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?"
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.
