Final Thoughts from Home Sweet Home

We made it! Yes, our return travels were a bit more eventful than we had planned, but bottom line we made it home, and for that we are very thankful!

I'm sitting here on Friday, three days since our return and I'm guessing like everyone else on the team, I hardly know where to begin processing our time in Rwanda. I'm guessing we'll all have plenty to think and pray about for the next few months. As I am rarely shy for words, I do have a few closing thoughts (I mean you can't end a blog with a "stuck in the airport" entry now can you?!).

Because of my trip I have gained an appreciation for Rwanda.
* THE LAND I knew coming over that Rwanda was called the Land of a Thousand Hills, but until your eyes actually take in the lush beauty of the rolling hills, no picture can prepare you for this landscape.
* GENEROSITY AND HOSPITALITY Whether we were being welcomed into a village home, introduced at a church service, or spoiled at the Guest Home, we were blessed DAILY by the generosity and hospitality of the Rwandan people. While I was at the church service in Kayonza my little sponsor child Maria came and pressed a coin in my hand worth 5 francs. Now from the financial side of things, since 540 francs equal one dollar, by quickly doing the math you realize that 5 francs isn't that much money. But here's the deal-Maria lives in a mud home with no heat and no electricity. Her family has to fetch whatever water they use, and you know this water in no way measures up to our standard of cleanliness. Maria's whole family has one bed that they all share, and one can only guess the number of proper meals they have in one week. Taking all this into account, is it any wonder that this 5 franc coin felt to me like a thousand bucks and felt more valuable to me than most of the gifts I've received? The parable of the widow's mite takes on a whole new meaning to me now.
* SIMPLICITY AND CONTENTMENT I know I can't say I fully understand the Rwandan culture now, but from what I have observed it seems that the Rwandan people are pretty amazing at keeping the main thing the main thing. Compared to the West, their lives are simple and uncomplicated (and without the latest books, video studies, conferences and articles, their faith seems to reflect this as well). I know the temptation is to go over to Rwanda and feel the burden to rescue everyone by throwing some dollars in their direction. The truth is, the Rwandan people are pretty content with what they have, and I think as much as our money blesses them, their mindset and perspective blesses us even more.
(Ok, there's lots more, but since I have plenty more to say, I'll leave it at that =).

Because of my trip to Rwanda I have renewed my appreciation for the US.
I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive that I'd return to the US in the middle of the Christmas craze and would immediately be overwhelmed and frustrated by some of the extravagance of our nation. Now I'm not saying our nation isn't extravagant, but instead of returning and dealing with emotions of frustration and anger, I'm full of thankfulness and appreciation for our country.
* SURFACE THINGS I can't tell you what a joy it is to return to the Christmas decorations, to O Holy Night playing on the local secular station, and to nativity sets and signs of Christ's birth all over the place (if you start looking for the signs, you'll see them everywhere!) I truly can't express how much comfort just the sight of Starbucks brings to my heart. And yes, that may sound superficial, but hey-my heading was SURFACE THINGS, what did you expect? And finally, I do believe, that one of the greatest inventions of ALL TIME is deodorant, and I hope to never take it for granted again as I did all the days preceding my trip!
* CLEAN WATER/ELECTRICITY/WASHING MACHINES etc. Boy have I returned with an enlightened appreciation for some of the basic things we use every day. Simple things like brushing my teeth with sink water fills me with joy (and honestly, I never really thought about that before). After hearing from Juliet just what it takes to wash the clothes of the kids in the Grace Orphanage (and yes, she hand washes each child's clothes every day!), I really don't think I can complain about doing laundry ever again!
* CHURCH I loved experiencing church in Rwanda, joining them in singing the few songs they knew in English, and listening to them pray all at once. At the same time, I can hardly wait to go to my church, to hear the Word preached to my culture, to sing the songs that move my soul, to feel the Spirit move in my heart and the hearts of those around me. In other words, I've missed my church, and it's good to be home!

FINAL FINAL THOUGHTS
Ok, since this has turned into a bit of a book, and I really do need to wrap things up I wanted to end with one more thought. God was so visible in Rwanda, and I've been processing the question of why this is true. The Word tells us that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; we know that God is the same in Jerusalem, in Rwanda, and in America. As I've been processing this question, these are the three things I came up with, not definitive by any means, but my thoughts nonetheless.
* Anticipation--While we were in Rwanda we were looking for God everywhere. We woke up anticipating the things He would do, and we had eyes constantly searching for His hand to move.
* Desperation--While we were in Rwanda we put ourselves in places where we couldn't actually accomplish what we needed to without the help of the Lord. We were out of our comfort zone, beyond the reach of our personal giftings, and daily in a place of dependence on God.
* Celebration--While we were in Rwanda we ended every night by sharing the great things the Lord had done during that day. What a blessing it was to hear and celebrate the many stories that were happening simultaneously throughout the day!

Is God the same--Yes! Is He visible in the US--Yes! So for myself, for each of my teammates, and for everyone reading this blog, my prayer for you is this:
-that you find yourself actively anticipating the mighty works of the Lord
-that you constantly challenge yourself to embrace situations that are "bigger than you", where only the Lord can carry you through
-that you have a fellowship of believers with whom you can REGULARLY celebrate the awesome Hand of God in your life

With that, I close. Thank you to all who took the time to read our many words and cover our trip with your prayers. We couldn't have done it without you! And to my team--thanks for everything we shared! I truly believe you are the BEST RWANDA TEAM EVER (and I mean it!=)! ~LM