Just A Glimpse

It has been said that a picture says a thousand words. It is hard to fathom that one could truly have one thousand words from one photograph; but nonetheless it allows us to look and grasp that which seemed so distant and let it become an imprint to our perspective,thoughts, and prayers. Below are some photographs of the University of Rwanda, where our team will be working this summer.

(Photographs taken from http://www.nur.ac.rw/spip.php?article79)

Over Coffee

There are certain things that simply bring a group of people together. For my team (with whom I am going to Rwanda with) good food, laughter, and coffee are some of the things that bring us together. Every Wednesday night we meet at my leaders' home. We settle down in their lush couches, get comfortable, have a cup of coffee and share our lives with each other. It's great. I look forward to seeing those ivory colored mugs on the coffee table and then pouring out steaming hot coffee into such. I feel like coffee is just one of those things that can easily bring up conversation. And if you're lucky it can go on for hours-like the Europeans.

But all that to say, I love my team and the wonderful people that they are. We are finding more and more our unity in our diversity, all over coffee.

(Photograph from http://thezenafile.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/cupcoffee.jpg)

The Journey Begins

Yes, the journey is yet to begin. It is humbling and yet exciting to think of the opportunity to go to Rwanda! I will be introduced to new sights, smells, and culture. It will be beautiful.

However, my heart aches for the Rwandan people. For so many, the genocides are a haunting memory. In three months, over one-million people died. That is a statistic that is quite simply beyond the comprehension for the American. But it is vividly a part of the life and history of the Rwandan. They cannot escape the painful memory of the past that lingers in their present. Therefore, these people need to know of the hope, healing, restoration, and even unity that they have in the Almighty. By no means are they inferior, but beyond any type of value. These people are precious and their worth is beyond measure. This message of truth needs to be shared with the beautiful people of Rwanda!

Joyful Appearance

The shadows dance across the wall. Oh how entertaining they appear, appeasing to my temporary desires, but no real pleasure seems to be found. This is all that I have known or seen—the dancing shadows. But something deep within the soul longs for so much more. There must be more to life than the dance of these shadows. Then, a miracle, the chains that kept one down from only seeing the shadows are broken. I rise and turn around to see statues and a fire that projected those shadows that I was so content with. Now, how fake a surreal they appear. The shadows have now lost their value. Wait! There is more. What lies beyond the fire and the statues? There is a distant light outside of this cave. No longer will I remain in this dark cave, but will dare to venture out to attain a glimpse of this light, this truth. Finally, through toils and pain I have found it—a joyful appearance. The light bursts forth, I have found truth. Oh how beautiful, how glorious it is! No longer must I force myself to be content with the shadows of life on the walls of the cave, but can be engulfed by the beauty of reality. The veil that covered my vision has now been removed and I can now gaze upon the Truth. I have just tasted a joyful appearance of the Divine.