to help each other survive the struggle of intense poverty. The women are working together to come up with ideas and plans to help them make money. This is not easy as I heard yesterday. Kelly called this meeting with the ladies to learn how their committee works and to learn what struggles and challenges they are facing. I listened in and was amazed by the challenges they face. I was also enlightened to the complications presented with the original sewing project. So far it hasn’t helped bring in income. There are not enough sewing machines. It sounds like they still need more skills. The machine qualities is poor compared to market quality. The location of the project isn’t conducive to market. The ladies are needing to give time to survival and so it has been hard to give time to sewing when it doesn’t produce a solution to their hunger, their need for school fees, or their needs for medicines, etc. Also they talked about how hard it is to purchase materials for themselves. As the meeting went on I saw so clearly the challenge before us. It is not that easy to come up with sustainable enterprises with people. There are way more issues at stake than I could imagine and I can see it is going to take all of us time, patience, and a willingness to fail at first in order to get where we ultimately want to go. That is we hope to see these ladies find a way of supporting themselves.

When I returned to Philbert’s home I looked down at my feet and they were covered in red dirt. I had arrived just in time for dinner. Philbert had a group of pastors and friends over. They were sitting on his porch when I arrived. Something in me said I should go and wash my feet and I laugh because it dawned on me that this is what they’d do in the Bible times. I’m so used to being clean but this place is dusty. At least the village was. So I washed my feet before entering the company of the guests and was reminded that I had been a part of something actually pretty biblical today. No, not just in washing dirty feet. That is silly. But in being with the widows and being a part of a group that is trying to work with them to find a solution for how they might support themselves. As Kelly recounted the history of our relationship with Steven and their community it dawned on me that the space we participated in today was holy space. All over scriptures it talks about caring for the widow and here we were a part of something like this. So as I washed my feet before entering into the party I felt grateful that in a very small way I participated in the Kingdom today.

Rwanda Day 1: Saturday July 17

July 17

Today I decided with Philberts encouragement to take a down day. Well it was sort of a rest day. I had been asked if I wanted to join a team that was going out to work with anther friend of mine I’m going to visit with--Steven. I’ll have more chances to connect with Steven. I really did need a day to sleep in and recharge a bit. I hung out with Philbert and Sophie in the morning. Philbert told us awesome stories about his first trip to the UK. I won’t share them because they are not my stories to write about. However, he really helped me gain insight into what it must feel like for people who come to the west from Africa for the first time. I never even thought of the things he described. I’ve had my own cross-cultural frustrations and learning experiences. But I’ve always lived in a developed world. It is my bathing experience at Caleb’s that gives me some idea of the radical shocks of experiencing life in a completely new way. I thoroughly enjoyed the morning and feel so humbled to be here. I have a ton to learn!

Sophie and I took motor bikes into town to get coffee, attempt accessing internet, exchange money, etc. I was able to do it all except for the internet part! This is one of the first overseas travel trips that I’ve not had really great access to internet. When we were at the coffee shop I called my travel companion, Saddie, from the bus ride to see if she wanted to join Sophie and I for lunch. I knew she was planning on going to the same mall center we were at. It turned out she was there! Saddie joined us for lunch. What great conversation we had. I find it so fun to be around people who have traveled. There is a special connection that we have because the places we’ve experienced and the people we’ve met along the way. The experiences change us and challenge our worldviews and I enjoyed talking about this. Nothing in life seems as simple anymore in terms of how we think about the systems of the world. Yet at the same time I saw in all of us this desire to create a more simple way of living. I have found myself writing down a list of books that I want to read when I get home. Both Saddie and Sophie had some great recommendations.

Tonight I returned to Reach’s Center for Unity and Peace. They call it C.U.P for short. We went to CUP for dinner with a whole host of westerners. Sophie’s dad and younger brother flew in tonight. Her dad is an Episcopal Bishop. The group of women meeting with my friend Steven today also joined us for dinner. We had a great time of connecting. I solidified plans to join Kelly Bean and the rest of the ladies to go out to Steven’s ministry tomorrow. I’ve been so excited to see Steven again. Like Philbert who I’m staying with Steven too made such an impact on me the last time I was here. This time I’m going to actually gain a broader sense for Steven’s ministry.

Travel to Kigali: Friday July 16

July 16--

For several weeks anxiety has had a hold on me about this day. Today was the day I had hoped I’d be on my way to Kigali from Kampala. I can’t begin to explain how much I went back and forth between “I’m going to fly” and “I’m going to take the bus”. What should I do? One the one hand it felt like the safe thing was to take a flight. I wouldn’t lose a whole day in travel. However, it would cost almost 7 times as much as the bus ride. I could use the money for it but would this be a good use of resources? And I’ve cone on this trip to be with my friends in Uganda and Rwanda. How can I be “with” them and spend so much money on transportation? Yet there has been fear and rightly so about solo land travel in Africa. Yes, I’ve done solo journeys before but never here. I’ve taken long bus journeys in Tanzania but I was always with other westerners and always journeying with other locals. So many scenarios of what might happen were going through my mind. Deep down I didn’t care if I was giving a whole day to travel on the bus. I didn’t want to ignore the fears consuming a part of my mind. However, something else in me wanted to experience the bus. I knew the bus would help me connect to the place in a way that flying would not. And the fact is, even if I would have flown it would have been an all day affair because the airport in Uganda was quite a drive from where I was staying. It was much easier for my friends to drop me off at the bus station rather than the airport because it was close to their office. All of my African friends told me “you will be fine”. And while they don’t know what it is to be female and Muzungo I knew they had traveled this journey and I wanted to trust their recommendation. And they wanted to make sure that I got the executive bus not anything else.

So yester day I set off for the station. Caleb and his wife Rita have been so kind and helpful. Caleb took me to the station and made sure I knew what to do. When we arrived I met another solo woman traveler. After Caleb left we began to talk. She was to sit in the front row and I was to sit towards the back of the bus. At least I knew there was a potential friend on the bus. Just as we set off on our journey one of bus attendants came to me and asked if I’d like to sit next to “my friend“. Of course! I would love that! It would give me someone to talk to and it would allow me to have a better sight for where we were going. (And we had leg room). So here I was on this really nice bus, comfortable and sitting with a new friend, Saddie. Saddie and I laughed about the assumptions but we were just fine! I wasn’t traveling alone after all. We both commented how appreciative we were for each other on this long journey. We did a great job of taking care of each other too.

When we stopped for gas and a bathroom break my new friend and I we took turns using the pit latrines. WOW. We both had never experienced such a horrible smell in our lives. It was so nice to know my stuff was being watched and it was so nice to laugh with my travel companion about what we had just experienced. The bus ride went so fast because we talked our way through it. The border crossing was easy. There I met a pastor/evangelist. The three of us stuck together throughout the border crossing. Pastor was from Nigeria and has been traveling around Eastern Africa working with churches. So here I was on this journey “alone” and yet I wasn’t alone at all. I had a travel companion and a fellow minister with me.

We thankfully arrived into Kigali before dark. The journey took 10 hours. We encountered road contruction so the journey was 2 hours longer than what it could be. My travel companion and I exchanged phone numbers just in case we would need each other while in Kigali. Awesome! She got some help with a taxi and I needed to call my friend to tell him I had arrived. Caleb and Rita in Uganda had helped me set up a cell phone but I was not able to use it in Rwanda. I’ve now figured out the correct codes and it works! So I had to find someone and ask to borrow a phone. A nice man at a little restaurant allowed me to use his cell phone. I was speaking to him in English not even thinking that he wouldn’t understand me. How easy it is to forget I’m in a non-English speaking country. He was so patient and really wanted to understand me. Looking back I’m so grateful that he had such patience with me and just didn’t wave me off. I called Philbert and was directed to find a taxi driver. A tinge of fear went through me as I realized I was going to get into a taxi and go somewhere I wasn’t sure. However, Philbert suggested that I have the taxi driver call him to get instructions and this felt really good. I reconnected with my American travel companion and there found our pastor friend as well. He was also looking for a taxi. Our pastor friend and I together found a taxi driver. We were headed in the same general direction. So together we loaded all our stuff into his car and set out. Again I found relief in knowing I wasn’t alone! And Philbert kept calling the taxi driver to help him know where to go. It was amazing how it all worked out. I felt so taken care of. Here I was in a place I did not know and I was doing something I had never done before yet I was surrounded by so much kindness and help.

Philbert Kalisa is the director of Reach Rwanda and his organization works to bring unity, peace and reconciliation between people in Rwanda. I’ve been waiting several years now for an opportunity to spend time with him and to learn more about his work. The taxi driver arrived at the Reach Rwanda compound. There was Philbert with a huge smile. He greeted me with a hug and said, “Let me see you. You look the same.” I laughed inside. I had made it. Not only had I made the journey safe but after several years of waiting for this opportunity I had now “made it”. Thanks be to God.

Philbert had such excitement. I’m sure a part of it was because I had arrived but it was much more than that. This week is very significant week for Reach. Philbert showed me the bar and restaurant that is having it’s official opening this week. The venture is hopefully going to create revenue which we’ll support the wok of Reach. We sat down for a soda and dinner. I was a bit weary but extremely content. It felt so good to be here.

I watched as Philbert greeted friends with thankfulness. Tonight the restaurant was opened for friends. Philbert knew most everyone. How exciting for Philbert and for his friends to see this part of their dream coming to life. Next Friday they will have a grand opening and I’m hoping to be there for that!

Later we went to Philbert’s home. There is another young lady, Sophie, that is staying with Philbert for a few weeks. She is a University student. We chatted for a couple hours. I’m feeling grateful for how God provided for me today and humbled by the welcome I’m continuing to receive from friends. It is good to be “home”.

Uganda Day 2: Thursday July 15

July 15-- Today I spent a good amount of time playing with the kids. I’m still living in this surreal land not really connecting fully to the fact that I’m in Ugandan and staying with a family who lives in a village without electricity. It has been a long time since I’ve used a pit latrine. When they are clean they really are not so bad. However, I’m discovering that they take practice to keep clean. Practice in the sense of learning how to use the latrine and practice in the sense of learning how to clean it.

Rita is so good with the kids. I love her philosophy. She is teaching the kids to take part in the community but she isn’t forcing them. She is giving them skills as they want it. And what I’ve seen is that some of the kids are wanting it!! Others are being content to just play and be kids. I loved hearing her talk about one of the new boys. After she had taught him how to clean the bathroom at the half way house he now was at their home telling his new siblings how to clean a bathroom properly. How cool it must be to see your teaching being passed on. The kids are so endearing to their parents and mentors. I’m sure they have their momens like any kid but I’m impressed by the love I see in this household.

I brought a jump rope with me and pulled it out today. The kids and I had so much fun. They wore me out! Ha. They have a ton of energy and could have jumped for hours. We laughed a ton.

In between play sessions with the kids today I took a nap. Jet lag…hate it. It was nice, however, to be able to escape to a bed for a couple of hours and get some rest. I needed it.

Tonight we went into town and Rita helped me get my bus ticket for tomorrow. I’m not sitting as much towards the front as I had hoped but I’ll have a window seat. The bus looks surprisingly nice. There are only two seats on each side! And I learned that there will be bathroom stops tomorrow. Caleb said that if I had to go in between stops, I could ask the driver to stop. That means I’d have to go on the side of the road. I guess that means I’m wearing a dress tomorrow!!

Rita asked that I make a point to telling the kids that I am leaving tomorrow. She didn’t want to have to be the one to answer all their questions. Wise! Her comment made me realize that it really isn’t fair that I’ve dropped into this family’s life only to leave 2 days later. I really saw this when I told the kids I was leaving in the morning. I hated it. They were already in their bedroom. All the girls were singing songs of praise and praying together. They invited me in and I sat on the bed and joined them for a while. Eventually I got the chance to tell them that I’d be taking a bus tomorrow to Rwanda. I was begged and begged not to go. My heart was heavy. This really wasn’t “fair” of me. Somehow I’ve got to see them again before I return to the USA. Hopefully I can work it out. I got lots of hugs. The older girls asked if they could sing for me. Of course! They sang some English songs. They asked me to sing a few songs. I did and then they asked if I’d sing some songs that my mother taught me. Umm…I do not remember what songs my mother taught me (sorry mom). I don’t remember songs very easily and as I sat in silence trying to remember they thought I didn’t want to sing for them. I was able to recapture a few more songs from the recesses of my early childhood memory. They were content and so was I. I felt sad to leave too soon but content that I had said goodbye to most of them.

Tomorrow is the day I’ve been talking about now for weeks. I am nervous but I’m going. We are planning on leaving at 7am.

Uganda Day 1: Wednesday July 14

July 14--Today I learned more about the life that Caleb and Rita are living. They are a couple that has rich courage and deep hearts. They are living out a life so radically spilled out for God. They have committed themselves to taking in kids that have been abandoned or orphaned. I had forgotten that Caleb spent many years on the streets himself. He has an amazing story about how he went from being on the street, getting himself educated and eventually taking in kids of his own. Caleb and Rita are not running an “orphanage”. When I frist heard what Caleb was going in 2007 this was my first impression. Yet he and Rita are not running an orphanage! Caleb and Rita are creating a family. They have an ever enlarging family. I asked how many kids they have. They explained that in Uganda people do not count kids. They have many!

In the day light I was able to see their home. There are several buildings on the compound. There is the parent’s home and the kid’s home. There is a bathroom (pit latrine) and kitchen. The facility was completed sometime in May or June. So the family is still getting used to their new residence. They are working at developing the land so that they will be self-sustaining when it comes to food. The life they are undertaking requires so many resources! I’m not sure how they are doing it but God has been faithful to their courage. It occurred to me that Caleb and Rita is not just “in ministry” which is often how I’ve talked about what I do. They are living a certain kind of life--a life of ever enlarging hospitality.

Caleb taught me something pretty profound today. When he shared a part of his story, a story I hope one day he will have the opportunity to tell, he talked about the importance of giving belonging over giving charity. He has known well the struggle of few resources. But he helped me see that even when resources are lacking that we can always help others feel like they belong. His mission as I’m only just beginning to understand it is to help kids who haven’t belonged to anyone feel like they belong. We don’t have to have a lot of money, enough food, or anything but we can create a space in our lives that help others feel like they are a part of something. Thanks Caleb for this profound lesson that I’ve seen so clearly through the way you and Rita are living your lives together. Thanks for helping me know that I belonged with you!

In the morning I met some of the younger kids. They were shy but it didn’t last long. We left for Kampala before I could spend any time with them. As we drove towards town we stopped by the school where some of their kids go. They came up to see mom and dad (and the musing friend in the car). There was a clear sense of belonging! In Kampala Caleb and Rita helped me with some important essentials--exchanging money, setting up a cell phone and buying “safe” drinking water. I really enjoyed being with them and learning more about the life they are living. They helped me understand some about the Ugandan culture, how they come by kids who are in need, and how they work with kids in the process of welcoming them into their family. They have learned so much over the years about how best to help especially those kids who have spent time living on the street to adjust to non-street life. Caleb and Rita showed me two of their other homes. They have “half-way” houses. One is for girls and the second is for girls. These homes are for kids who are just coming off of the streets. Caleb shared the importance of creating space to help kids become kids again. These initial residences give the kids a chance to choose a non-street life. And it helps them learn how to be a part of a household. I’m sure Caleb would say it does a whole lot more than all of this too!

Later on we returned to their home and I spent the rest of the evening with the kids. I had a blast! We played catch with a soccer ball. Wherever I sat some of the kids joined me. The little ones competed for the space on my lap. I don’t consider myself a kid person. However, how could I not be here! I attempted to teach the younger kids English words for body parts and colors. Ha…I worked harder than they did. They would just repeat what I was saying. The older kids knew most of these words. The smallest kids found great fascination with my skin and my hair. You could see they just wanted to touch me and see if it was like them but different. If I were them and the situation was reversed-meaning I was a Muzungu child with an solo African adult I’m sure I’d react the very same way!! Differences are fascinating!

Earlier in the day Caleb had made a point of telling me that in the evening the girls at home would teach me how to bathe Ugandan style. I guess they have experienced other westerners who didn’t know how to use a basin for washing. I’ve backpacked…camped….and not had showers before. I figured I knew what to expect. At the end of the day the mentor ladies-or the “Aunties” of the home-- asked if I wanted to take a bath. Of course! It had been 3 days! I’m not sure yet how to describe how I felt about the experience that followed. Exposing. Connecting. Nerve wracking. Embarrassing. Comforting. The ladies prepared warm water in a basin. They made sure I had a towel. When I showed them my camping size towel (the size of a dish towel) they laughed. It was at this point I realized something wasn’t going to go the way I expected. Sure enough! They took me to the side of the house and there under the moon and stars the HELPED me bathe. Later when I told Caleb and even shared how surprised I was that we bathed outside he laughed (a compassionate laugh) and said something like, “they are making you Ugandan”. All I can say is thank you Korea for teaching me to enjoy the bath house. Korea, Uganda, has one up on you! They bathe together outside in the dark and in the open.” I actually don’t think they do normally just when they have a Muzungo to initiate into the family. Well at least I feel initiated into their community. In a deeper way after my bathing experience tonight I feel like I belong.

Arriving to Uganda: Tuesday July 13

July 13-- It was smooth goings as I walked through the maze of immigration (including getting my visa) and collecting my luggage. As I walked through the doors out into the lobby and through people waiting for their arrivals I heard my name. “Julene” and there was Caleb. It has been almost 3 years since we last saw each other. We recognized each other! He introduced me to his wife Rita. When I arrived it was nearly midnight. Considering being birded by the plane out of Amsterdam I arrived in good time! It had been almost 24 hours since I left home. I had not slept but 2 hours, maybe. We got in their Landrover and drove and talked. Caleb and Rita live on the outskirts of Kampala which meant we needed to drive from Entebbe through Kampala and then north on the road towards Gulu. It was about a 90 minute drive. The air in Kampala was dusty and dirty and as we left Kampala and entered its outskirts the air changed. You could see the stars. We arrived to their home around 2am. I was shown to a room to sleep. Tonight I slept in a village in Uganda. It is amazing how in the morning one can wake up in the USA and go to sleep in Uganda the following night.

Birded Delay

Everything went just expected on my Boise to Minneapolis flight, Minneapolis to Amsterdam flight. All looked well for the Amsterdam to Entebee flight too. As we were boarding I was thinking how smooth my travel was going. It even crossed my mind that I shouldn't yet be that smug. We took off from Amsterdam. I felt wiped and just relieved to be on the final leg of this very long journey. I had my ear plugs and eye mask on and was ready to settle in to sleep. After all it is 2am MountainTime. The take off seemed a bit odd...it seemed like we didn't go up as high as fast as normal. The caption came on the radio about 20 minutes in to inform us that we need to head back to the airport. On take off we encountered some birds and it was believed the engine consumed one or some. The heat levels on the engine were too high for safety. We landed without any trouble. Sure enough there was a bird in our engine and the plane is out of commission for at least our flight. They've found a new plane for us and we are scheduled to leave 3 hours later. We'll see. They were kind enough to provide us with a meal voucher.

The journey has begun!

A Journey Ahead: Uganda and Rwanda

It seems this year my blog has been of use mostly when I travel. Life this year has been so full and certainly there have been many things to share but I've been more focused on developing life where I'm living rather than the blog-world. I am grateful, however, for those who have continued to show great interest in what is transpiring in my life. In the next few weeks I'll be posting as I am able. You can be sure that I'll be writing of this adventure but internet access isn't a given.

So a journey is ahead of me. There is a mission component to this trip as well as a very personal component. I leave for Uganda and Rwanda tomorrow and will return on August 4th. I covet your prayers as I travel and as our team convenes in a little over a week. I'm so grateful for those who have already said they will pray for me and for us. I'm grateful for all those who have supported us financially too. We take you, who have decided to join us in prayer and financial support, with us as we go and will remember that we are not doing what we are doing without you.

Tomorrow I'm "looking forward" to 3 flights--two of which are 8 hours long. I hope there are TV's in the back of the seats. Funny how I like so many of us who travel have gotten accustomed to this nicety. We didn't have them on the way back from Ukraine and all of us were so bummed. It wasn't as bad as any of us thought because at least we were seated together. However, this trip I'm traveling by myself. So I'm bringing books and will be content with these should there not be other entertainment options. ; ) N.T. Wright's, Surprised By Hope, hopefully will keep me busy enough! I also found a memoir called, "The Butterfly Mosque" and Anne Lamont's 'new novel. Got to love the library.

As I've been preparing for the trip this week I'm feeling most excited about the people I'm meeting up with. There are so many! I have a ton to learn and I'm looking forward to being present with friends.

P.S. A little birdie told me that it would be appreciated if I let people know when I get home. I'll have to remember that this time!