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.