Noheli Nziza - The African Chistmas Edition

Holiday greetings from the heart of (and hearts in) Africa! At this point, I think the duration of our time here and the time of the year has really made us miss you more. It doesn’t help that we’ve been listening to a lot of Christmas music, including I’ll be Home for Christmas, to make up for the lack of Christmas festivities here. A big thank you to those of you who managed to send us some decorations! People have asked if we were able to have any turkey for Thanksgiving and while we were not able to feast on any, we did have a nice Thanksgiving with our friends. There was still plenty of food, and I think even more to be thankful for this year. Looking back, God has cared for us in rich and incredible ways. Despite being rather exhausted from trying to wrap up all remaining activities at work and school, and days where we would just like to get on a plane back home, we are so grateful still for the opportunity to be where we are and to experience the Lord in new ways.

I’m (Garrett) still trying to slowly learn Kinyarwanda. My favorite phrase so far is “turi kumwe”, which translated literally means we are together. I like this phrase not only because it sounds cool, but because the ways in which it is used. Rwandans seem to have two usages for this phrase: 1) that we understand one another and on the same page and 2) that in spite of physical separation, we are still connected. This is great because I think to use this with you can contain both of these meanings. Being this far from all of you has been one of the most difficult things that either of us has ever done. Yet, you know why we have chosen to do this. God’s call trumps all. Also, thanks in large part to an ever-globally connected world, we have been able to keep connected regardless of time difference and a distance of thousands of miles. WE ARE TOGETHER, and we cannot thank you enough for your unrelenting support, prayer, and encouragement.

I’ll attempt to update you with all that has happened since our last correspondence which is probably a lot. I think the biggest news is the ever growing size of our household here. We now have two dogs Jumu and Itunda (pronounced e-tune-da and means passion fruit singular). We had a rabbit, Thicket, may he rest in peace. We are considering getting some chickens, mostly for the fresh eggs. We have also offered a room to the HOPE intern, Danny, who was going to have to go back his village in order to not pay rent here in the city. Danny has been a great worker and it would be a shame to lose him now, especially with some ambitious plans for the program in 2013. Before acquiring Itunda, we (the two of us and Jumu) were even able to go on a little retreat to Musanze (which is in the northwest part of Rwanda), where the volcanos and mountain gorillas are situated. I (Garrett again) have been playing tennis and ultimate Frisbee as a way to get exercise. Rachael is continuing to teach tennis lessons and making use of her Pilates DVD (the only DVD we chose to bring, err what?). Work is keeping us both busy. Rachael’s students now number eight (she started with four). With my boss and the country director, Erisa, out of the country frequently over the last couple of months, I have been all over the place trying to keeps things in order. You can be praying for HOPE here in Rwanda. It has been over months since we’ve applied for our NGO re-registration with the government.We are confident we will be able to obtain it, but it has been a distraction for the activities of the program and what we are actually trying to accomplish. We also have some major projects lined up for this coming year and could use prayer for smooth implementation and blessings on the outcomes. Rachael has been doing a great job as a teacher, but being a nurse by profession, she would love to be able to get back to it. Please pray that the right opportunity is presented to her where her valuable skills could be used optimally.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May this season be filled with God’s joy and blessings. We certainly are thankful for the gift of Jesus in our lives. We hope that at some point we will be able to see you all in person during 2013!

Our Sunday guard Assumani with his new bike and Itunda.

The Family



Jumu and Itunda are keeping us busy.

 

The Usual Unusual

Today, one of the most unusual, yet heartwarming experiences happened to me today. The past few weeks we have been assisting our housecleaner find another job. She works for us Monday, Wednesday, Friday, but would like to work on Tuesday, Thursday and possibly Saturday. After a few leads failed to turn into anything, we had a very interested party approach us and asked for a trial day, which was today. Since directions aren't really simple here (usually it means triangulating a location by using several landmarks), I elected to help our housecleaner get to her interview. All this is a long way of giving context as to why I was walking around the neighborhood this morning. Anyway, on our way to the interview we passed a child of about 6 or 7 years old walking to school alone. She was clearly late, but in no apparent rush to reduce the length of tardiness. As we passed, this girl came up and hugged me without saying anything. She then continued on her way and we continued on ours. The reason this is so unusual is because, first off, it was a real hug. Not a half hug that is customary here (honestly, it's maybe the most awkward physical interaction you could have with another person). But even more so because this is biggest display of affection I've encountered by any Rwandan that I don't know personally. Rwandese, in contrast to other African cultures are generally pretty reserved (unless they're in church). The act clearly stunned my housecleaner. I'm usually pretty happy if I can get kids to wave and a smile, or even get a return greeting that aren't noises that are intended to sound Chinese. I guess sometimes you just need a hug and you have no idea when or where that will come from.

To mark the four month anniversary of our arrival here in Rwanda, Rachael and I are headed out of the city. This is exciting as it will be only the second time that Rachael has left Kigali. It will also be my second time to leave the city for non-work related purposes. We were told about a tea plantation that has a guest house, serves good food (and tea of course), and has a tennis court. Sounds just about perfect for the two of us. Look forward to the forthcoming pictures. Just pray that we make it there and back ok.

Currently, Erisa is out of the country for a couple of weeks, which means I'm in effect the acting Country Director. Kind of frightening when I think about it. Knock on wood, but it has been going well so far. I even gave presentation (with translation help) to possibly expand the SCA program! Even though I've been managing, it will be great when Erisa gets back. However, he has another trip planned in November. Gulp.

The Rainy Season is Upon Us!

Sorry, to have not posted in quite some time. Things have been pretty busy here. We have been engaged in working on a special project, one that was unexpected. As a marketing project, our main office was hoping to sell “Made in Rwanda” ceramic clay mugs at an upcoming Christian leadership conference in the U.S. I only received a week’s notice about this project before one of HOPE’s senior grant writers came to Rwanda to help oversee this project. Fortunately, the number of mugs we wanted crafted went from 13,000 down to 1,200 in a short period of time. While this project kept me fairly busy in tandem with my other tasks here, it was a fun time to explore different parts of Kigali and the country and meet a number of Rwandese craftspeople. It was also very fun to host and get to know Hope grant writer, Becky Svendsen as well. The project went as smoothly as is possible for Africa. The mugs turned out great (see pictures) and are now on their way to the U.S. We are now praying that they arrive intact and on time (need to be in the U.S. by the end of the month).

This past week the Country Director, Erisa, my boss, was out of the country in Zambia for some training. That left me by myself to man the office. Needless to say, work was a lot busier this last week. I’m now exhausted. No rest for the weary though as we are now hosting five (three from the U.S., one from Belgium, and one from the Philippines) HOPE visitors this next week for a conference and retreat. This will mean back and forth from the retreat center (one and a half hours away) every other day. Let the games begin.

As the title of the post may suggest, it is also rainy season. This brings a nice relief from the summer heat, but it also brings crazy and unpredictable thunder and lightning storms. I was foolish enough to take my first moto (motorcycle taxi) ride this past week. It was fine until it started raining at which point we (the driver and I) got soaked, we stopped and waited at a gas station with 30 other motos/passengers for an hour, then proceeded again before it stopped raining and got soaked again. Fortunately, I didn’t have any meetings after this event and was able to dry off sitting at my desk. Just another day in Rwanda!

I took a survey taken by the Graduate Management Admissions Council the other day. Some of the survey questions asked about my financial satisfaction. Has you graduate degree increased your earnings potential? How much has your salary increased since your previous job? How much of your student loans have you been able to pay off? These questions recalled a sarcastic comment by one of my relatives before we left, “you got an MBA and now we’re financially supporting you?” That stung, still stings. It now is hitting me that I haven’t made a temporary sacrifice, I’ve made a lifelong one. I’ll never be a captain of industry. I guess that also means I’ll never be a robber baron either. A verse that has been a key part of being here is Matthew: “Whatever you did for the least of these…” yet I constantly need to be reminded that the verse does not end with “I’ll do for you also” but with “you also did for me.” I need to tell myself that my response to that shouldn’t be “that’s all?” but that is all. In our Sunday night Bible study we keep singing the song “Heart of Worship.” I don’t know if any song captures it better: because "it's all about you, Jesus.”

Perhaps my last post left you wondering if I still enjoy being here. The answer to that is yes. I work long hours and there aren’t western conveniences that take the edge off life. However, the community here, both expat and Rwandan make up for it all. I’ve talked about the expat community, but not enough about the Rwandan one that we experience. Our guard and housekeeper, Bernard and Adrianne, are two wonderful and amazing people. Both have families and children (our guard’s family lives two hours away). Yet day in and day out they diligently work hard to provide a better life to their loved ones. Our guard is even enthusiastically taking English lessons now! I’ve also hired an intern at work. Danny is a student with a program called Bridge to Rwanda, which is a select program that is preparing him to gain entrance into a U.S. university. This program also provides logistical and financial support to help these students go have a completely unimaginable experience. Danny, however, affectionately known by his peers as “Pastor,” comes from a small village. It is only through the grace of God and his own hard work and ingenuity that he has this rare opportunity. Danny though refuses to take any of this for granted and took this internship to improve his knowledge and skills. Through it all he has an incredibly gentile spirit. Without this community, God knew that we could not make it here. Yet the Father of Lights, knows all and hears our prayers.

The Two Month Mark

We have now been in Rwanda officially for two full months. It’s about the time that we were told that the initial high of arrival would dissipate and we would probably hit an emotional low point. No matter how hard you try to prepare yourself psychologically and emotionally, this low is impossible to avoid when living in a place like Africa. Life here is just heavy. The other morning my eye felt sore and I looked in the mirror to discover I had what appeared to be a black eye. From what?! From life?! There are some days when you feel like you’ve been punched. Especially on days where you feel like everyone is trying to take advantage or make fun of your cultural unawareness. I feel justified in using this kind of hyperbole, since in all truthfulness, getting straight answers here can be quite difficult. The best example of this would be the process I just endured to acquire my permanent visa. Each time I would go to Immigration, I would be told that I needed one more thing, or even given incorrect information. Only after several visits over the course of a month and a half, and a not so small fine, was I finally granted the visa. Did I mention the overt rudeness? Oh yeah that too. It makes the DMV look like well-oiled machine. Now we have to pray for Rachael’s visa situation.

On top of this, I’m told by a variety of sources that the Immigration Office has it out for incoming NGO workers due to the current political climate. The mere fact that I have my visa makes me one of the fortunate ones. This just compounds the frustration for Rach and me. Quite frankly, we would not be here if it weren’t to help the people of Rwanda. Yet, there are people explicitly trying to prevent us and others like us from doing so.

People tell me that I cannot take these difficulties personally. On one hand this is true, on the other it is incredibly personal, because I know these are attacks from Satan. Nothing could be more personal than a spiritual attack on one’s soul; the evil one’s attempts to throw off everything that I believe.

In the U.S., I think we often deal with the attacks by letting ourselves become distracted by other things. We go out to the movies, we go the mall, we go to a concert or sporting event, etc. Here, those aren’t really available options. The beauty of it though, is that we are forced to confront our struggles head-on. I thought I was emptying myself by coming here, but the Lord is showing me that there is another layer of selfishness that I need to let go.

Sorry if it seems like this is coming from a dark place. There indeed has been great joy among the trials and tribulations. Just the other day, someone shared a passage out of Hebrews 11,that was so encouraging.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for…By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country…These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Here is something else that needs to be shared:

The facilitators are a critical part of the Rwanda SCA program; they provide the direct connection to the groups and group leaders. Each facilitator works on a volunteer basis, only receiving a small stipend for phone minutes and maybe a bicycle, merely because they believe in the power of the SCA Program. Over this past month, we have heard many powerful testimonies describing the life-changing power of savings groups on the lives of the facilitators themselves. We would have loved to recorded all of the dozens of stories that were shared, however time and resources constraints allowed us to provide the stories of two of the facilitators.

Below are the narratives of the stories of these two facilitators:

Marcelline Mukayinanga

As an example of the person she is, Marcelline was the first facilitator at this particular retreat to greet/bless me. She has a friendly face and an even friendlier smile (sadly, she is not smiling in her picture). Even without being able to understand her since she spoke in Kinyarwanda, her passion for the SCA Program and for others was evident. She is very adamant about having others, especially women, join savings circles and enhance their financial/life position. She is currently going back to school to finish high school and go to university so that she can help people even more than she already is. Her dream is to become literate and pass on knowledge and learning to others less fortunate than herself. Her big heart is evident in that she has adopted and raised four children.

Protois Rubayiza

Protois is one of the older facilitators, but his energy is still abundant. His testimony, in and of itself, is very powerful. He started by joining a savings group 13 years ago. From the group he received a 5000 franc loan. With this initial loan he planted potatoes to harvest. His first crop yielded a total profit of 50 francs (less than $1). His second crop faired a little better, but not by much. This crop profited 150 francs. Protois did not let this deter him from continuing to build a better life. After much perseverance, he now owns 4 houses, a car, cows, which he loans out to others, and runs his own business selling various agriculture products. Although he did not start by saving with a HOPE run SCA. He believes very strongly in our program and how it helps people. His hope is to double the amount of people under his own responsibility and would like to see all Rwandans join an SCA.

God's Perfect Faithfulness

A beautiful sunrise early in the morning, on our way to Akagera Park

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

I don't think I've ever lived in a place that scares me as much as Rwanda. When I say this, I'm only referring to the moments when we're driving in a car, otherwise, I feel completely safe. We have seen a few bad accidents (mostly involving moto taxis) and heard of a few more tragic moto/car accidents, which continues to prevent us from jumping on the back of one to get across town.  Needless to say, I've been very shy about getting behind a wheel here. The driving is very different. But this aspect of life is only helping me to cling closer to our God, who does protect and promises His spirit to be with us as we trust in Him. I'm thankful for His protection and we continue to pray for this while in Rwanda. 

We have so much to be thankful for here and God has provided for us in many ways. I want to thank you for your prayer support of us. We have felt this comfort and know many are praying for us. Please continue to lift us up in prayer (for strength, endurance, protection, wisdom, discernment) as we're finding we need God's covering here in different ways than back in the U.S. 

Some of our praises include finding a wonderful house to rent! It's so peaceful, with a beautiful yard, in a quiet neighborhood, and perfect for us to come home to at the end of the day. We also got a sweet dog named Jumu (which was unexpected) but she's been nice company and a good guard dog. We have been meeting some great people here, a lot of Christian people as well, many of who I'm sure, will become good friends for us. We feel very settled at this point, physically and emotionally, which helps us feel very at peace in God's plan for us here. We got a great car that feels safe and reliable! We were gently reminded by the Lord (pretty soon after landing here) the importance of staying in prayer and in the Bible together daily, after experiencing some more difficult days in our marriage. But praise Him for that reminder! Though we should be doing this anywhere, it's especially hard when you're in a new country, overwhelmed often, frequently tired and easily stressed, giving you little patience and grace for one another. This lesson was reinforced by a Christian missionary (who we actually bought the car from) who told us he felt like God wanted him to share about our need for daily devotion/prayer here and encourage us in our marriage, discussing the reality of spiritual attack on your marriage when you serve together. We were so uplifted and this came in the perfect time.

  
I am also thankful for a couple of serving opportunities I've been able to be involved with for the past few weeks. One is the African Bagel Company (which Garrett mentioned in his previous post), which is a women's training center, aimed at helping vulnerable women in tough situations, gain practical cooking skills that they can later use to help sustain themselves and their families/children. Many of them are providing for multiple people in their family, some are single moms, some are orphans or have lost most people in their families and some were very sick when they came to ABC. They employ about 25 women for varying lengths of time (until they "graduate" from the program, learning all they can at ABC) and these women produce amazing food including pizzas, donuts, bagels, salsa, hummus, tortillas, cookies, cakes, etc. ABC is mostly frequented by expat customers including ourselves (as Garrett mentioned). These foods have provided comfort to us at home as the grocery selection in Rwanda is very limited.  The women do daily devotions and worship together in the mornings (which I've been able to be a part when I'm there) and although they speak all Kinyarwandan, one of the women who speaks English will kindly translate for me to be a part of it. :) They are taught other life skills by people who come through to teach classes to them, develop friendships with each other and seem to really gain a new sense of confidence in themselves in learning cooking and general life skills. The couple that started ABC just returned to the U.S (after living here for 7 years), but another couple has stepped in to run it. It's been a blessing to me, getting to know these awesome people who are a part of this and also getting to spend time and get to know the women who work there. They are wonderful and have been so warm to me. A couple of them sat me down and were so perplexed that Garrett and I have been married for two years but yet still don't have any children (and have planned not to have children yet), as they said when they get married, they want to have kids as soon as possible and if they aren't able to, people start talking about you, like you must be sick, be cursed by the devil or something is wrong with you that you aren't getting pregnant immediately. It's been very interesting to live in a new culture and learn aspects about the people that are just so different that ours. It's been teaching me a lot. 

The other awesome opportunity that I came across was an OB clinic that meets in a small mud-brick building in one of the slum neighborhoods, twice weekly. It is funded in part by the church that we have visited a few times since being here. On Tuesdays, women come for prenatal visits and Thursdays they come for postpartum checks for themselves and their newborn babies. It's been so interesting learning about the many challenges these pregnant women face here and learning new aspects of the culture through the women who come to the clinic. The newborn babies (on Thursdays) are of course SO BEAUTIFUL and I have loved helping with any teaching we can provide them on breastfeeding, nutritional needs for mom and baby and other general health things to watch for. This clinic was started by a Canadian midwife who lives here with her family, a wonderful Christian woman, who felt like an instant friend to me as she has a passion for women and OB and has such a warm, kind heart. There are a few other wonderful women who also help with this. Jocelyn (the midwife) has such a gift in working with these women. I feel so blessed by this already and have enjoyed the fellowship with the women who are working here. It's also such a praise because I was praying for an opportunity to do something in OB nursing here in Rwanda, and I've already been helping out at this clinic for the past few weeks!  Again, only Kinyarwandan is spoken with the women at the clinic and I'm hoping that this will help reinforce me learning the language faster. Jocelyn told me the other day, that she is helping the church with the building of a new women's hospital in town that will have delivery rooms as well and it should be opening next year. She said I could definitely come work there/volunteer when it's finished! So I'm excited about that possibility as I would absolutely LOVE a chance to start helping with deliveries and learning that side of OB. 


We were able to see some beautiful animals at Akagera National Park, this last weekend. It's so amazing to see these animals up close. It was so much fun to see giraffes, zebras, hippos and real African wildlife in their natural habitat. We have loved being in Rwanda so far and look forward to seeing more.


We feel so sure that God has us here right now and know that God is using us to bless others with his love. Please pray that we are consistent in shining a light for Him. Pray that we can continue to let God work in the places of our life that need working.

We are so thankful to Jesus for two wonderful years of marriage, that we just celebrated last week! We were able to go out for a nice dinner together to celebrate. I feel like we've been married for longer than two years, as so much has happened already. We feel blessed to have had such a fun first two years of marriage, learning some good lessons in communication and the importance of always seeking Him together. God has been so good to us. And we look forward to many more together! 


Love and blessings to you all. We are thankful for your support of us!

Our anniversary dinner at "Republika" restaurant

Our first 2 1/2 Weeks in Kigali

Wow, what is the date? These past two weeks have just absolutely flown by. I’ve been meaning to get a new post up, but as with everything in Africa, this process has taken a lot longer than expected. Yes, we have arrived in Rwanda safe and sound. Our 28 hour journey to get here went about as good as one could’ve hoped. This trip included a car ride from Lancaster to Washington D.C., a flight from Washington D.C. to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, another flight from Addis Ababa to Kigali, Rwanda, which included a short stop in Entebbe, Uganda. Somehow through all this, our bodies, spirits, and luggage arrived complete and intact. While some people would take some time to lay low, let the jetlag pass, and get adjusted, we decided to do the opposite. We jumped right into getting a feel for our surroundings and meeting people. This included meeting and speaking with Erisa, the HOPE Rwanda Country Director for the first time ever. It probably would’ve been prudent to at least have a brief conversation with my supervisor for the next two years; minor oversight. Fortunately, getting to know Erisa even just in a brief period, has assured me that all the great things I had been told about him are true.

The first full week here included two major events for HOPE as an organization. The first was hosting a trip of HOPE supporters. I guess this is the first time a trip like this has been made to Africa. The other was hosting a spiritual retreat for the Savings and Credit Associations (SCA) program and field coordinators. Included with these two events was meeting and interacting with other HOPE staff members, all of whom were great to work with. Most of the legwork for these two events was completed months in advance and so I was not really able to make much of a contribution. Yet, getting to participate with both served as a nice introduction to HOPE Rwanda and got me really excited for the work that I will be doing during my time here. Everything seemed to go incredibly smooth and everyone involved felt blessed by everything was saw and heard, evidence that God is certainly at work here.

Chris Horst - HOPE Director of Development

Chris Ordway, Matthew Rohrs, Christie Wilson (HOPE); SCA program and field coordinators

Here are some highlights from our time thus far:

We had the opportunity to visit Cards from Africa, which manufactures greeting cards. There are three wonderful things about CFA. The first is that they manufacture their cards by recycling paper and other materials. The seconds is that though sales of the cards, it is a sustainable model. The other great thing is that everyone working for CFA is a head of an orphan household (meaning these are orphans caring for their siblings). The workers have even started their own savings group! Check them out here.

We were also introduced to the African Bagel Company, which is a favorite locale of the Rwanda expat community. ABC was founded to provide practical skills to Rwandese women in need. In addition to the vocational training they receive as part of a program, they also receive spiritual discipleship. You would not believe what a blessing it is to have access to freshly made bagels, doughnuts, tortillas, salsa, etc. Regardless to the location of the world, the food there is delicious. We look forward to frequenting this spot in the future. If you ever come to Rwanda, be sure to have someone take you!

On a more somber note, we also took a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. I have been to holocaust memorials, but there was just something about this memorial, that made it so much more poignant. Having transpired relatively recently and living in Rwanda, there is no way to distance myself from what happened. Despite mentally and emotionally wrestling with the genocide, I am still having trouble wrapping my mind around it or even coming to believe that such an atrocity actually occurred. The memorial helped remind me what real and intense pain exists in this country. That people can even tolerate living together here is nothing short of a miracle.

(Development) Celebrity Sighting! Prior to coming to Rwanda, one of my Willamette classmates, Sophia, gave me a book to read. The book was The Blue Sweater, written by the CEO and founder of Acumen Fund, Jacqueline Novogratz. I finished reading the book on the flight to Rwanda. On the back cover is a picture of the author, which I quickly glanced at prior to packing it away. I didn’t really give it a second thought until I was eating lunch at a restaurant and saw someone who looked very familiar. It then dawned on me that the woman sitting two tables away had to be Ms. Novogratz. If it weren’t for the encouragement of Rachael, I probably would have been too embarrassed to say anything. With a little prompting, I introduced myself and had the fortune of meeting the author of the book I had just finished reading. In the very place which most of the book is about no less. Yeah, it is a small world. 

If meeting Jacqueline wasn’t enough excitement for one week, we also were witness to what could’ve been construed as a presidential assassination attempt. Lack of internet access and fear of motorcycle taxis prompted Rachael and I to walk to a coffeeshop to try and connect to the worldwide web. On our way there, we were faced with a choice, walk on the sidewalk by the road or in the garden path far away from the road (ok it really wasn’t that tough a decision). No sooner had we started down the garden path then did two brand new, unmarked, but with flashing red and blue lights, Toyota Landcrusiers come thundering down the road toward us. Following these two vehicles was a black Mercedes S Class with flags on the hood. As this car was passing us, we heard honking and then a boom as a massive dump truck driving in our direction, hit the median, crushed two small trees, crossed onto the other side of the street (narrowly missing the Mercedes), careened into a pole and then crossed back onto the correct side road. The truck then stopped and was immediately surrounded by men in suits with machine guns. They seized the driver, threw him into the back of a trailing Landcruiser and drove off.  A young Rwandese man who was standing next to us with jaw dropped, explained that the black Mercedes was President Paul Kagame’s car. End of story, no big deal. What?! If it was indeed an assassination attempt it was very poorly executed, but the timing of the whole thing was very coincidental. The moral of the story for us was watch out for dump trucks (we would later see another one cross another median; different story) and always take the garden path when available.

I know this post has already gotten out-of-control long, but one more thing. Yesterday we had the privilege of attending a Rwandan wedding. It was a very interesting cultural experience, albeit a very time consuming one. Overall, the basic format was very much like an American wedding. However, the dancing performances were unique and incredible (see video). All in all, I feel very honored to have been invited and I just hope the happy couple were honored by our presence (we were the only “muzungus” there).

My First Encounter With Wild Cats

6.11.12

I haven't even reached Africa yet and I've already had a harrowing encounter with some aggressive felines. After traveling most of the day, I arrived in Lancaster, PA, late Wednesday night. Thank you Sylvie and Catherine for coming to pick me up from the airport! For my time in Lancaster (which I'm still trying to pronounce correctly, I think it’s Lanekister, or something like that...), I have been graciously hosted by Adam, Elspeth and Jackson Naramore. While they have been wonderful hosts (thank you so much for providing the home away from home), their cats, Porter and George, were a little more wary of my presence. My attempt to get washed up for bed was deterred for about 15 minutes while the Porter and George slowly retreated away from my door. Porter even felt threatened enough to take a swipe at my leg. Needless to say, this was a mildly terrifying experience, perhaps heighted by jet lag and a warning from Adam to be cautious around the cats. This experience quickly formed a metaphor in my mind. As Rachael and I have been steadily making our way towards Rwanda, we have faced other bigger obstacles: fear, anxiety, doubt and uncertainty.

The majority of the PA stay has been quite pleasant and enlightening. I got to experience Central Market, the oldest continually run indoor market in America. I went to Hershey ("The sweetest place on earth") and saw where most of the country’s candy was and is produced. Then went to Philadelphia (with Nick, big thanks to him) to pick up Rachael and stopped and got a Geno’s cheesesteak, visited Independence Hall and saw the Liberty Bell! All and all a rushed but nice time, thanks PA.

The goodbyes began about a month ago and continued to occur regularly up until this point. The funny thing about goodbyes is they don't get any easier. In fact, they just get harder (usually because family and the people that have known you the longest come last). Another thing I find interesting about this process is that for some of us, the fact that Rach and I are going to Rwanda will actually mean more correspondence than if we were living in another state or even city. However, I know that the time that we will be away and the physical distance magnifies the level of emotion involved and thus makes the goodbyes so hard. It has been in this time of leaving loved ones that I feel the thoughts of: Was this the right life choice? Did we have to go so far away? What is going to happen while we are gone? And so on...Fortunately, these questions disappear quickly as we have received so much encouragement during this time. Praise the Lord for reminding us that this is in His will and that He has gone before us and is with us now.

During our time in Santa Barbara, we were asked a great question (thanks Carolyn) which I feel was pretty inadequately answered at the time. The question was: "Do we feel that we are embracing life, or putting life on hold?" The short and highly confusing answer to that question is both. After taking some time to ponder it, the better answer to the question would have to be that this time is a fast. Isaiah 58 helps to explain what I mean by fasting.

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?"

Isaiah 58:6

Fasting is consciously choosing to forego something, even something that is necessary for our very existence (i.e. food), in an effort to be drawn closer to the Lord. So really, fasting is embracing and letting go or putting on hold. We have been very blessed to have been raised and live in America. This is where family and friends are, this is home. Right now, Rachael and I have every intention of returning to the U.S. Yet for me, living in the U.S., I haven't had to trust God in the way that I want to be able to trust God. Right now I put too much trust is wealth, comfort, technology, the American way of life. Chains of injustice exist everywhere, so blessings on those who choose to break them wherever they feel they need to be broken. Rachael and I feel called to set the oppressed free in Rwanda. This is why we are going. This is our fast.

Wow, what a crazy last week/last month. Graduation from Willamette, a Texas wedding, some fond farewells, packing and moving. Phew. I'm exhausted and I haven't even reached the final destination. It was sad saying goodbye to a whole group of wonderful people back in Salem. We will miss you all so much. We're glad that you are going to stay in touch with us through this blog. Congratulations to Amy and Brian, your wedding was beautiful and Rachael and I are so glad that we were able to be there for it. Special thanks to my brother-in-law Dave, who superhumanly helped us move. Seriously, would have never been able to leave town without your help. Also, special thanks to my parents who graciously let us store our belongings at the house. I also have to thank my wife, who has been such a blessing in my life and has agreed to allow me to pursue my dreams. Of course, going to Africa has also been on her heart and I know that she is going to do some amazing things while we are there. She also made this blog visually appealing, thus making people actually want to look at it. Thanks my love. Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, wisdom and advice, and financial support. Without all of you reading this blog, our journey would not be possible. We are taking your love in our hearts over there with us and hope to share it with all we encounter.

A quick look at the upcoming timeline:
May 29th-31st in Santa Barbara
June 1st-2nd in Bellingham
June 3rd-5th in Seattle
June 6th Garrett departs for Lancaster for training and orientation
June 10th Rachael comes to Lancaster
June 12th depart the U.S. for Rwanda

If you would like to financially support our cause, please visit the HOPE International website. There you will see a green "Donate Now" link in the upper right-hand corner. Be sure to put in the comments that your gift is going to support Rachael and me in Rwanda.

We are moving to Rwanda!

We feel so excited about this opportunity and are confident that God has opened this door for wonderful reasons. We hope to use this blog as a way to connect with loved ones from home, keep you informed on the work we're doing there, how God is growing us, the fun adventures we'll have and ways that you can be praying for and supporting us from afar. Please pray for us as we prepare for this big journey, for the many details involved in moving to another country (getting visas, learning the language(s), meeting new people, finding the right home), for the right nursing opportunities for Rachael and that we keep God at the center of our lives. Thank you for your love and support. We will definitely be sad to leave, but are so thankful for this chance to go serve together.