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| Beeeeeautiful! |
Although my feet are planted back on
Canadian soil, my head is still reeling - perhaps because I promptly
uprooted again and moved up to Peace River, Alberta only a day after
landing in Calgary. So thank you for your patience in waiting for a
final report about the time I had the privilege
of spending in Rwanda (with the team from Providence) and Kenya (flying solo).
First off... let's play a quick word
association game. Which of the two words that follow stick out to
you when you think "Rwanda"?
Gorillas Genocide
If you answered genocide, then
you're in good company - most people would agree with you. In 1994,
the people of Rwanda experienced a genocide which saw approximately
one million people killed by their government, friends, neighbours,
and even family members inside of 100 days. However, if you were to
stand on a street-corner in Kigali and ask Rwandese passers-by to
comment on the same question, you would quickly find that the
Rwandese people are tired of having their national identity defined
by the events of 1994. Wouldn't you if you were in their shoes?
I hope to share
about my time in Rwanda in a way that honours their desire. People deserve to be known for their strengths and resilience as much as for their pain and brokenness. I too am both strong and broken.
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| Giving and receiving are inseparable. This young woman learned to sew from this hope-giving ministry, and now sews quilts and bags to contribute to the ministry. |
For this reason, you will more often hear me talk about "walking alongside" people than "helping" them. And I am more likely to reference things that I learned from the Rwandese people than I am to talk about what I think I was able to contribute. Although I was the one to travel across the Atlantic to spend June in Africa, and although I went with something special to contribute... still we stand on equal footing.
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| A new friend at the market. You should see the fabrics we picked out together. |
1 comment:
Thanks for that :)
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